Badly Jb Dill by Mehreen Saleem

About this novel

Badle Jab Dil (Urdu: بدلے جب دل) by Mehreen Saleem is a light Urdu romance about Sara, a mischievous girl who loves Facebook more than books. She pretends to study while her mother isn’t looking, and her small acts of rebellion keep landing her in trouble.

The novel opens with a familiar trick. “Sara? Beta, what are you doing?” At her mother’s voice Sara jumps, quickly pulls her books together, hides her tablet and turns around. She has been sitting at a table in the lawn with books spread out, pretending to study, while actually being fully absorbed in Facebook. Her mother’s voice drags her out of the online world and back to her books in an instant.

Mehreen Saleem describes her heroine with affectionate humour. Like every girl, Sara suffers from the “disease” of Facebook, and while scrolling she keeps the tablet glued to her eyes. Her weak eyesight doesn’t bother her at all; her glasses have been loyally doing their job for years, and today, after breaking for the fourth time, they’re sitting in a new frame like a guest who will only stay a few days. The poor glasses, the writer jokes, won’t be around for long.

کتابوں کے بیچ چھپا ٹیبلٹ، امی کی آواز، اور ایک شرارتی سارا۔

Sara is dressed in a light pink frock and churidar pajama, her hair tied in a pink pony, with a sharp, proud nose and large dark eyes that add to her presence. For a few minutes she can’t figure out what to do. Then she makes her escape plan, tucking her “treasure” – the tablet – among her books, rolling up her sleeves and stepping into the “battlefield” of the corridor. Why the drama? Because her Ammi is standing at the door like a soldier on guard, ready to rain fire from her eyes and fire arrows of words. Sara sneaks across, thinks she’s made it – but one small mistake gives her away: her dupatta gets caught on the door as she slips into her room.

The title – “when hearts change” – promises that this playful heroine’s life is about to take a romantic turn. A breezy, funny read with plenty of personality.

You can read Badle Jab Dil online here or download the complete PDF for free. A longer edition is also on the site: Badlay Jab Dil (155 pages). You may also like Kabhi Masoom Kabhi Chanchal and Ghulam Hai Dil Ye Tera, or browse more romantic Urdu novels.