Bahrain-based author Hemendra Killawala’s new book Oceans of Notions from the Shah of Blah has hit the shelves, writes Melissa Nazareth.
The phrases ‘Oceans of Notions’ and the ‘Shah of Blah’ are popular nicknames for the professional storyteller Rashid Khalifa in Salman Rushdie’s 1990 children’s novel Haroun and the Sea of Stories. 
Hemendra uses them as an homage to explore life’s deepest questions, blending personal stories, poetry, and a contemplative concept he calls Zehen (mind). The Indian expatriate and wordsmith believes there is a little ‘Shah of Blah’ in all of us – a part that overthinks, overanalyses and carries endless ‘internal commentary’ about life.
“The book is a collection of experiences, observations and questions accumulated over a lifetime,” the 59-year-old from Juffair told GulfWeekly. 
“Gradually, these reflections found a voice, further enriched by Urdu shayari (poetry) that is naturally a part of me. My love for it comes from my late father, who was fluent in Urdu.
“If there is one thought I would like readers to take away, it is: you are allowed to be a work in progress and still be enough,” added the Bahrain resident of four years. 
The book, released in April 2026 by Puffins Publishers, is available on Amazon India. It was preceded by his self-published title, Tales from Talegaon and Other Short Stories.