Bombay, as told in stories

This isn’t an attempt to capture a city in a book. Instead, editors Shanta Gokhale and Jerry Pinto have simply compiled a list of stories they have read on Mumbai and loved. And it turns out to be a rich anthology with writings from authors as diverse as Mohan Rakesh, Saadat Hasan Manto, Ambai, etc; the list also includes artist Bhupen Khakhar. Out of the writings emerges a city that labours in mills and streets; that sips in five-star lounges; the city of unexpected intimacy and callous rejection; the city that is a sea of people and speaks a dozen languages. There are 21 stories in total. These have been translated from various languages, besides some stories originally written in English. Gokhale calls the edition an invitation “to know something about Mumbai, but also to know something of your own city, your own self”.—TNS