I think short stories are a great way to get acquainted with new writers and I have been reading quite a few collections these days. I read Waves by Sundara Ramaswamy in 2021. It's a brilliant short story collection that will stay with me.

The stories in this collection were written over the years 1958 to 1991. All the stories have tones of voice that seem like distant cousins. I think it’s quite masterful of the author and translators to have nailed so many variations of the same voice without seeming redundant.

The themes are similar too; ordinary instances in the day-to-day life of ordinary people. The structure of all the stories is also the same; weaving of a narrative that ends with a sudden change in the character’s nature. However, the emotions that these stories evoke, drive the characters, and move the narratives forward are different for each story. This makes the collection diverse and textured.

No character is loosely written and all the details are as real as real-life can get. There’s comedy (Sita Brand Soapnut Powder/Prasadam), social issues(Heifer), and effects of technology on people leading simple lives (Blossoming). The translators have retained certain words, such as di and de, in Tamil. This enhances the atmosphere and geography of the stories and makes the reading experience even more immersive.

Another thing I noticed, and i may be overthinking here: the placement of the stories has been paid attention to; the collection starts with a couple of light-hearted stories and slowly shifts into hard-hitting and dread-inducing imagery. Ugh, there’s so much power in the simplicity of these stories.

Here are some of my favourites from the collection:
• The Hollow
• Sita Brand Soapnut Powder
• Our Teacher
• A Day with My Father

Waves

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