Mangalam Shiva's Blog

Mangalam Shiva has recently posted 3 new stories on AMAZON KDP.

PENANCE
REINCARNATION
AMBASSADORS OF GODS.
Please access these stories on Amazon Kindle.

MANGALAM SHIVA.

Mangalam Shiva has uploaded 4 new short stories on Amazon KDP.
1) LOVE JIHAD.
2) FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE.
3) FRUSTRATION.
4) SILENCE.

All the stories have interesting moral and social messages. Please download the stories in your kindle or cellphone or desktop/laptop from Amazon and enjoy the stories.
Regards. Mangalam Shiva.

Profile Image for Fiza Pathan.
Fiza Pathan
Author
39 books
309 followers

Friends
June 6, 2025
‘IMPOSSIBLE RELATIONSHIP’ by Shiva Kumar A.K.A Mangalam Shiva sir is an alluring, captivating and feel-good read like no other though it focuses on a social issue theme which has all of a sudden now become very prevalent in our part of the world for some really odd reason. I’m glad dynamic 81-year-old author Mangalam Shiva sir brought up this odd issue in this short story of his. Really, gone are the days when sisters one married and one unmarried could live together safely under the same roof! Read ‘Impossible Relationship’ to know more about this social issue fiction topic which would normally be categorized in the schema of relationship social issues.

The young female protagonist who resides in Bengaluru, one of my only favourite places in the world, after her graduation gets a job opportunity of a lifetime where she will be based in the city of Mumbai. Mumbai happens to be the commercial capital of the country, India, while Bengaluru is the technological and IT hub of India. However, it is Mumbai that is considered to be the city of dreams, success, jobs, Bollywood, and trouble! All this the female protagonist would encounter right under her married sister’s roof in Mumbai, Bandra West (my turf!) while working in Mumbai.

Thankfully there is a happy ending to this tale, but normally, such situations turn out to become quite gory. I was holding my breath as the story was progressing because I have been following many cases of this sort for the past four years and it never seems to amaze me that a married sister in all these ‘real cases’ would rather kill her own unmarried sister in cold blood rather than her husband! Yet again the idea that the woman or young girl is the tempter and is always at fault, coming to play in the Indian backward scenario which does not even spare teenage unmarried sisters from such horrifying deaths!
So indeed, I am glad something of this nature did not happen ultimately at the end of this short. That is quite a novel take on the whole sordid issue by Mangalam Shivakumar sir and I applaud him for it. Mangalam sir does have a way of presenting social issue scenarios in unusual but very realistic ways; it always manages to catch me by surprise all the time and every time so far.

I totally empathize with the young unmarried female protagonist, and condemn the deplorable attitude of the male anti-hero, the unmarried protagonist’s elder brother-in-law. Mangalam sir’s writing style in this short was alluring, romantic per se in the context of the appropriate situations, highly suspenseful of the likes of Sidney Sheldon this time and a lot of drama build up akin to that again of a Sheldon novel or something written by Danielle Steel, with a touch of the Indianness of Chetan Bhagat and Durjoy Dutta in this one titled ‘Impossible Relationship’.

From ‘touch and go’ chess games to brothers-in-law playing the ‘man in the middle’ on a plane; from young female finger tips to roughly clasped hand wrist grips; from bored bookworm elder sisters to board game playing younger sisters; from Goa water shenanigans to Bengaluru two hour traffic car ‘joy rides’ – this short story has something for everybody, whether you are living in either Bengaluru, Mumbai, Goa or anywhere else in the world! Therefore, do not miss this short penned by Mangalam Shivakumar one of my new indie-author addictions this year 2025. I simply just cannot get enough of him!

My favourite scene in this short would definitely be the ending but I was quite tantalized with the plane ride from Mumbai to Goa as well, especially the last 20 minutes of it. That was written very alluringly and sensually by 81-year-old daring writer Mangalam Shivakumar sir. This 36 year old enjoyed the scenario very much and was reminded of an Archie Comic cover or a Bollywood movie she watched multiple times in the theatre in the year 1998 called Kuch Kuch Hota Hai until she got tired of the sexism of the latter!

