The Fall - Translation in Defunct Magazine

Appadurai Muttulingamayya's beautiful story in my translation out now in Defunct magazine. This magazine, formerly an Iowa University's brain child, now comes out from the Long Island University's creative writing department. This is my second appearance in the magazine. Thank you editors!

Continue reading in Defunct...

SPOTLIGHT ON WRITERS – JEGADEESH KUMAR - Spill Words Interview

Spill words Press interviewed with some interesting questions. It was a good opportunity to ponder about my inner processes as writer.

It irritates me, especially in writing, when people only preach and do not practice. I take great care not to inflate my ego through my writing. Writing should be used to self-explore, not to paint large-scale fake depictions of your ugly self. When I find living writers who claim to be messiahs caught red handed in their dishonorable act, I cringe. I constantly check myself to see if I am able to reflect my true self in what I write or if I am attempting to elevate myself simply because I am endowed with the ability to mindlessly type innumerable letters on the keyboard.

Continue reading in Spillwords...

Rope Snake - A translation

Writer Jeyamohan's Tamil short story "Kayitraravu" has been published in Spillwords Press magazine as Rope Snake on March 22, 2023.

It was evening time in the month of May. In the enormous courtyard of the Nagercoil Club sat Captain Benny Anderson and Lieutenant Brian Potts in iron chairs on either side of the large, second-hand wrought iron table bought from the army and drank chilled beer in large glass mugs.

Continue reading in Spillwords...

A Primal Quality - Translation

My translation of the acclaimed writer Appadurai Muttulingam's short story A Primal Quality has been accepted for publication and is out now in Impspired, a UK-based magazine. A print version of the same story will be placed in its next print edition.

Thanks to the editor Steve Cawte for considering this piece and Appadurai Muttulingam ayya for granting me permission to translate the story.

Read the story in Impspired

Karma - Short Story in Impspired magazine

My story "Karma" has been accepted and out now in the Impspired magazine. This is my third straight story in English. Thank you editor Steve Cawte for considering this piece.

Impspired is a UK based print and online magazine. Their online issues come out monthly and the print version is released every two months. A print version of this story will appear in their issue 9.

Peter felt that there was something amiss in his lawnmower. Initially, it kept struggling for every ten feet and now it was difficult even to push the machine. He turned it upside down and thoroughly inspected the bottom but couldn’t find anything fishy. The clippings stuck on the bottom effused a sweet, sharp smell. He especially liked the fragrance of the fresh-cut grass, one of the reasons for his being perfectly regular at this task.  But at that moment, lawn mowing was proving to be highly arduous.

Read it in the Impspired magazine: Karma - A short story

Prrasantu - Translation - Piker press

My translation of the acclaimed writer Jeyamohan's short story Prrasantu has been accepted and is out now in the Piker Press literary magazine.

