1. SUGAR N’ SPICE AND EVERYTHING NICE-TALES FROM NEERADHA’S KITCHEN
This is a recipe book dedicated to my mother’s simple, easy-to-cook recipes. It’s a book with a difference: each page features a brief imaginary story about a family member. The spark to write came from this little gem of a book, assembled by my sister Sandhya and me. It was meant to be a 70th birthday surprise for my mother, Neeradha, but she was too sharp. As the detective alpha mom, she sensed something was up when my sister suddenly started writing down her recipes. “You were always too busy to cook, so why this sudden interest in recipes?” Yes, you guessed right—she uncovered the truth and was very pleased with our effort. Her strong will showed again in my story ‘The Spirit of Amma’ in my book *More Than 8 and Other Stories*.
My mother was always ‘the hostess with the mostest’, rustling up simple, creative dishes that were her signature style. The painting on the cover was done by the artist in our family, my younger daughter, Shilpitha and still proudly adorns my kitchen.
2.LOOK, THERE ARE VOWELS IN MY WORDS
A simple children’s book designed to promote reading habits among students in government schools. Our family trust, Ramdev Kunjur Trust, provides free copies for library collections. The book is divided into chapters by vowel. Within each chapter, I have created extensive lists of rhyming words with the vowel in the centre. Through consistent reading, repetition, and writing words based on vowel recognition, I have observed that children learn to read more quickly.
Please contact me at ‘creativityunlimited forever@gmail.com’ if you would like to use these books free of charge at any low-income family schools.
3.RELATIONSHIP RAGAS
An anthology of short stories that portray a spectrum of unique situations. The book takes the reader on a mesmerizing journey. From the dusty by-lanes of bazaars to the plush boardrooms of corporate India. From dense forests that hold terrifying secrets to rain-soaked vistas that uplift the soul. An eclectic medley of bonds, friendships, and attendant pangs of separation.
The Writers’ Collective is a diverse group of writers. Some are experienced, some are award winners, and some are newly minted authors exploring the craft. Told through twenty-three voices, unfettered by customary norms, the stories explore themes of anguish, healing, and spiritual journeys; humour in unlikely settings and situations; social justice and deadly revenge; fanciful flights to the future and painful remembrances; life’s choices rued and new beginnings. “Relationship Ragas” is as fresh as it gets.
My story, ‘Before Today,’ takes the reader into the cruel world of corporate families, where money, dynasty, and patriarchy rule, and the cost is heartbreak. Is Roopa Thakurdesai a victim, heroine, or villainess? Read the story — you will never guess the ending!
4. 1 MORE THAN EIGHT AND OTHER STORIES -EXPLORING NAVARASA-THE NINE EMOTIONS
Dive into a gripping anthology of short stories that explores ‘being human’.
From past life regression, poltergeists, aliens, and same-gender love to incest, treachery, and the ‘Great Indian Carnival’, these tales blend fiction with powerful realities.
The author, a psychologist, peels back the layers of seemingly ordinary lives that twist into the extraordinary, challenging your sense of what’s real.
Filled with soulfulness, passion, and the pursuit of justice, the ‘Navarasa’ comes alive —Love, Sadness, Wonder, Disgust, Fear, Humour, Heroism, Anger, and Calmness of Mind.
- A blood-soaked cloth, a note: ‘One more than eight’ …the nightmare begins.
- Trapped in a wheelchair, Angela chooses fear or …love?
- Murder…concealed by a mask of lies.
- A bride escapes…her family bears the cost.
- A policeman’s small act… a family’s life unravels.
These and other tangled plots stay with you as you cry, laugh, wonder, and face truths often kept hidden. Journey through One More than Eight, and other Stories… a title with more than one meaning.
5.RAGAS IN INK
What happens when you bring an AI to release? Or rise to grasp destiny? Or manifest parallel universes? Or how about time travel? Forbidden love? Theft in a posh club?
But wait. Steep yourself in commonplace lives and relationships and see them play out amid familiar events in unexpected twists. From the historical aftermaths of Partition, the Great Game, or terrorism, to personal crises— dealing with the deaths of loved ones, keeping up social appearances, the pitfalls of digital influence, and more.
Ragas in Ink is the second offering from a band of storytellers who came together for their successful first anthology of short stories, Relationship Ragas (2023). Now, 24 clear voices have woven a new harmony, exploring fresh themes, genres, and styles.
My story ‘A Dreamweaver’s Palette’ takes you on a journey into dreamscapes, haunting paintings, past-life regression therapy, and a black silhouette who keeps appearing in the heroine, Imara’s life. Who is Imara, and the man who appears in her dreams? Read the story and find out!
This collection is a mood-jumping treasure—edgy suspense or startling endings; traditional or modern love; rib-tickling or sly humour. Take your pick!
