Publication Date: 01st July 2025
Genre: Short Story Anthology, Food
2.5 Stars
One Liner: Sadly, nope!
This is a collection of stories that explore food in
various forms. It combines stories from Indian history, real, mythological, and
fictional, where food plays a role in the plot. Some stories are set in the
contemporary period.
My Thoughts:
Annapurna is the Goddess of Food and Nourishment, an
avatar of Goddess Parvati (Shiva’s consort). We have a shloka we recite
thanking Annapurna for providing us with food before the start of every meal.
With food and Indian stories mentioned in the blurb,
I knew I had to read this collection. The blurb ends with the sentence, ‘Expertly
blending ancient and modern, mystic and mundane, East and West, these
delectable tales will banish negativity, to entertain and inspire in equal
measure.’
Well, how can I resist something that banishes
negativity and promises to entertain? I should have resisted!
The title is Hindu, the tagline says Indian Food:
Legends Retold. However, the book leans heavily towards the invaders. Why have
so many invaders when there are enough legends about food in Hinduism? And for
stories that have Hindu characters, it’s all about giving free gyan. A typical
colonial framework, and I’m sick of it.
The book starts with an author’s note about the
inspiration and theme for the book. Even that didn’t prepare me for the
contents.
As I prefer to do with anthologies, I rated each
story after reading it and edited it at the end for typos. This collection has
ten stories, each followed by a vegetarian recipe mentioned in it. Of course, I
won’t disclose the names of the recipes shared.
I like that each story starts with the character
list.
Land of Milk and Sugar – 3.5 Stars
This is about the Zoroastrians who fled to India
when their country was invaded by the Arabs. If you know this story, you would
have guessed the central plot based on the title. Here, it has a proper arc and
a storyteller sharing the details with the reader. While the story is
emotional, the narrative style could have been stronger.
Parvati Bai and the Bandits – 3 Stars
What does Parvati Bai do when she hears the news of
the fearsome bandits attacking her village? This is a story of ‘thinking
outside the box’ that also touches a bit upon human emotions. I wish it were a
wee bit longer.
The Emperor Who Loved Mangoes – 2.5
Stars
As you can guess, this story is about Akbar and
Birbal. I enjoyed many of these tales as comics, TV shows, etc., so I knew what
to expect. However, the narration was disappointing. I just didn’t feel the
vibe. The dialogue felt mechanical and bland.
If you want a lighthearted version of Akbar and
Birbal, see if you can find the episodes of Har Mushkil Ka Hal Akbar Birbal, which aired on Big Magic a few years ago.
Three Grains of Mustard – 3.5 Stars
This is the story of a mother’s grief. A different
version of the story was used in a Telugu movie, so I figured out the plot
soon. Once again, the narration feels surface-level for what could have been an
intense story. Still, it manages to stir some emotions in the reader.
Annapurna’s Soup Kitchen – 1.5 Stars
Oh, boy! This should have been my favorite story in
the book, but the result was the opposite. This is one about Parvati and her
avatar, Annapurna. It is presented as a story-in-story, something a mother reads
to her child. Now, would a children’s story (not even MG) mention lovemaking,
even if it is between gods? I don’t think so.
Moreover, the Kichadi mentioned here is a modern
version. Kichadi is a satvik dish, meaning it doesn’t have onion and garlic. It
is also a softer dish, comfort food cooked when someone is ill or recovering.
You don’t dump a whole lot of spices into it. The idea of Kichadi is to feed a
person something substantial but easy to digest.
Interlude
Not rating this as it provides some snippets about
the word ‘curry’ and such, some of which are taken from Wikipedia. *eye roll*
Do the Right Thing – 2.5 Stars
A typical story about a caste and a Sikh guru
enlightening a Hindu about being a good human, yada yada. Something the West
will love. I’d have liked it better if there had been some nuance or proper
character development instead of a bland recital.
The Fisherman and the Sorceress – 2.5
Stars
What happens when an unlucky fisherman gets help
from a woman performing black magic to turn the tide for the better? NGL, this
one had a heck of a premise and could have been so darn atmospheric. But,
sadly, it is not. I’m not sure why the focus shifted from the main character to
a side character.
Chef William and Captain Tyrant – 2
Stars
Well, based on the title, you can guess it is about
the British Colonizers in India. The beginning was quite interesting. But when
it ended, I couldn’t figure out what the story’s purpose or intent was. What
was I supposed to take from it?
The Cries of Animals – 2 Stars
This story features Krishna and his cousin, someone
I haven’t read about until now. I do know about the famous Ambalappuzha Sree
Krishna Temple, where paal payasam is offered as prasad to Krishna. Though I’m
not from Kerala, I know that in the South, we don’t use Basmati rice for
prasadam. We use locally-grown rice (each state has its own type of rice, some
have more than one).
The Travels of Sanbusak – 2 Stars
This doesn’t even seem like an Indian story. The
author’s note at the end says it’s a fictional piece. Maybe they should have
kept it for another book. I zoned out a few times despite all the drama in the
plot. Go figure!
To summarize, Annapurna's Bounty, while providing
some interesting recipes, doesn’t meet expectations. The book (recipes)
might appeal to the target audience, though the dry narrative style doesn’t do
the stories any favor.
Thank you, NetGalley and Dundurn Press, for the
eARC.
#NetGalley #AnnapurnasBounty