Overall, a brilliant job done by Shivkumar sir and I hope to read more of his engrossing short stories in the coming days and weeks in between my uber hectic work and college/colleges schedule. I reward him 5 stars yet again quite easily. Kudos to him on a job well done!

But on a serious note, as mentioned by me before, this relationship social issue dwelt upon by Mangalam Shiva sir has really become a big epidemic in my part of the world because of the migration of many young girls and women from towns and villages to their new workplaces in the urban cities of India. I would implore therefore the families of these young girls and older women to try to not allow your unmarried ones to reside with their elder siblings whether female, male whatever! Rather invest in a good girl’s hostel, a rented tenement, a share an apartment option, etc., rather than subject the helpless working young unmarried girl to such unnecessary situations.

Reason simply being, it seems that brothers-in-law have got the Disney Hannah Montana complex – they want the best of both worlds! Or sisters!

So, invest in the option preferred by me earlier because of late, an elder threatened married sister can go to any extent in her fury and wrath to prevent sharing her husband with her younger sibling. From bride burning in kitchens with the gas tap left open to bathroom geyser burnings, from sharpshooter deaths on contract to gang rape cum murders with hacking and bodies left in abandoned jungles – the wrath of an elder sister seems to know no bounds and the examples just keep getting worse as the days go by. So please take Mangalam Shiva’s short as a warning in this regard, because sadly in our world what is sauce for the goose is never sauce for the gander!

Fiza Pathan
Author
39 books
309 followers

Friends
June 6, 2025
‘ANGEL FLIGHT’ was a suspenseful, enlightening, and gripping read if any. It has a happy and optimistic ending for the female protagonist, but it also brings out the many realities related to being an Airhostess or Air Stewardess. To be frank, some of the details mentioned in this short are so disturbing to read but are so true that it makes one’s gooseflesh rise automatically in shock.

‘Angel Flight’ is part of the Nandini series of Mangalam Shiva, a new upcoming sensational English short fiction writer from Mumbai, India, but hailing from Bengaluru. The story as mentioned before was gripping and in a way horrifying for those who don’t really know the ugly side of this profession. But there is a beauty to it as well which is portrayed very well by the author alternatively in the narration. The female protagonist comes off as brave, firm, loyal, a woman of her word, and a dedicated worker for the betterment of others. Her love for her family was exceptional and seeing her keeping her word to them was heartening to read, see, and ponder over.

My best friend Lata (Didi) once desired to be an Air Stewardess while we were in the undergraduate level in college. She had everything required for the profession – beauty, height, a charming personality, a great command over the English Language, a talent for learning other languages quickly, conversant in seven Indian regional languages apart from Hindi, loved to travel, loved working long hours, loved to serve others in the field of hospitality, and could carry herself brilliantly in any avatar as well. However, the reason why she ultimately gave up on her dream plan is related to the contents of this short titled ‘Angel Flight’ – grab your copy today and read about the gritty details of this profession.

Not that other professions are any better. In fact I should say that the teaching profession is going in the same direction, if not becoming worse! Somebody in my opinion will have to seriously address this perpetual nuisance a working woman has to deal with on a regular basis just to earn her living and feed her family and ambitions. It is getting from bad to worse and now because of the growing inflation, unemployment, lack of jobs and desperate situations of poverty, chronic illnesses, education loans, et al., from the home base it is making many young and middle-aged girls at times compromise or succumb to such chronic sexual predatory harassment.

Now it has reached another level of baselessness altogether in our country because of social networking sites galore where a male worker can easily stalk the movements of any girl or woman by the click of a button. Then because of the abject and deplorable backwardness of our society, it is easy to tarnish the name and living of a poor woman or girl, using a mix of torture ranging from community ostracism, rejection in society, verbal harassment or taunting, and character assassination comments on social media. This has got to stop or it will be like the case of one of my other post-graduate colleagues who wanted to stop her education merely because the college was far; she had to therefore travel by train and there were such male sexual predators on the train who used to molest her everyday going and coming back – therefore she wished to end her education midway for her sanity and peace of mind.

