The Protectors & Other Stories (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781456776855)

This collection of short stories takes its title from one of the stories contained in it: 'The Protectors'. All stories are basically romantic in nature, but they are not simple love stories. Their themes have all the colours, and their myriad shades, to afford you a panoramic view of the world we live in.

The first story, for example, is that of a boy whose rebellious nature, not accepting the norms of a corrupt society, struggles to achieve a job on the basis of his qualification, and not on the recommendation of a friend. Another story deals in defence of the motherland from the vicious attack of a rival force. Then there is a story which gives a graphic picture of a poverty-stricken housing scheme where women, forgetting about their self-respect, stoop so low as to adopt a life style, both execrable and pitiable... but there are women and there are women!

In brief, the book touches on unemployment, indignity of a religious family, and inheritance inciting to murder. A story each describes the horrendous custom of doing away with female foetuses, the ugly face of feudalism, and foundering efforts of a courtesan to escape to a righteous life. Last but not least is the story of educated youth, who for want of any reasonable job, resort to robbery.

The book takes you along on a journey which unravels a picture of unspeakable misery some people are subjected to. One would feel the milk of human kindness is drying up fast!

One could read these stories with a view to killing time, but if they pause and think... well, that is exactly what these stories are aimed at.