Jehangir House and Other Stories

Jahangir House and Other Stories is a collection of 18 stories published in various magazines and digital platforms. The protagonists of these stories are usually Muslim women from a typically Muslim middle-class milieu. Five stories viz. Jehangir House Marigold House Requiem for Mehboob Manzil My Grandfather’s House and Farewell Aunt Husna are elegiac in mood reminiscence of a life gone away symbolised by these houses. In Sunset and Twilight the protagonist comes to terms with the terminal illness of their loved ones. Destiny Cherished and The Fallen Idol are stories of betrayal. The New Horizon portrays a widow’s struggle to fulfil her husband’s dream for their son. The Healing The Anniversary and A Different Sky are heart-touching romances. Renunciation and Repentance depict strong emotions. Post Office clerk Becomes a Guava is a humorous take on Kiran Desai’s novel Hullabaloo in a Guava Orchard. Humera Ahmed’s short stories have been published in various magazines and digital platforms. A collection of her short stories titled Checkmate and Other Stories was published in 1994 by Writers Workshop. An avid traveller and photographer she contributed travel articles to various magazines. A travel memoir titled A Year in Himachal – Memories of an Incredible State describing her experiences during her tenure as Chief Postmaster General of Himachal Pradesh was published in 2016. She ran an e-magazine EhsasforWomen the core objective of which was empowering women from the underprivileged sections of society by creating awareness and providing a platform for highlighting their success stories. During the pandemic her novel The Role Model was published In her short stories and novel she portrays strong and high-spirited women in a predominantly Muslim middle-class milieu who carve a niche for themselves.