The Shehnai Virtuoso: and Other Stories

by Dhumketu, Jenny Bhatt (Translator)

“Dhumketu is a wonderfully gripping storyteller, and translator Jenny Bhatt has certainly done him justice in this excellent selection.” —Jennifer Croft, translator of The Books of Jacob
The tragic love story of a village drummer and his dancer lover . . .

A long-awaited letter that arrives too late . . .

A teahouse near Darjeeling, run by a mysterious queen . . .
The Shehnai Virtuoso  brings together the first substantial collection of Dhumketu’s work to be available in English. A legend of Gujarati literature, Dhumketu revolutionized the short story in India. Characterized by a fine sensitivity, deep humanism, perceptive observation, and an intimate knowledge of both rural and urban life, his fiction has provided entertainment and edification to generations of Gujarati readers and speakers.
Beautifully translated for a wide new audience by Jenny Bhatt, these much-loved stories—like the finest literature—remain remarkable and relevant even today.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Historical Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

Published July 26, 2022

Reviews

[Rosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology of tales by one of the pioneers of short stories in India.

Gaurishankar Govardhanram Joshi (1892-1965), known by his pen name “Dhumketu” meaning “comet”, was a well-known Gujarati writer. But most of the Indian readers aren’t aware of his works. His contemporaries were stalwarts such as Munshi Premchand (who wrote in Hindi), Saadat Hasan Manto (who wrote in Urdu), and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore (who wrote mostly in Bengali.) While these three are considered pioneers among Indian classical writers and still revered, Dhumketu’s name has been lost to history.

This collection is the very first English translation of his works, and contains 26 tales chosen from a repertoire of more than 500 short stories in Gujarati – not an easy job for sure!

The translator, Jenny Bhatt, who is also a writer, begins the set with an introductory note that was enlightening about Indian short stories, Gujarati literature and Dhumketu s life and writings. Then there’s an author's note penned by Dhumketu himself, taken from his first story collection, “Tankha” published in 1926. This reveals his depth of thinking. Both these notes and Dhumketu’s fame ended up creating very high expectations in my heart. And when there are high expectations, there is usually disappointment.

Except for a few references to the caste or "jaat", there's nothing to suggest the historical or cultural setting. Most stories seem like they could occur in rural Indian villages even today. But officially, the stories are all from pre-independence India. Most of the stories are social dramas or character-oriented narratives, though a couple of fantasy tales also make an appearance. While most of the tales seem to be set in Gujarat (not all the stories mention the location), a couple are based in other parts of India.

Honestly, I was expecting more of a Premchand kind of story experience, given that the time period and setting is the same. But Dhumketu’s tales are tough to classify. Something in the writing kept me distant from feeling the emotions of the characters or experiencing the connect with the culture. I found it very hard to concentrate, especially during the second half.

As always, I rated the stories individually. Of the twenty-six stories, my favourites (that reached/crossed 4 stars) were “On the banks of the Sarayu” (the best story of the book for me), “Unknown helpers”, “Mungo Gungo”, and “The Golden Necklace.” Other than these, the rest of the stories were clustered between the 2.5 to 3.5 star ratings.

I don’t know if this mixed result is a consequence of those zooming expectations, of a failed translation, of stories that haven’t dated well, or simply of a mismatch between reader and writer. But I did expect to enjoy this collection a lot more and I am disappointed at this end result.

3 stars, based on the average of my ratings for each of the stories.

My thanks to Deep Vellum Publishing and Edelweiss+ for the DRC of “The Shehnai Virtuoso and Other Stories”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Note: This story collection was originally published in India under the title “Ratno Dholi - The best stories of Dhumketu”. “The Shehnai Virtuoso and Other Stories” is the name of the US edition, but the stories are exactly the same.


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[Joseph Schreiber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of short stories by Gujarati legend, Dhumketu, offers an extensive selection of tales spanning his career. Inspired by western masters of the form and Indian writers like Tagore, he was very prolific. His stories are engaging, easy to read, with memorable, often tragic, characters. Witty remarks, moving descriptions of music, and a strong sense of social justice permeates his work. Jenny Bhatt's translation incorporates common expressions, explained only if necessary, maintaining the flavour of the communities and culture Dhumketu was exploring in his fiction.

