Most of the stories in this anthology have an intrinsic ease and an insightful understanding offered by the author. By means of his stories, Avaya tries to proffer readers a savor of the imaginary realm in which he spends much of his time.[break]
The lead story, Tesro Kinara, is the first story reader will encounter with the writing that comes from inside the mind of an existentialist philosopher. Similarly, his story Mahabharat seems to have reinterpreted the original story of the eponymous Indian epic.
Correspondingly, the story America unravels the youth psychology of contemporary time.
Here, the protagonist Aruna represents the youth of our time. This story is structurally pretty strong as it incorporates a well-built plot as well as simple language in comparison to his other stories.
Some of his stories are about failure and breakdown, yet they enclose real splendor and insightfulness. Sumeruma Draupadi is a story that deals with human dispositions of one who after having fulfilled his interest becomes disinterested in others’ interests.
It also seems to be closer to the earthy aspects of the life of mythical characters.
This story is also a proof of his wonderfully storytelling skills, along with an experimental flavor.
The entire collection is a fusion of the author’s emotions and dynamic flight of imagination. Readers will find layers of depth and even will find some of the stories pretty moving.
I read this story collection more than once, as I always do with books I review. Most of Avaya’s stories have such dynamism that no reader can stop repeating them. Nirban is one of the best stories dealing not with merely caste issues but those of poverty and isolation.
At times, the bewilderment of theme and pensive frame of mind lead the author off track. But in due course, his stories leave with the reader a little glimmer of optimism.
This collection of fifteen short stories reaches a mere 136 pages; he uses brevity to take readers right into the compassion of his stories and insight in the lives of his dramatic characters. He has nimbly played with ideas and rhetoric. In addition, the interplay of his expressions with plots seems to be pretty admiring.
Nevertheless, many of Avaya’s characters are worn down, conked out, unfilled, and yet they react in startling ways. Readers might think they are being taken in one direction and then they are taken in another; they expect one ending and are given an additional one. In one of his stories, Model, although it’s hard to trace the spirit, it’s a story about sex and maternal love handled in a critical way.
Not only this, but it is also about the career and loneliness of a young model girl caused by the enmeshed times she lives in. Also, this story could be helpful to verify the writer’s intense imagination.
A couple of stories are not as strong, and not all of them work, as well. However, the very good stories in Tesro Kinara (like Satyagraha) are truly amazing.
Through the very story, Avaya creates some gripping juxtaposition, as characters meet each other. Correspondingly, Khabar, Kahar ra Jahar is a story that broadly deals with the job culture of a journalist who, in the name of collecting news, becomes blind and even fails to notice his injured sister.
On the one hand, it makes a way to expose the instrumentalization of a journalist, and on the other, it divulges the inner conflict prevalent in most of the media houses. Additionally, the story is well-balanced between the exasperating and distressing injustices getting from his editor and the sacrifices and acts of selfless benevolence of the protagonist.
Likewise, Jhumi: Sangeet Tapaikai Lagi, in a sarcastic tone, dissects the pop culture and teenage psychology of our time. But the story Azambari is really an exploration of the identity of a journalist who is compelled to shift his job from one media house to another not only because of his bold nature but also because of the manipulative nature of his publisher.
Some of his stories themselves are often metaphors for something else. And while the author has an inimitable voice and inner original perspective, his writing style also shares a common feature of a propensity to be rhythmical and philosophical.
Nonetheless, a reader who is simply looking for some light story may find the book impenetrable and long-winded and may miss out on the best it has to offer. But if the reader is enthusiastic to sit down, to read carefully and to unwearyingly unravel it layer by layer, Tesro Kinara could be one of those soul-searching journeys that sticks with the reader.
Succinctly, this is a very diverse anthology and focuses on the petite moments that are most illuminating and truest.
Aside from some fallacious sentences, spelling slipups and somewhat complex language here and there, readers will enjoy the journey set out by the author, along with the characters and scenarios, and will look forward to his upcoming work.
The reviewer is a student at Nepa School of Social Sciences.
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