Unexpected insights into familiar themes

By Eshadi Sharif

‘The Best Asian Short Stories’ (2017) is a collection of 32 short stories written by authors from different parts of Asia, each author showcasing a glimpse of their wider environment. Throughout this 450-page book the reader gets to explore snapshots of life from countries like Syria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Thailand and many more. 

As a reader, I have always believed that the next best way to learn about a country and its culture, rather than visiting it, is to read about it. ‘The Best Asian Short Stories’ was exactly what I expected it to be — it took me to different places throughout Asia and gave me insights into cultures which were entirely new to me. 

This is important because our world today is diverse and multi-dimensional, so a lack of knowledge can often lead to ignorance and prejudice on our parts. Books like this which show a glimpse of the different social norms and diverse environments in various parts of the same continent are important because they spark new conversations.

One story which mesmerised me was ‘The Muse’ by Saritha Rao Rayachoti. The charm of short stories and poetry is that, well written, they can sometimes tell a reader more than many full length novels. ‘The Muse’ is one of the stories in this collection which leaned on the short side in terms of length, but conveyed so much through striking imagery. It may only be about two-and-a-half pages long, but each time I go through it, a little more of the story reveals itself, and that is what good literature does.

Another story which caught my interest was ‘Ammulu’ by Poile Sengupta, which is set in India. This story tackles the stigma involved, across Asia really, in failing to marry. The first part, which really hit me hard, was how women are objectified. That point of view can be seen in the lines, “Nowadays with this TV and other things, they want girls who are nice in the drawing room also. Not just in the kitchen.”

Furthermore, the topic of marriage vs. education is touched upon as well, in the same scene, when the character says, “She knows to speak and read in English. Very good language she has. Like myself almost. Sometimes she reads news to me, English news of course…” to which the marriage merchant, responds by offering a marriage arrangement for the man’s daughter with a 56-year-old widower (not much younger than the girl’s own father) who also has two daughters. The widower’s selling point is that the house he lives in does not have water issues! This nicely reflects the value a girl’s education is given when it comes to marriage.The theme of marriage and its peculiarities are further touched upon when the father tries to bargain with the marriage merchant as if his daughter was something he was buying in a market. This is conveyed when he says, “I will retire next year and I am just a school teacher. If you can help me with this girl…I have three more you know.”To best describe my thoughts on this story, I would say that it reminded me of Anita Desai’s writing style, as the author similarly brought out very powerful themes and messages through quite simple imagery and situations.

It was a moment of pride for me to see that one of the stories, ‘Big Mother’ by Farah Ghuznavi, was based in Bangladesh and also spoke of some fairly recent issues such as the Rana Plaza disaster (the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh collapsed in 2013, claiming many lives). This incident was one that struck a chord in every Bangladeshi’s heart, and seeing it being remembered and the topic being kept alive really means a lot. 

As a Bengali, anyone would have thought that I would be entirely familiar with the culture by now. However, Ghuznavi explored an unexpected aspect of life in rural Bangladesh which I either have not been exposed to, or chose not to acknowledge, sheltered by my urban lifestyle. The author explored topics such as the reality of polygamy, the dynamics of family in Asian cultures, etc.

Even though it was a work of fiction, I started to think that these things, sometimes exactly these things, occur in reality right under our noses, and we just do not know about them. The story touches upon the difficult issue of sexual abuse, which people are also sometimes more comfortable not thinking about.

It is worth mentioning that even though ‘Big Mother’ is a short story in which the timeline extends through a period of years from flashbacks of the characters’ childhoods all the way to their marriages, the passage of time in the story actually seemed smooth and did not disrupt the flow of the storytelling. Because of that, the transitions didn’t seem odd. 

Among the other stories I loved, some of the following are worth a mention. I enjoyed the setting, descriptions and beautiful writing style of ‘Damp Matches’ by Farouk Gulsara. Also, I found ‘Jelly Beans’ by Soniah Kamal extremely entertaining, with its humorous take on the themes it addresses. I enjoyed learning about the history and culture presented in the story, ‘Water on a Hot Plate’ by Murli Melwani. And last but not least, the story ‘Chitrangada’ by Shoma A. Chatterji deals with extremely important themes, such as the stigma associated with darker skin colour in many Asian cultures.

Many people associate ‘Asian culture’ with the term ‘exotic’ – or in other words, something foreign. It is understandable that some people dislike reading about unfamiliar places due to the incorporation of certain terms from the respective languages, or just due to it being something that feels alien to them. 

However, I found that ‘Big Mother’, like many of the other stories in this anthology, used a linguistic style that was accessible, and focused on keeping the reader’s attention in a way that ensured that the reader was not overwhelmed by things that were entirely new to him/her. This especially helped me when I was reading the stories from places to which I had no relationship, since it made sure I was able to follow the storyline, and kindled an interest in me that might just be enough to start me exploring other forms of art from those cultures.

As beautiful as many of these stories are, the book still has its shortcomings.  As it is a compilation of stories featuring many styles and topics, some of them will inevitably be rejected by readers due to criteria related to personal opinions and tastes. So there is no guarantee that the reader will love every story in this book.Additionally, even though these stories are mostly written in styles that are accessible, there were still times when some words or title references were brought in from other languages, which made reading some stories a tad confusing.

On the other hand, I feel it important to reiterate the value of keeping this inclusive read on your shelf. ‘The Best Asian Short Stories’ (2017) not only celebrates diversity, but also highlights social and political issues throughout the world – perhaps even those in your own country which you may not be aware of. 

Many of these stories will spark conversations regarding feminism, politics and a variety of other social issues and as the saying goes, the pen is mightier than the sword, especially when it comes to touching hearts and minds. For me personally, this collection has been my muse for new writing projects. By exploring so many different elements and themes, it has inspired me, helping me to grow both as a reader and a writer.