Longer review can be found here: https://roughghosts.com/2022/07/30/a-...

[Sahitya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Average Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

One of my goals for this year has been to read more translated books, especially Indian ones and not just my favorite Chinese danmei novels, but I can’t say that I’ve succeeded much at it. So, when I saw that this collection of short stories had released, I decided I had to pick it up, and put away my numerous ARCs to do just that.

I truly know very little about Indian literature, especially from the 20th century, which is a shame and I can only hope that I will get to read more of those works from various Indian languages. But I had heard of the author Dhumketu because of my friend Charvi who reviewed another of his story collections a while ago. Which is why I decided to read this new collection and was immediately engrossed in it. I think most of these stories were written pre-independence and are set during those times but the author explores themes like caste discrimination, bribery, grief, loneliness, loss which are feel very relatable and relevant to today’s times. The writing has a lot of simplicity to it and the author excels at telling a lot in just a few words. The translator Jenny Bhatt has also done a great job conveying the beauty of Dhumketu’s words and made them accessible to us all, for which I am very thankful. While I may have loved some stories here more than others, this collection is definitely a gem, a mirror to the Indian society of the times, and worth reading for everyone. This has only increased my resolve to read more desi books.

Below are my individual story reviews:

The Post Office

Importance of empathizing with another person’s situation, told in a very simple but effective manner.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tears of the Soul

Tale of woman’s plight who is always asked to sacrifice something of herself for a higher purpose. A bit rage inducing, sad and powerful at the same time.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

On the Banks of the Sarayu

I don’t know exactly what this story wanted to convey but it definitely made me sad for the child who only wanted to listen to a story from him ever busy parents.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Kailas

A bittersweet tale of regrets and grief and loneliness, unexpected bonds, and finding purpose anew.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Queen of Nepal

Another story of what if’s and regrets, and some surprising turn of events.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

The Rebirth of Poetry

A surprising blend of fantasy and scifi, set in a futuristic dystopia, this was about how humans need dreams and diversity and artistic liberty to have fulfilling lives. But when compared to our current lifestyle where we are in a constant need for stimulation, this story left more questions than answers.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Ebb and Flow

CW: miscarriage, corporal punishment

While it is about how monotonous one’s life can get and how that can totally take the joy out of living, I’m not sure what I feel about this story.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Unknown Helpers

Exactly as the title says, it’s the story of those who help when help is needed without any expectations.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anaami

Just a sweet tale of an unexpected bond between a young child, her milk-woman and a neighbor who doesn’t want to be involved.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Noble Daughters-In-Law

CW: suicide

Sad but equally enraging story about the lives of women in those times, tied in destiny to their husbands and cast off once they are widows, without much hope for survival.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Light and Shade

Very much about the cycle of abuse across generations and households, and one young girl’s quest to find a way out of it in her own little ways.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Gulabvahu

Filled with extreme caste prejudice, the ending of it almost felt like deserved comeuppance.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

The New Poet

I didn’t know if I wanted to laugh at the overenthusiastic man who considered himself an extraordinary poet or be sympathetic that he couldn’t understand the sarcastic comments being made at his expense.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

The Shehnai Virtuso

It’s about grief and remembrance but what I will remember most are the gorgeous descriptions of soulful music.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Mungo Gungo

I’m not sure I understood the intent here but I felt it was about how devastating it could be if the only thing you were good at is taken from you.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5

Ratno Dholi

A tale of unrivaled joy and unbridled jealousy, the power of lies told over and over again, and the fickle nature of trust, this was truly heartbreaking.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Homes

CW: suicide

A fascinating tale about how every home has a story behind it, in this case, full of loss and grief.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

The Prisoner of Andaman

A bit bittersweet but hopeful story of not feeling the love in one’s birth place and finding a new home elsewhere, even if it started out of desperate circumstances.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5

A Happy Delusion

Definitely a well written and thought provoking tale about life, one’s accomplishments, and what happens when one’s passion and survival are at cross purposes.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Memorable Day

