My New Book: A Sneak Preview

 

My New Book: A Sneak Preview

I n   S h o r t :

Midnight Biryani and Other Stories is a rich collection of tales that traverse the intricate terrain of human emotion, social contradiction, and quiet rebellion. From unspoken love and fading ideals to caste barriers, crumbling marriages, and the innocence of childhood, each story captures a distinct shade of life. Whether it's Ishani and Abhinav’s unacted longing, the ideological betrayal of Bijan, or little Mayank’s innocent transgression, these narratives gently reveal the complexities behind seemingly ordinary moments. Set in diverse locales—from inner-city ghettos to remote islands—the stories balance humour, pathos, satire, and reflection. Characters such as Baba the reformer, Godavari the tormented girl, or Chunilal the failed poet linger long after the page is turned. Written with empathy and insight, this anthology lays bare the emotional and ethical struggles of everyday lives, making the mundane quietly extraordinary. It’s a celebration of people who endure, err, dream, and sometimes, forgive.

B o o k   D e s c r i p t i o n:

Midnight Biryani and Other Stories is a vibrant tapestry of contemporary Indian lives—raw, ironic, and deeply human. This collection of thirty evocative short stories explores the emotional undercurrents of love, betrayal, ambition, and societal pressures. From the muted ache of forbidden affection in the titular Midnight Biryani, to the cutting satire of ideological flip-flops in The Forgotten Proletariat, these stories bring to life characters caught between duty and desire, tradition and change.

Whether it's a little girl’s heartbreak over the exclusion of her maid in Not One of Us, the dark comedy of innocence as moral cover in Sin Without a Sin, or the tragic humour of a reformed thief punished again in Baba: The Apostle of Dusk Town, each tale pulses with emotional nuance and narrative inventiveness.

Rooted in both realism and fable, the stories span across class, gender, geography, and age, shifting from drawing rooms to jail cells, from remote islands to urban sprawls. With irony as its steady undercurrent, the collection is a poignant, often wry reflection on the contradictions and quiet heroism of everyday life.

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By

Ananta Narayan Nanda

22-6-2025

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