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Siddhartha Street
The street quietly watches them grow, dream and die. In 'Siddhartha Street’ characters come together and grow apart to draw you into the tale of a quotidian street, in a quaint corner of South India. On the rooftop of the lone apartment block in the street, it’s time for ‘Saturday night drinking’ and a motley crew of men gather to drink. A man who regrets being in love, a husband who may lose his job, a father who is about to wed his daughter and the bullying building secretary all converge on the dimly lit terrace. In a corner of the street, a broken single mother runs ‘The Ironing Shop’, so that her daughter does not share the same destiny. Beside the apartment building, live 'The retired couple', where an elderly wife watches her husband, withdraw and cocoon himself in spirituality. The collection culminates in ‘Before’, where we travel to the past and witness a fateful Sunday; a day marking the end of innocence and branded by violence. You may hear an echo of R K Narayan, but it could easily be Chekov or Joyce. Lives in quiet streets are the same everywhere: intricate, inspiring, irredeemable – human.
- GenresFiction
176 pages, Paperback
Published March 29, 2022
2 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Sudha Yadav
6 books1 followerSudha Yadav hails from the coastal town of Puducherry. Her family moved to the shores of Arabia in her childhood and she grew up in the distant dunes of Dubai. An MBA, she lived the corporate life for 12 years. She turned to writing as a freelance columnist at first and then pursued short fiction.
Sudha, now resides in a charming neighbourhood in Chennai with a precocious daughter and husband.
Sudha, now resides in a charming neighbourhood in Chennai with a precocious daughter and husband.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 10, 2022
Indian streets have their own flair . Some of them bears the usual hustle bustle while some are calm and peaceful with pin drop silence. But be it of any kind one can't deny the fact that on a sunny afternoon or during the atmosphere of night they are a sight to behold.
This book elegantly captures the essence of street. It shows how various people from different walks of life harbour contrasting aspirations in the same streets , grow with time and ultimately perish. It shows how a woman is trying hard to meet her ends and also to provide her daughter a better life , a doting husband who is struggling in professional life , a father who is worried about his child's marriage , a couple who seeks pleasure by just looking at each other growing old together, seeking spirituality and many other similar characters.
The story is certainly emotional and strikes the right chord in heart . It makes one nostalgic and increase the level of awareness of the readers about their surroundings. The cover is vibrant and readily attracts you . The characterisation is the best part of the tale as it imbibes the real essence of the novel. The narration is done artistically as well.
Overall a remarkable debut by the author.
This book elegantly captures the essence of street. It shows how various people from different walks of life harbour contrasting aspirations in the same streets , grow with time and ultimately perish. It shows how a woman is trying hard to meet her ends and also to provide her daughter a better life , a doting husband who is struggling in professional life , a father who is worried about his child's marriage , a couple who seeks pleasure by just looking at each other growing old together, seeking spirituality and many other similar characters.
The story is certainly emotional and strikes the right chord in heart . It makes one nostalgic and increase the level of awareness of the readers about their surroundings. The cover is vibrant and readily attracts you . The characterisation is the best part of the tale as it imbibes the real essence of the novel. The narration is done artistically as well.
Overall a remarkable debut by the author.
June 29, 2022
Expect a story showcasing the daily chores of middle-class living on the street.
Expect a story that talks about the trivial situations people usually confront.
Expect a story that is a collection of small tales that are interlinked.
Expect a story that is narrated from various perspectives.
Expect a book with stories that remind Premchand, Vinod Shukla, or R.K.Narayanan for their simple and profound writing.
Expect a story that talks about the trivial situations people usually confront.
Expect a story that is a collection of small tales that are interlinked.
Expect a story that is narrated from various perspectives.
Expect a book with stories that remind Premchand, Vinod Shukla, or R.K.Narayanan for their simple and profound writing.
June 11, 2022
Siddhartha Street by Sudha Yadav is a collection of short stories or rather perspective pieces from the aspect of different characters who live in the same neighbourhood.
Set in the fictional lane named Siddhartha Street, located somewhere in South India, this book is a touching, poignant, and emotional read about the life and times of people living beside one another yet sharing such different versions of life, being, and belonging.
The book is a collection of 10 short stories that make for a good one-time read. These stories revolve around different characters who live on this particular street and elaborates on how their lives are intertwined with one another.
Despite the similarity in living standards, and representing the middle-class and lower-middle-class commoners, their personal lives are thoroughly distinct from one another.
