No Presents Please: Mumbai Stories

by Jayant Kaikini, Tejaswini Niranjana (Translator)

For readers of Jhumpa Lahiri and Rohinton Mistry, as well as Lorrie Moore and George Saunders, here are stories on the pathos and comedy of small-town migrants struggling to build a life in the big city, with the dream world of Bollywood never far away.

Jayant Kaikini’s gaze takes in the people in the corners of Mumbai—a bus driver who, denied vacation time, steals the bus to travel home; a slum dweller who catches cats and sells them for pharmaceutical testing; a father at his wit’s end who takes his mischievous son to a reform institution.

In this metropolis, those who seek find epiphanies in dark movie theaters, the jostle of local trains, and even in roadside keychains and lost thermos flasks. Here, in the shade of an unfinished overpass, a factory worker and her boyfriend browse wedding invitations bearing wealthy couples’ affectations—“no presents please”—and look once more at what they own.

Translated from the Kannada by Tejaswini Niranjana, these resonant stories, recently awarded the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, take us to photo framers, flower markets, and Irani cafes, revealing a city trading in fantasies while its strivers, eating once a day and sleeping ten to a room, hold secret ambitions close.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, India, Indian Literature, Literary Fiction, Asian Literature, Asia

240 pages, Paperback

First published November 25, 2017

About the author

Jayanth Kaikini is an Indian poet, short stories author and a lyricist working in Kannada cinema. ಜಯಂತ ಗೌರೀಶ ಕಾಯ್ಕಿಣಿ(ಜನನ : ೨೪,ಜನವರಿ, ೧೯೫೫) ಕನ್ನಡದ ಸಮಕಾಲೀನ ಕಥೆಗಾರರಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಮುಖರು. ಜಯಂತ್ ರ ಕತೆ-ಕಾವ್ಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮಸಂವೇದನೆ ಬಹುತೇಕ ಕಾಣಸಿಗುವ ವಸ್ತು.ಇಳಿಸಂಜೆಯ ಬಿಸಿಲು,ಬಿಸಿಲುಕೋಲು,ಪಾತರಗಿತ್ತಿ,ಬಣ್ಣ ಅವರ ಬರಹಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಪ್ರತಿಫಲಿಸುತ್ತಲೇ ಇರುತ್ತವೆ. ಮೆದುಮಾತಿನ,ಮೆಲುದನಿಯ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವ ಅವರದು.[೩] ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ ಪ್ರಕಾರಗಳ ಹಲವು ವಿಭಾಗಗಳಲ್ಲಿ, ಕವಿಯಾಗಿ, ಈಟಿವಿ ಕನ್ನಡ ವಾಹಿನಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂದರ್ಶಕನಾಗಿ, ಸಿನೆಮಾ ಹಾಡುಗಳ ಸಾಹಿತಿ,ಸಂಭಾಷಣೆಗಾರನಾಗಿ, ಅಂಕಣಕಾರ ನಾಗಿ, ನಾಟಕಕಾರನಾಗಿ, ಕಥೆಗಾರನಾಗಿ, ಮತ್ತು ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರ (ಸಾಗರದಾಚೆಗೂ ನೆಲೆ ನಿಂತಿರುವ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರ) ಅಚ್ಚುಮೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಲೇಖಕರಾಗಿದ್ದಾರೆ.

Reviews

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author has become my autobuy author and one of my most favourite authors this year!

I fell in love with his writing, his stories and character representation ever since I read his other short story collection Dots And Lines earlier this August.

This collection has 16 of his best short translated short stories. Two of these short stories were also included in Dots and Lines.

Most of these stories portray the lives of the common man; the ones who are struggling everyday for their living standards, their jobs, their families, the society they live in.

These stories are based during the Mumbai of the 90s till the late 2000s. I find the writing quite endearing and also quite bold at times revealing all our most secretive fears and guilt trying to live our own lives hiding our own kind of regrets and inability to become the ones we aspired of becoming because life's supposed to turn out in some particular ways as is inevitably etched out specifically for each of us.

