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Blue Is Like Blue: Stories
Renowned for bringing the marvellous to the ordinary, Vinod Kumar Shukla has long been recognized as one of India’s foremost writers, with a voice uniquely his own.
The stories in Blue Is Like Blue deal with ‘smaller-than-life people’. They live in rented accommodation, often in single rooms, where one electric bulb does for light. There’s a nail to hang clothes from and a wall-to-wall string for the washing. When the clothes are dry, you place the carefully folded shirt under a pillow and lie down to sleep. Money is a concern, but the bazaar is the place to go and spend time in, especially if you have nothing to buy. The fear that you may be overcharged accompanies every transaction, but joy is not entirely absent.
Few works of modern Indian literature come alive in English, and fewer still in the way that these stories do in Arvind Krishna Mehrotra and Sara Rai’s brilliant translation.
Winner of the Atta Galatta – Bangalore Literature Festival Book Prize (Fiction) 2019.
The stories in Blue Is Like Blue deal with ‘smaller-than-life people’. They live in rented accommodation, often in single rooms, where one electric bulb does for light. There’s a nail to hang clothes from and a wall-to-wall string for the washing. When the clothes are dry, you place the carefully folded shirt under a pillow and lie down to sleep. Money is a concern, but the bazaar is the place to go and spend time in, especially if you have nothing to buy. The fear that you may be overcharged accompanies every transaction, but joy is not entirely absent.
Few works of modern Indian literature come alive in English, and fewer still in the way that these stories do in Arvind Krishna Mehrotra and Sara Rai’s brilliant translation.
Winner of the Atta Galatta – Bangalore Literature Festival Book Prize (Fiction) 2019.
117 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 25, 2019
20 people are currently reading
458 people want to read
About the author
Vinod Kumar Shukla
46 books176 followersVinod Kumar Shukla (born 1 January 1937) is a modern Hindi writer known for his surreal style that often borders on magic-realism and sometimes move beyond it. His works include the novels Naukar ki Kameez and Deewar Mein Ek Khirkee Rahati Thi (A Window lived in a Wall), which won the Sahitya Akademi Award for the best Hindi work in 1999.
His first collection of poems Lagbhag Jai Hind was published in 1971. Vah Aadmi Chala Gaya Naya Garam Coat Pehankar Vichar Ki Tarah was his second collection of poems, published in 1981 by Sambhavna Prakashan. Naukar Ki Kameez (The Servant's Shirt) was his first novel, brought out in 1979 by the same publisher. Per Par Kamra (Room on the Tree), a collection of short stories, was brought out in 1988, and another collection of poems in 1992, Sab Kuch Hona Bacha Rahega.
Vinod Kumar Shukla was a guest littérateur at the Nirala Srijanpeeth in AGRA from 1994 to 1996 during which he wrote two novels Khilega To Dekhenge and the refreshing Deewar Mein Ek Khirkee Rahati Thi. The latter has been translated into English by Prof. Satti Khanna of Duke University as A Window Lived in a Wall.
His first collection of poems Lagbhag Jai Hind was published in 1971. Vah Aadmi Chala Gaya Naya Garam Coat Pehankar Vichar Ki Tarah was his second collection of poems, published in 1981 by Sambhavna Prakashan. Naukar Ki Kameez (The Servant's Shirt) was his first novel, brought out in 1979 by the same publisher. Per Par Kamra (Room on the Tree), a collection of short stories, was brought out in 1988, and another collection of poems in 1992, Sab Kuch Hona Bacha Rahega.
Vinod Kumar Shukla was a guest littérateur at the Nirala Srijanpeeth in AGRA from 1994 to 1996 during which he wrote two novels Khilega To Dekhenge and the refreshing Deewar Mein Ek Khirkee Rahati Thi. The latter has been translated into English by Prof. Satti Khanna of Duke University as A Window Lived in a Wall.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
September 23, 2019
What a book! Love the abstractness of each short story. I’m so glad it’s been translated in English.
Full review coming up soon!
Full review coming up soon!
June 7, 2025
There are very few celebrators of the quotidian like Vinod Kumar Shukla. In Calcutta, I've often seen someone staring at a building or a shop aimlessly, soon few others would join without invitation and stories would start emerging. This book is one such gathering.
