“bhisham sahni”

‘Tamas drove the point home that ordinary people want to live in peace’ —The GuardianSet in a small-town frontier province in 1947, just before Partition, Tamas tells the story of a sweeper named Nathu who is bribed and deceived by a local Muslim politician to kill a pig, ostensibly for a vete... More

The backdrop to this collection of stories is 1947 – the year the British announced the division of the country into two separate nations – India and Pakistan. These short stories tell us of the horrors of partition, of life in Delhi’s slums and suburbs, of monks and thieves... .... More

In this collection of seventeen short stories, Bhisham Sahni examines middle India—the lower middle class—not rich or famous or educated in convent schools, not cosmopolitan but urban or semi-urban.  In these tightly told tales, he explores with precision of thought and expression t... More

The Storyteller in Madhavi [ a play in three acts by Bhisham Sahni, translated from Hindi by Alok Bhalla] recounts an ancient tale from the Mahabharata. Munikumar Galav must fulfil his promise to his guru, Vishvamitra. This is his Duty. Yayati the king-turned-ashramite gives away his daughter Madhav... More

One of the most thought-provoking and powerful novels written about the Partition Set in a small-town frontier province in 1947, just before Partition, Tamas tells the story of a sweeper named Nathu who is bribed and deceived by a local Muslim politician to kill a pig, ostensibly for a veterinarian... More