Contents
Stories 201–300
Story Title Page
201 The Empty Bag 7
202 A Patch of Sunlight 15
203 The Boat Remained Tied 25
204 The Sound of the Refrigerator 33
205 A Month’s Rent 42
206 The Blue Mug 51
207 The Charger 60
208 The Clothesline 70
209 The Closed Tap 79
210 Half a Kilo of Rice 89
211 The Balcony Flowerpot 99
212 Wrong Number 110
213 The Old Curtain 120
214 The Cylinder Ran Out 131
215 Two Plates 148
216 The Neighbour’s Television 159
217 The Stalled Lift 167
218 The Grocery List 176
219 The Old Mattress 188
220 The Doorbell 201
221 The Leftover Vegetables 217
222 The Closed Window 227
223 Sunday Clothes 243
224 After the Mustard Harvest 255
225 The Herdsman’s Footpath 271
226 The Pond Keeper 295
227 Evening at the Cattle Shed 307
228 The Mango Orchard 321
229 The Current of the Kamla 334
230 The Scent of Paddy 343
231 The Shade of a Tree 353
232 The Dom’s Flute 363
233 The Map of the Hut 374
234 The Cow’s Bell 384
235 The Unpaved Road 396
236 Guardian of the Fields 403
237 The Paddy-Planting Song 410
238 The Register Beneath the Banyan 416
239 The Flood Mark 422
240 The First Tractor 427
241 The Boundary Stake 434
242 The Empty Cattle Shed 442
243 The Last Harvest 449
244 The Village of Certificates 458
245 Cleanliness Day 468
246 The Educated Gathering 476
247 Model Square 483
248 The Ribbon of Development 491
249 The Distinguished Family 498
250 The Day of Rumour 509
251 The Topper’s Photograph 517
252 The Cleanest House 524
253 The Felicitation Ceremony 532
254 The Anti-Cheating Speech 542
255 The Library Inauguration 551
256 The Caste Chair 558
257 The Digital Village 566
258 Proof of Poverty 573
259 The Silent Committee 580
260 The Ideal Wedding 588
261 Everyone’s Opinion 599
262 Worthy of the Award 607
263 The New Rule 615
264 The Cupboard Inside 623
265 Two Hours on the Roof 631
266 The Daughter-in-Law’s Room 641
267 The Key to Her Parents’ Home 650
268 Sewing Expenses 660
269 The Examination Form 672
270 The Kitchen Door 681
271 The Red Box 689
272 The Sister’s Phone 694
273 The Tenant Girl 703
274 The Gift Sari 710
275 The Dining Table 717
276 The Silent Mami 728
277 The Parlour Mirror 736
278 The First Month on the Job 745
279 The Old Petticoat 756
280 The Guest Room 767
281 Secret Savings 774
282 The Woman Missing from the Photograph 783
283 The Nameplate 790
284 The Third Step 797
285 The Upside-Down Calendar 805
286 The Air in the Locked Room 817
287 The Ownerless Shadow 827
288 The Station Not on the Map 839
289 The Clock That Struck Half 844
290 The Second Door 851
291 The Lane That Changed Its Name 859
292 An Extra Window 865
293 The Room of Voices 871
294 Bus Number Zero 878
295 A Rain of Paper 885
296 The Pond on the Map 891
297 The Reversed Reflection 899
298 The Missing Wednesday 907
299 The Fifth Corner 917
300 An Unfamiliar Home of One’s Own 927