Saeed Ibrahim's Blog: Characters from my book of short stories
April 2, 2023
IS THERE A FUTURE FOR THE SHORT STORY?
I was recently invited by the Alliance Française de Bangalore to present my book of short fiction, “The Missing Tile and Other Stories” at their Café Littéraire event. After my talk, a debate was held on the topic, “As a literary genre, there is no future for the short story.”
During the discussion that followed a wide range of viewpoints were put forth, both for and against.
Several people agreed that the power of the short story lay in its brevity and compactness. The theme of the story, the setting, the plot, the characters, the conflict, the turning point and the resolution were all contained in a short space. And it is precisely this compactness that made this form of writing so appealing. Unlike a novel, a short story could provide a quick and easy read from start to finish in a short period of time, and often in a single sitting. In the words of Neil Gaiman, “Short stories are journeys you can make to the far side of the universe and still be back in time for dinner.”
Modern technology has also been kind to the short story genre. What set the short story apart was that compared to a full-length novel, the short story today could be made accessible to readers in a much quicker time frame and at a much lower cost. With so many online magazines, it was now cheaper to produce and distribute more short fiction than ever before. This flexibility made it possible to download a short story on a website, on a mobile phone or on a tablet; and a short story could be read and enjoyed anywhere and anytime – during a lunch break, in a doctor’s waiting room, on a short journey or a commute, or even whilst waiting in a queue.
On the other hand, it was felt that the problem with the short story was that because of its reduced length, it was limited in its sweep. It offered less time space and covered events of a shorter time period without depth in either atmosphere or setting. On account of its shorter length, the short story followed a single thread and supported a single point of view. It rarely featured more than a single plot or more than one main character.
Opposing this argument, supporters of shorter length stories maintained that because of the media overload in today’s world, our attention span was shrinking. This is why it was important to condense the message in a short and concise form and in a way that caught the attention of the reader, stimulated his curiosity and made him want to turn the page and read the story to its end. In the same way, short stories were a good means of inculcating the reading habit. They were great for reluctant readers, slow readers or anyone intimidated by books.
Opponents of the short story argued that often the ending in a short story was not complete. The lack of detail or closure left the reader dissatisfied or even confused. Sometimes short stories ended on an emotional note or with an ambiguous or abrupt ending, without resolution. Novels, on the other hand, provided the much needed closure and the ending was invariably neatly tied up. After spending a considerable amount of time and getting invested in a character or characters, readers wanted to know clearly what happened to them, and for this reason they tended to prefer novels.
In support of short stories, it was noted that short stories had provided many authors with a stepping stone to a flourishing literary career. Several successful writers had honed their writing skills through the vehicle of the short story.
As a closing line of argument, critics put forth the premise that after all was said and done, short stories were easily forgettable, leaving no lasting impact or impression on their readers. To which, as a final rebuttal, short story supporters pointed to the lasting power of the short story, giving the example of famous and successful films and television serials that were based on short stories. "The Curios Case of Benjamin Button,” for instance, was an award-winning film inspired by a story by F. Scott Fitzgerald and released 86 years after the original story was written. Closer home, “Malgudi Days” was made into a television serial of 54 episodes and 4 seasons and had become a household word in India. It was inspired by a series of 32 short stories written in 1943 by celebrated author, R.K. Narayan.
I thoroughly enjoyed the debate and found it to be of a high standard with well thought out and well-presented arguments on both sides. As a writer of short stories, my views were perhaps biased, but I was gratified to note that the motion was defeated. With strong arguments in its defense, it was concluded that the short story as a genre was alive and kicking and was here to stay. There was no question of there not being a future for the short story.
During the discussion that followed a wide range of viewpoints were put forth, both for and against.
Several people agreed that the power of the short story lay in its brevity and compactness. The theme of the story, the setting, the plot, the characters, the conflict, the turning point and the resolution were all contained in a short space. And it is precisely this compactness that made this form of writing so appealing. Unlike a novel, a short story could provide a quick and easy read from start to finish in a short period of time, and often in a single sitting. In the words of Neil Gaiman, “Short stories are journeys you can make to the far side of the universe and still be back in time for dinner.”