A tale of two women of the same name but very disparate circumstances, it also felt like a commentary on how society and we humans create these divisions because of our own feeling of moral superiority. And despite lots of disparagement about the true nature of art and artistry, I’m not sure I understood or enjoyed this fully.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

When a Devi Ma Becomes a Woman

Another story which I can’t say I understood the ending, but I definitely hated the men in it for having no loyalty and how their respect for a woman was all just a façade.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5

The Golden Necklace

A tale about true love, sincerity, craftsmanship and how it grants immortality on the creator, this was very interesting.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This Dispenser of Justice

A tale of oppression and justice, this felt sad but ultimately was satisfying.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

The Creator of Life’s Ruins

CW: usage of ableist slurs

I can’t say that I liked the redemption arc of an idle and wicked disabled man as the main story here. But I guess the author wrote it to perfectly encapsulate the proverb “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop”.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

The Worst of the Worst

A very well written tale of exaction of justice by a most unlikely person when everyone else in the community doesn’t even try.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Old Custom, New Approach

While many stories here felt relevant to the current times, this one could have been written in 2022 and would still be true because bribery still rules the roost in government offices, and ethical principles are relegated to printouts on the wall.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Arun · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Shehnai Virtuoso, a collection of short stories by the writer Dhumketu and translated from Gujarati by Jenny Bhatt, is uneven and unfortunately filled with outmoded and regressive ways of considering caste issues and women.
There are a few beautiful stories, including the title one, which achieve a lyricism and richness of language. However many of the stories are problematic in how caste is handled. It is also at times misogynistic. While Dhumketu writes some memorably strong women characters in most cases these women are objectified and their fates are inevitably governed by the men in their lives. Similarly, disabled characters are represented as morally flawed in what is a tired and archaic trope. His repeated use of the term “caste-brothers” does not at all appear critical of casteism but rather suggests its role in cementing society. Finally the repeated references to Hindu deities ( especially Rama and the Ramayana) and Hindu piety and the scarcity of Muslim characters have echoes of Hindutva ideology. While the author himself was considered somewhat progressive in his day ( and he legitimately criticizes some wealthy or powerful characters) his point of view is definitely unpalatable in todays world of progressive literary fiction. This may be due to its publication in Gujarati in the 1950’s when such mores were more acceptable or the stories settings being predominantly in rural Gujarat, the state which spawned Narendra Modi, however it is questionable whether this collection has any relevance today.
The translation itself is uneven and the language comes across as dowdy and archaic.
Two stars.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dhumketu is one of the foremost short story writers from Gujarat, but I was largely unaware of him and his body of work till I signed up for the "India Translation Readathon", and came across Jenny Bhatt's translation of his short stories. Dhumketu has written over 500 short stories, so selecting a sample of them to translate itself is quite a task. The translator picked one representative short story from each of his collections, and to that list added two more- his most translated work "The Post Office" and one that holds personal significance to her.
A couple of things stood out for me while reading the stories in the book. One was the sheer range of stories that Dhumketu wrote- from historical fiction to contemporary tales, stories of rich people, of poor people and of people in between, stories that are plot driven and stories that are character driven, stories of vengeance, stories of mute acceptance, and stories of survival against odds. None of the stories is a morality tale, but many of them expose social and human evils without being pedantic about it.
I was particularly impressed by how so many of the female characters displays a high degree of agency, and of how in many of the stories, it is the female characters who morally prop up their weak men. While most of the stories are set in Gujarat, many are also set in other locations, and the author brings the landscape and culture of the area alive through his words.
Since I do not speak Gujarati, I cannot comment on the nature of translation, but I do know that the stories 'read' as if they were written in English. There is a detailed glossary, and notes on certain words that the translator interpreted in her own way, both of which add to the experience of reading the book. It was a delight reading this set of short stories, and I am glad that this is not the only collection available in English.
I read this book as a part of the #2025indiantranslationreadathon where we will attempt to read at least one book (translated or original) from each of the of official languages of India.

