The Jasmine Girl and Other Short Stories (In Tamil)

The book is a collection of five short stories, translated from English into Tamil. Dr. Shamenaz has created within the purvey of short stories, an individual insight and social relevance, with an aesthetic purview and psychological focus. In the story 'Jasmine Girl', she portrays a girl, separated from her parents due to the force of time and at present doing housework. She introduces as how the tender hearted lady of the house, takes efforts for the union of the girl with her parents. Not only in the house, but throughout the story, the readers get the fragrance of the jasmine. In the story of 'Paper Soap', she shows a young sales boy, self-confident, hardworking but refuses to accept money, out of compassion. In the third, a novella, she is at her heights capturing the present scenario of social media in the midst of rampant corruption. She effectively presents a righteous protagonist, an ordinary person, who fights alone courageously with truth as an one man army and triumphantly wins in his path of right is might. In the fourth story, she has highlights the practical difficulties and the psychological trauma faced by individuals in the process of demonetization. In addition to her efficient portrayal of social issues and miseries with a great consummate skill, she gives us a short story on tender and true love. During Covid-19 lockdown, she brings in the blooming love, in the background of music, song and a great sharing of mercy and compassion towards the suffering humanity. The writer delineates the theme and characters in such a way not merely adding to reality but negotiating the space between literature and society.