“Its a journey….of a boy from Hyderabad to San Francisco…..from confusion to clarity…..and also of the society…..to freedom…..worth a read to understand the change India has gone through….and still going through” – Rani Mukherji

My Magical Palace spans the years from the turbulent early seventies in Hyderabad where Rahul grows up, to modern day San Francisco, the birthplace of recent significant social revolt and technology innovation. The book recreates the world of post-partition India, marked with political upheaval and communal tension and the exposure of youth to western culture, post the Beatles era. Rahul realizes as a teenager, that in order to be loved and accepted he must do exactly what is expected of him by society, his parents and peers. Most teenagers face this struggle as they try to define themselves as adults in the world.

How much of that struggle is still faced by a growing teenager today, in an India that has changed so much in the past few years?  Can changes in social attitudes be instituted as easily as changes that are signed into law in a court with the flourish of a pen? What will it take for a fundamental shift to occur in attitudes towards same sex relationships, so that one will not grow up fearing isolation, ridicule, marginalization, violence, ostracizing, family disrepute or social censure?