As per the unique plots, the characters and the endings considered together, rating each of the story:

1. City Without Mirrors 5 🌟
2. Interval 5 🌟
3. Unframed 5 🌟
4. Opera House 3 🌟
5. A Spare Pair of Legs 4 🌟
6. Inside The Inner Room 4 🌟
7. Dagadu Parab's Wedding Horse 4 🌟
8. Gateway 5 🌟
9. Crescent Moon 3 🌟
10.Toofan Mail 4 🌟
11. Water 5 🌟 (my fav!)
12. Partner 5 🌟
13. Mogri's World 4 🌟
14. A Truckful Of Chrysanthemums 4 🌟
15. Tick Tick Friend 5 🌟
16. No Presents Please 4 🌟

Totally recommended! His writing has made me fall in love with short stories all over again.

Mumbai nostalgia at its best.

You will also find Bollywood and actor references quite often as well.

[Gorab · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was picked as BOTM for Indian Readers - August 2019.

Loved few, hated few, and felt frustrated with almost all. Because of the mindset I had for reading short stories. Most of the stories felt like being concluded abruptly. But then later on realised in the interview section that the experiment here was to develop the pratagonist rather than keeping focus on developing the plot.

All the stories are connected to Mumbai, with lower or middle class family background. Many sensitive topics are touched on.

Translation is smooth. You won't feel like reading a translated work.
Overall had mixed feelings about the collection.

Favorites: Unframed, Opera House, Mogri's World.

[Prakash Murthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting set of short stories about varied characters & situations - mostly in the poor & lower middle class population of Mumbai. Jayant Kaikini has the tendency to grow the plot to a certain point and let the reader work out how it ends or moves forward or figure out what happens to the main characters after he ends the story. The book is definitely worth a read even for someone who has never been to Mumbai.

[Mridula Gupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

|4.5 stars|

Full review @https://ecstaticyetchaotic.wordpress....

Kaikini’s ‘No Presents Please’ has certain surrealism to it, a feeling that is brought about by characters pushed into the everyday mayhem of life in Mumbai and how the city accepts its all with an open heart and sustains countless souls.

A bachelor faces a strange and sudden wedding proposal, a young girl tries to comfort her father, a woman forced to do odd jobs in order to survive, an old man stuck in Mumbai rains trying to cling to dear life for six more months, a man desperate seeking the comforts of home during the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi and many such stories set in The City of Dreams.

Translated from Kannada by Tejaswini Niranjana, these stories are translated keeping in mind the backdrop, the language and the typical way of life the Mumbaikars lead. The translation maintained the essence of these stories and reading them felt like stepping into the suburbs of Mumbai, traveling through the crowded streets and trains and looking into the city through the character’s eyes.

The stories are not about Mumbai, but how the city brings out the best in people and how these people, born from its belly cling to the city for dear life. Most stories are open-ended as if the author has said all he had to but leaves it up to the reader to take away whatever bits of people and the city’s life they want to.

Other than Murakami, I have never felt this attached to a collection of stories like this one. The words formed a bond with me and I could see the author’s love for this city and its people. Even when I didn’t like a story, I loved bits of it here and there. These stories contain emotions and a certain thrill to them that eventually ends into a thoughtful and ordinary conclusion.

I can not recommend this book enough. These stories are heartfelt and you feel it with every word you read.

[Inderjit Sanghera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kaikini is able to combine the sounds, squalor and soul of Mumbai with the almost irretrievable moments of incandescent which ignite in the character’s lives; from the pitter-patter of rain in a stifling taxi to the reflections of a sunbeam on a quiet afternoon, it is these moments of quiescence which stand out as much as the lives of the different people Kaikini depicts, from the dying servant who has become a burden to the family she serves, or the diffident and disaffected woman who navigates the sleazy world of Mumbai’s sex trade, Kaikini specialses in the everyday and the often unnoticed, in the moments of life and elements of a city which are often overlooked.