They may not all be owners of their residencies on this street. Some run shops while others are tenants. They each share an individual reality that is distinct from another’s reality or even the collective social reality of being neighbours and residents of the same neighbourhood.
Characterisation is the key to maintaining the pace of the narratives and easing the reader’s transition from one story to another. The different characters come together and go apart at the same time in the simultaneous movement of the wheel of fortune that spins rapidly and churns up new scenarios for them.
Siddhartha Street by Sudha Yadav Book Review
This brings out the nuances of life that they are living and also the manner in which they are caught in its web of circumstantial mess. This makes the characters like puppets in the hands of life.
Life takes sudden turns and takes these characters in various directions that makes their existence, and living through the mundanity of life, as an unpredictable experience.
Yet, through these apprehensions and longings is a routine of every day that brings out the quotidian aspect of their lives.
Amidst all the characters, the street itself is the main character. It may seem to be bustling with activity at one point in time during the day and it appears laid back and calm at another time in the day. Yet, it is the same street that is a witness to their growth, dreams, wishes, daily routines, and ultimate demise.
Additionally, each character is given a distinct space of its own to develop, though the sheer number of characters crowds the text and calls for reading attentively. The enormous number of characters are branded by the hullabaloo of boredom and the angst of existence.
This does not mean that the street is rife with boredom or monotony. Its different moods are captured in its different moments.
It is seen to be quite happening as well at times, such as in the story ‘Before’ in which the reader is taken to the past to be told about incidents that occur on a fateful Sunday, that were filled with violence and loss of innocence.
Each of the stories is reflective of the existential despair that the characters go through in terms of the moral that is relayed. However, the stories are more of passionate reflections of life and living, and not didactic pieces, rift with deep authorial philosophy.
Siddhartha Street by Sudha Yadav Book
This makes the book Siddhartha Street a soft-hearted take on neighbourly relations and their importance which is seldom realised. Yet, it does not go too deep and lose its focus in the course of events but keeps up the moderate pace in each story, to provide a perspective, through moralising, in a beautiful manner.
This is noted in the endings of the stories that will leave readers in a mix of emotions but deeply moved. These surprise endings add to the entertainment quotient and keep up the unpredictability of the plot that runs parallel to the unpredictability of life. This also gives a sense of circularity to the stories.
The writing style is easy to follow. Most of the narrative follows a dialogue mode in which the characters are given a voice of their own. The language is simple but has frequent use of colloquialisms. These colloquial words add a rustic touch to the heartwarming stories about simple people caught going about their distinct realities. This rusticity is the charm of the stories.
The reader can get a feel of the experiences that the characters go through in the enlivening rustic descriptions which exude the taste of the sambhar or the exotic smell of the argumpul juice or the nauseating smoke of the beedi. This immediately takes readers to the Malgudi of R.K. Narayan which is based on similar themes and earthy descriptions.
The colourful book cover is done beautifully. It is highly representative of the inner stories and the bond that the characters share as neighbours, and as friends living in the same neighbourhood. This is brought out poignantly through the catchy cover.
Set in the fictional lane named Siddhartha Street, located somewhere in South India, this book is a touching, poignant, and emotional read about the life and times of people living beside one another yet sharing such different versions of life, being, and belonging.
The book is a collection of 10 short stories that make for a good one-time read. These stories revolve around different characters who live on this particular street and elaborates on how their lives are intertwined with one another.
Despite the similarity in living standards, and representing the middle-class and lower-middle-class commoners, their personal lives are thoroughly distinct from one another.
They may not all be owners of their residencies on this street. Some run shops while others are tenants. They each share an individual reality that is distinct from another’s reality or even the collective social reality of being neighbours and residents of the same neighbourhood.
Characterisation is the key to maintaining the pace of the narratives and easing the reader’s transition from one story to another. The different characters come together and go apart at the same time in the simultaneous movement of the wheel of fortune that spins rapidly and churns up new scenarios for them.
Siddhartha Street by Sudha Yadav Book Review
This brings out the nuances of life that they are living and also the manner in which they are caught in its web of circumstantial mess. This makes the characters like puppets in the hands of life.
Life takes sudden turns and takes these characters in various directions that makes their existence, and living through the mundanity of life, as an unpredictable experience.
Yet, through these apprehensions and longings is a routine of every day that brings out the quotidian aspect of their lives.
