Welcome to the first post in the official pre-launch period of my debut Historical Fiction Novel, AGAINST THE ODDS OF TRADITION, scheduled for release on Sunday, March 1, 2026. Holi, the festival of colors, will be celebrated by Indians across the globe on March 3^rd. It represents the end of Winter and beginning of Spring, celebrating love and forgiveness as well as the triumph of good over evil. It is also considered a celebration of the Spring harvest for farmers in India.

I chose to time the launch of AGAINST THE ODDS OF TRADITION with celebrations of Holi because the two share some common themes. The first is love. Not just romantic love but love between friends and families of all kinds. The second theme is forgiveness. Where there is love, there must be forgiveness, because people are not perfect so their relationships would never be either. But both are necessary for good to triumph over evil that resides on the inside and out.

The story of AGAINST THE ODDS OF TRADITION unfolds over two decades of the life of Meena Kumar. A 25-year-old educated widow, Meena has reconciled with the fact that she will never experience love and marriage or have a family of her own. Not because it is not illegal for her to remarry. Unfortunately, centuries-old traditions are embedded deep enough in the culture to make it impossible, even in 1930s India living under the modern British Raj.

I will provide more detail on this specific historical and cultural context in my next blog and video that will be posted on Wednesday, December 3^rd. There is a lot more to this tradition than a woman being forbidden to fall in love, get married, and have children after the passing of her first husband. In the book, you will read about most of these aspects and how they impact Meena, who is educated and capable of running her father’s business on her own.

Despite her education and capabilities, however, all anyone sees when they look at Meena is that she is a widow. Nothing else matters. She is dead to her society, which offers her nothing but rules she is expected to follow without fail until her last breath. Fortunately, Meena comes from a family that is ruled, first and foremost, by love. Rule of the British Raj is a distant second to the rule of love that runs through the Kumar household. That’s what helps Meena’s story to unfold.

More to come over the next three months as we march with time towards March 1^st. I will post separate videos on the historical and cultural context to help you stay up. You will also have a chance to learn about promotions and bonuses. In the meantime, please reach out via a DM or comment on the platform you are using to view this post. I would love to hear from you. Check out more details about this and my other work by going to www.jatinderkoharki.com. Thank you.