One of the strongest stories in this collection is the opening one, ‘City Without Mirrors’, which follows the story of Satyajit and the machinations of his imagination as he daydreams about the introduction to a potential bride, daydreams which are doomed to be ruptured by reality. Equally there is something tragic yet wonderous about the other characters depicted in the stories, from the brilliant ‘Inside the Inner Room which inverts the love triangle it depicts, to ‘Snapshot’, which lives up to its name by offering a somewhat random glimpse into the lives of two flatmates, Kaikini is able to paint Bombay with a mix of harlequin colours, his palette ranging from the dourest beiges to the most dazzling hues of pink and blue.

[Kavita · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first book of the year, No Presents Please: Mumbai Stories is an eclectic mix of short stories, all set in Mumbai through the years. One of the things that struck me strongly were the feel of the stories. They reflected the Mumbai of the 90s very strongly. The Mumbai I grew up in, and also the Mumbai that the author Jayant Kaikini lived in. The stories show his complete familiarity with the streets of Mumbai. Strangely enough, it was originally written in Kannada, and I read the translated English version.

As with any collection of short stories, this one had some great ones and a few duds, and many average ones. A few of my favourites are:

Interval: Two youngsters meet in a cinema hall and decide to elope together only to run away from the endless expectations of society and family. There is an interesting twist at the end.

Unframed: A poignant story about a man who frames photos for a living coming across unclaimed photographs. Where do they end up?

Dagadu Parab's Wedding Horse: A humorous story about a man's wedding. When the horse bolts away with the groom, anything could happen!

Water: Set during the Mumbai floods of 2006, this is a heartwarming story about an old dying man and the city that sets him free.

The writing was decent and Kaikini was able to get the atmosphere of the place and time across quite effortlessly. I would not mind reading him again.

[Chitra Ahanthem · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 16 short stories in this collection translated by Tejaswini Niranjana have only one common leitmotif: Mumbai, the city that never sleeps and which is boundless with so many people, so many thoughts that they shape the way your life goes. The writing is in the small details of the people and their stories that goes in directions that the reader never sees coming. I cannot single out one story as my favorite for I loved them all, each one is on human ties and humane failings and the possibilities of life stories and events just going on its own steam.
Scattered in this collection are tales of the despair of lower rung workers over the small jobs they have; the negotiation of favours amongst friends and neighbours; domestic tiffs and frissions but above all of these nuances, it brings to readers Mumbai’s regular people with dignity and a bit of helplessness in the way their lives are pushed and pulled gently or otherwise by the sheer number of other people milling around them.
I would recommend this book strongly for readers who aren’t looking at regular story narratives. It will work for readers who love to dwell on subtle layers and experience the subtle and sometimes deliberate gentle twists and turns a story and its characters can go into. It’s on the shortlist for the for the 2018 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature as well.

[Yoshita Sood · Rating 3 out of 5]

No Presents Please is not about Mumbai and its people; it talks about how Mumbai enables its people to have an extraordinary moment in their ordinary lives.

This is a collection of sixteen stories giving tiny glimpses of the city's inhabitants. There is not a single story which I didn't like and multiple favourites. I think about 'Unframed' all the time. It is not sentimental in a traditional way but still manages to pull my heartstrings. A couple of more delightful stories which I will read again are 'Interval', 'Water', 'Partner', 'A Truckful of Chrysanthemums' and 'Mogri's World'.

There is a section in the end of the book where the translator and some researchers talk about the author and the structure of his stories and what Mumbai lends to his stories. I believe every fiction book should have a discussion of this sort. It completely elevated my experience and made me pick up the subtle themes which are extremely difficult to grasp in short stories. The translation by Tejaswini Niranjana is brilliant. A wonderful read!

