"Passing Time in Biharipur is such a sincere portrayal of the conditions of a suffering and exploited and yet static and degenerate society--where the problems associated with introducing any radical change are so vividly dealt with -- needs to be widely read and commented upon.

Not much happens in Biharipur... But the little that does is lovingly discussed, embellished upon and spread far and wide by the scandal-starved people of the little town, who throng Bhagirath's hotel every evening for an endless diet of 'pecial' tea, blaring off key Hindi Film Music and a blow-by-blow account of the lives, loves, highs and lows of their local celebrities--Naina Mem, the Voluptuous, Volatile mistress of an Anglo-Indian Railway Guard; Vinayak, Homeopath and Trade Union Leader, whose radical ideas on untouchability make the other local luminaries squirm; Murari Doctor and Parashuram Vaid, whose respective medical practices are under threat from Vinayak... Then, one horrifying day, a petty feud escalated into an ugly communal riot that takes lives, devastates property--and destroys forever the tranquil tenor of life in Biharipur.

In this novel there is a narrative of news and events that our press and history miss or ignore. It is a narrative of human suffering and a celebration of human dignity and effort that may lead to peace and liberation." (jacket)