Parul Sharma’s latest novel, ‘Tuki’s Grand Salon Chase’.

Parul Sharma’s latest novel, ‘Tuki’s Grand Salon Chase’.

-           The protagonist of the book is a hairstylist. This is a first for an Indian work of fiction. As Parul had interview many hairstylists (celebrity and otherwise) to research for this book, please do let me know if you would like Parul’s take on the lives of hairdressers.

-          The book is set in three cities - Mumbai, Goa and London. Parul can contribute articles on travel and leisure in context to writing a book that is set in these popular locations. She is also a travel enthusiast and has travelled to many exotic locales.

-          The protagonist is a twenty-something ambitious, hard-working girl of today who is nonetheless riddled with insecurities and anxities. Parul can comment and give insightful quotes on this youthful angst in stories on the youth of today.

-          Parul can contribute to articles on the changing chick-lit heroine. How is she evolving, etc. Considering that the genre itself has been around for some time now and has therefore evolved.

-          Parul Sharma has a degree from MICA, holds a senior position in qualitative research at IMRB and has two small kids (aged 6 and 3 years). Please do keep her in mind if you'd like her views in stories about juggling a lot of balls, life-hacks for working mothers, how to chase your dreams even while holding down a day job, etc.

-          All 3 of Parul’s books have had strong women protagonists i.e. a new mother, two corporate slaves and now Tuki!

-          Bandra has featured in two of her three books. She has also been residing in Bandra for many years and love being part of the artistic community that thrives here.

About The Book

 For most hairstylists, the move from the dingy Lovely Beauty Parlour to the up-market Nancy’s Factory would be reward enough. Young, gifted Tuki, though, has her sights set on a bigger prize — her own salon! However, her well-laid plans start going awry as soon as the striking tattooist Faraaz joins Nancy’s Factory. Tuki needs to handle Faraaz’s advances, figure out the mystery behind the disappearance of the elderly, eccentric, brilliant writer Bijoy Dutta and rescue the multilayered Sweety Bhabhi from destitution.

Finding herself at the heart of one storm too many, Tuki decides to run away from the leafy lanes of Bandra to the old-world Portuguese villas of Goa. In the comforting embrace of the village Aldona, she finds herself struggling with her rather untimely attraction to her enigmatic neighbour, the charming Arvind, and sharing house with Bijoy, haunted as he is by the ghosts of his past.

Armed with nothing but a pair of scissors and the jigsaw pieces of her broken dream, Tuki has to navigate through Mumbai, Goa and London to find out if the universe is conspiring to make her or break her.

Tuki’s Grand Salon Chase is her heartwarming tale of finding love and hope in the unlikeliest of places.FictionRs 250Tuki’s Grand Salon ChaseParul SharmaParul SharmaFor most hairstylists, the move from the dingy Lovely Beauty Parlour to the up market Nancy’s Factory would be reward enough. Young, gifted Tuki, though, has her sights set on a bigger prize — her own salon! However, her well-laid plans start going awry as soon as the striking tattooist Faraaz joins Nancy’s Factory. Tuki needs to handle Faraaz’s advances, figure out the mystery behind the disappearance of the elderly, eccentric, brilliant writer Bijoy Dutta and rescue the multilayered Sweety Bhabhi from destitution.Finding herself at the heart of one storm too many, Tuki decides to run away from the leafy lanes of Bandra to the old-world Portuguese villas of Goa. In the comforting embrace of the village Aldona, she finds herself struggling with her rather untimely attraction to her enigmatic neighbour, the charming Arvind, and sharing house with Bijoy, haunted as he is by the ghosts of his past.Armed with nothing but a pair of scissors and the jigsaw pieces of her broken dream, Tuki has to navigate through Mumbai, Goa and London to find out if the universe is conspiring to make her or break her.Tuki’s Grand Salon Chase is her heartwarming tale of finding love and hope in the unlikeliest of places.Cover art and design by Siddharth Dasari

About the Author

Parul Sharma grew up in the small towns of Uttar Pradesh. This was fortunate because it ensured that she ran into some rather quirky characters pretty early on in life. Once done with schooling, she made the rather dubious choice of studying Economics, a sentiment with which Economics agreed, no doubt. This made way for a degree from Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad where many inspiring cups of tea were consumed, among other things. She worked in the corporate sector and still does but she also writes novels. Bringing Up Vasu: That First Year was her first book and described the travails of Mira, a young, first-time mother. Her second novel was By the Water Cooler – the story of Mini and Tanya, young women who find that the corporate ladder is actually a greasy pole. Parul lives in Mumbai with her husband, two children and sometimes, if she’s lucky, Kittu, the street cat.