Amidst all the characters, the street itself is the main character. It may seem to be bustling with activity at one point in time during the day and it appears laid back and calm at another time in the day. Yet, it is the same street that is a witness to their growth, dreams, wishes, daily routines, and ultimate demise.
Additionally, each character is given a distinct space of its own to develop, though the sheer number of characters crowds the text and calls for reading attentively. The enormous number of characters are branded by the hullabaloo of boredom and the angst of existence.
This does not mean that the street is rife with boredom or monotony. Its different moods are captured in its different moments.
It is seen to be quite happening as well at times, such as in the story ‘Before’ in which the reader is taken to the past to be told about incidents that occur on a fateful Sunday, that were filled with violence and loss of innocence.
Each of the stories is reflective of the existential despair that the characters go through in terms of the moral that is relayed. However, the stories are more of passionate reflections of life and living, and not didactic pieces, rift with deep authorial philosophy.
Siddhartha Street by Sudha Yadav Book
This makes the book Siddhartha Street a soft-hearted take on neighbourly relations and their importance which is seldom realised. Yet, it does not go too deep and lose its focus in the course of events but keeps up the moderate pace in each story, to provide a perspective, through moralising, in a beautiful manner.
This is noted in the endings of the stories that will leave readers in a mix of emotions but deeply moved. These surprise endings add to the entertainment quotient and keep up the unpredictability of the plot that runs parallel to the unpredictability of life. This also gives a sense of circularity to the stories.
The writing style is easy to follow. Most of the narrative follows a dialogue mode in which the characters are given a voice of their own. The language is simple but has frequent use of colloquialisms. These colloquial words add a rustic touch to the heartwarming stories about simple people caught going about their distinct realities. This rusticity is the charm of the stories.
The reader can get a feel of the experiences that the characters go through in the enlivening rustic descriptions which exude the taste of the sambhar or the exotic smell of the argumpul juice or the nauseating smoke of the beedi. This immediately takes readers to the Malgudi of R.K. Narayan which is based on similar themes and earthy descriptions.
The colourful book cover is done beautifully. It is highly representative of the inner stories and the bond that the characters share as neighbours, and as friends living in the same neighbourhood. This is brought out poignantly through the catchy cover.
May 27, 2024
Sudha Yadav's "Siddhartha Street" is a literary gem that immerses readers in the rich, multifaceted lives of a diverse ensemble of characters residing on a single street in Chennai. From the very first page, I found myself utterly captivated by author's skillful storytelling and her ability to breathe life into every character, no matter how minor their role.
One of the most striking aspects of this book is the author's remarkable talent for capturing the nuances of human emotions and relationships. Whether it's the tender bond between a mother and her daughter, the complexities of a long-standing marriage, or the intricate dynamics within a close-knit community, Yadav handles each storyline with a deft touch and profound sensitivity.
The characters in "Siddhartha Street" are not mere caricatures, but fully realized individuals with their own hopes, fears, and inner lives. Yadav's attention to detail and her knack for creating authentic dialogues make it seem as if these characters are living, breathing entities, inviting readers to form genuine connections with them.
Another aspect that sets this book apart is the author's ability to seamlessly interweave multiple narratives, each one distinct yet intricately connected to the others. Just when you think you've grasped the essence of one character's story, Yadav skillfully introduces another layer, adding depth and complexity to the overall kaleidoscope.
What truly resonated with me, however, was the book's authentic portrayal of the joys and struggles of everyday life. From the mundane tasks of running a household to the profound moments of self-discovery, Sudha captures the essence of the human experience with remarkable clarity and empathy.
Sudha's masterful command of language, her keen observational skills, and her ability to create characters that linger in your mind long after you've finished reading make this book an absolute worth-read for anyone who craves richly drawn narratives and authentic slices of life.
One of the most striking aspects of this book is the author's remarkable talent for capturing the nuances of human emotions and relationships. Whether it's the tender bond between a mother and her daughter, the complexities of a long-standing marriage, or the intricate dynamics within a close-knit community, Yadav handles each storyline with a deft touch and profound sensitivity.
The characters in "Siddhartha Street" are not mere caricatures, but fully realized individuals with their own hopes, fears, and inner lives. Yadav's attention to detail and her knack for creating authentic dialogues make it seem as if these characters are living, breathing entities, inviting readers to form genuine connections with them.