Modern technology has also been kind to the short story genre. What set the short story apart was that compared to a full-length novel, the short story today could be made accessible to readers in a much quicker time frame and at a much lower cost. With so many online magazines, it was now cheaper to produce and distribute more short fiction than ever before. This flexibility made it possible to download a short story on a website, on a mobile phone or on a tablet; and a short story could be read and enjoyed anywhere and anytime – during a lunch break, in a doctor’s waiting room, on a short journey or a commute, or even whilst waiting in a queue.
On the other hand, it was felt that the problem with the short story was that because of its reduced length, it was limited in its sweep. It offered less time space and covered events of a shorter time period without depth in either atmosphere or setting. On account of its shorter length, the short story followed a single thread and supported a single point of view. It rarely featured more than a single plot or more than one main character.
Opposing this argument, supporters of shorter length stories maintained that because of the media overload in today’s world, our attention span was shrinking. This is why it was important to condense the message in a short and concise form and in a way that caught the attention of the reader, stimulated his curiosity and made him want to turn the page and read the story to its end. In the same way, short stories were a good means of inculcating the reading habit. They were great for reluctant readers, slow readers or anyone intimidated by books.
Opponents of the short story argued that often the ending in a short story was not complete. The lack of detail or closure left the reader dissatisfied or even confused. Sometimes short stories ended on an emotional note or with an ambiguous or abrupt ending, without resolution. Novels, on the other hand, provided the much needed closure and the ending was invariably neatly tied up. After spending a considerable amount of time and getting invested in a character or characters, readers wanted to know clearly what happened to them, and for this reason they tended to prefer novels.
In support of short stories, it was noted that short stories had provided many authors with a stepping stone to a flourishing literary career. Several successful writers had honed their writing skills through the vehicle of the short story.
As a closing line of argument, critics put forth the premise that after all was said and done, short stories were easily forgettable, leaving no lasting impact or impression on their readers. To which, as a final rebuttal, short story supporters pointed to the lasting power of the short story, giving the example of famous and successful films and television serials that were based on short stories. "The Curios Case of Benjamin Button,” for instance, was an award-winning film inspired by a story by F. Scott Fitzgerald and released 86 years after the original story was written. Closer home, “Malgudi Days” was made into a television serial of 54 episodes and 4 seasons and had become a household word in India. It was inspired by a series of 32 short stories written in 1943 by celebrated author, R.K. Narayan.
I thoroughly enjoyed the debate and found it to be of a high standard with well thought out and well-presented arguments on both sides. As a writer of short stories, my views were perhaps biased, but I was gratified to note that the motion was defeated. With strong arguments in its defense, it was concluded that the short story as a genre was alive and kicking and was here to stay. There was no question of there not being a future for the short story.
August 14, 2019
TO FELL OR NOT TO FELL
The high point in last month’s “Walk Down Memory Lane” in Richmond Town, hosted by India Heritage Walks, was undoubtedly the 150 year old All Saints Church. Apart from showcasing this little jewel of Gothic style architecture, the walk, painstakingly researched and curated by architect Anushritha YS, drew attention to a vexed civic issue that continues to plague Bangalore citizens with no satisfactory solution in sight in the foreseeable future.
Richmond Town which forms part of Bangalore’s Cantonment area and lies bang in the middle of the city’s upscale Central Business District, was established by the British in 1883. The area is dotted with colonial design buildings often tucked away in not so frequented alleys and lanes but which contribute nonetheless to the city’s rich heritage. The All Saints Church on the other hand, set in a 6 acre campus which also houses a school and an and old peoples’ home, is located close at hand to the busy crossroads of Vellara Junction and Hosur Road, offering an oasis of peace and tranquillity away from the noise and pollution nearby.
The church itself stands in the middle of the grounds surrounded by a flower garden and a wooded cluster of trees and has the air of an English country church or a fairy tale cottage. Its low tiled roof and skylights allow plenty of sunlight suffusing the church with a warm glow emanating as much from the beautiful stained glass window behind the altar.
