Flight of the Munal: Nepali Stories from Darjeeling  (Flexiback, Chimi Lama)

In startlingly intimate portraits of women—women under duress, women falling in love, women reminiscing of girlhood, women coming into being against the onerous world intent on holding them down, women just trying to survive one more day—Chimi Lama presents a fierce collection of short stories from the foothills of the Himalayas, before the digital world of internet and mobile phones became a mainstay in life. From the idiosyncratic charm of Lhamu Aji’s escapades to Nirmala’s quiet resilience in the world of sex work, from Parvati’s fatalistic acclimatization to Maichyang’s fortitude battling the elements, this volume explores the unplumbed lives of Indian–Nepalese women navigating the treacherous terrain of domestic violence, racial tensions, cultural erasure—all while carrying the weight of family honour and community expectations on their shoulders. Yoshay Lama Lindblom’s dexterous translation animates the authenticity of the Nepali original, as she follows Chimi Lama’s luminous voice in close balletic flourishes.