Short stories are more interesting and engaging in comparison to long texts due to multiple reasons. What makes them more appealing in comparison to the longer part of the prose format is the fact that authors blend fewer words with heavier emotions and meaningful passages. The short story collection book written by Lakshmi Palecanda has an amazing title, “On The Banks of The Cauvery.” The title seems like the author wants to portray the story which is about characters living on the banks of the Cauvery, but the book is a collection of short emotional stories that touch the readers’ hearts in no time and reach out to their senses in no time.
The author has made it very evident that emotions are real and let emotions be a part of normal life despite the world moving towards practicality by allowing all the characters to embrace their emotions. This makes the characters human, realistic, close to life, and promising in terms of containing the qualities that humans have. The short stories are about people from India, particularly from South India. Through the short stories in the book, Palecanda has brought vivid people that live in India performing a variety of activities while being in different places and professions.
The author in “On The Banks of Cauvery” has portrayed men and women that live complex and tough situations of life with hope in their hearts and strength in their minds. They exhibit the courage that it takes even to live the life of the ordinary. The characters are well-developed and portrayed wonderfully by the author. The cover of the book is designed well as per the title of the book. It leads people to different streams of thought and makes them ponder about what would be the subject content of the book. People of almost every caste, class, social status, and culture have been portrayed by the author in the book. By bringing them on the same platform, she gives the message of the universal nature of human life, feelings, qualities, and the similarity of circumstances.
“Senseless Sacrifices” is one story that is genuinely inspiring and worthy to be read is about a character named Tulasi, who was married at the age of twelve and widowed at the age of sixteen. But she does not give up on life and lives gracefully. All the characters in each story have been written in an even manner which showcases how in real life, the nature and the personality of the person are mostly similar in all the situations. The characters in the short stories, many of them inspired by the changing mental states associated with various situations and environments, convey a range of emotions. They also teach the readers to live free of worry despite odd circumstances that feature challenges and hardships.
All the stories written by the author Lakshmi Palecanda in “On The Banks of Cauvery” are relevant now and will be relevant even in the future as the author has written stories in a very relatable and modern manner. While they bear the impressions of the present time, the fact that they address the universal question of human beings and their emotions ensures that the book is read even by the later generations and understood at the same level. Every scene is written very carefully in a manner that does not get too exhausting at any point and can be seen with the naked eye, but the author’s words and language will help the reader understand the suffering, joy, and all the other emotions that are being felt by the characters easily.
Every time, one has the option to accept bad things or good things, engage in bad deeds or good ones, overcome obstacles or give up. And many times, people give up. But through these short stories, the author has tried to inspire people and has sent a very strong message that situations should not overpower anyone rather, everyone can face them bravely with the right attitude. While the stories appeal to the readers for their emotional sensibility and infusion of powerful incidents, they also remain powerful in developing their attitude and fighting through tough situations without giving up. In today’s time, when people are under a lot of pressure, whether due to personal or professional life, “On the Banks of Cauvery” comes as a positive light.
The readers would enjoy reading each story as they would feel different emotions while reading the book. As such is, the writing style of the author mysterious yet simple. Each short story has something unique to reveal as they. All the short stories have wise life lessons as well, which would be relevant for people of almost all ages as it is something that would make life worth living. That makes “On the Banks of Cauvery” published by Astitva Prakashan a recommended reading.