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These eighteen stories are a tribute to extraordinary India. The simple language and taut style enhance the uniqueness of every character. Ganesh is caught in a tussle between his wife and his mother and decides that it is Time to Act. Kesavan who earns his livelihood by burying unclaimed bodies wonders what will happen to him when he dies. This story, Corpse Kesavan, was made into a short film by the students of the Manipal Institute of Communication and it won them the “Article 19 Best Film Award” in 2006.

Robin Hood shows how retirement can turn the best of men into pickpockets. In Between You and Me Dakshabehn's husband is delighted when she conceives after many years of marriage but what effect will this news have on the narrator, such an intrinsic part of their lives? Lady Macbeth is about confrontation in marriage—a confrontation that continues even when the wife is dead.

These are some of the characters who give life and colour to this collection of short stories which includes prize winners in the Commonwealth Short Story Competition in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

Usha Rajagopalan is a poet and novelist. This is her first collection of short stories.