Bunglay Ki Baoli By Ali Akbar Natiq Book Corner, Jhelum ISBN: 978-969-662-667-1 224pp.

Lush fields, canals full of water and girls washing clothes on their banks, bullock carts ploughing the land, the chirping of birds, elders sitting on charpoys under the thick shady trees, smoking hookahs and chatting. Men and women, barefoot in the fields, bending down and harvesting crops, their sweat mixing with water.

Children playing in the streets, the suffocating humidity of the monsoon season, the sudden rainfall, the taste of cool lassi, salty butter and saag, the aroma of millet and corn bread and, above all, the open sky over a spacious courtyard.

Under this same open sky lies Bunglay Ki Baoli [The Bungalow’s Stepwell], a collection of stories by Ali Akbar Natiq. It feels as if all these scenes have come out of the pages of the book and come to life, as if the whole village itself has become a story. A ‘baoli’ is a traditional stepwell found in South Asia. In literature, it often symbolises depth, memory, mystery and stillness, making it a rich and meaningful metaphor.

After Qaim Deen and Shah Muhammad Ka Tanga [Shah Muhammad’s Horse-cart], Bunglay Ki Baoli is Natiq’s third collection of short stories, published recently by Book Corner in Jhelum. His first novel, Naulakhi Kothi [The Nine-Lakh Mansion], has been republished many times and has reached around 40 editions. Penguin has also published its English translation.

With memorable characters, vibrant landscapes........

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