When a society changes, it is the people who bear the weight of it the most. This book brings together stories from people's lives, as they carried on their cultural legacy, weaving it with modernity and growth.

Handpicked gems of stories by veterans in the genre of short story - such as Amarkant, Bhisham Sahni, Kamleshwar, Nirmal Varma and Mohan Rakesh - have been combined with works of younger writers who became the torch-bearers of the forward movement of the people.

Of special interest are the works of women writers such as Krishna Sobti and Mannu Bhandari, who made sure that women were heard and read - loud and clear.

A collector's delight, MODERN HINDI SHORT STORIES, spans almost half a century of literary endeavour in the field of Hindi fiction- a period of intense literary activity, varied in its approach and wide in its scope.

Bhisham Sahni came to Delhi at the time of Partition, and started teaching in a DU college. In his lifetime, he published several novels, plays, an autobiography and his brother Balraj Sahni's biography. In the Foreword to this book, he highlights how Hindi stories have grown as a genre and gives us insights into the world they capture.

Rajshree Bose holds a Master's degree in Hindi, and has been an avid reader all her life. In her Introduction and selection of these stories, we can see her insightful understanding of Hindi literature, and also a reflection of a four-decade-long career as a teacher of Hindi.

These stories have been translated into English by Jai Ratan, who was well-known as the founder-member of Writers Workshop, Kolkata. He has translated several key works from Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi.

I do not know how it feels, reading Hindi short stories rendered Iinto the English language. Much of the linguistic flavour is bound to get lost; also much of the typical idioms rich in association, the turn of phrase, colloquialism, expressions with their nuances, etc. Hindi today is being written, not only by those who live in the so-called 'Hindi belť (by itself a very large area with many dialects), but also by a large number of writers whose mother-tongue is not Hindi and who hail from practically every state and region of India. Thus, Hindi today takes on the colour of the local idiom, the traditional sayings of different localities and proverbs etc., and consequently the Hindi short story today reflects the spoken idiom and life and customs and social relationships of many areas in the country, the rich diversity of the cultural milieu of different regions and areas. This rich diversity of linguistic expression puts considerable strain on the translator who is called upon to transmit both the sense, and the flavour through the English language.

The language used has a rich texture, but thematically the Hindi short story has not opened out to many vistas of experience. There has been a lot of experimentation with form, there have also been different trends at work, but mostly, the stories have moved within the sphere of urban middle-class life. This may sound strange. But it has had its own peculiar reasons. After the attainment of Independence, many writers gravitated to metropolitan cities like Delhi, Calcutta, Bombay, etc. These centres afforded better opportunities for their work: the radio, the television, numerous journals, and publishing houses offered them better scope for pursuing their literary ambitions. (There are very few Hindi writers who can live by their pen.) Soon enough, they found that their area of experience was getting more and more confined to city life and largely to the life of the middle-class. These writers had brought with them memories and influences of their small-town or rural life where they had spent their younger days. Sometimes, either nostalgia or a sense of social concern prompted them to write stories based on their earlier experiences and observations. Sometimes the domestic servant, the labourer on construction site, the coolie, the rickshaw-puller or even the lumpens in city life drew their attention and they wrote stories about them. But generally, the range of experience remained rather limited. Of late, some very penetrating stories have been appearing, giving us close glimpses of the life of the landless poor, or of the migrant field labourer! Also, stories relating to the burning issues of social life, like the communal question, position of women in society, etc., a trend which is becoming quite dominant in Hindi writing. Yet, by and large, the stories deal with the middle and lower middle-class life.

Modern Hindi Short Stories is a collection of some I I invaluable short tales. A collection of some of the choicest inspirational Hindi stories which are sure to leave you with some important life lessons. Every story is unique in itself, and every story hides in its folds a special message for the reader.

This book mainly focuses on the struggles of life and livelihood. This book also focuses on the complexities women are subjected to in our society, and their circumstances that drive them into becoming what they are. In more ways than one, this is a very sensitive book. Along with all this, the stories in this book also reflect the life in rural environment as against the urban setting – an obstacle that many had to face with the drastic changes post-Independence.

For instance, the story by Phanishwarnath Renu draws our attention to the incivilities of the rural life on the one hand, and also on the other hand introduces us to the reality of the relationship between the rural and urban lifestyle. His story is a perfect example of human compassion. Similarly, storyteller Rajendra Yadav has written the story in simple yet captivating words, which urge the reader to finish the suspenseful story from the beginning till the end in one go.

Nirmal Varma has brought together various elements of newness into his story to make it a melting pot of emotions, and yet an awe-inspiring experience in itself. His story is greatly reflective of the diverse dimensions of a sensitive intellectual's excitement towards life, his dilemma, and the loneliness – all in a very symbolic way.

That is why this book is a treasure of many specials. Each character in these stories has been crafted with utmost attention, keeping in mind the little nuances. This book is an attempt to put together stories that can join the reader with his/ her life values in today's society and social circumstances.

Since these are all short stories and short reads, I entreat you to look at them as a window to finding positivity in everyday life, no matter what hurdle life throws at you. With this, I wish all the readers luck and lots of love.

**Contents and Sample Pages**