What happens when a lifelong disciple finds out a dark secret about his guru? Can a thief ever reform his ways? How do you solve a murder with no witnesses?Padma Bhushan awardee and bestselling author Sri M sees the world in a different light. He sees the good, the bad and sometimes the supernatural. From horror stories to tales that will shock you out of your wits and pull at your heartstrings, there is something for everyone in this eclectic collection. In his quintessential no-holds barred style, Sri M's The Homecoming and Other Stories urges you to delve deep into the human spirit and get a glimpse of why people do the things they do.
Sri M (born Mumtaz Ali Khan), who was born a Muslim, was attracted to Vedic teachings at an early age. He met his Guru at the age of 9 and left home at 19 to live in the Himalayas, where he met many saints and sages before living with his Guru for three years. M has been associated with the famous Rishi Valley School as a former trustee of the Krishnamurti Foundation. Rather than choosing any specific religion or tradition, M teaches the universal essence of all religions.
M is founder of the Satsang Foundation. When asked about the Foundation and its purposes, he responded, “Satsang, which in Sanskrit, translates to holy company. Satsang is important because it is in keeping holy company that we overcome all circumstances and distractions, attain our true purpose of life, and uplift the world. By keeping holy company, not only with saints and sages and with other sincere spiritual seekers, but most importantly and with our True Self, our own Soul, we achieve deeper access and ultimate union with the Divine Essence. That is the goal of all prayer, meditation and spiritual practice, as well as all religions.”
He is a spiritual teacher and Guru to many and he teaches Kriya Yoga, the Upanishads and Sri Vidya Upasana. He lives in Madnapalle, Andhra Pradesh (near Bangalore) and travels around India and the World teaching and taking students on regular Yatras to sacred places.
Reading this book is like eating a box of variety chocolates. It consists of thirteen stories, each very different from the other. Like a variety pack, it contains a few horror stories, a few love stories, some myths and some tragedies. My favourite story in this bunch is “Death of a Builder”. This is a charming yet tragic story of a silk worm that is determined to complete its journey to become a moth, only for its life to be cut short by selfish humans looking to make a buck. The story points out the tragedy and hypocrisy of human beings who snuff out the life of another innocent creature and then offer this in a temple in order to please God. For this and many other stories, I would recommend this book as a light and easy afternoon read.
The Homecoming and Other Stories is a collection of thirteen short stories ranging from heart-warming tales to spine-chilling horror narrations.
It is a captivating collection, offering readers diverse genres, including crime, supernatural encounters, romance, belonging, and fable. It keeps the reading experience engaging and delightful throughout the book.
The characters are compelling and reflect struggles and conquests that readers will resonate with while reading. Even after varied genres, the readers would notice the exploration of the complexities of human conditions, struggles, motivation, desire, and longing. No matter whether the narratives depict a reformed thief or a disciple analyzing their guru's intentions, they evoke introspection on the driving forces behind human behavior.
The author's writing style is crisp, clear and engaging. The narrations are thought-provoking and keep the readers on the edge of their beds, immersed in the book. Sri maintained emotional depth and wavered questions in his narratives.
Collection of short stories but the ultimate message is unclear.
Homecoming, one of the stories, is an uplifting story of a true spiritual seeker and so is the story of kitchu of suchindram. The rest are so-so as there is no real context individually or collectively. May be the real relevance is that these are all true stories? IAC, nothing comparable to the previous book Shunya which truly tugged at ones spiritual and emotional chords.
It is a short intriguing book and can be finished in one sitting of couple of hours. The stories are varied and at times surprise in terms of coverage and context. It is also quite easy to read as the language is very easygoing.
Interesting collection of small stories, written in captivating manner. Attention to details is worth appreciating. Different setups have all been expressed sufficiently, not seeming far from reality.
I love all of his other books much more than this book, and even though I may not fully understand why he chose the collection of stories he did, I am sure he had his reasons.
Short stories written in a song song manner. You never expect what's going to come next before you are pushed off the cliff. A mix of reality and the supernatural making it a good choice for a relaxed fun read.
The stories are so captivating that I finished the book in one go!! It's hard to differentiate whether I am walking the reality or flipping through pages.
The book consists of short stories that make you reflect deeply on human nature, and have a moralising effect, much similar to Aesop's Fables or the Panchatantra, written in the inimitable style of Sri M.