A RETELLING OF THE TRAGIC YET LEGENDARY LOVE STORY OF HEER AND RANJHA. In the village of Takht Hazara, the musically gifted Deedho Ranjha struggles against family and society. He rejects the pursuit of wealth and power as the measure of a man’s worth. In distant Jhang, the spirited Heer Syal is an accomplished warrior who fearlessly challenges the norms of her community. Heer and Ranjha are destined to meet and fall in love—the former chastised for her ‘manly’ pursuits and the latter ridiculed for his lack thereof. Told from multiple perspectives, set against the lush riverbanks and rugged countryside of West Punjab, this is a wise, passionate and lyrical retelling of one of the subcontinent’s most beloved epics. A rich cast of characters—Kaido Langra, Jhang’s seemingly pious conscience-keeper; Malki, the mother of a daughter she cannot understand; Seida Khera, Heer’s hapless fiance; a silent, watchful crow; a flock of excitable pigeons who bear witness and a philosophical goat—all play their part in bringing this stirring story to life. Manjul Bajaj scratches away at the many meanings of love in the timeless tale of Heer-Ranjha, who dreamt not only of love for themselves but of a kinder, freer and fairer world for all of creation.