Raag Marwa is the first collection of stories from the author Mamata Singh. Currently working as a radio presenter at Vividh Bharati, Mumbai, she has a master’s degree in Sanskrit from Allahabad University and a Sangeet Prabhakar from Prayag Sangeet Samiti. Her stories have been published in various literary journals and magazines. An upcoming name in the world of story writing, her stories often address questions around the place of women in Indian society, the clash between different generations and their value-systems and the power of memories in shaping who we are.  

Raag Marwa has 10 of Singh’s stories, each of which introduces the listeners to relatable characters while telling an engaging story of their struggles. ‘Paani pe Likha Khamosh Afsana’ tells the story of a couple that is not able to let go of their individual differences, from the perspective of their young daughter. This past haunts her, adding to her insecurities and self-doubts, and makes her wonder, ‘What if my mother’s truth becomes my truth?’ ‘General Ticket’ is a moving story of the rise and fall of an ambitious young woman living in a conservative society. In ‘Gulabi Dupatte wali Aurat’, the protagonist Ginni Nepalan is a working-class Nepali woman who gets involved in the world of surrogacy - shocking everyone around her. Manu in ‘Family Tree’ represents the irony in teaching children about their family while rarely giving them the opportunity to bond with the said family. The last story from the collection, ‘Akhiri Contract’, underlines the communal issues so deeply embedded in our society right now that Shubhangi is not able to find a flat in a cosmopolitan city like Mumbai because her husband’s name is Aftab.

Please note: This audiobook is in Hindi.