‘Our daily life provides rich soil for a fertile imagination to sprout tales of mystery, delight, sorrow and awe.’ - Richa Gupta The Jamun Tree and Other Stories is a collection of short stories dissects and analyses a cross section of society to decipher our complex existence, psychological truths, range of emotions, relationships and subjective morality. The stories in this collection are about an almost-human Jamun tree, an enticing woman on a mission, a family receiving news about their inheritance, a journalist looking for a scoop, a family on a cruise liner, a mother dealing with the tragic death of her child, youngsters affected by corruption and an investigator resolving a mysterious murder. The Jamun Tree and Other Stories will help navigate and open up vistas to understand our present-day life.

The Jamun Tree and other stories on the environment provides an insider's viewfrom the villages, of work related to natural resource management. It describes the process by which farmers were motivated and involved to regard the work to be done as their own. It is a narration of the personal experience of people in those village areas where the author worked.Starting the endeavour with just 95 farmers on a mere 18 hectares land, the programme has benefitted over 10,000 farmers by reclaiming over 4,600 hectares in just two years. Till date, with the intervention of the World Bank, a total of 6.25 lakh hectares has been reclaimed and the work is still on. The action taken found an echo with local people as it followed the need of the hour, right there in the field, with innovative techniques and new ideas.

Jealous of the ‘success’ of his hardworking farmhands, the rich farmer cuts off access to their land; a free gift won by a working-class family is appropriated by their rich employer who feels his status entitles him to such benefits, a teacher finds herself rendered speechless by the subtle, insidious ways in which caste operates around her, a pregnant woman dreams of clean toilets for her child. Hard hitting, often unrelenting, the twelve powerful stories in this slim volume have been selected by Bama, a Dalit writer who broke new ground by speaking out publicly against caste discrimination, particularly in the Church. Written in everyday Tamil and in regional dialects, and skillfully translated by Ahana Lakshmi, the stories are firmly rooted in the twin experiences of caste and gender and upend much of the received wisdom about what counts as ‘good’ literature.

Athiyaman, a hardened warrior, fearsome to his enemies and magnanimous to those he favoured. Kumanan, a king so benevolent that he was even willing to sacrifice his own life for another. The poet Pisiraandaiyar, who stood by his royal friend Kopperuncholan even in the worst of times. And Avvaiyar, a venerable woman poet, respected by rulers and subjects alike. This colourful and powerful cast of characters comes together in The Prince Who Became a Monk and Other Stories from Tamil Literature. Selected and translated by Sahitya Akademi award-winner M.L. Thangappa, the stories in this volume were originally poems written by famed Tamil poets belonging to a time when kings and poets equalled each other in authority and respect, and when valour and talent were considered the greatest virtues. These tales celebrate family, friendships and bonds that survive the tests of distance and time, bringing to the fore historical figures who depict faith, humility and kindness. Through delicately woven imagery and subtly imparted wisdom, this collection of more than 35 stories brings alive an era of glory, and the poets who immortalized it in their words.

Ten unforgettable tales of fascinating human encounters with animals and birds—of a man-eater that terrorizes an entire village; the strange and wonderful trust that develops between a fierce leopard and a boy; revengeful monkeys who never forgive a woman who grows dahlias; a crow who genuinely thinks human beings are stupid; and many others— that create a world in which men and wild creatures struggle to survive despite each other: a world where, in the end, one is not quite sure which side one is on. Panther’s Moon and Other Stories is another marvellous collection of stories from India’s most-loved author that will once again amuse, enchant, and delight readers of all ages.

The lyrical prose of writer, journalist and film director Khwaja Ahmad Abbas (1914-1987) easily lends itself to short stories. In Sardarji and Other Stories, a captivating collection, the protagonists of each tale are portrayed grappling with realities imposed upon them by an unrelenting historical churning that compels them to revisit their relationships with their cultural, spatial and psychological moorings. Communal riots, poverty, abjection, love and longing or renewed hopes and nascent dreams make this collection an incisive and moving portrayal of the human condition. This Khwaja Ahmad Abbas collection includes some of the best short stories ever penned down by the author, journalist and film directorEach of the stories selected for this volume gives a glimpse into the mind and works of this legendary writerEncompasses a variety of themes that readers can easily identify with.Includes the last interview with Abbas about his last film, Ek Aadmi.

In October 2021, we are super glad to have author and writer, Chetan Bhagat on Storizen! Do check out the exclusive cover story on Page 8. Moving away from someone or something can be both relaxing or disturbing. What is harder is to let go of the emotions, attachments, and feelings. It's difficult to let go... In everybody's life, there is something or someone they have to let go of. The theme for the month of October was "Let Go..." Have sleep issues? This month in Storizen Health, we have shared some tips on how you can prevent sleep disorders and have a good night's sleep! Check out the awesome stories and poems that will make you come back to this issue again and again. Storizen Magazine October 2021 issue is out now!

The stories in this collection are drawn from the rich oral narrative tradition of the Indian subcontinent, on sources as diverse as the Katha Sagar, Puranic lore, Sufi legends, Jataka tales, Kissa-kahani and dastan, as well as Intizar Hussain's own training and experience as a veteran newspaper man. In story after story he seeks to retrieve the past, to see it better, to understand it, maybe even learn from it. Taken together, they cover a gamut of emotions - nostalgia for a world left behind in India, angst for the amputated 'other' abandoned in the former East Pakistan, concern over the two emerging nuclear powers, a cathartic repurging of his own Shia Muslim legacy and much more.