A lot of human life is spent in anticipation. We either wait to act on what we want, or react to what’s in front of us. Which is why Nighat Gandhi’s Waiting is aptly named — the characters all seem to be awaiting something. Waiting for the other shoe to drop; waiting for their lives to change; or simply waiting to be heard.

A collection of 13 short stories, Gandhi’s fourth work of fiction, published by Zubaan, does not revolve around a central event or place; instead, the characters could be anyone we see walking down the street, anywhere in the world, even outside India, Pakistan and Bangladesh (the author’s preferred settings for her previous works, including Ghalib at Dusk and Alternative Realities ).

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Waiting: A collection of short storiesNighat GandhiZubaanFiction₹425

 

In her own words, Gandhi describes the book as a window to the private worlds of women — and one man — which are in a state of limbo, waiting to be somehow disrupted.

The one thing they have in common is that all the major, life-altering events have already come and gone — be it migration, motherhood, retirement or trauma — and the stories pick up from there. And this is what makes Waiting different from other slice-of-life books. The aftermath is at the centre of attention here, not confined to a few paragraphs in an epilogue.

For instance, in the first story Lingerie , the protagonist, a new mother (whose name is neither brought up, nor deemed necessary), feels a lack of desire for her husband. Going through therapy in the US, where it is okay to admit you need help, she is posed questions she either doesn’t want to answer, or doesn’t want asked because of her past.

While processing all these emotions, with a toddler to raise, she must brace for the next big change — packing up and moving halfway across the world.

Then there is A Stitch in Time , where Amrita, also in the US, must deal with the passing of an old friend, which she chooses to do by projecting unexplained anger onto her father-in-law. By her side is her best friend, who does not quite understand Amrita’s grief, but tries to be there anyway.

Both Amrita and the protagonist in Lingerie are not necessarily women going through major tragedies, but they are indeed good examples to show how even when people seem to be doing well on the surface, inner turmoil — described in Lingerie as “unattainable perfection receding...like a vanishing dream upon waking” — very much exists, and has the ability to take over lives completely.

Closer home, Gandhi focuses on tales of religion and spirituality, and what they mean to people at different stages of life.

For retired armyman Sharma in Sharmaji’s shoes , the sole male protagonist in this collection, spiritual awakening was supposed to bring him closer to attaining peace, something he had lost when he became a widower with two young children.

However, an incident at his annual retreat leaves a sour taste in his mouth. Coupled with the sudden departure of his second wife, Sharma’s world becomes emptier, leaving him lonely, restless, and as far from peace as can be.

Whereas, for the young schoolgirl (again, names are irrelevant here) in Shaming, Shaving , religion comes with a set of demands. Only the ‘pure’ can enjoy the full benefits, whatever they may be, of prayer and God.

Coming to terms with becoming a woman, she must solve the conflict between her reality and what has been taught by her mother. And discussing her thoughts and feelings is not an option, because the “sort of intimacy that comfortably accommodates such questions has never been there between mother and daughter”. Years later, the walls between them are still up, but at least the confines of religious tenets have been set aside.

The story that stayed the most with me, though, was The Rapist’s Wife . In a conversation between two women linked by one man and one incident that changed their lives, they must decide whether they can make it better or worse.

This is a relationship rarely explored, so the author deserves kudos. This is a story that demands emotional strength from the reader. But it is not about emotions.

As the rapist’s wife says, “It’s the story, our story that’s important.”

This is the biggest takeaway from Waiting . The stories aren’t perfect, they don’t begin or end in the ways we want, but then again, neither does life.

The wait doesn’t always end, sometimes it simply fades behind whatever next is thrown at you.

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