Salman Rushdie stands as one of contemporary literature’s most significant voices, fundamentally reshaping postcolonial narrative through magical realism. His masterpiece Midnight’s Children weaves personal and political history, creating a distinctive fusion of Eastern and Western storytelling that captures the complexity of cultural displacement and hybrid identity in our globalised world.
This is not about teaching her how to walk. This is about cheering her to run in life’s race. Failure isn’t an option, neither for me nor for her, because her accomplishments ultimately become my progress report. Consequently, just like the vast majority of the Singaporean parent population, I interfere unapologetically in my child’s education.
I was forty years old then. I had requested a transfer from Delhi to Chennai. Delhi, being the capital, it was easy to ask to be transferred to another city from there. Initially, I didn’t want to relocate to Chennai, but due to some unavoidable circumstances, I had to make the move.
fter a seven-month-long evaluation process, the Jury of The Asian Prize for Short Story announced the winner on December 15, 2024. Out of over 900 submissions, three stories made it to the shortlist: Litter by Shikhandin, The Perfect Lifeby Kushboo Shah, and The White Noise Lullaby by Natasha Sharma. Among them, Indian writer Natasha Sharma won The Asian Prize for Short Story 2024 for her work, The White Noise Lullaby.
At that time, we considered the Brahmins as outsiders. The Tamil they spoke was different. However, they treated us students like their own children. There was only one exception—our maths teacher, whom we called Arkay Saar. Despite being fond of us, on Mondays and Thursdays, if anyone hadn’t done their homework, he would grab his bamboo wand and beat the boy severely.
I told the policemen, ‘Charu Nivedita is my chittappa (the younger brother of father), and he has stepped out briefly. Please have a cup of tea somewhere and come back soon; I’ll call him on the phone.’
Prakash bought the blade and said, “Do it carefully da. If you cut a vital nerve, you’ll have to live as a khosa for the rest of your life.” So, I took the soap and the blade, stole Naina’s shaving brush and went to the cremation ground.
Because I have Telugu, Burmese, and Tamil ancestry, my East Asian friends often inquire whether I am from Thailand or Burma. Perhaps in my face they see the images of all these dead.
Sharma’s writing style is imbued with a sense of wonder and reverence for the natural world, inviting readers on an enchanting journey through the cosmos. Her prose is evocative and lyrical, painting vivid landscapes that shimmer with the ethereal glow of the stars
” I would say when you write regularly and read widely, you slowly develop your voice.” Says Vikas Prakash Joshi.
All my works of fiction, in my perspective, involve a dialogue with my readers as well as with the Creator. As a postmodern writer, I intentionally avoid creating closed texts.
The story takes place in 1961, when Goa was ruled by Portuguese. Shirly Quarachim’s happy childhood abruptly ends when her father is taken into custody on treasonous allegations. She has to battle fearsome dhowmen, resistance fighters, and a ruthless policeman who enjoys torturing people
Arefa Tehsin is the author of several fiction and non-fiction books, both for children and adults, and contributes columns, features and travel articles to various publications like The Indian Express, The Hindu, Deccan Herald, Outlook Money and TerraGreen.
The Asian Review 