Political Stories by Volga Political Stories-12 What is to be done? (Part – 6) “I am so jealous of you,” said Sobha, looking affectionately at Santha. “You shouldn’t be. I am not as happy as it appears,” Santha said as she lay down on the […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Political Stories-12 What is to be done? (Part – 5) Santha had not seen Sobha since that day, nor had she received a letter from her. A couple of letters that she had written to her received no response. She concluded that Sobha had decided to terminate […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Political Stories-12 What is to be done? (Part – 4) After the groom’s family left, Annapoornamma scolded Soba and reproved her behavior. “They are the ones who ask questions and you are supposed to answer. That is our tradition. Why were you in such a hurry? Why do you care what that […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Political Stories-12 What is to be done? (Part – 3) All the prominent players from the Final Year class assembled in the shade of a pogada tree. Nobody was in a mood to let a girl from the B.A. group win the election without a fight. But then nobody had the […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Political Stories-12 What is to be done? (Part – 2) Santha would occasionally get anxious and unsettled that she wasn’t like Sobha. She was never content, never moder-ate; instead she was a want-it-all person. And how many problems she had to face because of that! How much tur-moil! Her folks would […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Political Stories-12 What is to be done? (Part – 1) Deeply engaged in her writing, Santha was distracted by the sound of someone approaching and lifted her head. Finding that it was Mohan, a research officer she had hired to help with her work, she was annoyed. It had been about […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Political Stories-11 Elections – Part 2 Vimala arrived at the elementary school before seven the next morning and found that two polling officers and as A PO had everything ready, Agents of the to contestants had already arrived. Vimala attached the label on the ballot bas and had it ready. They […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Political Stories-11 Elections – Part 1 The envelopes handed to the lecturers as they arrived at the college caused quite a stir. Male lecturers were asking each other about the villages they were assigned to, reminiscing about their past experiences and recalling the facilities available in those villages. The female lecturers […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Political Stories-10 Walls – Part 2 Revathi unlocked the door and walked into the house and Chandrika followed her. Just as she entered the house, the grief Chandrika held under check thus far bubbled up. Making a strenuous effort not to burst out, she collapsed into a chair. Looking around she […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Political Stories-10 Walls No longer able to put up with the nagging headache, Revathi closed the file and looked at the wall clock. It was three. In winter, time stops moving at about three. “It will be many hours before five,” quipped Bharathi, typing in the next […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Political Stories-9 Security Sujatha had the belief, not just a suspicion, that Dhanalakshmi would not be a pretty woman. The wives of lovers in the stories and novels she had read weren’t pretty. For some reason Sujatha believed that men who seek out pretty women like herself must be husbands of […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Political Stories-8 Marriage Shocked at the news that Rajani was going to marry, Nirmala dropped the porcelain plate she was holding. She picked up the shattered pieces as her irate mother berated her. What had happened to Rajani? How could such a disaster have happened just in that month when Nirmala […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Political Stories-7 Torment (Part-3) As the pains became more intense, my mind grew numb There was no room to think about anything else. Somehow I had to push the baby out. That was the focus now. That was what I lived for now, nothing else. Was the brain working at all? Body, […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Political Stories-7 Torment (Part-2) My brother threw a tantrum the next day for new clothes, With mother grew impatient with him reminding him that Was only Ago months ago that he had gotten new clothes For Deepavali. My brother began to grumble and cry. my father snapped at him, Why do […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Political Stories-7 Torment (Part-1) I had never been sorry that I was born a female. Ever since childhood I had been happy I was girl. The reasons might have been different at different stages of my life, and my happiness in my later years might not have been that profound, but […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Political Stories-6 A Political Story I don’t understand what I did wrong. I can assure you I wouldn’t be so angry if I was convinced that whatever happened was due to a mistake I made, something that could be rectified How much I helped my husband […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Political Stories-5 stony breasts It was ghostly evening, a busy time in the hospital. Friends and relatives were rushing to see patients. Some of them looked sorry for the suffering of the patients. They were here to kindly and lovingly share the pain. Some looked annoyed […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Political Stories-4 shut up! shut up! Shut Up!As the words kept ringing in her head, Janaki covered her ears with her hands. The words weren’t new to her, she had been hearing them for years. Someone or the other had been telling her to shut up […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Political Stories-3 Nose stud Once again, a potential suitor will come today to see her. Rama is tired of it. For the last six years she has had these visits by potential suitors at least five, six times a year. It started when she was in […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Political Stories-2 Eyes Mom says my eyes are pretty. She lines them with a lot of kohl. Even my sister-in-law says, “You look beautiful with that beauty spot on your fair cheeks and the black kohl lining your white eyes!” It is true my eyes are very big – […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Political Stories-1 Sita’s braid Sita collects the clumps of fallen hair and holds them securely under her big toe. Whenever she combs her hair, so much comes loose. A month ago she came down with a serious illness. Although her sixty-year-old body has since gradually regained strength, her hair continues to […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Translator’s Foreword In the author’s introduction Volga offers an explanation for the urgent tone of her short stories and situates her writing and its thematic concerns in relation to Telugu culture and literary tradition. It is in order to facilitate access to and appreciation of these stories for such a reader […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Author’s Foreword- Part-2 It is necessary for us to recognize today that the same relationship that exists between our hands and our brain in carrying out a task, exists between the body and mind. We should stress that our mind is not separate from our body. Women rarely realize that they […]
Continue ReadingPolitical Stories by Volga Author’s Foreword The choice of the title for this anthology of short stories Political Stories -may surprise many. When one looks at the titles of the stories included in this collection, such as “Sita’s Braid,” “Eyes,” and “Nose-Stud,” it is only natural to ask why the anthology had to be given […]
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