Half a Kilo Mixture  (English, Paperback, Ranjitha Ashok)

The fifteen stories in this collection are a blend of varied human experiences, characters, emotions, moods, and times. A bit like the diverse ingredients, textures and flavours that come together in ‘mixture’! Tragedy forges a link beyond time through an author’s works; a philosopher-thief expresses himself in a language unique to his city; the ancient, the inert, reach out to be heard; a celebration of a long-vanished river draws an unexpected presence. A surprising bond between the deceased and ‘the emissary’ forms ‘over’ death ceremonies; a long-ago act of anger offers a glimpse into a vanishing way of life. Two stories draw their essence from the Mahabharatha – one gives voice to lives crushed by choices they did not make, while another explores the thoughts of one of the epic’s more enigmatic characters. While the landscape largely reflects a South Indian, at times Chennai-centric, milieu, the stories, filled with empathy, humour, and explorations into what it is to be human, speak to everyone.