Myriad strands, shaded and shadowed, gathered from the little joys and sorrows of life have gone into the weave of The Warp and the Weft and other stories. The volume opens windows into the rich and diverse variety of life with a remarkable depth and sensitivity. The stories span the historical and cultural heterogeneity of the sprawling Indian subcontinent, from the southern coastal tip of Kerala, to the complex quagmire of inland metros. These horizontal shifts in locale are bolstered by a matching vertical insight into the vibrant cross-sections of society. Ably supported by a battery of sensuous images and powerful metaphors, the writer does not allow herself to be bogged down by a single narrative strategy generating rare vibrancy and potency in the tales. Each tale is different; each vehicle distinct.

The prize-winning story subtly highlights the staple constituent of all the stories: the tensions that beset ordinary human life and the quiet, clear eye which sees, records and gently critiques all, aspects which sublimate Sankranti’s work to a celebration of the complexities of human existence.