A GLIMPSE INTO THE SHORT STORIES OF MRUTYUNJAY SARANGI
A GLIMPSE INTO THE SHORT STORIES OF MRUTYUNJAY SARANGI
(Mrutyunjay Sarangi is a retired civil servant and a former judge in a tribunal. Post retirement his time is spent on editing the monthly eMagazine LiteraryVibes and writing poems and short stories. He has published nine books in Odia and four collections of short stories in English. He has received a few literary awards, the most notable being the Fakir Mohan Senapati Awaed for Short Stories from the Utkal Sahitya Samaj in 2018.)
BOOKS:
1. ANJIE, PAT AND INDIA'S POOR
2. THE FOURTH MONKEY
3. JASMINE GIRL AT HAJI ALI AND OTHER STORIES
4. A TRAIN TO KOLKATA
1. ANJIE, PAT AND INDIA'S POOR
Author: Mrutyunjay Sarangi
Published by Notion Press, Chennai
Month and Year of Publication - May 2023
Price - Rs. 249
Contact details for buying the book :
1. Notion Press
2. Mrutyunjay Sarangi, +91 99307 39537 or mrutyunjays@gmail.com
ANJIE, PAT AND INDIA'S POOR
Anjie and Pat, two millionaire Indian doctors settled in U.S., find their hearts overflowing with pity for India's poor and wish to donate the princely sum of five thousand dollars to alleviate their suffering. Over sumptuous dinner of fried rice, raganjosh and rasmalai, they discuss with their hosts various options to channelise their donation......................
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
A small, cute, angel of a girl appproaches Neel in a birthday party and asks, "Uncle, when will I have my birthday party?" Neel's heart melts. A stab of haunting sadness makes him look across the hall to find his wife Madhu looking longingly at him and the angelic girl. She slowly shakes her head, sharing the grief of her husband over their barren life bereft of a child....................
FRAGRANCE
On an unexpected phone call from abroad, Surajit falls into a reverie. From the depth of the past a memory flashes with a charming fragrance - happy, unforgettable days of sweet adolescence, when he and the beautiful Sunayana had discovered the magic of coming of age, the ecstasy of togetherness and the aching melancholy of separation as innocent thirteen year olds.....................
SOFT FOOTSEPS
Anupam, a Professor at University of Texas, visits Cuttack, the beloved town of his childhood loaded with happy memories. He takes a walk to his old school. Suddenly a motorcycle cuts across the street and a fat, impressive man gets down, greeting him with effusive warmth. He claims to be a friend from the high school but Anupam is restless, unable to recollect his name.....................
IGLOO
Abhijit, a young manager in a bank, suddenly takes a fancy to the horoscope column in the newspaper when a number of predictions about him comes true. And the day it predicted a whiff of romance in the air, he remains in a state of mild euphoria till he comes home in the evening and finds his sweet, playful sister-in-law waiting for him along with his expectant wife...............
THE FLAME
Ramesh, a senior officer in Government, is besotted with Anima, the young, nubile Junior P.A. She is like a flame and he is the moth fatally drawn towards her. He calls her to his room and spends hours in giving her meaningless dictation. His heart sinks into despair when he has to leave for Delhi on an official trip. He is eager, restless, to return to the office, to be with Anima.................
THE OLD FOX
Ranjana and Vineeta, two young girls, are surprised to find an elderly man staring at the former while taking a walk in the park. Vineeta, the naughtier of the two, with a dirty mind, warns her friend to be wary of "the old fox out to pounce upon a young chick." Things turn ominous when Vineeta leaves on a short vacation and Ranjana comes to the park alone on her morning walk................
THE STALKER
Abdul Mian, a middle aged father of a college-going girl, is starved of conjugal satisfaction, his wife spurning his advances, leaving him angry and frustrated. On a dark, rainy evening he gets down from the bus near his basti and finds a woman walking ahead of him on the lonely, deserted road. The stalker advances slowly, stealthily, waiting for a chance to jump upon his prey.................
AFTERNOON RAINS
A professor goes to meet his friend on a wet afternoon in Delhi under crazily pouring rains. The green lawn, the colourful flower beds and the cool air make him nostalgic, reminding him of a similar rainy afternoon more than forty years back, when he had stood with his young beloved on the eve of their parting and she had told him, "You will also forget me, like everyone does"..................
THE MAN IN RED SHIRT
Gautam, a regional sales manager, out on a business tour to a small town, gets down from the train and immediately feels the strange presence of a man in a red shirt staring at him from a distance. He encounters the man again and again at different points during his stay and wonders who is he and why his intense, challenging stare makes Gautam feel so disconcerted....................
