Book review: A Case of Indian Marvels edited by David Davidar

A Case of Indian Marvels, edited by David Davidar. Aleph Books.

Forty short stories from writers aged forty and under, says the blurb on the back jacket of the book. The stories have been handpicked by David Davidar, arguably one of the best connoisseurs of stories short and long, and the result is an anthology packed with, for the most part, very interesting stories written by little known/ relatively unknown writers, as well as some translated works, too.

The stories cover the usual range of subjects: the human condition, relationships, the desperate need for love, frailty of mind and body, the desire for revenge, the strength to cope and go on coping, shining a sharp light on the inequities and indignities of our environs, sending up film stars, politicians…and the rest of us.

Of course, showering praise on a selected set of stories in an anthology is a purely subjective process but I have to say the pieces titled The Power to Forgive by Avinuo Kire, Lorry Raja by Madhuri Vijay, Eggs Keep Falling from the Fourth Floor by Bhavika Govil, The Adivasi Will Not Dance by Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, The Great Indian Tea and Snakes by Kritika Pandey, The Twenty-sixth Giant by Prayaag Akbar and The Crossing by Vrinda Baliga stood out for this reader aka me.

My pick of the lot, though, was the wistful look-back titled Mrs Nischol by Meera Ganapathi.

Did someone say the short story is dead? Not by a long chalk, I assure you.