Contents
100 Stories · Five Sections · Story-opening page numbers
Stories 001–020
1. The Bell That Never Rang 1
2. The Road That Turned Back 11
3. The Night’s Second Sky 22
4. The Woman Cutting Onions 31
5. The Bus Window 41
6. When It Was Time to Fetch Water 51
7. The Blank Notebook 63
8. The Broken Comb 74
9. Hands Choosing Vegetables 83
10. Winter Sunlight 101
11. The Milk Boiled Over 117
12. Before Opening the Envelope 130
13. White Hair in the Mirror 144
14. The Empty Bowl 155
15. The Bird at the Window 165
16. One Wrong Word 174
17. New Slippers 186
18. The Silence of the Afternoon 200
19. A Splitting Nail 213
20. The Smell of Cut Fruit 224
Stories 021–040
21. Beneath the Fan 238
22. The Half-Written Name 250
23. Before the Lamp Went Out 261
24. Red Dust 274
25. A Three-Minute Procession 283
26. The Torn Drum 293
27. The Night Truck 304
28. Flowers on Ash 312
29. The Blacksmith’s Hammer 319
30. The Lantern Glass 325
31. Under the Bridge 331
32. Paper and Stick 339
33. The Smell of Jackfruit 345
34. The Rumour of Five Bullets 352
35. The Torn Flag 357
36. Boot Marks 363
37. The Night Boat 368
38. A Shard of Glass 376
39. The Field Turned to Ash 383
40. A Guard Without a Gun 390
Stories 041–060
41. A Song Amid the Smoke 396
42. One Minute of Electricity 401
43. Not Blood, but Vermilion 406
44. My Great Business 410
45. The Three-Time Wedding Guest 415
46. The Philosopher on Credit 420
47. The Panchayat Expert 426
48. My Rich Uncle 431
49. The Missing Goat’s Statement 437
50. The Mobile-Phone Guru 443
51. The Wedding Budget 447
52. The Great Poet’s Neighbour 452
53. The Scholar for Hire 457
54. The Village Meteorologist 463
55. Free Advice 469
56. Election Tea 474
57. Uncle with the Microphone 480
58. A Kilo of Prestige 486
59. Not a Leader Who Forgets Names, but a Teacher 494
60. The Donation Expert 500
Stories 061–080
61. The Free Photograph 507
62. Not on Time, but on His Word 513
63. Where Am I to Blame? 518
64. The Devout Thief 524
65. The Committee for Good Conduct 529
66. Sacred Parking 535
67. The Donation Photograph 540
68. The Great Renunciate 545
69. The Truthful Merchant 552
70. A Receipt for Merit 558
71. The Respectable Family 565
72. The Preaching Traveller 572
73. Pure Food 579
74. The Ceremony of Forgiveness 587
75. The Kindhearted Master 594
76. The Poster of Truth 600
77. A Gentleman’s Testimony 607
78. The Coin in the Donation Box 615
79. The Decent Driver 621
80. The Character Certificate 629
Stories 081–100
81. The Fasting Feast 637
82. The Prize for Humility 645
83. The Last Line 651
84. The River’s Paper 658
85. The Number on the Brick 665
86. The Forest Road 672
87. The Labourer’s Signature 678
88. The Erosion Zone 685
89. Ration Day 691
90. The Distance to School 697
91. A Song While Breaking Stones 703
92. The Right to the Forest 709
93. Compensation for the Bridge 715
94. The Labourer’s Photograph 721
95. The Red Card 726
96. The Sand Ghat 733
97. The Temporary Settlement 738
98. The Forest School 745
99. The Power of a Signature 751
100. Half a Day’s Wages 757