UNRESOLVED
Abhijeet receives a jolt from the morning newspaper, reading about his friend Simadri getting arrested from a lodge in Vijaywada for immoral activities. He rushes to arrange a bail and bring his friend home. On the train Simadri narrates a strange story of inner conflicts tormenting his soul. The two friends are nervous about the impending encounter with Vijaya, Simadri's wife....................
HYENA
Amaresh is surprised when his former Minister Rajesh Singh telephones him and informs that he has sent his son Ajay to spend a few months at the former's small estate at Daringbadi in order to learn good values from him and his family. The dashing, daring young man arrives to a life of placid domesticity in the midst of fruit orchards, green forests and wild animals.......................
OUR FRIEND GRUMBLENATH
When two friends meet and one of them is the sad, old Radhanath, widely known as Grumblenath to his friends, complaints fly free and wild, interspersed with interesting expletives. And Grumblenath scales a new height of grumbling when out on his morning walk on Independence Day, he is assaulted by two mobile-snatching thieves, throwing him into a maddening rage.....................
THE STREAM OF UNCONSCIOUSNESS
A young man from Barhmer in Rajasthan comes to Jaipur to attend an interview for a job. The evening is stiflingly hot and he steps out of his hotel for a bottle of Coca-Cola. What he gets instead is a glass of special lassi at the shop of Binnu Pehelwan. He forgets his way to the hotel and embarks on a kaleidoscopic journey which will take him to a new world of joy and ecstasy.....................
THE BROKEN PUMPSET
A senior bureaucrat visits his village and the people complain to him about the broken pumpset of the overhead tank. Promptly he telephones the district Collector for relief, but nothing happens. Calls to Divisional Commissioner and the Chief Secretary fail to resolve the issue and the pumpset sits at a corner of the pump room like a blushing bride waiting for a magical touch..................
Author: Mrutyunjay Sarangi
Published by Notion Press, Chennai
Month and Year of Publication - May 2023
Price - Rs. 249
Contact details for buying the book :
1. Notion Press
2. Mrutyunjay Sarangi, +91 99307 39537 or mrutyunjays@gmail.com
THE FOURTH MONKEY
On a rainy evening at Munnar, the famous hill station of Kerala, Abhishek and his wife get bored, confined to their room. When power goes off and the honeymooning couple from the next room comes out, they rush out to strike a friendship. The evening is spent on drinking and chatting. They would meet again at Manali two years later, under mysterious circumstances.....................
THE LETTER
Bhuban, a playful, bubbly eleven years old, lands up at the home of Ranjan to work as a domestic help. His one-in-a-million smile wins everyone over. The days he gets a letter from his father he gets overwhelmed with joy, talking about his step-mother and the soon-to-arrive baby. And one day the letters stop coming, throwing Bhuban to inconsolable despair.........................
A NIGHT OF ENDLESS GIGGLES
Sushant, an incurable romantic, wakes up his wife at two a.m. with a question, 'Have you ever suffered the pangs of separation?". Sukanti is shocked but recovers, and breaks into a giggle. The night is spent on both of them recollecting a few interesting romantic encounters in which they were either a part or a witness. More giggles follow......................
THE DEER CUBS
The new boss is smitten by the dazzling beauty of Jharna, his Personal Assistant. All his time in the office is spent on talking to her and wallowing in her mesmerising presence. In a few days he gets an offer to attend a TexExpo at Paris. His wife being in an advanced stage of pregnancy, he invites Jharna to accompany him, throwing both of them into an ecstatic wait...................
RED DREAMS
While closing the upstairs window in the night Nilambar chances upon a big red patch under the street light, throwing him into a tizzy. Is it some red colour from a paints can, a bottle of tomato ketch up or a pool of blood? He has a disturbed sleep, and is sucked into a series of dreams where everything he sees turns red, a disturbing red, involving blood and death...................
CASSETTE
On an oppressively scorching summer afternoon, a Professor and his wife are on their way to Delhi when their old car gets stuck on the middle of the road. The heat is suffocating and they don't know what to do. An old man approaches them on a bicycle and invites them to his home. A memory from the past is rekindled there, throwing them into a thrilling surprise..................
TOPPER BOY
Ankit, the topper of the class, is also a staunch believer in the power of prayers and miracles. When his best friend Santosh's sister Maani is terminally ill with Nephraitis, he requests Anupam to visit his home and offer prayers for her. Miraculously, she survives. He moves on with life, securing a job at ONGC. He had forgotten Maani, till one fine morning he receives a letter..................