Another aspect that sets this book apart is the author's ability to seamlessly interweave multiple narratives, each one distinct yet intricately connected to the others. Just when you think you've grasped the essence of one character's story, Yadav skillfully introduces another layer, adding depth and complexity to the overall kaleidoscope.
What truly resonated with me, however, was the book's authentic portrayal of the joys and struggles of everyday life. From the mundane tasks of running a household to the profound moments of self-discovery, Sudha captures the essence of the human experience with remarkable clarity and empathy.
Sudha's masterful command of language, her keen observational skills, and her ability to create characters that linger in your mind long after you've finished reading make this book an absolute worth-read for anyone who craves richly drawn narratives and authentic slices of life.
June 24, 2022
Siddhartha Street by Sudha Yadav is a collection of ten short stories. It’s an easy-to-read, relatable, and subtly interconnected collection. The book is all about familiar neighborhood stories, with regular dose of melancholy, emotional drama, social idiosyncrasies, parental intervention, gossiping, and so on. It’s staged against Siddhartha Street, it acts as a part protagonist, and cultural point.
The street has residencies of all types across many class and religions – big houses, flats, lonely apartments, tenants, land lords – it bustles with a small rivulet of diversity. The author must have lived at one such place to deliver similar stories.
The book commences with ‘The Retired Couple’. Mr and Mrs. Ranganathan is a lonely couple, their son rebelled to live at some other place. This story explores the humane yet bitter side of relationships. ‘The Widow’ is a humorous story of an old lady named Tilakammal and her ill-famous maid Ponamma.
The story of Aruna and Arul brings the nuisances of gender discrimination and how audaciously a boy in the family can ask for his share, but daughter is ought to remain silent and meek.
Siddhartha Street is deeply touching and poignant in its essence. The stories blend an array of human emotions that run high and low in family lives according to their time and circumstances. Twisted by fate, touched by compassion, nudged by greed, and protected by innocence – this collection brings so much about our society, where we are constantly participating, sometimes oblivion to the changes happening around us and at times watching the drama unfold through our terraces, windows, and gardens.
The street has residencies of all types across many class and religions – big houses, flats, lonely apartments, tenants, land lords – it bustles with a small rivulet of diversity. The author must have lived at one such place to deliver similar stories.
The book commences with ‘The Retired Couple’. Mr and Mrs. Ranganathan is a lonely couple, their son rebelled to live at some other place. This story explores the humane yet bitter side of relationships. ‘The Widow’ is a humorous story of an old lady named Tilakammal and her ill-famous maid Ponamma.
The story of Aruna and Arul brings the nuisances of gender discrimination and how audaciously a boy in the family can ask for his share, but daughter is ought to remain silent and meek.
Siddhartha Street is deeply touching and poignant in its essence. The stories blend an array of human emotions that run high and low in family lives according to their time and circumstances. Twisted by fate, touched by compassion, nudged by greed, and protected by innocence – this collection brings so much about our society, where we are constantly participating, sometimes oblivion to the changes happening around us and at times watching the drama unfold through our terraces, windows, and gardens.
May 2, 2024
Siddhartha Street, an engaging anthology of ten shorts etches everyday lives. Of those who perhaps have touch wordlessly ours. The contours of their living, trace the rise and fall, the joys and sorrows, the trials and tribulations, the desires and the despairs like tiny water-wakes that nudge our feet ignored on the seashore, even as our eyes wait for the next big wave. The author's adroit ability to eschew melodrama and sharp story-turns are what makes these tales so believable. And endearing. The retired Senthil who withdraws into a spiritual shell, even as his wife Suganya picks up the gauntlet unafraid (The Retired Couple), the important role of social fetter played by the elderly Tilakammal in schooling her gen-next neighbours, so sorely missed today (The Widow), the support provided by the landlord to their tenant (The Tenant), a family's struggles to grapple with the bereavement of their youngest (Left Behind), a mother's fierce fight to give her children a better life (Ironing Shop) are stories that will remain with you much after you have finished the book. The author's writing is endearing, rich in metaphors and is able to enter the soul of the lives she is penning. Waiting for her next effort!
December 31, 2022
Have you ever imagined a street being personified? A street is a mute spectator to everything that transpires on it, complete life cycles and a gamut of emotions.
The Author has brilliantly brought out these occurrences through her characters who are residents of the street. There are ten short stories documenting and amalgamating the emotional roller coasters in the lives of these characters, respectively.
