KHALAL

BY THE TIME, ANAND STARTED WRITING STORIES, HE HAD MASTERED THE POETRY FORM VERY WELL. HIS STORIES SOUGHT NEW DIMENSIONS AND ACHIEVED HEIGHTS LINE AFTER LINE. HIS STORIES ARE BASED ON RURAL LIVES. THEY ARE NOT MONOTONOUS IN THEIR FORM. EACH TALKS FOR ITSELF. THE CHARACTERS HAVE THEIR OWN NATURE, VOICE AND WAY OF BEHAVING AND COMMUNICATING. IN THIS RECENT BOOK, THE DIFFERENCE IN STYLE IS NOTICEABLE. HE IS SKIPPING THE UNWANTED DETAILS LIKE SKETCHING THE NATURE, EXTRA DIALOGUES AND MANY SUCH THINGS. HIS CHARACTERS ARE BECOMING MORE PRECISE. AT TIMES, HIS WRITING HAS A TOUCH OF DRAMATIC. THE EMOTIONS REVEALED ARE VARIED. THIS IS A COLLECTION OF 24 STORIES. THEY ALL ARE BASED ON VARIOUS EXPERIENCES. THE CHARACTERS PAINTED HERE HAVE SHADES TOO. THEY DO NOT COPY EACH OTHER. EACH ONE LEADS HIS OR HER LIFE AND HAS HIS OR HER PERCEPTIONS. THESE STORIES TAKE PLACE IN THE VICINITY OF A VILLAGE WHICH ITSELF IS A COMMUNITY. EACH VILLAGE HAS ITS OWN IDENTITY. YET, IT WILL NOT BE WRONG TO SAY THAT SOMEWHERE ALL THE VILLAGERS ARE TIED UP IN A HARMONIOUS SETTING. WHATEVER DIFFERENCES THEY MIGHT BE HAVING, THEY JOIN HANDS IN CASE OF DANGERS. THEY ALL ARE INDEED HUMANS AFTER ALL