[Prashanth Bhat · Rating 5 out of 5]

ಜಯಂತ್ ಕಾಯ್ಕಿಣಿಯವರ ಓದು ಯಾವತ್ತಿಗೂ ದೈನಿಕದಿಂದ ದಿವ್ಯದೆಡೆಗಿನ ಪಯಣ!
ಈ ಕಥೆಯ ಕೊನೆ ಇದೆಯಲ್ಲ ಅದು ಎಷ್ಟು ಕನಸುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಬಂದಿತ್ತೋ...
ನೋ ಪ್ರೆಸೆಂಟ್ಸ್ ಪ್ಲೀಸ್ ಎನ್ನುವ ಬಹುಮಾನಿತ ಮುಂಬಯಿ ಕಥೆಗಳ ಸಂಕಲನದಲ್ಲಿ ಅವರ ಮುಂಬಯಿ ಆಧಾರಿತ ಕಥೆಗಳ ಹೆಕ್ಕಿ ಹೆಕ್ಕಿ ಜೋಡಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ.
ಈ Raghu Apara ರ ಮುಖಪುಟದ ಮೋಹಕ್ಕೆ ಸಿಲುಕಿ ಅವರ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಕಥಾಸಂಕಲನ ಇದ್ದರೂ ಕೊಂಡದ್ದು ಇದು.
ಕಥೆಗಳ ಮೊದಲ ಓದಲ್ಲಿ ತಪ್ಪಿಹೋಗುವ ವಿವರಗಳು ಎರಡನೆಯ ಸಲಕ್ಕೆ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿ ಪುಟ ತಿರುಗಿಸುವಾಗ ಜಗ್ಗಿ ಕೂರಿಸುತ್ತವೆ.
ನಗರ ಬದುಕಿನ ನಿತ್ಯ ವಿವರಗಳ ಈ ಕಥನ ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಓದಬೇಕಾದದ್ದು.
(ಸೂಚನೆ - ಕಥೆಗಳ ಓದುವಾಗ ಸಾವಧಾನ ಮತ್ತು ಒಂದಾದ ಬಳಿಕ ಇನ್ನೊಂದನ್ನು ಓದುವಾಗ ಸಮಯದ ಅಂತರವಿರಲಿ)

[N Kalyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read Jayant Kaikini's previous collection of short stories in translation, 'Dots and Lines' (Indialog, 2004). While that one was impressive, 'No Presents Please', translated masterfully by Tejaswi Niranjana, is an outstanding work, with many stories that are nothing short of world-class. The 16 stories that make up this collection are, of course, "Mumbai stories", bringing out in bold relief the strange and terribly beauty of lives forged in specific corners of that vast urbanscape. There is a very interesting and illuminating discussion on Kaikini's work and its context at the end of this book. But even more than what a critic could say about this collection - and he could say plenty - the sheer imaginative force and craft of these stories are to be experienced directly and you certainly emerge after an encounter with this collection, both enriched and satisfied.

[PS · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of short stories that has made me nostalgic for a city that I know only through my great grandmother’s stories.

[Padmaja · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Aye Dil hai mushkil jeena yahan, zara hatke, zara bachke ye hai Bombay meri jaan"
Mumbai, Bombay, City of dreams, Maaya Nagari, Tinsel Town, the city that never sleeps, the economic capital of India, whatever you choose to call it, the feelings/emotions this city will invoke in you will never change.
~
This book was about Mumbai in all its plurality. The essence of Mumbai was vividly written. The local trains, the chawls, vadapav, the fighting spirit, the Mumbai rains and the people who have made the city what it is.
I felt this book belonged more to the common man of the city, people who dream about the city and the city's viscous underbelly. Before the Great American dream, the common people of India have this Great Mumbai dream. We all know someone who is attracted to the general idea of the city.
~
I loved Kaikini's writing. I really did. It was so lyrical and easy to read. The stories were quite a handful and they made me miss Mumbai so much. Much as the diversity of the city, the stories had very eclectic and vivid characters. They mostly concentrated on the lower middle class section of the city. Life in suburban Mumbai was so sharply written! They were all open ended stories and I loved how Kaikini let his readers introspect and figure out the ending themselves. The stories reminded me a lot of Murakami's writing. Like take the entire setup to Tokyo, and you've got a great Murakami book.
Kaikini felt more Maharashtrian to me than a Kannadiga, because if the innate Maharashtrian-ness he has blended so well in the book. I also admired the subtle mixture of reality and magical realism. The stories struck a chord with me instantly. Kaikini also has a knack of making his readers care deeply about the fictional characters. It felt like he had a secret lens and recorded everyday people's lives eloquently with shap observations about everything. The city came to life in this one!! A must read.
4.5⭐

