The only poet to ever be hyphenated with Tagore is nearly not as well-known for his short stories. 'Rakkhushi' combines the lilting, rustic cadences of the speech of the Bagdis of Birbhum with the artful sophistry of Robert Browning's crazed dramatic monologuists. This is twenty minutes of pure reading heaven, and I hope it makes you want to pick u…

Leela Majumdar's stories are all kinds of delightful. Though she is best known for her children's writing, she was equally adept at churning out the occasional dissection of adult emotions. This one is a simple, slice-of-life story to make you smile on a dull afternoon. Happy listening! :)By Shritama bose

In a tale for our time and a tale for every time, Basu explores the eternal human condition: that of the best in us trying to ward off the worst. We are people above all else. A shared greeting is all it takes to convey that to another, he seems to say.By Shritama bose

A one-of-a-kind gem that could only have flowed out of the inimitable Nabaneeta Dev Sen's pen. Published way ahead of its time in the early 1980s, 'Baap Re Baap' is a supremely original take on the experience of gender transitioning, in that it manages to be tongue-in-cheek, unflinching, sympathetic and unabashed all at once. There's no way you wou…

The greatest Bangla poet since Tagore, yes, but also the most beguiling writer of prose. Each time you read a line of Jibanananda's short stories, you re-examine your ideas of sentence structure and word association. You are forced to question your own abilities of comprehension. And yet, this man isn't difficult to read at all. All he wants to do …

A poet writes a short story. Read it as an extended metaphor, or make of it what you will.By Shritama bose

The first man of one of Bengal's most illustrious families, Upendrakishore contributed much more to Bangla prose than just the Tuntuni stories. Listen in for a story of exploration and experience.By Shritama bose

A bittersweet tale about writing, writers and priorities. While the story barely extends beyond a single conversation between two characters, Bose manages to casually infuse it with the flavours of 1930s Calcutta. Happy listening!By Shritama bose

Modern-day minstrel Nazrul imbued his short stories with a dense, mellifluous lyrical quality. Poet-like, the narrator of this story hankers after and is imprisoned by the quest for an ideal. His quest is endless and inescapable.By Shritama bose

Love, lust, fertility and travel -- nearly all of Buddhadeb Guha's pet themes make it to this story. Happy listening!By Shritama bose

What does it take to keep challenging society from your grave? It takes to be Mahasweta Devi. This work of historical fiction transports us to a time when nothing, not even the emergence of a great reformer, could change the lives of India's millions. Little has changed today, and true to form, Mahasweta gives us a story of and for all time.…

Nobody dissects the mind of the modern Bengali middle class like Bani Basu does. Here's a beautiful story from her about a very modern-day problem. Hope you enjoy it!By Shritama bose

A very weekly magazine-esque short story from author-civil servant Agnihotri, known better for her gritty tales about India's most marginalised. Hope this story lights up your day like springtime.By Shritama bose

A translation of one of Ray's best-known and most confounding short stories. Though the master auteur liked to indulge his pulpy side in stories like this one, he still manages to leave us with so many questions. Happy listening!By Shritama bose

Sharp humour and a characteristic earthy flavour spice up this Siraj story. Happy listening!By Shritama bose

A simple, beautiful meditation on the quiet joys of music and a life among the trees. One of Bengal's foremost poets neatly weaves in his tribute to the works of poet-composers who preceded him.By Shritama bose

The crown jewel among Manik's short stories is simple yet layered, smooth yet coarse. Listen in to this piece where the author is a man full of faith in the ability of people to become something greater than themselves.By Shritama bose

An eminently successful experiment with the short story form by one of its finest practitioners in Bangla. I love the tricks he plays on our minds with language as his sole device. Hope you enjoy listening to this story as much as I enjoyed discovering it.By Shritama bose

The father of the Bangla novel here gives us a day out with the delightful opium-addled clerk Kamalakanta. Listen in to this lively debate between the clerk and his visitor.By Shritama bose

A translation of the Byomkesh creator's fascinating work of speculative fiction. Hope you enjoy listening!By Shritama bose

A sublime piece by Bangla's writer's writer. Every movement here sparkles with his brilliance and his gift for the written word. Happy listening!By Shritama bose

A witty and sharply self-reflective story where the author takes a hard look at her own community. Happy listening!By Shritama bose

A complex story about trying to be who you are in a milieu that always resists it.By Shritama bose

