In the Convent of Little Flowers: stories by Indu Sundaresan

Sundaresan, Indu. In the convent of Little Flowers, New York : Atria Books, 2008.

This is a collection of short stories, depicting Westernised Indians, who are trying to come to terms with the rural traditions of their past.  In “Shelter of Rain” a young woman adopted out from an Indian orphanage and raised in Seattle by white American parents receives a letter from her biological aunt and recalls some of her early childhood. 

Other stories in this collection are more confronting.  In “Faithful Wife”, a young reporter leaves for the city, on hearing the village is planning to burn a 12 year-old child widow, honouring the age old tradition.

Other characters have difficulty in accepting the loss of tradition. In “The Most Unwanted,” Nathan a grandfather must learn to accept his illegitimate grandson, who is living with him in the same house.  He resents his grandson, for the mistakes of his daughter.

Indu Sundaresan was born and brought up in India, daughter of an Air Force Pilot.  Both her father and grand father were avid storytellers.  She is the author of four other books: The Twentieth wife, The feast of roses,  The splendor of silence and Shadow Princess.