Hungry Stones and Other Stories  (English, Paperback, Tagore Rabindranath)

This collection of stories brings together some of Tagore’s best pieces of literary work, which speak of love, the supernaturals, longingness, social issues, and more. Some of the tales included are The Cabuliwallah, Hungry Stones, The Kingdom of Cards, and The Victory.

Summary Of The Book

Hungry Stones And Other Stories is a collection of thirteen short stories which were originally written in Bengali, and have now been translated into different languages to reach out to a wider audience. Translations have been done by Mr. C. F. Andrews, while being assisted by Tagore himself. Other people who have contributed to translating these literary works are Sister Nivedita, Panna Lal Basu, Rev. E. J. Thompson, and Prabhat Kumar Mukerjii.

The Hungry Stones is set on a train as well as on a railway platform, and is narrated by two characters. The first narrator is an unnamed passenger. While he waits with his friend at a station, he meets Srijut, the second narrator. This man shares stories about his mysterious and supernatural experiences. The Victory is based on a royal poet, who has to convince the court to have faith in his abilities. This is followed by Once There Was A King, a tale about how a grandmother tells a story after constant persistence by a young boy. Homecoming revolves around Phatik Chakravorti, an adolescent with family problems. Other tales in Hungry Stones and Other Stories are My Lord, The Baby, The Devotee, Vision, and Living or Dead.

Tagore’s The Kingdom of Cards is about how Kings, Queens, Aces, and other such playing cards live together. The rules of the kingdom state that each card is allocated a specific type of work, and it is supposed to do that forever. On a stormy day, a young human Prince comes to this lonely island, and brings along some new ideas. Will this Kingdom be able to let go of its rigid social structure?

Perhaps one of Tagore’s most famous stories is The Cabuliwallah. Based on the life of an Afghan man, it shows how a five-year-old girl named Mini reminds him of his daughter back home. Beautifully written and heart-touching, this is a very popular literary work. The remaining tales of Hungry Stones and Other Stories are The Babus of Nayanjore, The Renunciation, and We Crown Thee King.

About Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Thakur, anglicised to Tagore, was born on the 7th of May, 1861, in Calcutta. He is one of the few authors and poets who are regarded as accomplished creative artists the world over. He is popularly known as Gurudev.

Tagore has written novels, short stories, poetry, essays, autobiographies, travelogues, songs, musicals, and dance dramas. He is said to have reshaped Bengali literature and music. Some of his works are Char Odhay, Chaturanga, Noukadubi, Gitanjali, Charulata, and Shesher Kobita. He has composed 2,230 songs, which are categorized as Rabindrasangeet.

Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, and was the first non-European recipient of it. He established the Visva-Bharati University. Tagore is the writer of two national anthems, namely India’s Jana Gana Mana and Bangladesh's Amar Shonar Bangla. Gurudev passed away in 1941.