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Delhi Yarns: Short Stories
What do you do when you realize you might be dead? Or madly in love with the one person you do not want to see anymore? Does that homeless vagabond have a tale to tell?
Delhi Yarns - short stories collection - A doctor who understands true love's calling in "For As Long As...", an adolescent who comes face-to-face with the reality of her life in "Broken", a gay individual reflecting upon his choices in death in "Reverse Gear", an interesting encounter with a homeless vagabond in "The Encounter", a career woman seeking a place in the city in "That's Delhi" - five stories five lives and their moment of truth.
Excerpt from FOR AS LONG AS...
Many moons and exactly seven years ago, I was an intern at one of the most prestigious medical colleges in the city of New Delhi. Valentine’s Day held little or no meaning for us – our group of sleep deprived over-worked bonded laborers whose lives depended on sewing the human flesh with the right stitch. Except, the day meant extra hours in the trauma center. For some curious reason, people liked to try to kill themselves, with or without their complete knowledge, on such days that are generally believed to be particularly happy ones.
Excerpt from BROKEN
“What is the one thing or one event that you would want to change in your life – past or present”, she writes on the blackboard. That is our essay for today.
I stifle a laugh. That is easy. I would not have liked to be born. Better still, I would not have liked Rachit to be born. There, I said it. But of course I cannot write it. So I write about world peace instead.
However, the idea stays with me for the rest of the day. And especially on my walk back home. What if Rachit had never been born? Dad would still be with us. Mom would still be with me. It would have been normal and I would have been a regular kid.
What if, one morning, he does not wake up anymore? Would that make things better for us? What if - he simply died?
Excerpt From REVERSE GEAR
I am not entirely certain, but there is a good chance that I am dead.
For all I have seen of earth, I am quite certain that I am not in its realm anymore. For one, this fog that surrounds me is unnaturally thick, one that I have never seen or heard of before. No matter how hard I try to focus I am unable to see beyond this fog that has enveloped me - all of me, and I cannot decide if I am standing or lying down. Strange.
Excerpt from THE ENCOUNTER
The car skids to a stop merely an inch away from the figure who stares at the headlights in a stupid daze before falling on the road in a hump. My heart thumping in my mouth, I try desperately to gain control of my senses and contemplate my next move. I am sure I did not hit him, so if I ran it wouldn’t be a hit and run case technically. However, my Hippocratic oath blocks my way. I wait for a couple of minutes to check if this is some sort of a ploy to ambush me from my car and belongings and possibly my life but the only sounds I hear are of the engine and my rapid breathing. Nothing seems to move through the Eucalyptuses that line the road on both sides. Assessing that it is safe to disembark, I climb out cautiously half expecting goons to spring forth on me at any time.
Excerpt from THAT'S DELHI
A good woman should be safe inside locked doors tending to her family. She isn’t supposed to step out of a safe haven unaccompanied and if the circumstances are dire, she needs to be with men she calls family. I get a kick out of stepping on the shoes of those towing the line of this patriarchal society I live in. At the same time, I get shit-scared knowing the risks I take.
One of the risks being…thud!
Delhi Yarns - short stories collection - A doctor who understands true love's calling in "For As Long As...", an adolescent who comes face-to-face with the reality of her life in "Broken", a gay individual reflecting upon his choices in death in "Reverse Gear", an interesting encounter with a homeless vagabond in "The Encounter", a career woman seeking a place in the city in "That's Delhi" - five stories five lives and their moment of truth.
Excerpt from FOR AS LONG AS...
Many moons and exactly seven years ago, I was an intern at one of the most prestigious medical colleges in the city of New Delhi. Valentine’s Day held little or no meaning for us – our group of sleep deprived over-worked bonded laborers whose lives depended on sewing the human flesh with the right stitch. Except, the day meant extra hours in the trauma center. For some curious reason, people liked to try to kill themselves, with or without their complete knowledge, on such days that are generally believed to be particularly happy ones.
Excerpt from BROKEN
“What is the one thing or one event that you would want to change in your life – past or present”, she writes on the blackboard. That is our essay for today.
I stifle a laugh. That is easy. I would not have liked to be born. Better still, I would not have liked Rachit to be born. There, I said it. But of course I cannot write it. So I write about world peace instead.
However, the idea stays with me for the rest of the day. And especially on my walk back home. What if Rachit had never been born? Dad would still be with us. Mom would still be with me. It would have been normal and I would have been a regular kid.
What if, one morning, he does not wake up anymore? Would that make things better for us? What if - he simply died?
Excerpt From REVERSE GEAR
I am not entirely certain, but there is a good chance that I am dead.
For all I have seen of earth, I am quite certain that I am not in its realm anymore. For one, this fog that surrounds me is unnaturally thick, one that I have never seen or heard of before. No matter how hard I try to focus I am unable to see beyond this fog that has enveloped me - all of me, and I cannot decide if I am standing or lying down. Strange.
Excerpt from THE ENCOUNTER
The car skids to a stop merely an inch away from the figure who stares at the headlights in a stupid daze before falling on the road in a hump. My heart thumping in my mouth, I try desperately to gain control of my senses and contemplate my next move. I am sure I did not hit him, so if I ran it wouldn’t be a hit and run case technically. However, my Hippocratic oath blocks my way. I wait for a couple of minutes to check if this is some sort of a ploy to ambush me from my car and belongings and possibly my life but the only sounds I hear are of the engine and my rapid breathing. Nothing seems to move through the Eucalyptuses that line the road on both sides. Assessing that it is safe to disembark, I climb out cautiously half expecting goons to spring forth on me at any time.