January 15, 2020
Book Title: Blue is like blue
Author: V.K Shukla, A.K. Mehrotra, Sara Rai
Format: Paperback
Book Title:
The title of the book ' Blue is like blue ' is very unique and interesting
Book Cover:
The cover image of the book is a simple image of everyday things that are found in one's life.
Plot:
This book "Blue is like blue " is totally different & unique. It is a collection of short stories, written originally in Hindi by Legend Vinod Kumar Shukla, during 1950s to 1960s, which is translated by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra & Sara Rai.
There are 12 stories with 12 different lifestyles. Each story beckons the not so developed life of the common man way back in just getting modernized India. Every story reflects the hardships faced by a middle class and lower-middle-class family.
What I like:
1. Simple stories
2. The perfect amalgamation of human emotions
3. Not so observed lifestyles but with great interest in life are shown
What I didn't like:
There are as such no drawbacks in the book but the young readers from this generation may find it hard to relate to yester year's lifestyle.
Characters:
Every character in each of the short stories is relatable with the next person in our family or the next house. Set up in just getting urbanized India, the characters in the book are very familiar.
Narration:
A very heartwarming narration is found in the book. Some stories are too good to be forgotten. As the stories are translated from the original language of Hindi, few stories are not so relatable yet good ones to read.
Language & Grammar:
Simple language is used in translating the stories from the original and hence it's an easy read.
My Final Verdict:
A nice book of good short stories
Book Title: 3/5
Book Cover: 3/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Narration: 3/5
Language & Grammar: 3/5
Final Rating: 3/5
Author: V.K Shukla, A.K. Mehrotra, Sara Rai
Format: Paperback
Book Title:
The title of the book ' Blue is like blue ' is very unique and interesting
Book Cover:
The cover image of the book is a simple image of everyday things that are found in one's life.
Plot:
This book "Blue is like blue " is totally different & unique. It is a collection of short stories, written originally in Hindi by Legend Vinod Kumar Shukla, during 1950s to 1960s, which is translated by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra & Sara Rai.
There are 12 stories with 12 different lifestyles. Each story beckons the not so developed life of the common man way back in just getting modernized India. Every story reflects the hardships faced by a middle class and lower-middle-class family.
What I like:
1. Simple stories
2. The perfect amalgamation of human emotions
3. Not so observed lifestyles but with great interest in life are shown
What I didn't like:
There are as such no drawbacks in the book but the young readers from this generation may find it hard to relate to yester year's lifestyle.
Characters:
Every character in each of the short stories is relatable with the next person in our family or the next house. Set up in just getting urbanized India, the characters in the book are very familiar.
Narration:
A very heartwarming narration is found in the book. Some stories are too good to be forgotten. As the stories are translated from the original language of Hindi, few stories are not so relatable yet good ones to read.
Language & Grammar:
Simple language is used in translating the stories from the original and hence it's an easy read.
My Final Verdict:
A nice book of good short stories
Book Title: 3/5
Book Cover: 3/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Narration: 3/5
Language & Grammar: 3/5
Final Rating: 3/5
August 13, 2019
My views-
I could relate to a lot of stories but their are some books which i live through. This is the book which is written by a renowed author of Chhattisgarh. I am from this state of India.
I could relate to each and every place mentioned. I could feel the stories written in this collection of 12 short stories.
The stories are about some ordinary days but of great value and some message to take back. Also, the translation is awesome. I wish i had read it in Hindi, but english also is flawless.
The brownie points in the book are the characters. beautifully built and maintained throughout.
Overall, a highly relatable book with great translation.
I could relate to a lot of stories but their are some books which i live through. This is the book which is written by a renowed author of Chhattisgarh. I am from this state of India.
I could relate to each and every place mentioned. I could feel the stories written in this collection of 12 short stories.
The stories are about some ordinary days but of great value and some message to take back. Also, the translation is awesome. I wish i had read it in Hindi, but english also is flawless.
The brownie points in the book are the characters. beautifully built and maintained throughout.
Overall, a highly relatable book with great translation.
