The Bitter Fruit Tree and other Stories – Prakash Parienkar, Translated from Konkani by Vidya Pai

Description

The thirteen stories included in The Bitter-Fruit Tree And Other Stories bring to life the rhythms of village life in Sattari, a forested region in north-east Goa at the foothills of the Western Ghats. They capture the joys and struggles of poor villagers as they face nature’s fury or celebrate her blessings. Set along the banks of the Mhadei River—known downstream as the Mandovi—the stories explore the area’s social, cultural, religious, and agricultural traditions.

Through a rich tapestry of narratives, the collection highlights the region’s diverse flora and fauna, while also shedding light on the social inequalities and contradictions woven into village life. In these remote areas, broken pipelines disrupt water supplies. The powerful Mhadei overflows, destroying crops. Tilgo, a low-caste drummer, is denied even a small piece of land to bury his wife in the village he has always called home. Meanwhile, Madhu, a young educated man from the Mahar community, refuses to play the drum, rejecting the caste-based roles imposed on him.