A(NU) Thought

Dadi, Dantkatha and the Djinns by Avanti Sopory , published by Readomania , is a delightful anthology of folk tales from Kashmir.  This book instantly reminded me of my childhood days, when we would sit around an elderly person, listening with rapt attention to tales, folklores, and stories that carried wisdom within them.  That same charm flows through these pages, which bring together 27 tales of kings, rulers, peasants, families, villagers, talking animals, and even fairies, each with its own morals and lessons to reflect on. It’s refreshing to see these short, timeless tales being shared, almost like opening a treasure chest of oral storytelling that’s been passed down for generations. I am amazed at how the author managed to remember or collect all of these stories, preserving them in such a simple yet engaging way. It feels like a bridge between past and present, ensuring that the magic of these narratives is not lost. This is not just a book, it’s an experience, ...

My latest read (a bit delayed, but never mind), winner of the 2025 Booker Prize , Heart Lamp is a collection of selected stories by Banu Mustaq , translated by Deepa Bhasthi , originally written in Kannada between 1990 and 2023.  As promised, it shines a light on the everyday struggles of Muslim women, focusing on gender inequality, patriarchy, oppression, domestic violence, and more. Now, is it worth a Booker Prize? Honestly, I’m not the best person to comment on that. But here’s what I felt—many of these stories felt familiar, maybe even too familiar, if you’ve grown up in India.  Tales of patriarchy, domestic abuse, women belittling women… we have all seen or heard these around us. So, what makes Heart Lamp special? 

Is it just me, or is there really a sudden deluge of translated books around? Honestly, I am loving it! Getting to read stories from faraway regions, raw, unfiltered, and often from an era untouched by the internet, feels like pure bliss. One such book I picked up recently is T he Owl, The River and the Valley by Arupa Patangia Kalita , translated from Assamese by Mitra Phukan and published by Penguin Random House. It’s a beautiful collection of 12 short stories. These stories capture the essence of everyday struggles, the rhythm of mundane domestic life, and the harsh divide between privilege and poverty. My absolute favourite was Yellow Flip Flops , a story that shocks you with its ending while laying bare the depths of poverty.

Book : Indogene: Stories of Indians Across the Globe Kindle Edition Author : Sriram Devatha   Publication : Klang Sound Solutions         Indogene! You read the title of the book and look at the cover image and you know what to expect in the pages you flip thereafter. Authored by Sriram Devatha, Indogene is an anthology of 10 short stories of Indians settled abroad spread across different countries and different periods.   The first thing I noticed is that the author’s writing style is very lucid. The flow of the stories is engaging. I especially liked how he has described the reactions to inanimate things for an example "keys chimed back in return". 

Book : 13 Unusual Short Stories Author : Brendon Faife Publication: Kindle edition An anthology is a blend of so many characters, genres, and thoughts. Brendon’s book – '13 Unusual Short Stories' is one such amalgamation of various streaks of thoughts. This book is available in the online (Kindle) format. Grandma’s Touch will take you down the memory lane, but it ends on a jerking twist. The Call-Centre is a good piece that will surprise you towards the end. The Hearing Aid is a novel concept, that I have come across in this book.   

Book : Love in the Time of WhatsApp Author : Multiple Publication: Juggernaut Love in the Time of WhataApp by Juggernaut is a collection of 12 short stories on love and relationship in today’s time.   It is amazing to see how 12 different thoughts come together to create something so simple, relatable yet edgy. Every author has a different style to highlight the speck of life (or fantasy) they have chosen to.

Book : They Go To Sleep Author : Saugata Chakraborty Publication: Notion Press They Go To Sleep authored by Saugata Chakraborty and published by Notion Press is a collected of 12 short stories. The stories largely based in Kolkata in addition to few other parts of the country as well. In a bunch of 12 stories across genres, one may not have similar opinion about all; however, I would share my honest review here on my overall reading experience.  

Book: The Goat Thief Author: Perumal Murugan Translated by: N Kalyan Raman Publication: Juggernaut Ordinary moments make life extra-ordinary Yes, life is all about the small moments, when felt intensely forms a memorable part of lives. This is the thought that reverberates in all of the short stories. I am glad that I got this opportunity read works of the celebrated Tamil author Perumal Murugan, thanks to N Kalyan Raman’s translation. The Goat Thief is a collection of 10 simple stories that irradiates the rustic charm.

Book: Fragments - A Collection of Short Stories Author: Janaki Nagaraj Publication: Self Published Life is made up of big and small moments, rather memories that stay with us for a very long time. A collection of short stories is more or less similar to that. Different memories, different thoughts all woven in a string, together. Fragments is the debut book of the author Janaki Nagaraj, it is a collection of 13 short stories that covers different aspects of life. The first story ‘The Ritual’ – a murder mystery is indeed a psychotic thriller. It has unexpected twists and is the best among the lot. The next story ‘The Homecoming’ is about a father - son relationship, it is soft-hearted story. It could have been more elaborate on the state of mind of the father, who is a soldier back from war field.

Book: The Fence Author: Multiple Publisher: Half Baked Beans I won this book in a 'giveaway contest' on Goodreads.  The thing I like the most about an anthology is that it is colourful (not literally), but it is the different thoughts and voices that of various authors. Different genres of stories, different writing styles all of it a result of different experiences and observations. The Fence is a collection of eight such short stories.