July 19, 2020
When you pick up a book which has these lines in the introduction ‘Foreign travel especially makes men pendants, not artists. What we seek, we must find at home or nowhere’ - you are bound to get immersed in it especially in the current times when travel seems some time away.
A poet par excellence, the author weaves stories from the most unassuming circumstances, rather routine in nature. With mundane activities as a metaphor having simplicity as an ornament, each story by the author leaves a lasting impression on the reader. In the translators’ words for the author - ‘To read him is to read not a fictionalised version of what is already stencilled on the wall, but what is constantly inscribed in and erased from the margins of our consciousness’.
A poet par excellence, the author weaves stories from the most unassuming circumstances, rather routine in nature. With mundane activities as a metaphor having simplicity as an ornament, each story by the author leaves a lasting impression on the reader. In the translators’ words for the author - ‘To read him is to read not a fictionalised version of what is already stencilled on the wall, but what is constantly inscribed in and erased from the margins of our consciousness’.
Read
March 9, 2020Really liked it.
October 26, 2022
Shukla does not write for your eyes or the mind to imagine, he writes to speak to something deeper in you. You feel both seen and exposed while reading him because he writes about things you felt were peculiar to you, experienced only by you. So many things haunt us daily, does it happen with you that you can’t seem to remember despite extreme efforts whether you switched off the fan or locked your house properly? Shukla describes it so well that you suddenly become the character subject instead of being the reader object.
He notices the small things, talks about them, which might otherwise seem too unimportant to put into pages of a printed book. They way he writes stories about normal people like you and me, it wouldn’t be wrong to call him people’s writer, nor would it be an exaggeration as is often the usecase of this phrase.
Some stories are so absurd, they leave you wondering how to make sense of it, if at all any sense can be made of it. The slow pace, the ordinary characters, lives and incidents all so ordinary, his writing reflects the life and ordinary days of ordinary people.
August 7, 2022
Blue is Like Blue was my book for Chhatisgarh for my #ReadingIndia challenge.
This is a short book, a 3-hour audiobook, but I struggled to finish it. There were small town vignettes that reminded me of some Sai Paranjpye and Hrishikesh Mukherjee movies. And these I enjoyed. I remember thinking the same about Mannu Bhandari’s writing as well, but she also had a range of female protagonists who had complex emotions that were difficult to classify as merely good or bad. And her stories have aged well.
But for me, Vinod Kumar Shukla seemed one-toned in his characterisation and some of his stories like the rambling last one in the collection, did not speak to me at all.
There were almost no women in the stories and the ones that were, remained passive, having things happen to them and rarely taking any action of any sort.
I have heard so much praise for Shukla’s work. Maybe I started on a wrong book and must go back and try and read some of his other work. Maybe I didn’t get what Shukla was attempting to convey. For whatever reason, this was a disappointing read for me.
This is a short book, a 3-hour audiobook, but I struggled to finish it. There were small town vignettes that reminded me of some Sai Paranjpye and Hrishikesh Mukherjee movies. And these I enjoyed. I remember thinking the same about Mannu Bhandari’s writing as well, but she also had a range of female protagonists who had complex emotions that were difficult to classify as merely good or bad. And her stories have aged well.
But for me, Vinod Kumar Shukla seemed one-toned in his characterisation and some of his stories like the rambling last one in the collection, did not speak to me at all.
There were almost no women in the stories and the ones that were, remained passive, having things happen to them and rarely taking any action of any sort.
I have heard so much praise for Shukla’s work. Maybe I started on a wrong book and must go back and try and read some of his other work. Maybe I didn’t get what Shukla was attempting to convey. For whatever reason, this was a disappointing read for me.
September 2, 2019
I consider myself to inept to review a work of someone like Vinod Kumar Shukla who has been recognised as India's foremost literary authors. Instead I will let you know why you need to pick " BLUE IS LIKE BLUE"
A feast of raw writing, transformation of a minute and unsubstantial object into something profound, characters and tales that are extremely ordinary and hence give you a sense of belonging are what is in common in these short story collection.
The old India comes to view in the tales and have a vintage-y feel to it that makes you nostalgic but also doesn't let you lose your grip on the present. Shukla utterly mesmerizes you with all the stories and weaves magic throughout the book.
