Contemporary Indian Short Stories in English, compiled by Shiv K. Kumar is a rich harvest of some of the finest short fiction in English from our country. The stories exhibit an astonishing range of themes and forms. As Raja Rao succinctly puts it “the tempo of Indian life is infused into English expression” in all these stories. Each story is representative of the style of its author, reflecting the climate, the topography, the warm Indian temperament, the rituals and the peculiarities, captured on an intricate mosaic. The richness and vibrancy of life in different parts of India come alive in these stories. The stories keep the reader riveted to their themes long after the reader has put down the book.