THE FOURTEENTH NIGHT MOON
A silly old man in his seventies, a "mooney loon", is drawn irresistibly to the fourteenth night moon and goes out. The cascading light of the moon on the trees and the streets plays a magic on him. Outside the gate he meets another man who is also crazy about the moon. They start walking and soon travel down the memory lane, bringing alive many incidents of the past..................
DECENTRALISATION
Over copious drinks of beer, Ranju, just out of high school, is challenged by his friends to visit the red light area of the town and "do it". There he hits a pimp when the latter snatches his wallet. The man collapses and Ranju runs for his life, certain that he has killed him. He spends a sleepless night tossing on the bed. In the morning the Inspector of police visits his home........................
JUHI, VISHAL AND A WINTER EVENING IN DELHI
On a foggy winter evening in Delhi Vishwas comes across a young couple riding a bike, running parallel to his car. The handsome boy and stunningly beautiful girl captivate his attention. They are obviously in love, but in a few minutes, they start a fight and the boy drops the girl at a bus stop and rides away. Curious, the young bank manager stops his car and approaches her....................
WHITEWASH
Harishankar, a Chief Engineer in the lucrative Works division, is meticulous to a fault, keeps a good account of the loot and shares it with everyone, bulk of it going to the Minister of the department. On a visit to his village Harishankar gets bitten by a dog. Convinced that he has got Rabies and has only a few days left in life, he tells his friends about all his unfinished tasks..................
BABA'S FILTER COFFEEE
Siddharth, a dutiful son, finds his father morose and wants to know what bothers him. The father recounts a dream he had five days back, a clear premonition of his impending death. The son laughs it away, dismissing dreams as mere shadows of non-existing substance. He tries to cheer up the old man, recollecting his many good deeds which had endeared him to everyone...................
STREETLIFE
Four friends from college suddenly find their old classmate Niranjan, a lecturer by profession, on a street in Benaras, on a cold winter evening, curled up against the shutters of a shop. He refuses to respond to their call and within the twinkle of an eye, vanishes into thin air. Worried, they return home and confront Niranjan's wife to know the truth about their friend..................
THE SKY IS RED
Roshni, a young girl of thirteen, has magic in her feet. When she dances on the street, everything comes alive, swaying to her rhythm. Her Dadajaan, a poor blind man, has big dreams about her. He is convinced that one day Roshni would reign in the hearts of millions and he would build a sky palace, an "Aasmaan mahal" for her. Destiny has other plans.....................
FREE BIRD
On a boat ride from Bet Dwarka, the island palace of Lord Krishna, a middle aged couple is mesmerised by the beauty of the sea, the cool wind and birds flying in free abandon overhead. The wife wishes she becomes a bird to enjoy the freedom of the sky. The idea keeps her mind afloat till the evening when she has a strange encounter outside the Dwarkadhish temple...................
3. JASMINE GIRL AT HAJI ALI AND OTHER STORIES
Author: Mrutyunjay Sarangi
Published by Mrutyunjay Sarangi
Month and Year of Publication - February 2022
Price - Rs. 225
Contact details for buying the book : Mrutyunjay Sarangi,
+91 99307 39537 or mrutyunjays@gmail.com
PIANO
During a commercial break on TV, a middle-aged man gets a jolt when he unexpectedly sees on the screen the dazzling face of Saswati, the daughter of a long-departed friend. Memory comes flooding his mind, filling it with a sweet melancholy. The girl playing the piano reminds him of a similar evening of deep joy and immense pathos, an unforgettable event from the past....................
THE GIRL IN RED
An old man leans forward on his terrace to take a look at the cracker of a girl in a bright red dress, walking on the street. He tumbles and falls on the ground. The girl moves on, unaware of the fall. Her mind is elsewhere, she is on a mission today - after months of one-sided love and longing, she wants to pour out her feelings to the cute young boy at the church....................
MONKEY DANCE
Staunch believers in Baba Araamdev's philosophy of "Eat, drink and be merry", a lazy bum and his wife decide to attend Dr. Nayak's lecture on Healthy Living and Heart Ailments, just out of curiosity. The Doctor picks up a volunteer from the audience and attacks him with a rare gusto, poking at his obese body at different points and making fun of his elephantine proportions...................
PERFUME
For a few Wednesdays in succession Shubham finds the lingering fragrance of a lovely perfume when he returns from work to his apartment in the evening. He assumes that his flat mate Amaresh, a lecturer at the local college, brings a girl home on Wednesday afternoons. Shubham decides to catch them "in action" by returning early from work next week......................