A feast of raw writing, transformation of a minute and unsubstantial object into something profound, characters and tales that are extremely ordinary and hence give you a sense of belonging are what is in common in these short story collection.
The old India comes to view in the tales and have a vintage-y feel to it that makes you nostalgic but also doesn't let you lose your grip on the present. Shukla utterly mesmerizes you with all the stories and weaves magic throughout the book.
January 18, 2024
I'm both dazzled and disturbed by this short story collection, Blue is like Blue, by Vinod Kumar Shukla.
We get to know the heroes of the stories through not big choices or conflicts but small ones. Should the man go back and check if he has locked his room? Why is this leaf in his pocket? Should another man rifle through his friend's cupboards if left alone in the room? Why is this stranger carrying so much curd?
If this sounds like a lens turned on realistic, material life, you're in for a surprise. In Vinod Kumar Shukla's world, buses take off in air. People stand on oil drums when their old shoes pinch. Towns exchange houses; houses swap verandahs.
In between all of this are tucked away small revelations that sound incredibly familiar. Like something from your life. For example, a sudden, irrational dislike of the person sitting opposite you. An urge to cry on the street. Or wonder if you have a blue shirt. Or speak lies that serve no reason, white or otherwise.
The writer is a minimalist in some senses. I don't know if it was a translation choice or a simulation of the original Hindi, but the choppy sentences made it really tiring to read.
In other senses, the writer is a maximalist. No stray thought goes unrecorded here in these pages. Pieces of information are hung in the middle of a story for no reason. Lines come at you from every direction until you are turned around, completely lost in a paragraph. If you can call it that.
Sometimes the plot meanders like a river and each tributary is explored. Sometimes a dark cloth is abruptly dropped over the reader's head.
As I read this book, I wondered about the editor who let this author break so many rules. Is this even allowed? What if Vinod Kumar Shukla was someone else? Some nobody in a writers' workshop kind of milieu? I can imagine peers and instructors lecturing him about, say, the shape of a story, or character development. Maybe, in these times, he might have heard the "own voices" argument, or been made aware of the odd lack of women in the foreground.
And then I think, maybe it's good he was free to write like he wrote?
I didn't know what to think as I finished the book. Everything seemed a bit random and unsatisfying, and I felt something I can only describe as sadness.
I was in an airport bus around about that time. As I looked around, I began to notice things, notice people. I peered at a woman's carpet bag and tried to read the brand name. I wondered why the mother was travelling with a backpacker son. I smiled for no reason at a young girl across the aisle.
I think, and I say this without exaggeration, that I began to see stories. Stories that he may have written.
And instantly I knew I would be terrified to write them like him.
Is this really a review? A recommendation? If I were to attempt something in Shukla's style, here's what I would say: This book is not like a book. When you step inside it, you might find it too bright.
We get to know the heroes of the stories through not big choices or conflicts but small ones. Should the man go back and check if he has locked his room? Why is this leaf in his pocket? Should another man rifle through his friend's cupboards if left alone in the room? Why is this stranger carrying so much curd?
If this sounds like a lens turned on realistic, material life, you're in for a surprise. In Vinod Kumar Shukla's world, buses take off in air. People stand on oil drums when their old shoes pinch. Towns exchange houses; houses swap verandahs.
In between all of this are tucked away small revelations that sound incredibly familiar. Like something from your life. For example, a sudden, irrational dislike of the person sitting opposite you. An urge to cry on the street. Or wonder if you have a blue shirt. Or speak lies that serve no reason, white or otherwise.
The writer is a minimalist in some senses. I don't know if it was a translation choice or a simulation of the original Hindi, but the choppy sentences made it really tiring to read.
In other senses, the writer is a maximalist. No stray thought goes unrecorded here in these pages. Pieces of information are hung in the middle of a story for no reason. Lines come at you from every direction until you are turned around, completely lost in a paragraph. If you can call it that.
Sometimes the plot meanders like a river and each tributary is explored. Sometimes a dark cloth is abruptly dropped over the reader's head.
