For Kathryn, who lives near Lake Cowichan near Vancouver, the attraction of the Canadian Paldi started years ago. Always attracted to India in the pursuit of God, Kathryn stumbled upon the idea of penning a novel on Paldi when she learnt three years ago that a village by this name originally existed in Punjab.

Though the novel is partly fictitious and partly spiritual, the reality of the two Paldis is quite evident. In fact, the fiction is drawn from real experiences of residents of the two Paldis whom the author met over a period of time.

Kathryn got first-hand experiences from people in Vancouver's Paldi, including Punjabi, Chinese and Japanese students who came to her elementary school there.

'The atmosphere of the village (in Canada) was so unique. They lived like one big family and spoke their native (Punjabi) language. Exotic food, spices, Punjabi suits, pickles -- everything was part of their life. I was inspired to write something that honours the affinity between the two villages,' the author pointed out.

(Jaideep Sarin can be contacted at jaideep.s@ians.in)