A WALK IN LODHI GARDENS
The wife of a senior government official in Delhi drags her husband to Lodhi Gardens for an evening walk when he unexpectedly returns home early. The poor man has to listen to his wife's endless gossip, while his mind is stuck in the office, wondering about the fate of various files entrusted to subordinate officials. She is miffed at his indifference and picks up a fight with him.................
FREUD, STUMPED
Nikhil, a young boy of seventeen, comes to the city on a visit to the home of Satya Bhai, a distant relative. Soon the lonely sister-in-law strikes a friendship with him and shares her grief about the indifference of her husband who has no time for anything beyond his files and office work even at home. She is a romantic at heart and he is like a piece of wood. The young boy is shocked ...................
RICE
On a whim Sitanshu gets down from the train at Haridaspur station, breaking his journey. He had visited this village forty years back, alighting from a similar train on a beautiful evening. He carries with him the sweet memory of a young Kamalini, his friend's lively, playful sister, and wonders if he would find her at the old home and if she would remember him.......................
YES BOSS
On his way home, a harried, tired official goes to Sarojini Nagar market in Delhi to buy some dress materials. He starts the elaborate process of picking and choosing; testing the patience of the shop owner who is in a desperate hurry to close the shop and go home. Finally, things flare up between them and the angry official threatens to buy out the whole shop.....................
JASMINE GIRL AT HAJI ALI
A group of women stop their car at Hazi Ali to have ice cream. A young girl, with strings of flowers hanging from her arm, approaches them to sell some flowers. They refuse to buy and make fun of her, only to find she is too smart and her chutzpah is the kind of stuff Mumbai legends are made of......................
DEBTS
At the age of 80, Biswambar feels that he should pay off all his debts and those who owe him anything should also do the same. He posts an advertisement in the newspaper. His son comes running to him, worried about the money needed to pay off the debts. The father goes down the memory lane and explains to the son the many debts which have added a rare meaning to his life...................
A MAROONED BIRD
Mahesh, a retired scientist from ISRO returns to his home town to spend the rest of his life. In great zest he goes to the local library, a state-owned behemoth, to obtain a membership. Unfortunately he has lost his High School Certificate which is prescribed as the only acceptable document for proof of age. He applies to the government for an exemption and waits......................
FLESH
Asit, the young, powerful business magnate, believes in unconventional ways of enjoying life. Fond of young flesh, he acquires women and discards them after use. Those who protest are made to keep quiet with the lure of money. Only one girl, Shefali, refuses to touch his money and go away from his life, because she has given her heart to him...................
REDEMPTION
Chhotu, a young metallurgist in Dhanbad, gets invited by Chachaji for a Diwali party. He and his wife fall for the charms of the universal Chachaji of the town. Soon they become a part of Chachaji's family. When Ganga, their daughter arrives in their life, Chachaji loves the little girl with all his heart. Then one day something happens turning their quiet world upside down..................
THE WALK
In the height of Covid19, Sadanand finds himself utterly alone at home. The whole town is almost deserted, the highway nearby full of people walking away to some presumed place of safety. He spends a traumatic night at home, premonition of something bad haunting his mind. Next morning he leaves home and starts on a walk, merging with the crowd on the highway........................
PYRE
Badabapa, the headmaster of the local high school and patriarch of the village, flies into an uncontrollable rage when his daughter runs away from home with a young man of a lower caste. He shaves his head in anger and banishes her from home. Life goes on eventlessly till the day his wife dies and the past returns to haunt him in a way he had never imagined....................
Author: Mrutyunjay Sarangi
Published by Mrutyunjay Sarangi
Month and Year of Publication - March 2022
Price - Rs. 225
Contact details for buying the book : Mrutyunjay Sarangi,
+91 99307 39537 or mrutyunjays@gmail.com
NEPALI BABA
Stuck at Gorakhpur for two days and with nothing better to do, a Chief Engineer from Delhi visits the ashram of a Baba ninety kilometres away in Nepal. He has no faith on Babas but the Trikaldarshi seer glimpses into his past and reveals some stunning secrets which leave him devastated...............
A SMALL LIE
Batyaa, a girl of ten, is hugely embarrassed when her friends make fun of her name. After all, who names a daughter 'cyclone'? She keeps pestering her mother to know why such a funny name was given to her. After trying to skirt the issue many times, the young widow finally tells her daughter about the super cyclone of 1999, the storm in her life and its aftermath.........................
