Review in Kashmir Times

Fly on the Wall and Other Stories

Author: Shubha Sarma

Publisher: Lifi Publications, New Delhi, India

Year of Publication: 2013

Price: Rs 240                                 Pages: 208

ISBN: 9789382536406

Reviewed by Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander

Writing Short Stories needs a different craft, hold on language and treatment of the subject. Not everybody can write a short story. Writing meaningful and interesting stories requires grasp and expertise of both the plot and language. Unlike writing novels, the genre of short stories is difficult because one’s canvass is small, hence economical use of prose and brevity become inevitable. Inspite of the hardwork and seriousness this craft and genre of writing deserves a lot of writers have proved their mettle while crafting beautiful stories. Shubha Sarma is one such writer whose collection of short stories is under review.

In his foreword to the collection K Satchidanandan writers, “Characters etched lucidly as on ivory, situations that look so real in their contexts, strategies that enhance the fascination of the unfolding narratives, subtle ways of critiquing society’s cant and the hidden greed and violence in human beings, the nuanced condemnation of patriarchy in its various crippling incarnations, styles and modes that perfectly suit the stories being told: all these make this an enchanting collection of highly readable short stories”. (P-xiii)

The collection derives its name from the lead story that describes the dark sexual and lustful character of a doctor whose death causes many people whom he had hurt, brutalized and even deceived to turn nostalgic but each one of them pays rich tributes to him at his funeral. The manner in which these well guarded secrets are remembered and the lip service paid to the deceased, portray a dichotomy, wherein lie the epitome of the story.

The violence that accompanies political ideologies, patriotism and patriarchy has been lucidly described in stories like Flesh and Blood and No Mans Land, where in tussle between loyalty and love ensures. The depiction of human qualities of love and empathy that sometimes over ride one’s loyalty towards an ideology and worldview make readers pause to introspect. The triumph of love over loyalty accompanied by violence conveys a strong message.   

Dinner at Bukhara gives a peep into the life of three friends who meet after a long time with their lives in turmoil. Infidelity, Disloyalty, sexual preferences are discussed among them.

Love appears to be a permanent theme and feature of Shubha’s stories. Sunset Surprise describes lovers who desire to fall in love and who come across each other at a meeting arranged by their parents. The Tabla’s Refrain describes the love of two siblings for their elder brother who has a penchant for music. The father refuses to buy Tabla for his son, so his two little siblings start to sell vegetables to collect money for buying the Tabla. These gestures and sacrifices for love make the reader aware about the belief of Shubha in love. While on one hand we have stories depicting love, Shubha doesn’t seem oblivious about the lack of love in society too. The story The Buda is a testimony of the same. How the old people are considered as burden, even their own family members want them dead. The character in the story mixes death with religious pilgrimage but survives and coincidentally brings money too. That changes the attitude of the family towards the oldie.

Being a civil servant the red tapism, corruption and flaws of the system become manifest in Shubha’s stories like Human(s) Matter, Bitter Sweet and Case No. 33/08. These stories depict how the system ousts those who try to work for its reform. How only the low level clerks meet the disciplinary action while the big fish go scot free. Plus in many cases the enquiries against the erring officials are conducted by other civil servants who subvert the process of justice and reinforce the belief that justice can’t be dispensed by the government.

The collection also contains other stories like Rain where the story weaves multi dimensionally involving multiple plots and characters. It imaginatively depicts what can happen in rain. A Chance Encounter deals with the subject of paranormal activity involving a spirit of a dead man. It is creepy. The Demons Within is a suspense filled mystery dealing with a blind double murder case.

Thus this collection has a story for reader of every taste. It has got no general theme, but it has stories that cater with different plots and characters. The reader finds it easy to be associated with any of these characters and the plots are drawn from day to day affairs. The storyline can be nicely comprehended. The collection is a recommended read as Shubha weaves her stories with human emotions and dedicated honesty of an emphatic soul that leaves an indelible imprint on the mind of her readers. I hope Shubha will continue to write lyrical prose with strong plots and characters in future too. I will look forward towards her next collection.  

M.H.A.Sikander is Writer-Activist based in Srinagar, Kashmir and can be reached at sikandarmushtaq@gmail.com