Urban Shots: Bright Lights

by Paritosh Uttam (Editor)

Edited by bestselling author, Paritosh Uttam, this anthology offers snapshots of interesting characters in Urban India. The ten-year-old mathematics loving girl, haunted by memories of her dead mother. The man who buys expensive gifts for married women; an Indian kid who can name every American state in alphabetical order; a boy who knows more than he should about the extra–marital affairs of his parents; a baby with secrets of his own; the pesky Maami in the neighbourhood, with a cure for every ailment. The beefy sportsman with a peacock hairstyle; the seven-year-old who wants to get married; a retiree on his last day in a dead end job; the salesman who fails to meet his targets; the grouchy physics teacher with a love for literature; the chatty cab driver who was once a film maker; the philosophical mehndiwala on the sidewalk; a struggling artist in love with his fabled city; the retired pilot with life advice in the window seat and a lot more….

Racy, compelling and heart rendering stories of urban lives and characters by popular writers such as Paritosh Uttam, R. Chandrasekar, Malathi Jaikumar, Ahmed Faiyaz and a number of popular bloggers and debutant writers.

Genres: Short Stories

204 pages, Paperback

First published January 13, 2012

Reviews

[Tamoghna Biswas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretext: This may or may not be considered a review:

You know those "Load The Box" sales? Lately in one of those, before checking out, I found out that I can still squeeze one more book in my box. That's when I spotted this one. The synopsis gave me a feeling that I may like this one. Maybe, as it is said, there's something in it as a good, yet breezy read.

Talking of the book, it's an anthology of short stories by maybe-not-too-great and definitely-not-too-well known authors. A series of stories, some of which may touch your heart, or may pass through without leaving a scar. You may like some of these stories, you may find out that some of the annoying characters strikingly resemble your uncle, or granny, maybe even your not-so-close neighbor. You may laugh out at some stories, you may end up realizing that it conveys a not-too-serious ridicule, for it's something you do yourself. maybe even at that poise. However, on the positive side, it may, given you picked it up, get you at least out of procrastination. Well definitely the stories are too simple to demand your utmost concentration. On the whole, readers may not think that this book is even close to be in the same league as "Interpreter of Maladies", but I think it may have been with a bit of polish. Just because I don't personally like each and every story, in either of the collection. Interpret that as you may.

At a time when we are told to stay at home, will it really hurt to get to know those people around you whom you might have known, if you weren't at home? You may find them in here. Yes, they do exist in stories.

[Amlan Chakraborty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its a decent enough book with a somewhat hearty collection of stories, that can easily be constituted as light read. Some of the stories were obnoxiously boring, making me wonder if the editor had to go through a very dusty stockpile of collections for this particular compilation. Or maybe I am not sophisticated enough to guess their brilliance. Anyway, its a good enough read. Nothing exceptional. Just decent.

[Amit Gupta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Urban Shots Bright Lights, a collection of 29 urban tales by 21 writers is a collection of short stories edited by Paritosh Uttam, author of Dreams in Prussian Blue and editor of the first Urban Shots collection. This anthology contains stories contributed by various authors and captures the numerous hues of life in modern urban India, alive with a cacophony of sounds, kaleidoscopic colours, dizzying heights, blinding lights and a fast paced life.

'Amul' By Arvind Chandrasekhar is a beautifully narrated first person account of a terminally ill girl.The sensitivity with which the innocence of a class five student is captured and subtly combined with the harsh reality she is facing is wonderfully reflected in the writing. Alabama to Wyoming, by Paritosh Uttam mocks Indians' USA obsession, as well as our presumed right to cheat Americans of their money, all in the backdrop of a visit to the Taj. The Wall by Saurabh Katiyal is an evocatively written description of ennui that strikes a young corporate executive and is most heart warming. The Raincoat by Rashmi Shah is a sensitive narration of mother and daughter relationship to make the ends meet. The Bengal Tigress by Malathi Jaikumar is based on subtle emancipation of women similar to her previous works. Mr. Koshi's Daily Routine by John Mathew is a touching and plaintive portrait of a sad, bitter man forced to conform and compromise all his life because of the demands of family and expectations.

The Weeping Girl by Kunal Dhablia and Jo Diktha hain, Woh Bikta hain by Sneh Thakur are predictable and you can see their climax from a mile. It's All Good by Ahmed Faiyaz does nothing to redeem his writing ability, being a silly little morality tale on spending beyond your limit set in a sales dept in an organization. In fact, apart from Mr.Perierra which tricks you into a sentimental hole, remaining 2 other stories by him (Across the seas & Good Morning Nikhil) raises questions the process of putting in below average stories in order to allow one author to give family tributes. Even Ready, Jet Set Go! seems to be borne out of popularity of other mass market fiction writers rather than contributing any genuine pathos.

There are few gems in the book, rest of them fails to match up to that high. As is the case with most anthologies, some stories were better than others. This will differ for each person, of course, based on personal taste. However, all the stories maintain similar writing styles, being informal even when talking about serious issues. The brightest thing about the book is the front cover which brings around the central theme effectively.

[Manu · Rating 2 out of 5]

29 stories by 21 authors, held together by the premise of urban India. Each story is only about 4-5 pages long, so the chances of boredom are fairly slim. But most of the stories do revisit well trodden paths, and do not really offer a refreshing take. The twists are fairly predictable except in a couple of cases. It really could've done with better editing - not just in terms of basic grammar and punctuation but also with the ordering and flow of stories.
My favourites were 'The Bengal Tigress' by Malathi Jaikumar, (for the tender nuances) Saurbh Katiyal's 'The Wall' (mostly because of a setting I could relate to) Paisley Printed Memories by Sneh Thakur (for the superbly poignant portrayal of a terrible human affliction) and 'Heaven and Hell' by Shachi Kaul for its empathy and Rashmi Sahi's 'The Raincoat' for a well written, meaningful tale.
Some stories attempted humour, others were more sober, some were poignant, and many were interesting, and all were indeed interesting to some degree. But what I hoped for and did not find were slices of life that would narrate the human condition that connects all of us. Dissing Chetan Bhagat's brand of 'Rs.95 + hint of love in the title' does not count! :)

[Kajol Rustagi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology of short stories strikes a good balance with vivid characters of urban india and the complexities faced by them. Short stories are easy to read and also one can start and pause anytime, starting again afresh each time. Some stories are too good and some average but short stories are more difficult to write according to me as you have to have a story with minimum characters which set the tone for the whole story thereafter also managing the ending is a bit tough.

[Madhushree · Rating 3 out of 5]

29 Stories by 21 Writers.. A nice read. :)

[Ravinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this from my library.

With short story anthologies, I always find that I like some, and not like some. The same is true of this book.

Rashmi Sahi's "The Raincoat" was the one I liked most