RAGE
Vikas Aurora goes to buy a bouquet of flowers for his wife on their wedding anniversary. In a hurry, he parks his Fortuner too close to a small Alto at Khan Market, Delhi. When he returns a few minutes later, an enraged Pawan Behl greets him with filthy abuses followed by brutal blows and kicks. As Vikas writhes in agony on the ground, the crowd looks on helplessly........................
THE DARK LANE
Shefali, a cute fifteen year old, runs away from a birthday party at her friend's place, when one of the boys from her class tries to act funny with her. In a panic she forgets to collect her purse and the mobile phone. She can't call her parents to pick her up. She knows the way to her home, but has to cross a dark lane infested by jumping cats, long shadows and gangs of ruffians..................
A TOUCH OF LOVE
On a scorching summer morning Muktikanta is on his way back from a debate competition. He almost dies of sunstroke and in desperation knocks at the door of a house. A young girl opens the door, calls him in and gives him a bottle of cold water. Muktikanta is mesmerised by her beauty and kindness, little knowing that he was destined to meet her again after twenty nine years.............
ANANYAA
A young, newly married Ananyaa is repeatedly traumatised by a brutal, insensitive husband. She leaves his home permanently with a suitcase in hand. Her parents, unaware of the severity of her suffering, meet her near the railway station to dissuade her from taking such a drastic step. She is not convinced and turns to leave to catch the first available train when fate intervenes................
SUBHASINI DIDI
Ranjita, a celebrity Professor of Psychology at Delhi University, is miffed at her co-passenger on a flight to Baroda. She recollects her journey of academic success and the role played in it by Dr. Tripathy, her Professor and mentor. And from the eventful past a charming memory comes knocking at her mind - the sweet Subhasini Didi..................
KHUSI
On a warm, eventful evening, a young man is waiting at the bus stand to catch a night bus to Rourkela, when a beautiful, charming girl comes to sit next to him, with a new born baby in her hand. In no time the baby wets her saree, and she rushes to the rest room, leaving the baby in his arms. He waits for her return, and when she doesn't, he starts sweating....................
A TRAIN TO KOLKATA
On a rainy, depressing afternoon Anjali boards a train to Kolkata from Bhubaneswar, her only co-passenger in the compartment being a tall, dignified man sitting quietly with his face buried in a newspaper. However, Anjali's peace of mind is shattered at the next station with the arrival of a fat, loud-mouth Beena, her classmate from college - an insufferable shadow from the past.................
THE PROCESSION
Abandoned by his two sons and overwhelmed by grief at the loss of his beloved wife, Sushant decides to end his life. He leaves home on a final journey with a strip of sleeping pills in his pocket, tying up his faithful dog to a post. However, what started as a lone journey soon becomes a procession, friends from the past joining him unexpectedly and pleading him to return.............
MANDAKINI
Subrat is shocked to find his friend Nirmal turning up at his home one morning, disheveled in appearance, incoherent in speech and demanding 'something strong to drink'. It was as if he has just returned from a land of horrible nightmares, his mind all twisted and bruised. The strange story he gives to Subrat revolves round Mandakini, the gorgeous dream girl from their school days..............
BLUE CHECK SHIRT
A middle-aged person, prone to sudden bouts of anger, travels in a train and recollects the events form a similar journey six months back - a man in a pair of khaki pants and a blue check shirt, a group of ruffians and the incredible story of a senseless murder. This time the sequel to the murder is narrated deftly by a young boy, bringing goosebumps to him..................
LOONEY OF THE TOWN
Birabhandra Bhanjdeo is a freedom fighter, a philanthropist and a social reformer. He had stayed away from political rewards after India gained independence and dedicated his life to serving people. But an unfortunate mix-up in a police station leaves him traumatised. The hero of the town becomes its most famous looney...............
AMBARISH, MY ATHEIST FRIEND
Ambarish is a freak, a staunch atheist and a non-conformist, who decides not to get married and roam around the world. Post retirement he reunites with his friends, entertaining them with exotic tales. However Covid-19 turns his thinking upside down, making him wonder if there is a God after all who dictates the happenings on the humble earth.........................
MARX AND THE PAUPER FROM THE GUTTER
On an early morning walk a government official chances upon a body lying on the gutter in a drunken stupor and finds to his shock it is Marx, his friend from the college. He brings the man home and Marx stays on for a month. Life moves on in a placid, eventless way, till one day the official, his friend Amlaan and Marx set upon a journey through the jungles infested by Naxalites......................
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