Have Guts!

Jaswin Jassi says that no one connects better with the common man than a commoner. By writing his life story, he has not only dared to substantiate his interesting claim but has also hoped to inspire narrative of lives less ordinary. The "ordinary" people of South Asia and especially those with Punjabi backgrounds would find echoes of their lives in this life story. The honesty with which Jassi effortlessly pens down the contradictions of everyday life is admirable. How often do we find that someone describes himself as a God fearing person and a devoted husband and simultaneously relishes his numerous extra-marital exploits?

This book also gives a rare peep into the world of audio-visual media controlled by the central government in India before the era of liberalisation.

The social historian would find interesting materials in this self- narrative for mapping a story of upward mobility of Punjabi middle classes in post-independent India's capital.

Dr. Pritam Singh
Director Postgraduate Programme
International Management and International Relations
Oxford Brookes University, Oxford (UK)