Delhi Noir »

Hirsh Sawhney has written for the Times Literary Supplement, the Guardian, Time Out New York, Outlook, and the Indian Express. He has taught English to asylum seekers in London and was the director of an adult education program that served undocumented immigrants in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn.

The legendary city of Delhi, India, provides fertile ground for stories of darkness and despair.

Publishers Weekly

For those whose view of India is shaped by The Jewel in the Crown, conversations with a call-in center or even Slumdog Millionaire, this anthology in Akashic's noir series will register simultaneously as a shock, an education and an entertainment. All 14 stories are briskly paced, beautifully written and populated by vivid, original characters. Standouts include “How I Lost My Clothes,” Radhika Jha's account of the bizarre robbery of a yuppie drug addict; “Hissing Cobras,” Nalinaksha Bhattacharya's tale of a meddlesome mother-in-law who meets her death in a temple; and Siddharth Chowdhury's “Hostel,” which concerns the horrific history of a piece of real estate. “Small Fry”—Meera Nair's unforgettable story of a young con artist—depicts the day he deserts his mentor/abuser and the scams they run in a city bus station. Few books can alter one's perception about the state of a society, but this does, while delivering noir that's first-class in any light. (Aug.)

Contents

Introduction....................21
Omair Ahmad Yesterday Man Ashram....................42
Radhika Jha How I Lost My Clothes Lodhi Gardens....................65
Irwin Allan Sealy Last In, First Out Delhi Ridge....................84
Ruchir Joshi Parking Nizamuddin West....................101
Nalinaksha Bhattacharya Hissing Cobras R.K. Puram....................125
Mohan Sikka The Railway Aunty Paharganj....................147
Siddharth Chowdhury Hostel North Campus Delhi University,....................159
Meera Nair Small Fry Inter State Bus Terminal....................182
Palash Krishna Mehrotra Fit of Rage Defence Colony....................194
Hartosh Singh Bal Just Another Death Gyan Kunj....................213
Hirsh Sawhney Gautam Under a Tree Green Park....................235
Tabish Khair The Scam Jantar Mantar....................246
Uday Prakash The Walls of Delhi (Translated from Hindi by Jason Grunebaum) Rohini....................269
Manjula Padmanabhan Cull Bhalswa....................290
Glossary....................298