My Lata also had to forego her dream of being an Air Stewardess because she did not have the guts to go through such torture on a regular basis and at that somewhere in the sky! There has to be something better for working girls in our country and I think Mangalam Shiva’s short ‘Angel Flight’ is a social issue fiction short to gear our thinking towards solving this issue in all walks and avenues of life to make our working spaces safe for women and young girls. We deserve better than this, we too are human beings. It is time for some real equality. Read ‘Angel Flight’ to know that it is not only about Air Stewardess but every profession these days in this nook of town.

I especially implore the society and community members of third-world countries like mine to stop judging working girls and women and to stop their chronic tendencies for incurable character assassination online and offline. The life of the 21st century Indian working girl is not easy; in fact it is pathetic - live with that and give us a better deal. You can start by leaving us alone to do our thing. You can also start by trying not to automatically discredit the young girl or woman for the choices she makes in her life. Because the sad fact is that our technological prowess is growing arithmetically but our deplorable habit of sexually abusing each and every girl and woman at the workplace is growing at a geometric pace!

I have always found Mangalam Shiva sir to be an exceptionally talented and moving social issue fiction writer who tells it like it is and I implore all readers to check out his short stories which always remind me of the works of Chetan Bhagat, Nidhi Upadhyay, Sudeep Nagarkar, Nikita Singh with a mix of the suspense of Jeffrey Archer, James Patterson, David Baldacci and Michael Connelly. I saw a lot of Jeffrey Archer and even A.J. Cronin in this one titled ‘Angel Flight’ but with an Indian take and tone to it. I especially love the Indian tone to his fiction which makes his stories sound so authentic and realistically Indian. Totally something Chetan Bhagat would write but with more suspense and more captivating scenarios, but all based on reality.

I easily give Mangalam Shiva sir 5 stars yet again!

Fiza Pathan
Author
39 books
306 followers

Friends
May 30, 2025
OMG! This collection of social issue fiction short stories was really uplifting, motivating, and captivating. Stellar author Shivkumar Mangalam won me over with his first debut collection of short stories titled ‘Empty Fists’. I just could not get enough of the book. This is yet another reason why I most of the time always choose indie books!

‘Empty Fists’ is a collection of suspenseful social issue short stories focusing on the Indian scenario of the latter 20th century and early 21st century. It focuses on urban social issues faced by Indian men, women, and children in urban cities and towns and how they try to overcome the obstacles set in their paths. The collection is pulsating with raw energy and is certainly Shivakumar Mangalam at his best. I think this short story collection was even better than ‘Centurion’ which was the first short story collection I ever read of the author. If you want a dosage of reality-based thriller fiction, then Mangalam sir is the author you should be adding to your Kindle library right now!

From sexual assault to the many blues of news reporting work; from the extortion rackets of real estate agents to the grossness of eve teasing; from the hopeless scenario of the Indian glass ceiling effect to the abuse of minors in their own homes; from corruption in the bureaucracy in the 20th century to the horrors of alcohol abuse – all social issue topics that concern the Indian urban scenario are covered in ‘Empty Fists’ that can educate, inspire, and create an urge in the reader to make a positive difference wherever they can do so.

The short stories read like real thrillers or some excellently penned suspense fiction of the likes of Jeffrey Archer, James Patterson, David Baldacci, and Sidney Sheldon but within the context of an Indian urban setting. Mangalam beats modern big name publisher writers like Nidhi Upadhyay, Prajakta Koli, Nikita Singh, and Novoneel Chakraborty because his plots are way better, fully well managed, conclusive, suspenseful, sensible, realistic and his conclusions always create a perfect closure of the topic or theme.

