Marriage often cuts short the brilliant careers of many girls who suffer in silence. When grown up children move out to set their own homes they leave an emotional void in their parents. A protective mother tends to look the other way when her son strays off course. Such sorrows, simple pleasures and seemingly trivial incidents form the backdrop of Prema Sastri’s short stories.

A Fine Gift from Lakshmi is a collection of stories with a distinctly South Indian flavour, a lot of Bangalore included, depicting myriad situations and incidents in day-to-day life. A few of the characters leave a lasting impression on the reader.

‘An old violin’ is the poignant tale of Kamala, a talented violinist, who was forced to abandon her musical pursuit after wedlock to a wealthy chartered accountant. Household chores and bringing up four children consume her full-time.

We are too familiar with the urban middle-class phenomenon of elderly parents of NRIs leading lonely, miserable lives. Despite the affluence that their progeny’s success brought in, theirs is a forsaken existence. ‘These remain’ lays bare the emptiness that a mother experiences when her children branch out to be on their own. To relieve her boredom she desperately clings to some old objects like a broken cricket bat or a scrap book.

‘Strands’ is about a loving but overprotective mother who was traumatised by her son’s drug addiction. She rues her decision to shield him when it is too late.

The title story ‘A Fine Gift from Lakshmi’ narrates the hilarious end to a man’s obsession with lottery tickets. When eventually he wins a prize it is his wife who splurges the money without his knowledge.

‘One has to Live’ is a delightful story about the hypocrisy of paying tributes to a dead artist who led a life in poverty and filth without anyone caring for her. After her death many venture out to bask in the reflected glory by expatiating on their association with her.

‘Bon Voyage’ deals with the craze for foreign jaunts. Poverty, extra-marital flings and vanity figure in a few stories. There are no larger-than-life figures, only ordinary individuals whom readers can identify themselves with.

While the simple themes have contributed to the appeal of some short stories, several fail to hold reader’s attention. It is a mixed bag with a blend of the delightful and insipid. On the whole the volume makes for pleasant reading. Perhaps such stories make a better impression in Indian languages. This is a challenge before every Indo-Anglian writer.

The collection could have been edited better. Many typos are irritants.

A Fine Gift from Lakshmi
Prema Sastri
Songbyrde Publications
PP 172
Rs 180