What if mercy is more powerful than punishment?

~~~

"Man! Had I had your dexterity, I would've dragged that fellow Appasami into the court case. He would've been convicted. I would have retired with honor," said Siromani. "But it didn't occur to me to drag him into the case. I wouldn't have had the courage even if it did."

"But you need prrasantu for that, right?" said the young man.

Continue reading:

An Untold Story - Flash Fiction Published in Spillwords

My Flash fiction An Untold Story is published in Spillwords magazine. Thank you Spillwords.

AN UNTOLD STORY

written by: Jegadeesh Kumar

Stuck in the shrubs of memory was a story that hadn’t been told for ages. Rummaging through the shrubs, a man who aspired to be a storyteller was foraging for the story. Its strands got tangled in his hands while he struggled to get hold of the tip of the story. After trying mightily to recover it in its fullest form, he severed it from the shackles of memory and walked carrying the remnants of the story as a bundle. The path that had been traveled by innumerable before him was only deserted now. He was exceedingly roused by the prospect of the journey though no one accompanied him, no one to guide him through. He kept walking with a chimera that he’d somehow be able to stumble upon someone who’d help him unravel the story from its entanglement.

Continue reading: An Untold Story 

Ocean's Nearby - Translation

My translation of the writer Jeyamohan's short story Ocean's Nearby has been published in the Impspired magazine.

Impspired comes out once in every two months as an online magazine from the U.K. A print issue is also published three times a year. This story will appear in its next print version as well.

Ocean’s nearby

He was lying inside that large house, which had always been dark so one could never see dawn or dusk, on a straw mat propped up on a century-old wooden cot. He’d piled up books on the cot, which was large enough for four or five people to comfortably lie and roll. The books were scattered throughout, leaving space only for him to lie down, and were full of dust.

Read the story in Impspired magazine.

Publication History

Publication History:

Translation:

1.The Last Machine - Translation - Indian Periodical

2. Ocean's Nearby - Translation _ Impspired Magazine

3. Bubbles - Fiction - Translation - Indian Periodical

4. Mountains' dialogue - Fiction - Translation - Prometheus Dreaming 

5. Shadow Crow - Fiction - Translation - Spill words

6. A fine Thread - Fiction - Translation _ Indian Periodical

7. The Story of Ekolu - Translation - Spillwords

8. New Flood - Translation - Piker Press

9. Prrasantu - Translation _ Piker Press

10. Over the Fire - Translation - Spillwords Press

11. Dilemma - Translation - Defunct Magazine

Poetry:

1. Social Geometry - Poem - Indian Periodical

2. Meat Pleasure - Poem - Spillwords

3. Being - Poem - Indian Periodical

4. The Kiss - Poem - Indian Periodical

5. Not Two - Poem - Spillwords

Fiction:

1. An Untold Story - Flash Fiction - Spillwords

2. Makeup - Fiction - Academy of the Heart and mind

3. Talking Flower - Speculative fiction in Piker Press

4. Karma - Fiction - Impspired Magazine

5. Swaying, Flowing - Fiction - Spillwords Press

Talking Flower - short story in The Piker Press

I met a talking flower among the plants that had grown along the walls of a dilapidated building. It was perched at the top of the tallest plant, was glowing in pale yellow, and was the size of the fist of an infant. I was attracted to its splendor at first. But I was taken aback when it started talking. The flower did not seem to have noticed my bewilderment and continued speaking its mind by moving its petals. I had a suspicion at the beginning that some kind of a pre-recorded audio device might be hidden inside the flower. But later I realized that the flower had indeed been addressing me and its meaningless discourse at the beginning was only to invite me into its ambiance.

Continue Reading Talking Flower in The Piker Press

Shadow Crow - Translation

My translation of the writer Jeyamohan's Tamil short story has been published in Spillwords magazine.

Nithya said: This is one of those stories about a bird called crow, that appears in thousands of children’s stories and in a few hundred fables, features occasionally in modern literature, thought to be a representation of time because of its black color, has taken the form of our ancestors who have become time itself, worshipped as the wagon of lord shaneshwara in whom the time gathered in intensity, beyond all these, this story is about the one who sails spontaneously in the wordless sky, that comes to the earth only for prey and reproduction, that interacts with us crossing her boundaries by her ways of cawing, looking at us with a bent head, boringly walking towards us in small steps, and, if you noticed attentively, surrounding us as the ceaseless sound of her voice.

continue reading Shadow Crow on Spillwords magazine.

A Fine Thread - Translation

My translation of the writer Jeyamohan's Tamil short story has been published in the Indian Periodical.

It seemed Bapu was very tired. Didi came and informed that he would sleep early after dinner that night and hence dinner should be made ready earlier. Sohan Ram felt relieved. Bapu’s dinner consisted of two boiled bananas, a cup of greens, and a cup of goat’s milk; not to forget half an ounce of honey in a small bottle after that. Once he finished his dinner and went to sleep, Sohan could also get some sleep.

Continue reading....

A Fine Thread

Social Geometry - Poem published in Indian Periodical

My poem Social Geometry has been published in the Indian Periodical.

Social Geometry

Let’s consider a rectangle a square.

Both have their opposite sides parallel.

And equal in length too.

Read along: Social Geometry

Makeup - Short story in Academy of the Heart and Mind Magazine

Vijayalakshmi alias Vj showered, dried her hair, brushed away the thought of having a ponytail and decided to keep a loose hair style. With larger earrings, it’d look graceful if the hair overflowed the ears. She scanned her image in the mirror. The hair was straight, shiny and bubbly. Yatra’s hair was curly. Everyone in their gang in college knew her hatred for curly hair. She visited a beauty parlor every so often to straighten it but the hair kept curling back. Clara suggested shortening it. She said it would be a sign of modernity and would suit her face. But Yatra did not accept the suggestion. 

Continue reading...

Meat Pleasure - A poem in Soillwords Magazine

MEAT PLEASURE

written by: Jegadeesh Kumar

 

Venison is delectable
Deerskin is precious
Charming is her frightened look
Even at moments of grazing
Hungry Tiger is her only fear
The hunter’s arrow tears into the flesh,
Making her scalp horripilate
She falls in the hands of the guard,

Continue reading:

Being - A poem in Indian Periodical

Sun’s slithering on the sea

Sand-colored crabs peep from their burrows

Fingers aimlessly 

Tear away the sandy surface 

Softened by waves

Grey herons flying downhill, 

Hunting little flounders

Ripples flinch at the tremor

Caused by fishing dhonis, 

Taking refuge in the shore

In the presence of 

The limitless expanse I sit

Dissolving 

Like a tiny drop.

Read it in the Indian Periodical.

Mountain's Dialogue - Translation - A short story by writer Jeyamohan

 Mountains' Dialogue

written by B. Jeyamohan

translated by Jegdeesh Kumar

            Peon Shanmugam passed by me when I stood waiting in front of the DGM’s office. “Another one again, sir? Why don’t you hit someone on the head instead of indulging in these petty things?” he said. He stopped to look around and continued, “Just hit the DGM on his head...There’s a paperweight on his table. Hit him with it.”

            “Go away!”

            “What’s the problem?”

            “None of your business.”

            “I knew you’d create some problems when you left last week. But you’re an intelligent guy, sir. Look at me! I’m given a memo just for drinking a quarter of liquor. You wander like a witless fellow, but your wife’s very particular about getting your salary.”

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Bubbles - Translation - A Short story by writer Jeyamohan

Lily spoke about it while changing into her light blue silk nightgown. He had not paid attention to what she said initially. He was looking through the last of the day’s emails on his laptop.

“I’ve decided to have the surgery in Singapore. That would be convenient for all,” she said.

The word surgery hit him only after a moment. “Surgery! What surgery?”

“Did you not hear what I said? You never pay attention! Just paying lip service. Sick”

Sick was a word she used often. Sam closed the laptop. “Tell me. Who’s having surgery?”

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I've been translating a few of writer Jeyamohn's Tamil short stories into English of late. One of them got published in Indian Periodical. I hope to get a few more published soon.