Founded in 1870 by Rev Samuel Thomas Pettigrew, the church today has 500 families as members from the earlier 150 families. But its founder, himself a keen botanist and entomologist with an abiding interest in trees and flowers, birds and insects as well as architecture and buildings, would today be turning in his grave appalled by the ongoing dispute between Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) and the All Saints Congregation Association over the proposed Vellara underground station along the Gottigere-Nagawara or Red Line of Namma Metro’s Phase 2 programme.
A number of thorny issues are at stake and a breakdown of the negotiation process has caused an impasse with the progress of the project being temporarily stalled. Excavation work on the 5.63 kms underground metro corridor would involve pressing into service giant tunnel boring machines (TBMs) to drill and bore through massive rocks and boulders which are part of the city’s geological structure. All parties are agreed on the principle that the proposed underground metro corridor would go a long way towards improving Bangalore’s public transport system, decongesting roads and bringing much needed relief to harried commuters. However, it is feared that the vibrations during underground tunnelling may adversely impact the security of buildings in the vicinity and cause cracks to appear in their structures. The safety of a 150 year old heritage building such as the All Saints Church may well be compromised.
Various alternative proposals and suggestions have been put forth from dropping the idea of the Vellara station and merging it with the nearby Langford Town station to constructing a much smaller 150 metre length Vellara station to circumvent the problem. However, the main bone of contention in the ugly tussle between the two opposing parties is the one surrounding the question of land acquisition. The members of the church maintain that they have never been opposed to the construction of the underground station and point out that the Church has already relinquished 3500 sqm of land belonging to it for the metro project. What they are against is BMRC’s demand for an additional 4833 sqm of land inside the church compound which is ostensibly required for a “dumping ground” for placing cranes and other machinery during tunnelling activities. Social activists, church members, environmentalists and conservationists have jointly opposed this proposal pointing out that the exercise would involve the axing of more than 100 odd trees in the compound some of which are 100 years old and are home to several rare species of birds. It would also mean dislocating the old age home and the school for children with special needs. In their petition they have asked BMRC not to acquire the additional land inside church premises but to seek army land or any other nearby land as the temporary dump yard. If the Vellara station could be shifted by 70-100 metres the trees could be saved and the ecology of the area preserved.
From their side BMRC representatives maintain that the Vellara station cannot be dropped as the distance between the Langford Town station and M.G. Road would then be 2144 metres thereby depriving the metro facility to a large number of people in the surrounding vicinity. In defence of acquiring the additional land in the church compound they aver that less than 50 trees would need to be felled, an argument rubbished by the activists and protestors as a ploy meant to use a loop hole in the Tree Preservation Act to avoid the requirement of public consultation.
In a recent development a member of the All Saints Church Congregation Association has written to the European Investment Bank (EIB) requesting intervention, the EIB being the leading financier of the 13-km metro corridor project. Meanwhile the controversy continues to rage with a new twist to the drama with the Defence Estate Office (DEO) of the Defence Ministry saying that the land belongs to them and that the compensation for the land should be paid to the Consolidated Fund of India.
It remains to be seen which way the wind will blow and one can only hope for a speedy and amicable solution to the imbroglio safeguarding the interests of all concerned.
Richmond Town which forms part of Bangalore’s Cantonment area and lies bang in the middle of the city’s upscale Central Business District, was established by the British in 1883. The area is dotted with colonial design buildings often tucked away in not so frequented alleys and lanes but which contribute nonetheless to the city’s rich heritage. The All Saints Church on the other hand, set in a 6 acre campus which also houses a school and an and old peoples’ home, is located close at hand to the busy crossroads of Vellara Junction and Hosur Road, offering an oasis of peace and tranquillity away from the noise and pollution nearby.
The church itself stands in the middle of the grounds surrounded by a flower garden and a wooded cluster of trees and has the air of an English country church or a fairy tale cottage. Its low tiled roof and skylights allow plenty of sunlight suffusing the church with a warm glow emanating as much from the beautiful stained glass window behind the altar.
