A pocketful of stories
ROHINI RAMAKRISHNAN
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A collection of funny yet sensitive stories.
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Reading Bulbul Sharma's My Sainted Aunts, a collection of short stories, gives one a sense of deja vu. Why? you wonder. Then the truth hits you — why of course, the character Mayadevi, did remind you of your own grandmother — a tough old lady who ruled her house with the hand of iron, but did have lovable ways that gleamed like rare gems, once in a while. In "Aunts and their ailments", the reader is gifted with the story of how little Meera goes on a train journey with her three aunts. Anyone who has been on an overnight train journey would be familiar with the little "happenings" on the train — making friends/foes with fellow travellers, sharing food and exchanging stories and in the bargain trying to outdo each other. This is exactly what happens when the aunts try to outdo each others' ailments with a fellow traveller.
Bulbul Sharma's mastery in story telling lies in portraying characters with their little quirky ways, which are so familiar to someone the reader is likely to have met that he bonds with the characters immediately. This feature gives a varied richness and colour to her stories. Hilarious to funny, sensitive to sad, the stories are brief and yet a compelling read.
My Sainted Aunts, Bulbul Sharma, A Penguin Book, Rs. 200
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