[Krutika · Rating 4 out of 5]

No presents please.
~
It took me longer than expected to finish reading this book and it probably has to do with the fact that the stories are intense and extremely intimate. Jayant Kaikini is the sort of writer who gets straight to the point. There are no sugar coated words, no glittery things and false promises in his stories. Originally written in Kannada and translated to English by Tejaswi Niranjana, this book is truly a piece of wonder.
~
16 stories wrapped under this cover, no presents please speaks about Mumbai. Set in the 90s this book talks about the Kannadigas who moved and settled in the fast paced City. I absolutely loved how this book focusses on the poor and lower working class people as Jayant slowly unravels their intimate and deepest desires. This book somehow reminded me of Shantaram which is very close to my heart for it opens up an entirely new world. Though few stories didn't quite hit the mark, there were few which I completely admired. The truck full of chrysanthemums broke my heart and it goes to say that the writer is gifted in touching the lives of readers.
~
This book probably won't appeal to you if you aren't too fond of stories that are so powerful and painful. But to those who wish to see Mumbai through the eyes of a man who frames photographs for a living, or through a dying old woman who tended to a family for over 20 years, this book will move you deeply. This book also won the 2018 DSC prize for South Asian literature.
~
Rating - 4/5.

[Archita Mitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

'No Presents Please' is a collection of short stories based in Mumbai, and highlights the spirit of the city. As a Mumbaikar, I enjoyed reading this book. It has the following stories:

1. City Without Mirrors: A 40-year old bachelor's life is thrown into disarray when he is unexpectedly approached with a marriage proposal. The proposal is brought to him by the girl's father and is accompanied by a 'virginity certificate'.

2. Interval: A couple elopes together, but soon realizes that their futures lie in separate directions

3. Unframed: One of my favourite stories from the anthology. A photo frame seller has a dilemma: three photographs once commissioned were never collected, and now he doesn't know what to do with them.

4. Opera House: A worker in an old Opera House reflects on how the Opera House and he himself are a relic of an old Mumbai, and tries to find his place in the new ethos of the city.

5. A Spare Pair of Legs: A mischievous child from a Marathi village is brought by his father to Mumbai to be admitted into a remand home. When in Mumbai they realize that a lot of children in Mumbai have a much tougher childhood.

6. Inside the Inner Room: A couple stuck in a loveless marriage find solace in the same woman.

7. Dagadu Parab's Wedding Horse: A wedding party is thrown into a disarray when the horse suddenly bolts away with the groom.

8. Gateway: An unemployed man reflects on his marriage at the Gateway of India.

9. Crescent Moon: A bus driver in Mumbai annually visits his native village for the Ganesh festival. When denied leave by his superior, he absconds with the bus.

10. Toofan Mail: An inside-peak into the lives of stuntsmen and back-up dancers. I really loved this story. The back-up dancer who regularly dances at the tune of the choreographer for publicly-viewed movies feels humiliated when her husband spies on her while shooting.

11. Water: Another gem of a story set in Mumbai floods. Three unexpected strangers bond when their cab is stranded during a flood.

12.Partner: This story looks at the solitary lives of many men and women working in the metropolis, cut off as they are from their friends and family.

