The Missing Tile & Other Stories

Book excerpt: The Missing Tile and Other Stories is a collection of short stories and Saeed Ibrahim’s second book after the widely acclaimed family saga, Twin Tales from Kutcch. The fifteen stories in this collection are slice-of-life, character-based portraits reflecting on various aspects of human behaviour. Drawing us into the lives of ordinary people, their cares and concerns and their very human foibles and failings, these people-centric stories are sure to resonate with a large spectrum of readers, both young and old alike. Although the stories are set in India, the underlying themes are universal in their relevance. Some are light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek pieces on the quirks and idiosyncrasies in people’s behaviour, whilst others offer surprising insights into human nature’s compassionate and humane side. The tenor in the funny stories is entertaining and in the more serious ones connected with socially relevant issues; inspiring and thought-provoking. A notable feature is that the various stories in the collection celebrate India’s diversity, pluralism, and composite culture, which regrettably have been threatened in recent times. Danesh Bharucha’s imaginative sketches bring to life the characters in the stories and are skillfully adapted to suit the ambience and mood of these evocative tales.