Excerpt from THAT'S DELHI
A good woman should be safe inside locked doors tending to her family. She isn’t supposed to step out of a safe haven unaccompanied and if the circumstances are dire, she needs to be with men she calls family. I get a kick out of stepping on the shoes of those towing the line of this patriarchal society I live in. At the same time, I get shit-scared knowing the risks I take.
One of the risks being…thud!
49 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 23, 2015
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 10, 2021
This slim volume of stories set in the Indian city of Delhi and each showing a little snippet of life from that city, were a pleasure to read from beginning to end.
April 6, 2015
I think the challenge for a very short story is to inspire an idea in mind of a much broader event or life or whatever is being portrayed. Here is a series of tales that cleverly achieve this. It’s like they lead us to some obscure corners of lives and get us thinking about what it would be like…. I thought each character and situation was developed and delivered with truth and absolute clarity. “Broken” is my favourite. Just brilliant! But it’s in very good company with this interesting variety of, well, yarns… Yarns are, of course, usually purported to be based on real life events – as these could well be.
April 8, 2015
What a charming read!
I loved it, I loved the stories and how they differ in character and situation but the gracefulness of the first story stays with you throughout the entire book - all the stories.
Nabaneeta did an excellent job in capturing the environment without bogging you down with a over extended reach of details - and yet, there is something in the way it was written, that makes you wish you had a person to read it for you. That you could sit back with your eyes closed and just revel in the story-telling - because these are stories to be told... not just read. I think. Each one a neat little package dropped directly into your mind, wrapped up with a definite start and a definite end. Not to say I wouldn't want more, goodness no - but I didn't feel anything lacking. I didn't feel anything could be done more or less off. It is not often one story - let alone a collection of them - carries that kind of balance for me.
What struck me in particular, was the spread. Very cleverly done. Very creatively done. Very charmingly done. There is something for everyone - Romance, Drama, Sci-Fi, Inspirational... I love, love LOVE that.
Nabaneeta, thank you so much for sharing these, I cannot and will not choose a favourite - but the subjects you write about are honestly portrayed, with just enough imagination and heartfelt emotions to stick . I hope, if you've not done so already, that you would consider having these done in audio, have them told.
Well done with this collection, adn thank you again, Nabaneeta Dangwal.
I loved it, I loved the stories and how they differ in character and situation but the gracefulness of the first story stays with you throughout the entire book - all the stories.
Nabaneeta did an excellent job in capturing the environment without bogging you down with a over extended reach of details - and yet, there is something in the way it was written, that makes you wish you had a person to read it for you. That you could sit back with your eyes closed and just revel in the story-telling - because these are stories to be told... not just read. I think. Each one a neat little package dropped directly into your mind, wrapped up with a definite start and a definite end. Not to say I wouldn't want more, goodness no - but I didn't feel anything lacking. I didn't feel anything could be done more or less off. It is not often one story - let alone a collection of them - carries that kind of balance for me.
What struck me in particular, was the spread. Very cleverly done. Very creatively done. Very charmingly done. There is something for everyone - Romance, Drama, Sci-Fi, Inspirational... I love, love LOVE that.
Nabaneeta, thank you so much for sharing these, I cannot and will not choose a favourite - but the subjects you write about are honestly portrayed, with just enough imagination and heartfelt emotions to stick . I hope, if you've not done so already, that you would consider having these done in audio, have them told.
Well done with this collection, adn thank you again, Nabaneeta Dangwal.
May 29, 2015
This collection of short stories was a pleasure to read. The Encounter and For As Long As were my two favorites, but all the stories were well-woven, complete tales written with a beautifully quick wit, and short enough to read on a coffee break. Extremely well done.
April 7, 2015
This is one of those cosy Sundays reads ! the collection of short stories are absolute delight. you dont have to be a literary genius to be able to read them. The rebelious relationship between a teenage daughter and her mother and finally a girl can always realise the sacrifice a mother makes at the end is put together beautifully. the stories make you want to read more ! a great read indeed.
May 18, 2015
This was a thoroughly entertaining read! I was a fan of the writing style - I appreciated the pace, the flow, the voice. I liked that each short story had it's own unique feel and went in it's own direction. I particularly liked, however, that the stories were quickly set up, then played out JUST enough to leave me hungry to play it out some more, on my own. This author found a way to wrap up each tale so it felt "concluded", but not ENDED. There's plenty of room for the reader to continue the story and find his/her own "ending". I love that I can go out on my daily walk or run and ponder what might happen next in each of the stories. It's a beautiful day out...I think I'll go do that right now! Thank you, Ms. Dangwal, for a great read; I look forward to checking out more of your work!
June 2, 2015
I loved that Delhi Yarns offers something for everyone. I particularly liked Broken and The Encounter. Each story has a twist that confounds you and you're just sorry it ended. I've always been fascinated with India and its culture. The story, That's Delhi, gave me an idea of what city life can be like. Even after working for Indian bosses for several years, they never shared this perspective with me... and I was happy to get the bits of information and experience through the character. It's a light and fun read. Worth the time.
April 23, 2015
I received this book from the author for an honest review.
It was a pretty interesting book, the shorts stories are well done and are very cute and entertaining.
It's not really my type of book but I do enjoyed it.
You can see more reviews here: http://bookwormiejoss.blogspot.com
It was a pretty interesting book, the shorts stories are well done and are very cute and entertaining.
It's not really my type of book but I do enjoyed it.
You can see more reviews here: http://bookwormiejoss.blogspot.com
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews