Taxi Wallah and Other Stories

Taxiwallah and other stories is a collection of eleven short stories compiled into a thin volume. Numair Atif Choudhary writes about the commonest of people of Bangladesh, the underbelly of the society, people who are present everywhere in the world but on the periphery of our vision. The premises of all stories are starkly different from one another and yet similar in showing the class divide and the double standards of the world we live in. It has protagonists ranging from taxi drivers that show the attractive facades of the iconic buildings though they know what constitutes the real Dhaka is in stark contrast to it to a brick kiln worker risking his life so his family can eat.Though all these subjects could have been portrayed in a weepy way that evokes pity, the author does the exact opposite and writes in a practical tone, that evokes questions and discomfort. The imagery is stark and the author does little to euphemise the darkness in each of them and that is what worked for me. I absolutely loved reading this. It is a 'chhota packet bada dhamaka' book.

a fantastic collection of 11 short stories which must be read but this review is more about its late writer Numair Atif Choudhury than the collection itself. The introduction by another fellow Bangladeshi writer Nadeem Zaman is a brilliant opening into the world of Numair's writing, and the praise for Numair's first and only novel "Babu Bangladesh" makes you put that in your TBR even before you start with the stories.The 11 stories here portray the many Bangladeshes through the eyes of its various protagonists - whether it is a literal tour (portraying the gross inequalities and many different and contrasting worlds that make up a city) of Dhaka given to a foreign visitor by the eponymous character in "Taxi Wallah", or a very short monologue, a demand, a question from the society - whether answered or not remains to be seen - in "Asking Why", or the brutal decision that Abdul, a farmer has to take in order to pay his debts - that of donating (read selling) one of his eyes for a mere 5000 takas in "Different Eyes"Numair's Bangladesh (and not just that but humanity) is challenged in this collection. There are rays of hope in some stories, love in others but hard hitting injustice, hopelessness, pain in others - things one is aware about and yet not - and the reader can feel hopeless about the world we live in.Numair's writing is devastatingly sharp with elements of ugly and beautiful at the same time. The language is lucid but has the power to make you uncomfortable - by its sheer simplicity and depth. The shift between survival and heartbreak and survival and hope is very evident - makes you think. Please pick this short 2-3 hour read which definitely has the power to stay with you for a lot longer. And yes then let's pick "Babu Bangladesh" if you haven't already.

Heartbreaking, helpless and devastating. Here I am after reading this short story collection in this state.The stories are really short yet each story will make you question so many things about the society and the life we are living.There are eleven short stories which focuses on the most neglected parts of the society and the people who are struggling for their livelihood everyday.Some parts of the writing in each story get quite triggering yet you will know these scenarios are the parts of the real world we tend to ignore and move on with our lives. The stories focus much on the questionable nature of us being human; how we deal with the poor and the destitute; how we see women and treat them; how things have come to a level we do not feel anything when lives are taken and our souls getting sold for nothing.The writing is the highlight for me. It's intense. It's beautiful. It's thrilling and unique.Something different and something familiar yet something dark and something damaging. This collection is all that it is as these.

In this book the writer has written the short stories having different themes.One can read this book in single seating.

If I ever write a book, I would love my book to be like “Taxi Wallah and Other Stories” by Numair Atif Choudhury: A short and crisp one with ordinary stories making readers uncomfortable and reflect.Set in Bangladesh, Taxi Wallah and other stories is a collection of short stories. These are about what we see every day but are majorly based on the differences in society and how we overlook them. The stories are not polished or with elegant characters. These are about the people that most of us know exist, but we do not count them. These protagonists are striving with their internal struggles. They are trying to survive in a society that is just too inattentive of their existence.Numair's writing is very intentional and sharp. I do not think I will forget these stories, at least not any soon. I am not surenwith what aim Choudhury wrote these stories, but it is clear that one of his intentions was to show his readers a clear image of the world.Must read. I definitely recommend.If I have to summarise my understanding of this book, I would love to do that in Numair's words itself :"Everybody wants a victim today. Someone to release their inner demons on. It is difficult to care who or where you hit"