Afsar’s deceptively simple stories negotiate complexities of urban and mofussil life in Andhra, Telangana, and Hindu–Muslim interactions amidst rising religious fanaticism, to bring out the human element in people regardless of their faith, language, culture, caste and gender.
The eleven stories in this volume portray the everyday challenges confronting Indian Muslims today. The title story, ‘Sahil Will Come’, is a realistic portrayal of our uncertain times when anyone can be branded a terrorist and vanish overnight. Others tell of the loved and revered teacher who is reduced to penury by religious fanaticism; how religion separates two inseparable little girls who refuse to distinguish between each other’s gods; and a couple’s conflict, where the wife seeks security among people of her own faith and the husband questions such ‘security’ and seclusion.
Afsar also gives voice to the artist who hopes to rekindle a friendship with his estranged wife; the boy who leaves home to find work and returns only to find that his small nomadic family has moved on without him; the Madiga who shares a bond of affection and trust with a Muslim, despite social censure; the small-town Indian girl struggling to find herself in big-city America. He gives us windows into their battles with questions of identity, love and belonging, in a universe where the agency of ordinary people is forever receding.
Alladi Uma and M. Sridhar bring to life Afsar’s fictional worlds with as much fidelity to his craft as a nuanced understanding of his pluralistic worldview. This volume is a must-read for everyone unfamiliar with the lyrical and universal humanism of Afsar—an evocative, powerful and global voice among Indian writers today.