A poet and his meanderings among all he loves and some he doesn't. Hope you enjoy listening!By Shritama bose

A story about the tugs and pulls of being a bureaucrat in a country that is itself torn between priorities. Hope you like it.By Shritama bose

A simple yet moving story about loss and its realisation. Come join Sudharani in her journey!By Shritama bose

Sharadindu was a writer of style and he gives you a flavour of it in this short piece. Happy listening!By Shritama bose

A suffocating tale that speaks of how the times once twisted women out of their heads. Happy listening!By Shritama bose

The master chronicler of twentieth-century urban life is here with a peculiar, twisted tale. Sit back and enjoy!By Shritama bose

The most successful writer of narrative fiction in Bangla is at his best here. This is the kind of story where Sharatchandra shows you why he has been the reigning king of hearts through the ages.By Shritama bose

This one is one of Mahashweta's few works of fiction short enough for this podcast. She still makes enough space for her heroine to wake up, rise and shine in it. Enjoy!By Shritama bose

The master of the domestic is at her quirky best in this fun piece about love. Here too, she allows herself a dig at gender-based double standards. Enjoy!By Shritama bose

A rare stream-of-consciousness experiment in Bangla short fiction, this story has a noticeable Chekhovian influence. Happy listening!By Shritama bose

The original master of flash fiction brings us a story about hypocrisy and appearances. Enough said, happy listening!By Shritama bose

A mind-bending story by the bard, one that is often lost amid his simpler, better-known works. A woman is always a peripheral being, always a shadow of her own self. So much so that one crazy incident can make her lose track of whether she is dead or alive. Give yourself some time to soak in the joys of this intense piece!…

A sharply written tale of all the indiscretions that are allowed to pass in our society as mere jokes. Samaresh's signature disgust for misogyny and prudishness are on display here as is his ability to build up a scene. Happy listening!By Shritama bose

Experience nostalgia and the pangs of leaving behind an ancestral home in this very representative Bibhutibhushan story. The glow of the author's warmth and his bright view of life illuminate the piece.By Shritama bose

A lesser-known story by the master about the limits and possibilities of being a woman, 'Badnaami' set against the backdrop of the Swadeshi movement. Though not up there among the great legion of Tagorean heroines, Saudamini certainly has the makings of one.By Shritama bose

Enjoy the magnificence of the language in this (relatively) early prose piece. It is one of the stories from 'Thakurmar Jhuli', which was intended as a repository of the orally transmitted fantasy tales from Bengal. The book also did its bit to make Bangla more pleasurable to read, and the trills and timbre in this story bear witness to the same.…

The deeply underrated (and under-read) defines love for you in this beautiful representative story. Strong lines of character and the luminescent dialogue do their bit here.By Shritama bose

A twisted journey into the darkest recesses of a lonely housewife's mind by the inimitable Ashapurna.By Shritama bose

This one is from Bangla literature's master purveyor of domestic politics, Ashapurna Debi. Sharp and crisp, it examines class relations within the confines of a middle-class urban home. Don't miss the little sting in the end!By Shritama bose

A fine piece of medical fiction, which also raises questions about the limits of responsibility and filial love. Hope you love it as much as I did!By Shritama bose

A cute slice-of-life story about a time gone by and a fruit whose glory is eternal. Happy listening!By Shritama bose

A biting satire about the idea of welfare in India, with even-handed tributes to all sides. Let this snappy little story speak for itself. Happy listening!By Shritama bose

A contemporary gem redolent of the flavours and fragrances of the red-coloured lands of our country. A tale of how the mind, young though it be, learns that the world in unequal. And an author who will keep you coming back. Happy listening!By Shritama bose

In this tongue-in-cheek story of falling from grace, Satinath gives us a glimpse of his mastery. Great dialogue, even better psychology. Happy listening!By Shritama bose

In a tale for our time and a tale for every time, Basu explores the eternal human condition: that of the best in us trying to ward off the worst. We are people above all else. A shared greeting is all it takes to convey that to another, he seems to say.By Shritama bose

A moving tale of a Muslim man in a rigidly caste-based society. Gafoor is iconic both for his intense parent-like love for his ox and society's failure to make sense of this love.By Shritama bose

A twisted journey into the darkest recesses of a lonely housewife's mind by the inimitable Ashapurna.By Shritama bose