False Ceilings-Amit Sharma

Born in the lush mountains of Dalhousie, Shakuntala is a pampered child of a wealthy builder. On her wedding night in 1946, she is gifted a secret to use wisely when the time comes. From the green valleys of Dalhousie to a village in Punjab reeling under the communal violence of 1947; from the Delhi of 1950s with its intoxicating smell of freedom to the Delhi of 1970s soaked in the hippie culture, the cancerous secret breathes with her, infects her. It is accidentally passed down, hidden under insecurities and jealousies, locked in its meaninglessness and leaving a trail of ruin. When her great-grandson accidentally discovers the secret, he is perplexed by the malice that flowed in his family's blood. Was it just the secret or his family would have destroyed itself even in its absence? Why was their love never greater than their unsaid expectations from each other?