Be it a gathering of men on a rooftop with varied reactions to their life challenges, after a drinking binge, or a broken single mother who struggles to run her ironing shop so her daughter doesn’t face the same predicament she did, or a maid who has risen from the ashes after her husband was killed by the local goon and children deserted her, or the perils of a retired couple…. each story is weaved in a unique yarn of susceptibilities. Each story tugs at your heartstrings and the authors writing style is exemplary.
I loved how the author built the premise on mundane occurrences of daily life. I was reminded of ‘Malgudi days’ and ‘Nukkad’ (those who grew up in the late 80s or 90s would know what these are)
The Author has brilliantly brought out these occurrences through her characters who are residents of the street. There are ten short stories documenting and amalgamating the emotional roller coasters in the lives of these characters, respectively.
Be it a gathering of men on a rooftop with varied reactions to their life challenges, after a drinking binge, or a broken single mother who struggles to run her ironing shop so her daughter doesn’t face the same predicament she did, or a maid who has risen from the ashes after her husband was killed by the local goon and children deserted her, or the perils of a retired couple…. each story is weaved in a unique yarn of susceptibilities. Each story tugs at your heartstrings and the authors writing style is exemplary.
I loved how the author built the premise on mundane occurrences of daily life. I was reminded of ‘Malgudi days’ and ‘Nukkad’ (those who grew up in the late 80s or 90s would know what these are)
February 11, 2023
Step into the busy verandah of Sudha Yadav's “Siddhartha Street,” where secrets flow between grumpy uncles, nosy aunties, innocent children, a widower, and a powerful matriarch. Explore the complexities of painful separations and complicated homecomings, all while sipping a hot cup of masala chai. ☕️
This slice-of-life collection is a homage to India, the point of convergence and ancestral home for over 32 million people of the diaspora. Through this series of nostalgic tales, Yadav shows us that we are all looking for our place on this rock floating through the multiverse.
If readers yearn to return to a street once called home - or if you're like me and call it your grandparents' home - this collection of stories will help you remember what it was like to hear the street vendors in the morning and the buzzing of mosquitos at night. Each story offers a window into the personal lives of its characters, delving into their fears, hopes, dreams, and disappointments. Together, “Siddhartha Street” offers a gentle reminder that, at the heart of it all, we are striving to find home in this world.
This slice-of-life collection is a homage to India, the point of convergence and ancestral home for over 32 million people of the diaspora. Through this series of nostalgic tales, Yadav shows us that we are all looking for our place on this rock floating through the multiverse.
If readers yearn to return to a street once called home - or if you're like me and call it your grandparents' home - this collection of stories will help you remember what it was like to hear the street vendors in the morning and the buzzing of mosquitos at night. Each story offers a window into the personal lives of its characters, delving into their fears, hopes, dreams, and disappointments. Together, “Siddhartha Street” offers a gentle reminder that, at the heart of it all, we are striving to find home in this world.
August 12, 2025
Step into the busy verandah of Sudha Yadav's “Siddhartha Street,” where secrets flow between grumpy uncles, nosy aunties, innocent children, a widower, and a powerful matriarch. Explore the complexities of painful separations and complicated homecomings, all while sipping a hot cup of masala chai.
This slice-of-life collection is a homage to India, the point of convergence and ancestral home for over 32 million people of the diaspora. Through this series of nostalgic tales, Yadav shows us that we are all looking for our place on this rock floating through the multiverse.
If readers yearn to return to a street once called home - or if you're like me and call it your grandparents' home - this collection of stories will help you remember what it was like to hear the street vendors in the morning and the buzzing of mosquitos at night. Each story offers a window into the personal lives of its characters, delving into their fears, hopes, dreams, and disappointments. Together, “Siddhartha Street” offers a gentle reminder that, at the heart of it all, we are striving to find home in this world.
This slice-of-life collection is a homage to India, the point of convergence and ancestral home for over 32 million people of the diaspora. Through this series of nostalgic tales, Yadav shows us that we are all looking for our place on this rock floating through the multiverse.
If readers yearn to return to a street once called home - or if you're like me and call it your grandparents' home - this collection of stories will help you remember what it was like to hear the street vendors in the morning and the buzzing of mosquitos at night. Each story offers a window into the personal lives of its characters, delving into their fears, hopes, dreams, and disappointments. Together, “Siddhartha Street” offers a gentle reminder that, at the heart of it all, we are striving to find home in this world.
February 2, 2025
It had the potential to be a good book. The author failed to utilise it.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews