Chitra Gopalakrishnan
The concept of the ordinary in Indian short stories often competes with the idea of extreme experiences in seeking a platform to reach a broader audience. It wouldn’t be unfair to say that narratives about the daily lives of ordinary people, the panic inherent in the business of everyday living, whether set in familiar or unfamiliar places, are noticeably unexplored.
Stepping away from such editorial reserve, Niyogi Books has given Neera Kashyap’s wonderfully eclectic collection of twenty-six short stories, Cracks in the Wall (2025), a chance to bring such invisibilities, such ordinariness, into sight.
An erstwhile journalist, a social development communicator, creator of stories for children and young adults, a short story writer, and a poetess, Neera Kashyap is quiet in her telling of daily complexities, bewilderment, frailties and failures of ordinary people within the microcosm she creates within each story in this volume. Yet her engagement with portrayals of failed relationships, a variety of awakened regrets, aroused fears, and hopes, of faith and the lack of it, and of the small yet not undramatic personal transformations within her characters, their healing, is vigorous. Light touches and restraint in her language co-exist with the potency of her querying and divulgences.
Faith: listening to the wind, the wind of your soul
The first story in the collection, “Narratives that Live,” which uses faith—both in the divine and humanity—as an anchor against despair and hopelessness in life, sets the tone for the volume. It explores a lonely widow’s desire to seek an eternal connection that transcends human bonds by cultivating love and devotion to Lord Krishna through a guided tour of the temples in Vishnupur. The story whispers her need for human connection and physical intimacy, ever so slightly. By using the idea of a tour as a metaphor for life, it questions whether a balance between the physical and the spiritual is achievable, whether the notion of balancing the whirlwind is all that improbable.
“Healing the Improbable” is another story of affirming bonds. It tells the poignant story of the bond between two grieving mothers, Kartar Kaur and Bibi Baljit, whose sons have disappeared without a trace amidst the insurgency in their state. While their families offer sympathy, the overwhelming loneliness, deep fears, and exhausting wait for answers—along with their emotional turmoil and catastrophic pain—are burdens that these mothers bear alone. When one mother finds closure, will she be able to guide her friend towards acceptance and healing? The story poses the question: Can human connections help break the silence, absence, and despair that weigh so heavily on them?
Continuing with the theme of faith, “Supplication” makes visible the agony of a woman who prays to invisible female saints of Hazrat Nizammudin—in a cell that is eight hundred years old—for her health and that of her unborn child, and the peace that descends as strangers show her unexpected kindness that kindles her hope for welfare.
“Leave, Gentle Spirit” explores the phenomenon of possession of a person by spirits from the sceptical perspective of a Western woman. Will her faith prevail over her rationality? Will she open herself to the experience or choose to resist it? The story, despite its understated prose, effectively maintains tension throughout, and has answers for those willing to find it in its lines.
The cracked vase lasts
“Tending Tender Things,” “A Woodpecker Hammers at my Throat,” “Cracks in the Wall,” and “Offerings” are stories that deliver their messages with blunt force. Although the blows they hand out are muffled, their messages are still audible within this low-key volume. These tales expose how violence can manifest in people’s lives, hidden beneath a surface of tranquillity and love. One story portrays how a young child suffers abuse from his father due to his drug addiction. There is also a tale of a wife who endures physical, emotional, and psychological abuse for excelling in her job as a counsellor. Another narrative focuses on a woman who faces brutality from her husband, stemming from his frustration over failed land deals. Additionally, a man struggles with losing his identity, and existence in a city because of his ethnicity. His wife, in turn, deals with chronic anxiety resulting from this upheaval. These narratives illustrate the struggles of men and women who feel misunderstood, living lives that often resemble mere survival rather than genuine fulfilment. In “As Quiet as a Feather Falling,” faith in life and its goodness falters in other ways. A man is unable to assist his ailing mother due to the need to earn a living.
All of these stories can be frightening, even in their restraint. However, readers are not left in despair, even when resolutions are not neatly tied up. Instead, the stories convey a sense of hope, the possibility of healing is often expressed subtly (not simplistically) through the idea of community support, where individuals come together to assist and uplift one another. The last story in this collection, “Mother of All Beings,” serves as a reminder to readers about the importance of living in harmony with the community, the ecosystem, and the divine, as all beings are part of a larger, dynamic web of relationships. Various pieces: a stage enactment of the powers of Bon Bibi, the mother of all beings, the merciful and also belligerent protector of all things in the forest, the travails of honey gatherers, and fatal attacks by tigers come together to make this point.
We are the ones we have been waiting for
Stories of resilience of the human spirit, its defiance against the messiness, the unreasonableness of life are next.
“Faske-Nikah”, a type of divorce in Islamic law where a woman seeks divorce through a court or a religious leader when her husband refuses to grant it, is a tale of a woman who fights against her husband for her dream to be a doctor, and his family who refuse permission to study.
“Half-Life” explores Leena’s lonely yet courageous struggle for sanity as she confronts her terrifying dreams of tsunamis, symbolically riding through the fears that haunt her. Ultimately, she emerges from her half-life to rebuild her career and reconnect with her friends. Similarly, “Not by the Gun” highlights a mother’s resolute determination to prevent well-intentioned yet violent Maoists from enlisting her son. She boldly defies both the Maoists and her husband to enrol her son in a school run by a man committed to providing a different path for children in their area, despite the school being unfunded.
“Memory Shafts” tenderly follows an eccentric woman on her quest to earn a doctorate on King Ashoka. Her neglected daughters perceive her approach as outdated, but the story reveals her brave transformation in methods and perspectives, as she dares to see Ashoka for who he truly was, and speak of it.
In “Out on a Limb,” the author plots the journey of a woman seeking something essential yet indefinable, despite having a seemingly perfect family with a husband, in-laws, and children. In a similar vein, “Where Love is No Driver” chronicles Ghanshyam’s journey from poverty and illiteracy in Chandausi to becoming an entrepreneur. However, his professional achievements fail to translate into personal fulfilment. Does it lead to an acceptance on his part or to a resurgence of his struggles?
Conversely, “Dual Awakenings” provides a refreshing perspective on finding meaning in life’s complex questions through subtle, guiding experiences rather than direct, obvious answers. In this narrative, the protagonist discovers resolution for her infertility and addresses her anguish through the figure of the goddess Hariti, who is believed to have devoured children in Rajagraha to satisfy her hunger.
Nothing is worth diminishing your health
Given the author’s background in health, the stories related to this topic are perhaps inevitable.
“Of Doctors and Doctors” differentiates between quacks and qualified medical professionals, contrasting unproven, ineffective, and even dangerous treatments with those grounded in scientific principles. This narrative follows a doctor who monitors a quack, expressing his frustration, and helplessness in the face of such misleading practices.
“Blood, Sweat and Tears” provides a harrowing account of poor sanitation practices, and menstrual hygiene in slums, highlighting the absence of safe spaces for women, and uncovering some uncomfortable social truths as it unfolds.
“The Presence” is an engaging story about how individuals with diverse minds and abilities overcome their limitations through a combination of medical treatments, and the kindness of a deceased sage, Palaniswamy, at a temple in the Palani hills. This narrative alludes faith healing is possible, as faith can be as powerful as it is transformative.
When instinct and intellect are balanced equally
“When Experience is Key,” “Glimpses of Light,” “Quiet Birds in Circled Light,” and “The Silent Tree” are poignant narratives that explore the disintegration of the mind. They raise crucial questions: Who defines sanity? Who determines normalcy? A wanderer from abroad, who explores both the sacred and the mundane, develops his own understanding of truth. Similarly, a mother disrupts her home and her child’s life with her unconventional behaviour, as her auditory hallucinations feel real to her. A deeply troubled woman and her equally unhappy neighbour, who is suffering abuse at the hands of her husband, find solace in caring for an injured parrot. Is this madness or a glimmer of hope? Additionally, a young boy struggles to cope with his mother’s obsessive behaviours following his father’s death. He seeks balance in his life amidst the losses he has faced, finding comfort in plasticine and the support of a teacher who empathises with his trauma. Stupid or plausible route to sanity?
Another reviewer says…
As Githa Hariharan says of the collection, “In language both precise and poetic, Neera Kashyap’s stories are fine etchings of the visible and secret lives of people, places and events.” It is definitely a book for those who are searching for this!
Cracks in the Wall is available on Amazon.
Neera Kashyap has worked in newspaper and developmental journalism, specialising in social and health communications. Her early literary writings were dedicated to stories for children and a book for young adults. Later, her poetry, short fiction, essays and book reviews appeared in various Indian and international literary journals and anthologies of both poetry and short fiction. Cracks in the Wall (2025), her debut collection of short stories for adults, is drawn from a decade of writing. Another debut collection of poems, The Art of Unboxing (2025), has also been recently published by Red River Press. She lives with her family in Delhi and has loved the solitude of the hills where she lived seasonally for many years.
Chitra Gopalakrishnan, a writer based in New Delhi, uses her writing to break firewalls between nonfiction and fiction and marginalia and manuscript.
Website: www.chitragopalakrishnan.com
