Love in the era of confusion

This is an anthology of love spanning over a long period! It has been compiled and edited by Deveika Menon and published by Cypher Publishers. I have two special reasons to talk about it here. First Deveika is an ILite. In fact she was my co-moderator in the Good to Read Forum and left that position to pursue her interest in publishing activity. Secondly three of the stories in this Anthology have been written by our own Satchitananda!

Satchi, as she is fondly called by her close associates, of course appears as Swati Aiyer in this collection but the inimitably strong flavour of her narrative skill is found in every sentence! The first story 'Home is where the heart is' is all about how love reappears in an apparently incompatible couple, Ajit and Ashwini. Theirs is an arranged marriage and it takes just about a week of interaction for them to take the plunge. The moment the wedding is solemnised, all the incompatibilities between them gush out as if they were waiting for them to get married!

To add fuel to the fire, Ajit finds a net friend who seems to be the epitome of grace and all the desirable qualities that his wife lacked. I do not want to tell you the entire story but will leave it to your imagination how it will progress and end.

The second story is a touching one and the title 'Autumn Sunshine' is very suggestive. In fact, I, as a septuagenarian, can relate to the story very well. All I can tell you is that it is a story of an aged widow and a widower who were lovers in their youth who could not marry because of family reasons. The story has a logical end but what I admire most is the way Satchi has taken it to the end. There are some thoughts voiced by the aggrieved widower that make us think. "We might be old, but we still have our own emotional needs as well as our need for companionship. No one including our own children has a right to deny us our human needs.' says he and I said to myself 'Amen'!

The third story with the intriguing title of 'Pal in law' is a jolly reminiscence of youth by two friends. They virtually live through their college days and when it is time to go home, both of them de-link themselves from their past effortlessly and proceed to meet their family commitments with a cheery smile. The message is loud and clear here.

The sheer variety of Satchi's writing amazed me. This anthology is not a very pricey thing. It costs just as much as I would pay for my breakfast of Iddly, Vada, Pongal and Coffee in Sangeetha!