Ranjitha Ashok’s ‘Half a Kilo Mixture’ features memories turned into short stories

The Chennai-based author has dedicated her book to the late S Muthiah, the chronicler of Madras

Ranjitha Ashok

Memories of childhood, family relationships and village life come together in Ranjitha Ashok’s book, Half a Kilo Mixture . This collection of 15 short stories is inspired by the Chennai-based author’s observation of people around her. “It could be incidents in my family, happenings in the society or something as small as a passing expression on someone’s face,” Ranjitha says. “Many of the incidents have stayed in my mind for years.”

The book took Ranjitha three years to put together. “I had written many of these stories years ago. They were saved on my computer. After I got the idea of compiling them into a book, I tweaked them to make them more relevant to the present times. I also wrote new ones for the book.”

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The freelance writer says,“I have wanted to be a writer since I was a child. I realised my love for humour while in college and have concentrated on it since then.” From 1994, she says she worked with the late S Muthiah, the popular historian of Chennai, on book projects and the magazine,

Madras Musings . “I have dedicated this book to him. He is the first person who read the draft of Half a Kilo Mixture ,” she says.

Ranjitha is now working on a few more short stories. “It is all in a very primitive stage,” she says, adding, “I am also very curious to know how it will turn out.”