Founded in 1870 by Rev Samuel Thomas Pettigrew, the church today has 500 families as members from the earlier 150 families. But its founder, himself a keen botanist and entomologist with an abiding interest in trees and flowers, birds and insects as well as architecture and buildings, would today be turning in his grave appalled by the ongoing dispute between Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) and the All Saints Congregation Association over the proposed Vellara underground station along the Gottigere-Nagawara or Red Line of Namma Metro’s Phase 2 programme.
A number of thorny issues are at stake and a breakdown of the negotiation process has caused an impasse with the progress of the project being temporarily stalled. Excavation work on the 5.63 kms underground metro corridor would involve pressing into service giant tunnel boring machines (TBMs) to drill and bore through massive rocks and boulders which are part of the city’s geological structure. All parties are agreed on the principle that the proposed underground metro corridor would go a long way towards improving Bangalore’s public transport system, decongesting roads and bringing much needed relief to harried commuters. However, it is feared that the vibrations during underground tunnelling may adversely impact the security of buildings in the vicinity and cause cracks to appear in their structures. The safety of a 150 year old heritage building such as the All Saints Church may well be compromised.
Various alternative proposals and suggestions have been put forth from dropping the idea of the Vellara station and merging it with the nearby Langford Town station to constructing a much smaller 150 metre length Vellara station to circumvent the problem. However, the main bone of contention in the ugly tussle between the two opposing parties is the one surrounding the question of land acquisition. The members of the church maintain that they have never been opposed to the construction of the underground station and point out that the Church has already relinquished 3500 sqm of land belonging to it for the metro project. What they are against is BMRC’s demand for an additional 4833 sqm of land inside the church compound which is ostensibly required for a “dumping ground” for placing cranes and other machinery during tunnelling activities. Social activists, church members, environmentalists and conservationists have jointly opposed this proposal pointing out that the exercise would involve the axing of more than 100 odd trees in the compound some of which are 100 years old and are home to several rare species of birds. It would also mean dislocating the old age home and the school for children with special needs. In their petition they have asked BMRC not to acquire the additional land inside church premises but to seek army land or any other nearby land as the temporary dump yard. If the Vellara station could be shifted by 70-100 metres the trees could be saved and the ecology of the area preserved.
From their side BMRC representatives maintain that the Vellara station cannot be dropped as the distance between the Langford Town station and M.G. Road would then be 2144 metres thereby depriving the metro facility to a large number of people in the surrounding vicinity. In defence of acquiring the additional land in the church compound they aver that less than 50 trees would need to be felled, an argument rubbished by the activists and protestors as a ploy meant to use a loop hole in the Tree Preservation Act to avoid the requirement of public consultation.
In a recent development a member of the All Saints Church Congregation Association has written to the European Investment Bank (EIB) requesting intervention, the EIB being the leading financier of the 13-km metro corridor project. Meanwhile the controversy continues to rage with a new twist to the drama with the Defence Estate Office (DEO) of the Defence Ministry saying that the land belongs to them and that the compensation for the land should be paid to the Consolidated Fund of India.
It remains to be seen which way the wind will blow and one can only hope for a speedy and amicable solution to the imbroglio safeguarding the interests of all concerned.
May 18, 2019
TWIN HEIRLOOMS FROM A COLONIAL PAST - SAEED IBRAHIM
The strong gusty winds and gigantic waves rising high above the surface of the sea lash the sides of the ship as it sways relentlessly upwards and comes crashing down again in a mad seesaw. Fear grips my innards as I cling desperately to the nearest firm object I can lay my hands on only to be dragged cruelly away by the sheer force of the wind and the rain. The screams of the terrified women and children rent the air high above the crashing waves. I awake with a shudder, my body drenched in a cold sweat....