As I read this book, I wondered about the editor who let this author break so many rules. Is this even allowed? What if Vinod Kumar Shukla was someone else? Some nobody in a writers' workshop kind of milieu? I can imagine peers and instructors lecturing him about, say, the shape of a story, or character development. Maybe, in these times, he might have heard the "own voices" argument, or been made aware of the odd lack of women in the foreground.
And then I think, maybe it's good he was free to write like he wrote?
I didn't know what to think as I finished the book. Everything seemed a bit random and unsatisfying, and I felt something I can only describe as sadness.
I was in an airport bus around about that time. As I looked around, I began to notice things, notice people. I peered at a woman's carpet bag and tried to read the brand name. I wondered why the mother was travelling with a backpacker son. I smiled for no reason at a young girl across the aisle.
I think, and I say this without exaggeration, that I began to see stories. Stories that he may have written.
And instantly I knew I would be terrified to write them like him.
Is this really a review? A recommendation? If I were to attempt something in Shukla's style, here's what I would say: This book is not like a book. When you step inside it, you might find it too bright.
February 12, 2024
Reading translations from Hindi is always tricky as i find myself looking for the original language but not this time.
The stories were completely different from anything I've read before. I can't even say that i understood all of it.. it had something of the Japanese minimizing with magic realism but it was more ordinary than magic.. more real.. absurd in places.. puzzling like the inside of a mind jumping between thoughts. The stories and characters are solidly grounded. The author's unabashed owning of his roots and realities without the need to glorify or justify, really owning his own story, family, home and environment made strong impact.
The stories were completely different from anything I've read before. I can't even say that i understood all of it.. it had something of the Japanese minimizing with magic realism but it was more ordinary than magic.. more real.. absurd in places.. puzzling like the inside of a mind jumping between thoughts. The stories and characters are solidly grounded. The author's unabashed owning of his roots and realities without the need to glorify or justify, really owning his own story, family, home and environment made strong impact.
April 6, 2025
"Blue is Like Blue" by Vinod Kumar Shukla is a tender and evocative collection of short stories that captures the essence of rural India with quiet brilliance. Written during the 1960s and 70s, these stories draw from the everyday—be it a forgotten twenty-rupee note or a humble fish—to explore deeper themes of poverty, caste, patriarchy, and humanity. Shukla’s minimalist style and nuanced portrayal of ordinary lives lend a uniquely Indian voice to the collection, making it both heart-warming and thought-provoking.
July 7, 2022
The book has incidences , which try to give some glimpse about the real life scenario, although the situation shown seems real life, the end of each story looks abrupt and incomplete. You tend to lose interest after reading initial stories from the book. Title of the book seems intresting but as per me the book could not leaves the impact.
September 3, 2025
I truly enjoyed this book; it brings a refreshing new kind of storytelling. The narrative feels subtle yet powerful, weaving emotions like music in quiet, graceful tones. Each story carries a rhythm that lingers beyond the words, leaving the reader both moved and enriched by its delicate artistry.
March 16, 2021
An outstanding but long overdue translation of one our seminal writers marred by the most self aggrandising introduction.
December 5, 2022
Sorry but not my cup of tea.
Too abstract for my liking.
Good translation though
Too abstract for my liking.
Good translation though
Read
April 18, 2025Was interesting. Sometimes the prose felt poetic.
May 18, 2025
2.5/5
November 17, 2019
Book Title: Blue is like blue
Author: V.K Shukla, A.K. Mehrotra, Sara Rai
Format: Paperback
Book Title:
The title of the book ' Blue is like blue ' is very unique and interesting
Book Cover:
The cover image of the book is a simple image of everyday things that are found in one's life.
Plot:
This book "Blue is like blue " is totally different & unique. It is a collection of short stories, written originally in Hindi by Legend Vinod Kumar Shukla, during 1950s to 1960s, which is translated by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra & Sara Rai.
There are 12 stories with 12 different lifestyles. Each story beckons the not so developed life of the common man way back in just getting modernized India. Every story reflects the hardships faced by a middle class and lower-middle-class family.
What I like:
1. Simple stories
2. The perfect amalgamation of human emotions
3. Not so observed lifestyles but with great interest in life are shown
What I didn't like:
There are as such no drawbacks in the book but the young readers from this generation may find it hard to relate to yester year's lifestyle.
