Local author Rohith S. Katbamna is giving away 3 copies of his new book, Gulab, in this exclusive Around Ealing competition.
This is the Hanwell author’s second novel and is an urban noir set in the borough. Readers will discover a man from across the world who arrives on the doorstep of a struggling young family. He tells them that his name is Manu. But in the quieter circles, he is infamously known as Gulab.
Rohith said: “The book opens with our character arriving at Heathrow. Greater west London has such a colourful tapestry of communities, we have such a cross-section of cultures here and I wanted to set this book in that kind of area.”
“No matter what background the character comes from culturally, if a person from this area is reading those characters, they will likely know them in some way – have met them or passed them in the street. I wanted the reader to identify just enough.”
Prior to his breakthrough as a published author, Rohith has worked as a photojournalist and also extensively in film and television on acclaimed productions for Channel 4 and BBC. His drama series, ‘PREMature’ earned him a BAFTA Breakthrough nomination.
“I’ve always written. Everything I produced I’ve written,” he said. “So, if it was a screenplay or a documentary treatment, I wrote it – so, this was a natural transition. But novelisation was a challenge and I wanted to harness my craft.”
Rohith’s first book, Down and Rising, was published in 2019. In his downtime, he is a keen cyclist and maintains his base in the borough.
Gulab will be released on 9 December. The audio book will be out next year on Audible.
Win a copy
You could be in with a chance of winning your own copy for free by answering a simple question.
Question: What other name does Gulab use?
Email your entry to aroundealing@ealing.gov.uk by 11.59pm on Sunday 12 January 2025. Please add ‘GULAB WIN’ in the subject line of your entry email to make sure your entry is in with a chance.
After the deadline, the 3 winners will be drawn out at random.
Once the deadline has passed, the winners will be drawn out at random from among the correct entries. Only the winners will be contacted and informed. Only 1 competition entry is permitted per person. No financial remuneration will be offered as an alternative. If the winners do not respond within a time deemed reasonable by the competition organisers, a replacement will be drawn out at random from the correct entries and they will claim the relevant prize instead.
