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...
Trespass – By Sundara Ramaswamy
Photo by : Cameron Ballard
Translated by Lakshmi Holmström
It struck me later on that, just for a second, I had been off my guard. I lifted...
Window – By Sundara Ramaswamy
I lay on a cot by the side of a window.
Months ago, I crawled into it one evening and hadn’t got out of it...
The Exit – By Pudhumaipithan
Translated by E. Annamalai and H. Schiffman
That night Alamu couldn't get to sleep. Her thoughts all came crowding into her brain; an unutterable anguish...
Refugee Girl – By Appadurai Muttulingam
Translated by: Aniruddhan Vasudevan
The girl in the green-yellow-white waitress uniform was a refugee. She could be either from India or Sri Lanka, or perhaps even...
Reflowering – By Sundara Ramaswamy
Translated by S Krishnan
Amma was lying on the cot and I was curled up on the floor right next to it. Amma...
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...
Chellammal – By Pudhumaippithan
Translated by V. Ramanan
Chellammal had just breathed her last. The pulse waned to a stop and she was reduced to 'a body’, in front...
Mother Earth – By Appadurai Muttulingam
Translated by Padma Narayanan
My father was a strict man. As a boy, I walked and talked quietly whenever he was around and quelled any...
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...
