Posted on April 5, 2016
The new issue of The Indian Quarterly is out, and I have a story in it. (As in, fiction.) Do check it out.
PS: A big shout-out to everyone who read early drafts and made suggestions.
PPS: It’s not online yet.
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Baradwaj Rangan 
olemisstarana
April 5, 2016
Congratulations!
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Anuja Chandramouli
April 5, 2016
Hearty congratulations BR!! Shine on!!!
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sanjana
April 5, 2016
Waiting to read. Congrats and best wishes.
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tonks
April 5, 2016
Congrats!
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Iswarya
April 5, 2016
Great news.. Congrats!
(Is Kishore out?)
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Srinivasa Yogananda Rao Netrakanti
April 5, 2016
From Chemical Engineering to Films; Films to Fiction. What type of ‘elements’ are included in your fiction? What are ’emotions’ added in your fiction? What a ‘complex’ product is going to be evolved from your mind?
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Srinivasa Yogananda Rao Netrakanti
April 5, 2016
From (Chemical Engineering)Forumlae to (Critic) Films ; From (Critic) Films to (Contemporary) Fiction(may I suppose). What is peculiar bonding with CF-CF-CF? I googled to find out this.http://www.colorhexa.com/cfcfcf Hoping your Fiction too be as colourful as the other two- your vocation and profession. Eager to read fiction
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Karthik
April 5, 2016
Congratulations! Look forward to reading it.
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
April 5, 2016
Anuja Chandramouli: Hope you don’t mind me asking. Are you the same one who authored ‘ARJUNA: Saga of a Pandava Warrior-Prince’?
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brangan
April 5, 2016
Thanks all.
Iswarya: Yes 🙂
Srinivasa Yogananda Rao Netrakanti: Wow, that is one involved comment 🙂
Honest Raj (formerly ‘V’enkatesh): Yup, it is here, and she’s written more:
http://www.new-asian-writing.com/naw-interview-with-anuja-chandramouli-2/
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
April 5, 2016
BR: Thanks. And congrats too. 🙂
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Gargi Mehra
April 6, 2016
Congratulations, from a fellow short-story writer! Hope to read it online soon!
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Sifter
April 6, 2016
Congratulations. Looking forward to read it.
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Karthik
April 7, 2016
Many congratulations, BR! Any estimate on how soon the digital version might be out? (I dont think I’ve refreshed sports websites this eagerly to check for updates)
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kalamurth
April 8, 2016
Who read the short story?
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Irfan Syed
April 11, 2016
Will check it out.
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Irfan Syed
April 13, 2016
OK, seeing your post, I bought the issue – was fervently looking for it and finally found it in Crossword – and read the story. I quite liked it; you have linked it a bit to films (not surprising), but have moved on from there. I especially liked a couple of end sentences in a couple of places, and liked the accompanying visual. It’s the cover visual, so it makes sure your story gets noticed.
Just curious about one thing though: would the rest of the folk here who know you for your film writing and you to be witty and sarcastic be a little “disappointed” in this melancholy, what-if, end-of-romance story? Or are they happy to discover a new side to you, also evident in the other columns you write in Hindu?
Others, your take?
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brangan
April 14, 2016
Irfan Syed: Thanks for rushing out and buying the issue 🙂
About reactions, I do feel there aren’t going to be many. Not because of the length of the piece. The Vikram profile was a monster, but quite a few people read it. But I guess most people come here for film-related posts.
Most of my non-film pieces haven’t got as much feedback, say this story about malnutrition deaths in Kerala.
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lakshmi
August 13, 2016
It’s online.
Unlike the usual bite-sized pieces this is a lip-smacking long read! BhagiRathi 🙂
http://indianquarterly.com/the-call/
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lakshmi
September 2, 2016
“They had built a bridge across years of silence by getting straight to the point.” – Loved this line.
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Madhu
September 2, 2016
I like your Madhabi, BR, I can totally relate to her 🙂
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brangan
September 2, 2016
Madhu: Haha. Thanks. I felt I needed at least one practical character in the midst of all the mooning around.
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Madhu
September 2, 2016
Ha ha, yes, totally. But, I wouldn’t call it mooning around. I thought it was the regret over that perfect tea in that perfect cup, which was unfortunately dropped on the carpet. All that remained now was the broken shards and that ugly stain, along with the memory of that perfect sip. Bhagirathi seemed to have finally realized that you can always make another cup of perfect tea and can get the carpet dry cleaned.
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Madhu
September 2, 2016
BTW, This is probably the first time that I have seen a male write about the possible runs of a ‘heroine’. Usually,
Or, even it is a woman, it would either be the dour-faced secondary character or the side-kick who gets it, for the comical value of it.
Disclaimer: I am talking about written content – online or otherwise that I have read, which is definitely not exhaustive of all content out there.
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Madan
September 2, 2016
SPOILER* Wonderful read. Hope to read more of your stories. It evoked O Henry in the sense that it was witty and a lot of fun to read while it lasted but it ultimately ends on a tragic note.
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Srinivas R
September 2, 2016
You should write more fiction, loved this.
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blurb
September 2, 2016
lakshmi Thank you!
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tonks
September 3, 2016
Loved this, not many writers have the ability to make you feel for the characters, to make them believable. This story did. I wish you’d write more fiction, too
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Drunken Monkey
September 25, 2016
Hey Rangan,
This is one brilliant coming-of-age piece. What is that narrative structure!? Back and forth but progressive in time. In theory, that’s like complex shit for a simple reader to comprehend. But why does it work beautifully here? Can’t imagine this story told in any other way now.
I can understand a movie doing it. Because we see faces there, they age, the period progression can save us from getting confused. But with just words? That too, each word here is just taking the story ahead. Loved it.
P.S: Shared it with a friend who swears by ‘The lottery’ (Shirley Jackson) as the best short ever written. She didn’t change her mind. Nor was I expecting her to. But she ended up reading ‘A month without Mary’, ‘The girl who smelled..’ & ‘To my left,..’.
Also, she said, “Bugger! Am jealous of you.” ;p
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