The stories presented in this collection were written originally in Hindi, way back 20-25 years ago, and published in major Hindi journals of those times - Dharmyug, Saptahik Hindustan, Sarika, Kadambini et al. They were liked by the readers and translated into several Indian languages, too, besides being included in some of the selected works of the year.
Later they were picked up by some friends for translation into English and, subsequently, found place in some major English literary journals- Indian Literature, The Statesman, National Herald, The Heritage and the like.
Free from all tall talk, most of these short stories tell the tales of joys and merriments, torments and trepidations and the dreams and realities of common people.
Dr Sitesh Alok occupies a coveted place among Hindi writers. He has authored 32 books in various genres - short stories, novels, poems, travelogue and articles on social affairs. He has also written fiction and poetry for children. Some of his awarded works have run into several editions and some of them translated into many Indian languages including English. A Winner of over a dozen honours and awards, Dr Alok edited Pratibha India, the English language quarterly of Indian art, culture and literature, for 24 years. Has travelled several countries the world over.
Dr. Alok was a Visiting Fellow at Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford, and a recipient of a Fellowship of the Ministry of Culture and Human Resources Development, Government of India. He visited major foreign countries, interacting with authors, attending lecturesseminars and visiting reputable institutions to study the social and cultural ethos - historical and contemporary.
Fiction writing keeps acquiring new dimensions with changing social ethos. Until around the 1970s, the themes in Indian fiction were more or less confined to the widespread poverty in the country and the turmoil related to the generation gap. The literary concern, however, gradually drifted to the new social order emerging in the West gender concerns, political exigencies, breaking families, class conflicts and issues related to religion, castes and sexual behavior. Amid such diverse concerns, I felt an urge to express myself in a range of ways - writing was one that gradually drove me to confront the contemporary social challenges. It, as far as I remember, started with writing short pieces like 'Letters to the Editor' and short scripts for All India Radio.
Gradually I drifted to writing articles on contemporary issues. Publication of those rather immature pieces of expression must have encouraged me to continue with them. Over time, almost unknowingly, I crept into other genres and, to my adolescent surprise, my writings got published, initially in small magazines.
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