The Life And Times Of Altu-Faltu

He was, thought Altu-Faltu piteously, a bereaved, bereft and beleaguered little monkey whom no one wanted or loved, except perhaps Rani-beti if she were still alive, and whom almost everyone else was looking to kill. In brief, he needed a drink. 'Nawab Bade Badtameez has been insulted!' he shouted. 'He shall not rest or sleep until this monumental insult has been avenged. He shall have Rani-beti! He shall have the Northern Ridge! He shall have the whole of Delhi!' Brave Rani-beti, defyies both her powerful father and fearsome fianc?, to run away with Altu-Faltu, a two-bit awara who loafed about with the stoned Hindu Rao crowd, and spent his time smoking bidi butts and drinking bottles of cough linctus. How on earth had such an unlikely alliance been forged? About The Author: Ranjit Lal was born in Calcutta in 1955, and educated in Mumbai, graduating in economics and sociology. As a freelance writer and columnist, he has over a thousand articles, short stories, features and photo-features published in over fifty newspapers and magazines in India and abroad. He has special interest in areas like natural history, photography, humour, satire and automobiles, on which he writes for both adults and children. He is one of the few Indian journalists to write satire and humour on a sustained basis. He has authored several books including The Crow Chronicles, The Life and Times of Altu Faltu, That Summer at Kalagarh, The Bossman Adventures, Enjoying Birds, Birds of Delhi, Birds from My Window and The Caterpillar Who Went on a Diet and Other Stories and When Banshee Kissed Bimbo. Ranjit Lal lives in Delhi.