Characters:
Every character in each of the short stories is relatable with the next person in our family or the next house. Set up in just getting urbanized India, the characters in the book are very familiar.
Narration:
A very heartwarming narration is found in the book. Some stories are too good to be forgotten. As the stories are translated from the original language of Hindi, few stories are not so relatable yet good ones to read.
Language & Grammar:
Simple language is used in translating the stories from the original and hence it's an easy read.
My Final Verdict:
A nice book of good short stories
Book Title: 3/5
Book Cover: 3/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Narration: 3/5
Language & Grammar: 3/5
Final Rating: 3/5
Author: V.K Shukla, A.K. Mehrotra, Sara Rai
Format: Paperback
Book Title:
The title of the book ' Blue is like blue ' is very unique and interesting
Book Cover:
The cover image of the book is a simple image of everyday things that are found in one's life.
Plot:
This book "Blue is like blue " is totally different & unique. It is a collection of short stories, written originally in Hindi by Legend Vinod Kumar Shukla, during 1950s to 1960s, which is translated by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra & Sara Rai.
There are 12 stories with 12 different lifestyles. Each story beckons the not so developed life of the common man way back in just getting modernized India. Every story reflects the hardships faced by a middle class and lower-middle-class family.
What I like:
1. Simple stories
2. The perfect amalgamation of human emotions
3. Not so observed lifestyles but with great interest in life are shown
What I didn't like:
There are as such no drawbacks in the book but the young readers from this generation may find it hard to relate to yester year's lifestyle.
Characters:
Every character in each of the short stories is relatable with the next person in our family or the next house. Set up in just getting urbanized India, the characters in the book are very familiar.
Narration:
A very heartwarming narration is found in the book. Some stories are too good to be forgotten. As the stories are translated from the original language of Hindi, few stories are not so relatable yet good ones to read.
Language & Grammar:
Simple language is used in translating the stories from the original and hence it's an easy read.
My Final Verdict:
A nice book of good short stories
Book Title: 3/5
Book Cover: 3/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Narration: 3/5
Language & Grammar: 3/5
Final Rating: 3/5
January 27, 2024
I think I was unable to peel off all the layers in this piece. It's quite deep writing. And, at the same time the minute observations used by the writer will make you go 'wow' at places. Not suitable for a casual reader.
June 27, 2019
This book of short stories deals with incidents of ordinary people on a normal day. But the hidden message in each of the stories are quite exceptional. The translation of this book is good but I feel the hindi version would have been more delightful. So if you a hindi reader, my advice is to read it in hindi. But if you are a non-hindi reader like me, read this version. It might not be as good as the hindi version, but it will be good.
I feel the characters in this book are quite striking as in the beginning even though they appear to be normal they have great back story and this highlights the inner quality they possess. The characters are well built and the writing (of the translated version) is crisp and clear, and I feel a new reader will enjoy it as much!
I really liked the cover of the book as it highlights simple daily objects in one's life and thus, highlighting the simplicity of the stories. My favourite stories from the book were Shoe Ashtray and Old Veranda.
Pick this up if you want to try an Indian author with simple writing!
I feel the characters in this book are quite striking as in the beginning even though they appear to be normal they have great back story and this highlights the inner quality they possess. The characters are well built and the writing (of the translated version) is crisp and clear, and I feel a new reader will enjoy it as much!
I really liked the cover of the book as it highlights simple daily objects in one's life and thus, highlighting the simplicity of the stories. My favourite stories from the book were Shoe Ashtray and Old Veranda.
Pick this up if you want to try an Indian author with simple writing!
July 12, 2019
🥳 The cover is so so beautiful .
I loved it when I saw at first and fell in love with it . The blurb is very good and loved . I just went inside the story and loved every single life of short story . This was actually translation from his Hindi books .
.
🥳 This is combination of 12 short stories . Every story explains the life a common man from room rent , streets , shops , expenditure , job and savings . Every single story has it's own importance and my fav was twenty rupees . Because it shows how to save and go on . I have learned a lot if things from this book . At first I thought the even people think in this way too and loved the puzzled way author thinking and writing . Author has different type of ways to get ideas . .
