Eunuch Park : Fifteen Stories of Love and Destruct

by Palash Krishna Mehrotra

Quick and delicious rice recipes for every day A rice dish is usually the centerpiece of a meal in most parts of India and this book is invaluable for someone who wants to cook it with a difference. In this engaging book, Anuradha Ravindranath brings together a collection of rice recipes that spans the gamut of cuisines and courses to present the most delectable and simple rice dishes. The Essential Rice Cookbook is perfect for busy people with no time to spare so they can create menus based on ingredients available in the kitchen. Anuradha Ravindranath s unusual recipes for delectable rice dishes use an assortment of vegetables, lentils, chicken, meat and fish and can be prepared swiftly with impressive results. The book also includes recipes for complete one-dish meals and easy-to-prepare rice snacks and desserts. With something for everyone, The Essential Rice Cookbook is a delight not only for the experienced cook but also for those who like to try their luck in the kitchen once in a while. Recipes Mushroom and bell pepper rice Vegetable rice in coconut milk Green Bengal gram khichdi Bean sprout and sesame khichdi Spinach and egg rice Chicken biryani with tomato and chilli Chop biryani with mustard Mince and chickpea biryani Fish biryani with vegetables Jaggery rice with cashew nuts

Genres: Short Stories, Indian Literature, India

183 pages, Paperback

First published May 20, 2009

Reviews

[Mohit Parikh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fifteen haunting tales depicting mundane lives from an India rarely acknowledged. Thanks to Palash, I no longer feel the need to write about this world that I discovered/detected in my wanderings in last 2-3 years and was much affected.
Even though the subject-matter wasn't shocking to me anymore, the coldness, distance and aloofness portrayed in these stories got on my nerves; I couldn't transit from one piece to another without feeling sad and helpless.
But, Overdone. You start noticing the devices the author has employed to create the desired impact (observe especially the clever juxtaposition of sentences). The weather is much too similar in all the stories and so are the narrators. As a collection of short stories, the book may not hold a high pedestal on literary merits, nevertheless it would be pitiable if the book is ignored by Indian youth.
Eunuch Park is perhaps the best written story in the anthology. My favorite would be the one where a rickshaw driver, a helper and a tenant (a software engineer) plan to murder owner of the house. Chilling!

[Tanuj Solanki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three Stars - as a result of the average rating for these fifteen stories. One extra star for the freshness of the subject matter. The best stories are mindblowing. 'Pornography' and 'Okhla Basti' are the best stories I have read this year.

[Kanika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of the stories have predictable endings
-in the mundaneness of the aftermath
Some surprised.
Interesting read.

[Shailesh D’Souza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was first introduced to Palash Krishna Mehrotra's writing in his piece included in the Delhi Noir anthology, a neo-noir tale of a sociopathic junkie responsible for two murders.
In this collection, the pattern slowly starts to take shape like an amorphous amoeba in the gutter of living where the degenerate, downtrodden and life's other "discontents" dwell. Palash's shorts on the Indian school/college experience are spot-on as told from their different perspectives of student, teacher etc. and the characters in stories like Mangoes, stuck as they are in the rut of existence, feel believable.

[Aniruddh Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love is complex. It has so so so many dimensions and faces. This book tries to capture some of them. These are not ordinary stories. There are layers to the characters.

A very brave attempt. Some really nice stories.

[Sankalp Singh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I may not be a literary expert but the stories though beautifully crafted in detail, seemed abrupt and pointless.

[Radhika · Rating 4 out of 5]

subtly strong and tender.

[Vidyut K · Rating 1 out of 5]

Avoid. Just amateurish.

[Kunal Danda · Rating 1 out of 5]

bakw@@s

[Shrikant Vyas · Rating 1 out of 5]

very poor writing.

[Arun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eunuch Park, as the sub-title says, is a brave attempt at depicting love and destruction from odd angles. Palash explores love and destruction from angles we do not dare to even imagine. He gives us a glimpse into each life, each enclosed by various hopelessness. He leaves the reader completely bewildered giving no clue whether there is a resolution or not. Upon deep thinking, I guess the resolution and the symbolisms will come to life. I did not, however, torture my poor brain into doing such detective works.
Some of the stories are too good to be honest. My favourite being The Nick of Time, which deals with self-identity crisis. The plot has the theme of a repressed longing to identify oneself. It was so well-crafted that it took my breath away. Eunuch Park, too, is outstanding.
What is outstanding about this book is its descriptions. The descriptions literally jump out of the book and stare at you. They transport to a world you've never really been to. He sets his story in Dehra Dun, Mumbai and Delhi. It doesn't matter where you live because even for the natives, these places will look new as Palash goes on reconstructing an entire city, an entire life.

[Rick · Rating 1 out of 5]

OK, I didn't get these short stories at all. Most seemed to have a plot but no resolution of it whatsoever.

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um... what?

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

An India not often seen by Injis, and most often - when glimpsed at all - papered over with Kiplings and Gurujis... Good stuff!

[Suvidutt Sundaram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exotic read. Brilliant one.

[Mohit · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dont event attempt at picking it up ... Lest you love staying frustrated throughout the weekend ...