Seriously, if you want some sensible social issue thriller fiction that makes sense and has perfect closure at the end of the likes of earlier Jeffrey Archer, James Patterson, and David Baldacci books of the latter 20th century, then please dump everyone else and pick up ‘Empty Fists’ by Shivkumar Mangalam. If you want to get some quality Indian thriller fiction, then come to the indie-market and not to the Big Publishers; they will only and always let you down! But Mangalam Shiva will rock your Black and White Kindle and give these so called present popular Big Publisher authors a real run for their money and publicity overdose.

From pariah dogs playing matchmaking to wife swapping turned into ‘wife slapping the wicked husband’ matches; from arranged marriages turning bitter to saintly fathers-in-law turning into mortal sinners; from independent women seeking a new work life to old male dogs wanting their old difficult to handle canine wives; from 70 year old men dying with nothing but empty fists to retelling the sad plight of the Indian urban girl child in a gist – ‘Empty Fists’ makes perfect reading for all social issue fans and for all those who value really good realistic thriller fiction and not plain garbage that we see displayed in the book market in our bookshops these days.

My favourite short stories in this series were ‘Stigma’ and ‘Shattered Dreams’ both which were women centric themes, and which really touched the core of my heart. In fact, where ‘Stigma’ was concerned, I could actually feel my goosepimples rising when the female protagonist was alone on the almost deserted causeway with her office driver. How she tackled her otherwise hopeless situation is something worthy to read in this excellent collection. Where ‘Shattered Dreams’ was concerned, I almost screamed at the farmer and the tree episode – indeed, these two short stories were thrilling but eye-opening at the same time.

I resonated very well with the female protagonist in the short story ‘Whirlpool’ and could empathize with her very easily, because her reality is something that even I have been facing for a long while currently as an urban working woman living and working in Mumbai. It would not be an outrage at times to say that we working women seem to identify with the rag dolls we used to play with when we were younger than our prim and proper Barbie Dolls. The poem contained in this particular short story dedicated to women is painful to read but must be read nevertheless and I am thrilled that Mangalam Shiva sir managed to pen this evocative poem for the reading public; it should not be missed at all!

All in all, a thrilling collection of suspenseful and well-crafted stories that can blow anyone’s mind away. I prefer my fiction more realistic and plausible than fantastical with an outlandish plot that even the author ultimately cannot untangle!

Mangalam Shiva sir gets 5 stars from me as always! As an 81-year-old senior citizen and dynamic writer of short fiction, he needs to be more widely read by the Indian public. Kudos to him on a job well done!

MANGALAM SHIVA has justnow published a short story "PAIN RELIEVER" on AMAZON KDP. The story is about Nandini, a nurse in a hospital has dedicated her life in tending to the various types of patients. One elderly patient is suffering due to immense pain and Nandini attends to him in reducing his pain. Read on to know how Nandini relieves his pain with a sad heart.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DHQq6unSt...

Mangalam Shiva


MANGALAM SHIVA HAS POSTED A NEW SHORT STORY"INHIBITION" ON AMAZON KDP.
“Maya was having disorders like obsession, paranoia, and mental trauma due to the sad experiences in her young ages. She has to overcome these symptoms gradually.” He prescribed some medicines to calm her nerves, to be taken for a month. He asked Maya to go for long walks in the mornings and to perform Yoga under some expert guidance. He advised her to relax and listen to soothing music in her free time. Dr.Ganguly told Roshan “Take leave for a few days and go with Maya to some hill resort or sea side and spend quality time with her. This will instill confidence and assure her about your care for her.”
It took six months for Maya to shed all her inhibitions about Roshan. Yamini got engaged to be married with her friend Rajesh. Maya felt ashamed to have suspected Yamini and invited her for lunch on a Sunday. They hugged each other when they met. Tears were flowing from their eyes.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DGfs4qBSD...

MANGALAM SHIVA has published a new short story"MORBID JEALOUSY: on Amazon KDP.
The story is about a husband suspecting his wife in whatever she does. He is very possessive of her and does not tolerate her talking to other men. Read the story to find whether the husband comes out of his mental disorder.