13. Mogri's World: A bar dancer reflects on the sad state of women in society. Due to her profession she is shunned by her friend at her wedding, but the same friend is thrown out of her husband's house when she delivers a stillborn baby.

14. A Truckful of Chrysanthemums: A nursemaid who spends her entire life in the service of one family is shunned by the same family when she becomes too old to work.

15. Tick Tick Friend: A young student travels to Mumbai to participate in a glitzy TV quiz show but soon realises how alienated the quiz host and contestants are to the realities of the struggles of life.

16. No Presents Please: A young couple about to get married reflects on caste and society.

[Ankita · Rating 4 out of 5]

With these 16 stories of the city that never sleeps, I personally had some nostalgia to fight off, for it was my home for quite a few years. Kaikini magically manages to capture every adjective and title associated with this city that has star struck many people with its promises and hopes.

What we get to experience is the original raw essence of the Mumbai's heart, beautifully laid out layer by layer; one cant help but be mesmerized! The stories are concentrated on the lower strata of the society and their everyday reality and struggles. The common man and his version of the city of chawls and local trains and the 'famous commute' gets you totally sucked into their lives and make you care and think.

The writing is splendid, intense yet vibrant; have a very Murakamish touch and feel to them when it comes to the execution and setting. The author chose to play with the idea of open endings, which leaves the ball in the reader's court; which of course accompanies a lingering effect!

I loved certain stories a lot but with one or two of them I was bummed, blame it on the literal translation or my lack of understanding. They are crafted to be savoured word by word and not be skimmed through , for that would rob you of the experience this perfect slice of Mumbai spirit has to offer.

[Soumya · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಬೇಕಿದ್ದ ಪುಸ್ತಕವನ್ನು english ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಿ ತಪ್ಪು ಮಾಡಿದೆ.
ಕಥಾ ಸಂಕಲನ.
ಇಡೀ ಕಥೆಗಿಂತ ಆ ಕಥೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಬರುವ ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮತೆಳು ಬಹಳ ಇಷ್ಟ ಆಯ್ತು. ಒಂದು ಸಣ್ಣ ವಿಷಯವನ್ನ ಎಷ್ಟು ರಸವತ್ತಾಗಿ ಹೇಳಬಹುದು ಅನ್ನೋದಕ್ಕೆ ಜಯಂತ ಕಾಯ್ಕಿಣಿ ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳು ಉದಾಹರಣೆ.
ಒಬ್ಬ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿ, ಒಂದು ಜಾಗ, ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯ ಮನಸ್ಥಿತಿ, ಸುತ್ತಲಿನ ವಾತಾವರಣ ಇದೆಲ್ಲವೂ ಎಷ್ಟು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ಇದೆ ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕದಲ್ಲಿ!

[Ingrid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keenly observed, deeply empathetic vignettes of Mumbai life as experienced by those we so often refer to as ordinary. Lives in which the city is a principal character. Lives that could only be lived in Mumbai.

[Surabhi Chatrapathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mumbai, the city of dreams, endless rain and the ever crowded locals. Jayant Kaikini through 16 short stories brings to you the city in all its essence. At the end of it you feel like you belong to the city, even if you have never been/lived there.
Weaving a seamless picture of Mumbai with its largest and smallest aspects, be it the locals, the basatis, the food and ofcourse the rain, Kaikini also shows how Mumbai is a confluence of cultures. It was interesting to see how he ensured to give immigrant backgrounds to most of his characters (which is the true with the city as well). I like how most of the stories revolve around daily wage labourers or middle class families, presenting their everyday challenges, dreams and desires.
The book also never fails to show the city's generosity, it's welcoming nature, and how it effortlessly brings strangers together.
Kaikini's writing flows without being a distraction, it's simple, heartening and manages to leave a mark. I loved how he ensured to insert nuances that are so Indian, in all the stories, it made me chuckle.
Some of his characters blossom through the story, where as some come set in their ways, but with both he constructs stories that set you thinking, and in true nature of the city itself. While reading the book, I kept craving the Mumbai monsoon and some good vadapav.
Great translation by Tesjaswini Niranjan from Kannada. Tempted to pick this one up in Kannada and give it a try!
I seldom enjoy short stories, but this one definitely became one of my favourites.

