The first-ever English translation of the Punjabi classic by Nanak Singh Kedar, orphaned and penniless, comes to Rawalpindi in search of a job. He finds employment as a watchmaker, but discovers, to his horror, that he has taken away Panna Lal s job, whose debts are mounting by the day. Along with the job-the only source of sustenance for his family-Panna Lal loses all hope of marrying his daughter off and settling his debts. He writes a letter to Kedar blaming him for his misfortune and goes missing thereafter. Kedar s attempts to find him fail. Plagued by guilt, he decides to shoulder every responsibility of Panna Lal s family. He assures them that Panna Lal is safe and away on business in Bombay. Soon Kedar finds that he has fallen in love with Veena, Panna Lal s daughter. But his guilt-ridden conscience compels him to suppress his love. In a strange twist of fate, Kedar is confronted with a difficult choice-of saving Panna Lal s family from homelessness or single-mindedly pursuing Veena. The Watchmaker-a nuanced and poetic translation by Navdeep Suri of Nanak Singh s 1942 classic Pavitra Paapi-brings alive a tragic tale of unrequited love.