Thus we find that the writer has been able to cover vast areas of human activity with a sensitivity and sensibility that keeps the reader spell-bound as he proceeds from one story to another. Such insights into the minds, hearts and souls of men and women come only to a writer who observes life from close quarters and has an empathy with the diverse characters of this drama called life.

As for the style, it is pithy, economical, and mostly satirical suited most to the genre and form of mini-story. There are quite a few stories, however, in which poetry with wonderful metaphors, psychology with its deep and sharp understanding of the human mind, drama with surprise or abrupt ending make the stories quite interesting and thought provoking. I would like to name a few beginning with, The Nude (Nangee in Hindi). This a metaphorical story in which a wall refuses to enclose a chink and the shop laughs. Incidentally this story, along with 'Fee concession' has also been mentioned by Dr. Ashok Bhatia in his scholarly work on Mini-stories published by Haryana Granth Akademy. Similarly 'The Peeling' is also a story with symbol that will linger in your memory for a long time. I've also liked The Invincible Poet, Artist by Heart, Daughter, Egret, Bread First. The Beginning, An Empty Frame etc for diverse reasons but mainly due to their symbolical value and satirical treatment using the tools of irony and imagination too.

As I have said in the beginning, Sh. Harnam Sharma, who is a story-writer himself, has really done his job quite efficiently rendering even the most difficult portions and shades into a simple and lucid English using appropriate idiom and doing full justice to the original writings.

I hope the book will find favour with the avid readers of both English and Hindi literature enriching them with a life-time experience at the same time.

With best compliments to both Sh. Madhukant and Sh. Harnam Sharma for their best efforts.

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