Ek Raat Da Samunder (short story collection)

Jasbir Bhullar is a well-known storyteller. He arouses the reader’s curiosity with just the opening sentence of his short story. He proceeds then in a casual manner as if he is in search of a theme. Groping in the dark for a while, he happens to see light at the end of the tunnel. Henceforth he shows the reader what is taking place in the story, instead of taking recourse to narrative mode. This process of telling and showing makes such an impact on the mind of the reader that he finds himself drawn imperceptibly into a magical world. At the end of the narrative, both the writer and the reader find themselves in a kind of wonderland. Ek Raat Da Samunder, the short story collection, presents various aspects of human life in a fascinating manner. In the first short story, the sea assumes at one night the proportions of the Flood of Noah by inundating the islands of Andaman and Nicobar. The loss of his family was unbearable for Major Kulbir, shortly after his posting at such an unpredictable place. But one fine morning he becomes aware of the fact that an ending can, in the long run, bring about a new beginning. Similarly, in the story, “Jadon Kujh Nahin Hunda,” he highlights the point that true living can be experienced only when one is exposed to imminent danger. In some of his short stories, he delineates the joys and sorrows of children who are eager to find their dreams translated into reality. Overall, it is an important and enjoyable contribution to modern Punjabi literature.