[Chandni · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is something gentle and non-judgmental about Kaikini's stories. No character or life event is treated as too small or too trivial, and daily living is allowed to shine against the kaleidoscopic backdrop of Maximum City. The stories are refreshing in their narrative arcs - many of them don't tie up neatly, and Kaikini leaves this task to the reader, almost as if he is opening and then drawing curtains across the city...allowing a glimpse into a life, and then moving on.

I found my myself chuckling along at the absurdity in Dagdu Parab's Wedding Horse (where a scrawny wedding horse takes off, skittish groom in tow, allowing both of them a freedom they hadn't felt before). Other stories are tender, tales of loss and poverty, of affairs and heartbreaks, of embracing and leaving the city.

All in all, a valuable addition to the growing body of regional language literature (in this case, Kannada) being translated into English.

[Piku Sonali · Rating 4 out of 5]

My and Bestie's Bombay trip is neverending. We discovered this gem by a happy coincidence and can confidently say it is a sweet and wonderful book. Kaikini seems more like a Maharashtrian author than a Kannadiga. He has captured suburban Bombay so accurately. These Bombay stories are not of the affluent Bombay but of a simple, middle class Bombay that reflect sadness and happiness in equal measure. The translation is straight to the point with no excess frilly language. And There is a very interesting discussion about the book at the end which is just as entertaining to read. Favorite stories: Interval, Unframed, Dagadu Parab's Wedding Horse, Mogri's World, A Truckful of Chrysanthemums.

[Catapult · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winner of the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature and the Atta Galatta–Bangalore Literature Festival Literary Achievement Award, Jayant Kaikini is one of India's most celebrated short story writers. No Presents Please brings his work to North America for the first time.

[Selva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic collection of stories especially if you like Mumbai/Mumbai-based stories. All are stories about ordinary people but totally interesting. The only thing is I read it over a period of time like I think I started reading it last year n completed it today. I thought it was my laziness but someone had mentioned that it is difficult to take in Jayant Kaikini's stories in one go and you have to do it in chunks. Maybe. One of the stories Opera House had been adapted to screen as part of an anthology (think Netflix) and actually, that story was the best of the four stories in that. Highly recommended.

[BOOKSTHATSTAY · Rating 4 out of 5]

"No Presents Please: Mumbai Stories" by @jayant_kaikini_lines which was originally written in Kannada and has been translated to English by @tejaswini.niranjana is a very well-deserving winner of the prestigious DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, 2019, and has recently won American Literary Translators Association's National Translation Award, 2021, for prose.

As per the judges of the latter, this collection of short stories "deserves all the presents for its intimate and life-affirming portrayal of ordinary people in Mumbai. Each story is a perfectly crafted world where the unexpected suddenly expands the reader's horizons in a single thrilling and affecting moment."

Reading this book felt like a long and refreshing walk through the busy lanes of Bombay, where the author introduced the common people, who are the backbone and soul of the city, the taxi wallahs, the shopkeepers, the tenants, the daily passengers of the local train, and many more interesting people.

During my school days, one of my most favorite things to do was to look outside the bus window while going back home. It felt like watching a movie where every single person out there on the road was not just merely a person but a story in themselves. And I loved guessing their thoughts and conversations. Reading this book felt exactly like that bus ride!☺️

The book gives a flavor of the very life of the common people of Bombay, or in today's terms 'Mumbaikars'☺️. Each one of us has a story and somehow these stories have the capacity to take the listener/reader to all the wonderful places we have been. Reading these 16 stories has been nothing short of an enjoyable trip to Mumbai!💖

The writing is very elegant, vivid, and fluid. It flows smoothly and very delicately tells us the stories of Durgi, a family maid, Satyajit, who suddenly finds a match for him in his forties, and of many more interesting characters. I really enjoyed reading this brilliant collection of stories!☺️📖

[Gargi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ordinary stories are beautiful. And they appear beautiful when they are told in a non-judgemental tone. Bringing the total essence of a city that bears and nurtures such multifarious ordinary stories.

