Muchchad Gadh and Other Stories

by Sangita P. Menon Malhan

"In this collection of delectable gris-noir short stories, the women make a statement. They are sexually liberated and fearless. They play with guns and knives and axes. They may be slightly broken but they aren't uninteresting. An amorous khayal singer in old Delhi—the Begum of Ballimaran—is nonchalant about taking a vulnerable poet to bed. Sejal, a nubile dacoit is running away from her lover, Rana, through thick jungles because he seems inclined to give up thievery. A young convict is trained to become an assassin under the patronage of her senior—the bald, scarred Bai Sa, and a car crash survivor, invited to deliver an inspiring lecture at a college, feels like pushing another speaker off the dais because the latter's sari is shocking pink. There's also a desert village where moustaches rule the roost, and a dark, damp world where the struggle is between glory and fate. Meanwhile, in the hills, through the mist, you spot a failed actor trying to kick the bucket, an ambitious manager trying to use telepathy to knock off his bosses, and a bus parked precariously during a torrential downpour. Therefore, shadows become hoary tales, and a whisper is the learning of a lifetime."

230 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2017

Reviews

[Sumith Chowdhury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life is a collection of memories & short lived moments.
People usually say life is just like a novel, but I say it's a collection of short lived moments. To be precise, a collection of short stories destined to perform events
at certain moments based on which our fate & consequences are planned accordingly.
Based on this fact, the book has been written beautifully.
Another astonishing fact is that the book sets an example of short stories which has remarkable similarities to real-life incidents.
That's what I felt after going through the whole book. The language used here is remarkable, the touches can be traced to Britain English, American English, parts of
Portuguese, touches of Spanish & some other popular foreign languages making the book interesting just as we add spices to enhance the taste in our food.
Cover is good, the design could have been better.
Title is appropriate, relatable with the stories.
Theme consists of friendship, love, trust, anger, revenge, mishaps, occurrences, events, incidents & coincidences, exceptional stories such as pirates & jungle safari ones
were interesting to me.
Language as described is excellent. Narration is another feat achieved by the author which is remarkable again.
The only things which I didn't like was the climax of each of the stories, it felt rather incomplete & bit abrupt in nature. The curiosity which it created couldn't be
sublimed by the abruption. Additionally, a bit of moral conclusions could have enhanced the book further. It felt as every story was left up to the reader's imagination.
I commend the author for writing such a superb book. Though you faced so many hardships, yet never gave up. Fought relentlessly with the pain, setting an example for us
to learn. You're inspiring indeed! Thank you.
Overall, an entertaining read.
A recommended book to all the readers.

[Vidhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muchchad Gadh and other stories by Sangita P Menon Malhan is a collection of 18 short stories these stories has similarities to real fife incidents. There were various types of stories like No Bad Hair Days it was about discovering cancer and coping up with it Muchchad Gadh or Cabinet Committee Meeting were funny.
Cover is good and Title is appropriate. Narration was good. The stories were very well written but I felt that something was missing in some stories and Consistency was not there i was not able to read more than 3 stories at a time.
Few stories were my favourite like Despicable Mab, Qaidi no. 48, Muchchad Gadh and the Perfect Sucide. I am not saying that other stories were bad all stories were good.
Author is inspiring indeed.. She has set an example for us by fighting with the pain and she has faced so many hardships yet never gave up.
Overall its a good book will recommend everyone to read this book.

[Sudarshan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first few copies of #Muchchad Gadh# and Other Stories are out. One of the copies is delivered to me in office, just when I have to pack up and leave for the day. More curious than excited, I flip through. I chance upon “The Perfect Suicide”. Two strangers out to commit suicide, their last shot at glory, bump into each other in the forest – their conversation and the eventual fate of their mission. Sheer magic.
I browse more. I land next on “The Pursuit”, another short story in the collection. Once again, an unconventional - almost bizarre – plot. A pacey narrative that completely hooks you. A climax that shocks and startles.
I have to extricate myself from the stories, and head home. But I cannot. This is a feast. I go to another story, and then another. I am yet to finish the book. But here I am with my first information report on #Muchchad Gadh# and Other Stories.
“Despicable man”, at the start of the collection, is probably the only one that comes close to your conventional short story: a lively, colourful narrative featuring multiple characters, with a nice twist in the tale.
This collection is not for the faint-hearted, short story fan who likes to curl up and transport to an interesting but harmless world of characters. Because each story here stimulates, startles, shocks and scares. The brilliant narrative apart, you crave for more because you want the discomfort to release.
My pick from what I have read so far: “Shocking Pink”. The author unshackled, liberated, entirely free of doubt and judgement, aware and authentic. The result is a breath-taking account that causes shock, distress, even revulsion, even as it transcends and elevates.
“The Cabinet Committee Meeting” or even “Muchchad Gadh” tickle and offer an interlude of relief. But this is a collection that shakes up more than soothes. Delightful stuff !