[A]

What an excellent start to the new (reading) year. Jenny Bhatt has here completed an astounding act of labor-she compiled this collection selecting one significant short story from each of Dhumketu's 24 collections (plus two more additional stories), and then translated each with a distinctive style that allows the quirks and idiosyncrasies of Gujarati speech to illuminate the page. Many of the Gujarati-inflected words and phrases ("truth-waali," "we, two-three people," or "over-smart") feel similar to colloquial Urdu writing to me. In fact, much of Dhumketu's writing reminds me of other South Asian short story writers working at his time (early-to-mid 20th century), such as Hindi-Urdu author Premchand. Like Premchand, Dhumketu is interested in exploring the lives of characters previously ignored in literary spheres-rural people, physically disabled people, women, and low-caste members. Caste plays a central role throughout Dhumketu's work, showing him to be more in line with the Tamil literary tradition than the northern Indian one at the time of his writing.
For me, the collection went from alright to truly exciting with "The Shehnai Virtuoso." I do wonder if the stories were arranged chronologically by the collection they were originally published in. If so, I do think that there is a clear arc of improvement and refinement in Dhumketu's stories over time, as he begins to feel more secure in his writing voice. Or perhaps I liked the 'second half' of the book a bit better because the focus of the stories tends away from portraying female protagonists-something I don't think Dhumketu does with particular nuance or complexity-and towards exploring twisted male personages.
Class, caste, and shifting political structures (the "old days" vs. British rule crops up in some stories) are present throughout the collection, but Dhumketu never roots the short stories in a highly specific time or place. He is concerned, however, with issues of injustice, and seems to believe (like Premchand) that the purpose of literature is to uplift society. For that reason, he often explores the writer figure, at times mocking him, and at other times praising the writing endeavor for its simple aesthetic value.
Some of my very favorite stories were "The Shehnai Virtuoso," "Mungo Gungo," "My Homes," "A Memorable Day," and "The Worst of the Worst." I also really appreciated Bhatt's inclusion/translation of Dhumketu's own introduction (to which collection is unclear), in which he writes of the short story form that: "The short story is that which, like a flash of lightning, pierces right through while establishing a viewpoint; without any other machinations, simply gestures with a finger to awaken dormant emotions...The short story, by rousing the imagination and emotions, only alludes to or provides a spark of what it wants to say. This is why the writer of the short story needs a reader who is impressible, emotional, swift and intelligent; to such a reader, he will forever be in debt" (xxv).

[Brown Girl Bookshelf]

Early 20th century writer Dhumketu is deemed the pioneer of the Gujarati short-story form, and this newly translated collection of his work proves this title still holds.

Dhumketu imparts wisdom through stories that explore profound human experiences. His most well-known story, “The Post Office,” is a lesson in empathy; it tells the tale of a man estranged from his daughter, and the town postmaster, who ridicules the man, until he is faced with a similar devastation. Progressive for his time, his stories also include female viewpoints (“Tears of the Soul”/ “Ratno Dholi”), as well as commentary on the caste system (“Gulabvahu”).

In limited length, these stories develop impressively clear settings and plots, primarily in rural Gujarat. Dhumketo writes from the perspective of a young child, an old man, and men and women from varying socioeconomic backgrounds.

With over 500 short stories to his name, compiling a collection that captures his range is no small feat. A huge kudos to Jenny Bhatt, who beautifully translated each of Dhumketu’s works with the respect and care they deserve, bringing these stories to a new generation of readers.

[Kosta Dalageorgas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short stories originally written in Gujarati, the majority of the stories I read had depressing or melancholy endings. It is clear that a lot of work went into the translation, but there were still a lot of untranslated terms and references that would have helped me understand more fully with the use of footnotes. There was a short glossary in the end.

The stories describe both village and urban life in a largely vanished India of the early 20th century. The main themes I teased out were the day to day survival of everyday people and their struggles. Some stories reference Hinduism, which I do not have a strong knowledge and grasp of and proved confusing. Very much a series of evocative character studies is how I would describe the content overall.

[sam k · Rating 4 out of 5]

read like half of them they were nice

[Indu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing, short, gripping stories. Must read!