Stories in English

The party of sportsmen spent the night in a peasant’s hut on some newly mown hay. The moon peeped in at the window; from the street came the mournful wheezing of a concertina; from the hay came a sickly sweet, faintly troubling scent. The sportsmen talked about dogs, about women, about first love, and about snipe. After all the ladies …

Human Robot: A cunning smile played on his lips as Prem Chopra stared at the glaring neon sign – Super Robots Plaza. Now he would be able to buy an accomplice, he thought, as he crossed the busy street towards the store. Surely an adequate investment of his latest loot. And Super Robots were, by far, the best and the …

The day we came to stay in our new house, Kalindi received us. She was on the steps. Two friendly, green eyes gazed at us. “What a beautiful black cat”! said my younger sister, Meeta. I almost rushed and picked up the soft, tiny creature and said, “Let us call her Kalindi. This is our cat, a present, a prize.” …

Dadima’s Stick: The first thing Govind and I noticed as Dadima (paternal grand-mother) came out through the glass doors of the Bombay airport in a wheelchair was the stick in her hand. Dadima had gone to Dubai for a short stay with Gopal Chacha (father’s younger brother). A week later, she had had a fall, and her artificial left hip …

A Chase of Cheers: Mr. Lootgia Ram’s car had been stolen. And old Mr. Ram had gone crazy about it. Uncle Samanta had taken up the case. Of late he had been trying his hand at chasing criminals. At sixty-one he was full of enthusiasm in his new interest. “This must be the work of Karchori Lal,” he observed as …

Radha felt happy and satisfied. She had decided to participate in the “Grow a Plant and Win a Prize” contest. She had no experience in growing plants but she was quite enthusiastic about joining the competition and winning a prize. She kept the whole idea a secret. Radha did not even tell her mother or her sister about her plan. …

Pinky was standing at the kitchen window when she first saw the bird fly past. A small black and brown bird, when a patch of pure, dazzling white on the wings. In its beak it held a wisp of straw. Pinky strained hard to peep out of the window but the bars held her back. She only saw the bird …

Tommy’s New Friend: Tommy was not happy. He did not run after the ball. He did not even wag his tail. Golu realized it. Tommy wanted to have a friend of his own. Someone who was like him only. He barked, “Bhow… bhow… bhow… I want my own friend… at least one” but Golu did not understand what his loving …

A Gift From Mother: During 1942, Bengal rose like one man to participate in Gandhi ji‘s Quit India Movement. In the course of the struggle for freedom, a young Bengali girl, Sharada Chatterjee aimed a revolver at Mr. Gordon Jackson, Police Commissioner, Calcutta, and fired twice. The incident took place at the prize distribution ceremony of a high school where …

The Bailiff’s Bootsoles: There was a bailiff in Polevaya once called Severyan Kondratych. Eh, what a ruffian he was, what a ruffian! They’d never known the like since there’d been mines and mills there. A hound, he was, and worse. A wild beast. The Bailiff’s Bootsoles: Pavel Bazhov He knew little enough about the work, but when it came to …