🥳 a beautiful collection ever . You may fall in love with this author . The way if thinking , explanation , language , characters everything was perfect for the story . This was very short book with meaningful stories . The perfect awesome page Turner for sure . .
I loved it when I saw at first and fell in love with it . The blurb is very good and loved . I just went inside the story and loved every single life of short story . This was actually translation from his Hindi books .
.
🥳 This is combination of 12 short stories . Every story explains the life a common man from room rent , streets , shops , expenditure , job and savings . Every single story has it's own importance and my fav was twenty rupees . Because it shows how to save and go on . I have learned a lot if things from this book . At first I thought the even people think in this way too and loved the puzzled way author thinking and writing . Author has different type of ways to get ideas . .
🥳 a beautiful collection ever . You may fall in love with this author . The way if thinking , explanation , language , characters everything was perfect for the story . This was very short book with meaningful stories . The perfect awesome page Turner for sure . .
July 1, 2019
Blue is like blue is a short story collection by Vinod Kumar Shukla translated from the Hindi. Shukla is a renowned poet and novelist. His writing focuses more on lower middle class of the society. Most of the stories are set in mundane places; like a street in a bazar, a rented single room accommodation, etc. The stories are short but leave a deep impact and make you wonder.
Like in ‘Old Veranda’ he says
‘The old veranda of our house in Rajnandgaon is now in the house in Raipur. The pole star in Raipur is the same pole star that was in Rajnandgaon. Because there is the sky and the pole star, the homeless do not feel that they are homeless but that they live the same one place under the same sky, which is the same everywhere.’
His writing is raw, beautiful and presents the reality in a way that you may not expect. There’s a hidden side to his characters and you’ll see something in them that you’ll relate to. The translators have done a good job.
Like in ‘Old Veranda’ he says
‘The old veranda of our house in Rajnandgaon is now in the house in Raipur. The pole star in Raipur is the same pole star that was in Rajnandgaon. Because there is the sky and the pole star, the homeless do not feel that they are homeless but that they live the same one place under the same sky, which is the same everywhere.’
His writing is raw, beautiful and presents the reality in a way that you may not expect. There’s a hidden side to his characters and you’ll see something in them that you’ll relate to. The translators have done a good job.
July 5, 2019
||"Blue is like blue " is totally unique & beautiful like its cover. The white minimalistic cover with the hinge of spilled blue ink drops made it a keeper.
It is a collection of short stories, written originally in Hindi by Legend Vinod Kumar Shukla, during 1950s to 1960s, which is translated by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra & Sara Rai.||
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||12 stories & 12 backdrops but Shukla's vision operates at street level. The people he observes and writes about wear cheap footwear & carry tattered shopping bags for their vegetables, bought in small quantities after much haggling. Shukla is a frugal storyteller. He can make, and make do, with very little. Drama can ARISE OUT of nothing in Shukla's stories.||
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||Thanks @harpercollinsin for the copy. I enjoyed reading these stories a lot, & somehow reminded me of my childhood which spent reading stories like Idgah, Mantra and Namak ka daroga. He is another Premchand.||
It is a collection of short stories, written originally in Hindi by Legend Vinod Kumar Shukla, during 1950s to 1960s, which is translated by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra & Sara Rai.||
.
||12 stories & 12 backdrops but Shukla's vision operates at street level. The people he observes and writes about wear cheap footwear & carry tattered shopping bags for their vegetables, bought in small quantities after much haggling. Shukla is a frugal storyteller. He can make, and make do, with very little. Drama can ARISE OUT of nothing in Shukla's stories.||
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||Thanks @harpercollinsin for the copy. I enjoyed reading these stories a lot, & somehow reminded me of my childhood which spent reading stories like Idgah, Mantra and Namak ka daroga. He is another Premchand.||
April 14, 2020
Simple stories as told by trasnalors mostly manytimes just tells about people sometime much below than common man... Their thoughts, life style , daily activities... And written 50-55 years back it is nice to read now and well traslated also....
December 30, 2019
This book is just not it for me.
November 12, 2025
a bunch of short stories from Indian household and around.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews