Iss Desh Mein Military Shashan Laga Dena Chahiye is the first anthology of stories from the renowned poet, critic and author Ashok Kumar Pandey, who is famous for his book Kashmirnama: Itihas aur Samkaal. Pandey’s interest in Marxism and globalisation fills all the 10 stories featured in this anthology, with debates around the rights of the oppressed, idealism and theory vs. ground realities.

The titular story blends various smaller incidences and investigates the chaos in our society and the issues a common person faces surviving through them. ‘Coupon Mein Smriti’ is a futuristic story, where machines have taken control and provide coupons to permit any activity, including eating or even falling in love. The protagonist ends up reading a book left by one of his ancestors without acquiring the said coupon and is punished for it eventually. ‘Jungle’ is a chilling story about corruption where an innocent man gets stuck in a corrupt system and the whole machinery goes hell-bent on getting rid of him and saving itself. ‘Us Titli ke Rang’ and ‘I’m Sorry Neelu’ are stories of lost love and changing relationships. ‘Pagal hai Saala’ addresses our inner cruelty and insensitivity and shows us another face of consumerism. The story here is of a salesman, struggling to make ends meet and keep his job, despite all kinds of humiliation. In the last two stories, Pandey provides his commentary on the current situation of Marxism in ‘Aur Kitne Yauvan Chahiye Yayati?’ and narrates the plight of Kashmiri women in ‘Aadhi Mayein, Aadhi Bewayein’ where the protagonist is a widow whose son gets kidnapped.

Please note: This audiobook is in Hindi.