FRAGMENTS AGAINST MY RUIN: A Life

Farrukh Dhondy: A Life in Stories

📖 About the Book

Farrukh Dhondy: A Life in Stories is a rib-tickling memoir by Farrukh Dhondy—a celebrated television personality, writer, outspoken leftist and a proud Parsi boy. Filled with humour, nostalgia and unforgettable encounters, this memoir offers a fascinating glimpse into the life, friendships and experiences of one of India's pioneering English writers.

Farrukh Dhondy’s extraordinary friendships and associations have always been a rich source of stories. His interactions with personalities such as Charles Sobhraj, V.S. Naipaul, and his first wife Mala Sen, author of The Bandit Queen, became inspirations for his fiction and creative work.

Through celebrated works like Bombay Duck and Poona Company, Dhondy recreated the vibrant worlds of his early years in Pune and Mumbai, establishing himself as one of the important voices in Indian writing in English.

Later, in London, he became a prominent cultural figure as the creative head of Channel 4, where he played a major role in bringing diverse and groundbreaking South Asian content to English audiences.

This memoir is a delightful journey through a vanished era, capturing people, friendships and moments that may have disappeared from everyday life but continue to live on through memory and storytelling.

✨ Key Highlights

• A humorous and candid memoir by a celebrated Indian writer and broadcaster.
• Stories of remarkable friendships, relationships and cultural encounters.
• A nostalgic look at Pune, Mumbai and London's creative worlds.
• Insights into Indian writing in English and multicultural television.
• A fascinating account of people and times that shaped modern cultural history.

✍️ About the Author

Farrukh Dhondy was born in Pune in 1944 into a Parsi family. He moved to England and worked as an education lecturer and schoolteacher from 1968 to 1978 before entering the world of television.

As the Commissioning Editor of Multicultural Programming at Channel 4 TV, UK, from 1984 to 1997, Dhondy was responsible for hundreds of hours of television programming across multiple genres. He helped introduce and develop landmark shows such as Desmond’s and The Bandung File.

After his television career, he worked as a freelance journalist and writer, contributing articles to publications including The Pioneer, Asian Age and India Today.

In 2002, he joined the India-based film company Kaleidoscope International. His literary works include the novel The Prophet of Love (2013), the play Devdas, which premiered in London in 2013, and a collection of translations of Rumi (2014).

📚 Why Read This Book?

Farrukh Dhondy: A Life in Stories is more than a memoir—it is a celebration of friendship, creativity and cultural transformation. With wit, honesty and warmth, Dhondy brings alive the personalities, places and experiences that shaped his remarkable journey as a writer and storyteller.