Not everyone has time for a novel, but almost everyone has twenty minutes on a train, in a queue or before sleep. That is exactly what a good Hindi short story is for. The Poetic Land has more than twenty Hindi short stories, and this list picks ten you can finish in one sitting. They travel from an old tailor whose eyes can no longer find the end of the thread to the 7:52 slow local from Borivali, from the last night of a small-town cinema hall to a call-centre headset at midnight, from a family house being sold to the rain in Suva, Fiji. There are stories about marriages in Kanpur, the last train from Kalka, a child's torn notebook page and a thief who walks in one night. Most are by today's writers and full of small, real details. Each pick has its opening line in Hindi and a short English note. Every title opens the full story, free to read, so pick one and start.
1बीस सुइयाँ (Twenty Needles)
by Gulnaz Shervani Hindi Short Story
रहमत अली की आँखें अब धागे का सिरा नहीं देखतीं।
An old tailor whose eyes can no longer find the eye of the needle, and the love that helps him.
2खिड़की वाली सीट (The Window Seat)
by Aaditya Shirsekar Hindi Short Story
बोरीवली से चर्चगेट की सात बावन वाली स्लो लोकल में खिड़की की सीट जीतनी पड़ती है।
A seat on the 7:52 slow local from Borivali, and a quiet story about memory and loss.
3आख़िरी शो (The Last Show)
by Ishanvi Chouksey Hindi Short Story
हमारे बेमेतरा की रजनी टॉकीज़ आज रात आख़िरी बार चलेगी।
The Rajni Talkies in Bemetara runs its last film tonight before it becomes a mall. Pure nostalgia.
4और कुछ, सर? (Anything Else, Sir?)
by Aaditya Shirsekar Hindi Short Story
रात के ग्यारह बजकर बावन मिनट पर स्क्रीन के कोने में हरा बटन जलता है और तुम्हारे कान में एक पतली-सी बीप बजती है।
11:52 at night, a headset, and a call-centre voice in a lonely city.
5अपना खाता (An Account of Her Own)
by Kavyanjali Mehrotra Hindi Short Story
अम्मा ने फ़ोन पर बस इतना कहा था, “घर बेच रहे हैं।
"We are selling the house. Come on Saturday." A family story about a mother and what is truly hers.
6इमली के नीचे की चिट्ठियाँ (Letters Under the Tamarind Tree)
by Kamini Lata Prasad Hindi Short Story
सुवा में बारिश बताकर नहीं आती। सुबह आसमान ऐसा नीला था जैसे किसी ने धोकर टाँग दिया हो, और ग्यारह बजते-बजते नाबुआ की हमारी गली में पानी टीन की छतों पर ढोलक बजाने लगा।
Rain in Suva, Fiji, and old family letters that cross oceans.
7अनुरोग (Anurog)
by Rohitashva Bhanot Hindi Short Story
कानपुर में शादियाँ दो जगह तय होती हैं — एक, जहाँ लड़का-लड़की एक-दूसरे को देखते हैं, और दूसरी, जहाँ कार्ड छपता है।
A funny, warm Kanpur story about weddings, families and love.
8कोठीधार (Kothidhar)
by Nilanjana Thapliyal Hindi Short Story
कालका से छूटने वाली आख़िरी गाड़ी में देवीदत्त को खिड़की वाली सीट मिल गई, और इसी बात पर वह मन ही मन ख़ुश हो लिया।
The last train from Kalka, a window seat and a mountain night that turns eerie.
9अँगूठा भी लगा दिया है (I've Put My Thumbprint Too)
by Sanchali Dahiya Hindi Short Story
सोमवार सुबह मेरी मेज़ पर एक काग़ज़ रखा था, किसी बच्चे की कॉपी से फाड़ा हुआ, किनारों पर अब भी स्प्रिंग के छेद, ऊपर कोने में एक कार्टून हाथी।
A note torn from a child's notebook lands on a desk one Monday morning, A short, sharp story about mothers and work.
10एक चोर (A Thief)
by Naman Bindal Hindi Short Story
एक रात, जब मैं गहरी नींद में सो रहा था, एक चोर मेरे घर के अंदर घुस आया।
A thief walks into a house at night and heads straight for the fridge. Short and surprising.
Keep reading
Want more? Browse all Hindi short stories on The Poetic Land, or see all our TPL Articles reading lists.
Did we miss your favourite? Tell us in the comments. If you write in Hindi too, we would love to read your work: submit your writing to The Poetic Land. It is free, and every writer is welcome.
