Ladders Against the Sky by Murli Melwani
A Review by Kusum Choppra The title of Murli Melwani’s collection of short stories should have been “Against Many Skies.” More than half the stories crisscross India and her myriad cultures; the rest follow the ancestral trading trails beyond India’s borders trod by the hoary ancestors of a unique community, the Sindhis. I was so impressed by the perspectives the stories present that I could not help but make brief comparisons of today’s reality with the layers of literary pastry, appealling to different sensibilities, across numerous boundaries into the hearts of many readers. “ A Bar Girl.” A touching story woven around the life styles that both Amar Badlani and Rak have chosen, that prevent them from stopping and evaluating their lives or asking where there are heading. For me the significant event was Amar heading for Rak’s village, where it came home to ...