Sachchidananda Hirananda Vastyayana ‘Agyeya’ (Ajneya) is an important poet and writer of the ‘adhunik kaal’ (modern period) of Hindi literature. He is regarded as the pioneer of ‘nayi kavita’ (new poetry) and ‘prayogavaad’ (experimentalism) and is also a key figure in literary criticism. He is the winner of the Jnanpith Award (1978) and the Sahitya Akademi Award for Hindi literature (1964). Although more famous for his poetry, essays and novels, he is also celebrated for his short stories. Through common people with everyday struggles as his characters, he is able to provide a critique of the economic, social and political disparities present in Indian society.

Meri Priya Kahaniyan (My Favourite Stories) is an anthology of 12 of his selected stories, where after 15 years of hiatus, he revisits his old writings as an exercise to reflect on questions of audience reception, truth and the position of a writer vis-à-vis the world he inhabits and the world that he creates. This includes some of his most famous stories like ‘Gangrene’, ‘Daroga Ameechand’, ‘Shanti Hansi Thi’, ‘Badla’, and ‘Chidiyaghar’. In his unique style, he challenges the audience to engage with these stories and re-evaluate them, considering the time that has passed since their first publication. The stories, handpicked by him for this anthology, provide an entry point into some of the central themes that define his writing which spans through several decades, presenting a vivid narrative of a world that is constantly changing, while asking the pertinent question: can literature stay relevant through changing times?

Please note: This audiobook is in Hindi.