[Narayanan Harimohan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creativity is never listless if it comes from within, in music there’s a lovely Sanskrit word which describes it Bhaavam , In writing that makes all the difference Like ripples on a flowing river there are pieces of the deep inside in a good writer that peeps through his or her works So too in this book of short stories delivered with punch and panache there is pain pathos cynicism sadness and cheer in its subterranean depths if the reader doesn’t catch this he misses its soul It’s difficult to select a best in such collections which are so different from each other though there is an infinite basement membrane of irony all along. To me the first was the best, the despicable man, the hated one in that bus who proved to be the finest when fate delivered its righteous blow. Goodness never needs to cry out loud it exists. The Title story of the Rajasthan Moustache village was the light hearted banter a departure from the tragic overtones that colours this kaleidoscopic collection and the sprouting whiskers of the shaved alien grows to be a part of it, the end with no bend . We often see Phulls in our lives those who overpower you with their presence but to know this Phull had aetiology behind his distressing personae made us pity him. The characters in the book on the whole are etched with dark charcoal as caricatures in flesh and blood by words which is an art by itself, the happenings are very Indian except the Somalian pirate story with a trace of Captain Philips Inspector Kewats obsession with the criminal ebbed him into the Neverland’s but with the mystery unraveled before he closed his eyes which wasn’t of any use of course Cabinet committee is reliving our own housing committee’s meets and its idiosyncrasies The cold hard nosed businessman Malik who could kill to rise reminded me of a Malayalam film Raktamillatha manushyan meaning bloodless man and in the end he meets the same fate as in the film The life inside a women’s prison and the find of a mother to love made Qaidi different and tender The shocking pink is truly an exorcism of a torture suffered in life Such graphic word smithing cannot come otherwise; the urge to kick away the pink affliction is seen all along the dark depths of the collection Block printing is an inside look of a Gujrat industry and the fatal disappointment of an old lullah Sejals Guillotine was an axe over our head too painful to read Unexpected deaths repeatedly awaken the reader out of his sink into the routine Oshbo would have been an easy one for an experienced journalist author Earth is again laughed at in the perfect suicide Life reconquered is death won isn’t it ? I love Begums of Ballimorans so I enjoyed the tale of men and women who live life to the fullest with taste Murder of English language was more delicate and rhymed my thoughts And the BC story a fitting finale on a journey traveled with fortitude and won and one keeps the slightly dark book down after reading it with hope in the horizon.

Dr Harimohan

[Aniruddha · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I like the cover and the interesting title of the book. There are 18 stories in the book. The first one is about a superstitious, bus conductor who, in the midst of heavy rain and thunder in the hills, insists that each passenger walk up to a tree and touch it to ward off the evil spirit, so to speak. It is an interesting story and holds the attention till the end. The stories are generally crisp and readable. They are written in a nice, fast-paced style. Some of them, like "Pursuit", "Qaidi No 48""The Perfect Suicide", and "Shocking Pink" explore some complex emotions. Others like "Game in Gorakhpur" , "Pirates of Aden" are like mini thrillers. "No bad hair days", as a narration of discovering cancer and coping with it, is a moving piece. Others like "I wish I didn't knew" or "Cabinet Committee Meeting" or "Muchchad Gadh" are funny. There is quite a lot of diversity in this collection. The stories can be read one by one. If read at one stretch, it would take 4 hours or may be less to finish reading all the stories. Overall, very well written. Story telling with a rich imagination.

[Shishir Chaturvedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really liked this book. Short & intriguing stories, simple & interesting narrative. Look forward to reading more from this author.