It’s both tempting and easy to celebrate only the landmark moments in life and forget about the ordinary experiences that occur each day. There are days and weeks in our lives when nothing extraordinary happens. We move about our days without noticing the sweet nothings we are a part of because we subconsciously believe the ordinary moments in life aren’t worth celebrating.

Thanks to Jayant Kaikini who believes that ordinary stories should be celebrated, at least by reading them. And thanks to Tejaswini Niranjana for increasing the outreach of this celebration to readers like me.

Don’t miss being a party to this extraordinary celebration. :)

[Anuj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every story in this collection pairs us with an ordinary life, as it thrashes about in the insides of this reluctantly monstrous city, which has long swallowed it without it even noticing. Simple, masterfully translated, sometimes in a hurry, sometimes a little calculated in its pace, the writing leaves you craving for that one last glimpse back as you're pulled away at the end of each story. Thankfully, as you turn the page, you find yourself beside another life, that scraps for your attention, grabbing it until you do not want to let go.

Recommended!

P.S.: There's an afterword by the translator who walks us through her method and her interations with the writer throughout the process. It's a fascinating read!

[Sonali Dabade · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

Short stories just aren't captivating me as much and this collection, with all its open endings was a rather plain one for me. There was the sympathy and in a few places, empathy as well, but overall, it's a book that I felt just fell short. I know a lot of people love it and I can see why, but it didn't work its magic to that extent on me. It did for a while, but not more than that.

[Vaidya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely set of shorts. A few that don’t work as well as others. Very visually written, one hopes some day they are made into a series.

Love his use of language and the turn of phrase to turn things around at many places.

[Akshat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mumbai comes to life!

[Phee]

DNF @ 50%

I just didn’t jive with these stories. I didn’t understand them or what message they were trying to get across.
First DNF of 2021!!

I was getting the urge to start skim reading, and let’s be honest. There is no point in skim reading, just put the book down and move on to the next one. I read for fun/pleasure, this wasn’t giving me any.

[Areeb Ahmad (Bankrupt_Bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Her face has suddenly aged, the hair at her parting turned grey. She has lost the right to sulk like a child. She daydreams about Pakya who sells paper lanterns or Kekoo who runs the cassette shop. Slowly like a book on the corner of a lower shelf, a book no one reaches out for, she has acquired her mother’s posture and her mother’s silence.”
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RATING: 4.5/5
I rarely read short story collections these days as I increasingly find myself abandoning them midway through. So it was with much apprehension that I started No Presents Please and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. The characters which populate these stories mostly come from the lower and middle class of Mumbai. Kaikeni transforms their mundane lives into brilliant narratives through the use of sparse yet gifted prose. He has the tendency to grow the plot to a certain point before abruptly ending the story, simulating life and the lack of resolution usually associated with it. Then the reader has to work out how the story moves forward and what happens to the main characters.
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Water and Mogri's World were my absolute favourite stories. They move around the roads and streets of Mumbai, which never sleeps as life goes on, and map out the hidden pulse of the city in bursts of dazzling descriptions and dialogue. Kaikeni does not invite pity or sympathy for his characters, no matter how despairing their situation becomes. He instead strives for a deeper feeling through deftly handled subtle twists, an emphatic response that reaffirms are shared existence as human beings. Nothing is too trivial to be depicted and the absurd quickly becomes commonplace. The DSC Prize was much deserved and I really really recommend it to you if you want to explore Indian regional authors in translation and love reading short stories.