In my dream I had been transported back in time and aboard the SS Vaitarna (or “Vijli” as she was popularly known) on that fateful night on 8th November 1888, when caught in a violent cyclonic storm the ship was wrecked off the coast of Gujarat near Mangrol with no survivors. My great grandparents on my father’s side who lived at the time in Bhuj, the capital of the then semi-autonomous princely state of Kutcch, perished in this maritime tragedy known as the “Titanic of Gujarat.” They left behind a 16 year old orphan, Aisha, my paternal grandmother or dadi, and a bone china tea service which they had intended as a wedding present for her. Totally devastated by the loss of her parents at such an early age, this special memento of her parents’ love brought my grandmother great comfort and solace and at her marriage some years later it occupied pride of place in her wedding trousseau. It has since been passed down through the generations in my family as a remnant from the colonial period in India of the late 19th century.
The tea set is a beautiful blue and gold piece of the finest egg shell china, complete with six delicately crafted cups and saucers, a large and elegantly shaped tea pot, milk jug and sugar bowl and half a dozen dessert bowls and an equal number of dessert plates. It was most probably imported from England by my great grandfather from one of the porcelain manufacturers in Staffordshire. Though the set does not bear the manufacturer’s name, each piece of the service has my great grandfather's name “Haji Jan Mohammed” inscribed in gold lettering in Urdu script.
At her death, my grandmother in turn passed it on to her daughter-in-law, my mother who carefully preserved it and used the tea set sparingly only for very special family occasions. My family moved to Bangalore from Bombay in 1990, and along with us, so did the tea service. Today it stands prominently in a glass show case in our dining room, undamaged in its pristine beauty.
Caught up in the rough and tumble of a fast paced life style, I sometimes pause and sit contemplating this beautiful piece of crockery. It bears proud testimony to a genteel and slow-paced era, when such dainty and beautiful objects were used not just as show pieces, but formed part of a more relaxed way of life which allowed time for the niceties of life. I am filled with nostalgia and a yearning for a past lifestyle that has somehow eluded us. I turn around and my gaze settles on the opposite wall where hangs a second colonial heirloom. This is a framed citation or “Sanad” presented to my great grandfather on my maternal side, who was honoured with the title of Khan Sahib on 21st May 1898 by the then Viceroy of India, Lord Elgin for his community service and charitable works in Malegaum (now known as Malegaon) in Maharashtra.
Like my paternal grandmother, my nani (maternal grandmother), also named Aisha, was orphaned at a tender age due to the untimely demise of both parents. The framed Khan Sahib citation was the one memory of her father that she cherished the most. In later years, it hung prominently on the
central wall of her sitting room. After my grandfather's death, she came to live with us and with her came the framed heirloom and the story of how it had come to be acquired. The Khan Sahib medal has been lost to posterity, but the decoration from the Viceroy of India is up there proudly displayed amongst a host of family photographs in our living room and with it is the legacy of a man devoted to philanthropy and the welfare and the upliftment of his community - a challenging legacy which the current generation struggles to carry forth.
As children we spent hours listening in rapture to the stories related to us by our two wonderful grandmothers. Despite the apparent affluence of their backgrounds, their lives were not devoid of trials and struggles. Was it more than a mere coincidence that they were both named Aisha? Had they not been separated by a large age gap, they may well have been twins so uncanny were the parallels in their young lives. Tragedy brought them together but they were separated by the force of circumstances and with great courage and forbearance they surmounted their difficulties as they grew from childhood to womanhood, marriage and motherhood.
To find out more about the touching stories of these two remarkable women and how they grappled with their loss, the background and cultural ethos of the times in which they lived and the broader social and national context of the pre-independence era do read my book "TWIN TALES FROM KUTCCH".
The book is on sale online both in paperback and Kindle versions through the below links.
In India:- https://notionpress.com/read/twin-tal... https://www.amazon.in/Twin-Tales-Kutc...
Internationally: https://www.amazon.com/Twin-Tales-Kut... https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_...
HAPPY READING
In my dream I had been transported back in time and aboard the SS Vaitarna (or “Vijli” as she was popularly known) on that fateful night on 8th November 1888, when caught in a violent cyclonic storm the ship was wrecked off the coast of Gujarat near Mangrol with no survivors. My great grandparents on my father’s side who lived at the time in Bhuj, the capital of the then semi-autonomous princely state of Kutcch, perished in this maritime tragedy known as the “Titanic of Gujarat.” They left behind a 16 year old orphan, Aisha, my paternal grandmother or dadi, and a bone china tea service which they had intended as a wedding present for her. Totally devastated by the loss of her parents at such an early age, this special memento of her parents’ love brought my grandmother great comfort and solace and at her marriage some years later it occupied pride of place in her wedding trousseau. It has since been passed down through the generations in my family as a remnant from the colonial period in India of the late 19th century.
The tea set is a beautiful blue and gold piece of the finest egg shell china, complete with six delicately crafted cups and saucers, a large and elegantly shaped tea pot, milk jug and sugar bowl and half a dozen dessert bowls and an equal number of dessert plates. It was most probably imported from England by my great grandfather from one of the porcelain manufacturers in Staffordshire. Though the set does not bear the manufacturer’s name, each piece of the service has my great grandfather's name “Haji Jan Mohammed” inscribed in gold lettering in Urdu script.
At her death, my grandmother in turn passed it on to her daughter-in-law, my mother who carefully preserved it and used the tea set sparingly only for very special family occasions. My family moved to Bangalore from Bombay in 1990, and along with us, so did the tea service. Today it stands prominently in a glass show case in our dining room, undamaged in its pristine beauty.
Caught up in the rough and tumble of a fast paced life style, I sometimes pause and sit contemplating this beautiful piece of crockery. It bears proud testimony to a genteel and slow-paced era, when such dainty and beautiful objects were used not just as show pieces, but formed part of a more relaxed way of life which allowed time for the niceties of life. I am filled with nostalgia and a yearning for a past lifestyle that has somehow eluded us. I turn around and my gaze settles on the opposite wall where hangs a second colonial heirloom. This is a framed citation or “Sanad” presented to my great grandfather on my maternal side, who was honoured with the title of Khan Sahib on 21st May 1898 by the then Viceroy of India, Lord Elgin for his community service and charitable works in Malegaum (now known as Malegaon) in Maharashtra.
Like my paternal grandmother, my nani (maternal grandmother), also named Aisha, was orphaned at a tender age due to the untimely demise of both parents. The framed Khan Sahib citation was the one memory of her father that she cherished the most. In later years, it hung prominently on the
central wall of her sitting room. After my grandfather's death, she came to live with us and with her came the framed heirloom and the story of how it had come to be acquired. The Khan Sahib medal has been lost to posterity, but the decoration from the Viceroy of India is up there proudly displayed amongst a host of family photographs in our living room and with it is the legacy of a man devoted to philanthropy and the welfare and the upliftment of his community - a challenging legacy which the current generation struggles to carry forth.
As children we spent hours listening in rapture to the stories related to us by our two wonderful grandmothers. Despite the apparent affluence of their backgrounds, their lives were not devoid of trials and struggles. Was it more than a mere coincidence that they were both named Aisha? Had they not been separated by a large age gap, they may well have been twins so uncanny were the parallels in their young lives. Tragedy brought them together but they were separated by the force of circumstances and with great courage and forbearance they surmounted their difficulties as they grew from childhood to womanhood, marriage and motherhood.
To find out more about the touching stories of these two remarkable women and how they grappled with their loss, the background and cultural ethos of the times in which they lived and the broader social and national context of the pre-independence era do read my book "TWIN TALES FROM KUTCCH".
The book is on sale online both in paperback and Kindle versions through the below links.
In India:- https://notionpress.com/read/twin-tal... https://www.amazon.in/Twin-Tales-Kutc...
Internationally: https://www.amazon.com/Twin-Tales-Kut... https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_...
HAPPY READING
Characters from my book of short stories
"The Missing Tile and Other Stories"
My collection of 15 short stories is centred around some familiar, everyday characters.
Which of these personality types described in the stories did you find the m ...more
My collection of 15 short stories is centred around some familiar, everyday characters.
Which of these personality types described in the stories did you find the m ...more
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