Perfume – By Ashokamitran
“You want me dead!” he shouted at his wife.
“Eat something and go. Your lunchbox is ready,” his wife said. But he was already halfway...
Mother – by N. Pichamurthi
Translated by E. Annamalai & H. Schiffman
I was traveling on a train. My attention, which was focussed on looking out of the open window...
Water Play – By Perumal Murugan
At first he was somewhat confused and hesitant when they invited him. “Me?” he whispered disbelievingly under his breath. But then desire and eagerness...
Enemy – By Appadurai Muttulingam
Translated by V. Ramanan
He had not known anything about rearing hens, neither were the hens elated in his captivity. He knew that it was...
“Dostoyevsky’s Face” – By Jeyamohan
Translated by Nakul Vāc
No one had expected Pa Kavundar1 to fall that soon! There were very few in our village that did not expect or wish...
Kaanchanai – By Pudhumaippithan
Translated from Tamil *
I just couldn’t sleep that night, for no apparent reason. My mind was neither troubled, nor was it overflowing with happiness...
Truth and Lies – By Imayam
Translated by Lakshmi Holmstrom
1
Raghavan climbed into the compartment, carrying his suitcase. He glanced briefly—just once—at the ticket he held in his left hand. Then...
Chair – By Ki. Rajanarayanan
Translated by V. Ramanan
How could you call a house without a chair a home? So it struck all of us in the house the same...
Exultation – By T. Janakiraman
That was a local shuttle train which ran from Tiruchi to Mayavaram. Its life began every morning at 10:30 and ended at 3 in...
Fantasy – By Sarvakan
Translated by Vasantha Surya
When we reached the National Store, there were no customers at all.
That was one convenient thing about Natesan’s shop. There was...
