Synopsis Uproariously funny and sharply critical, Husbands and Pumpkins and Other Stories brings out the quintessential style which we have come to associate with Gangadhar Gadgil – witty, and realistic. What happens when a young Saraswat bride begins life in a Chitpavan Brahmin household or when gossip spreads faster than wildfire in a Girgaum chawl of when a person from the Vidharbha region feels like a fish out of water when he visits Mumbai for the first time-these and numerous such stories make upt the collection in this book. The stories bring out so accurately the idiosyncrasies of typical Maharashtrian families residing in Mumbai that one cannot help identifying with the characters. Humourous to the core, the stories nonetheless hold forth a critique of various aspects of society and the lampoons do not fail to hit their mark. The stories have an old—world charm and bring to life people and events. They also bring alive a different Mumbai – Mumbai as our parents and grandparents knew it. Mario Miranda’s distinctive cartoons complement Gadgil’s easy style of story – telling and add colour to the characters. The book is thus a delightful combination of words and images and does not fail to leave a lasting impression on the reader’s mind.