First published in So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonial Science Fiction & Fantasy (edited by Uppinder Mehan and Nalo Hopkinson) in 2004, Vandana Singh’s short story Delhi is a fascinating tale of a man burdened with a purpose he doesn’t understand, constantly searching for answers. Aseem has always been able to see apparitions around him, brief glimpses of people from other times who offer him momentary snapshots of Delhi’s past and future. He lives on the fringes, helping others where he can, always on the lookout for the one woman who he believes will provide clarity on what he’s supposed to be doing and why.
Aseem comes across as thoughtful and diligent, compulsively taking down observations in his notebook recalling the people he’s met from across history – an old woman, a mad emperor, a British soldier – and reflecting on the regular, ordinary citizens he’s helped over the years. As well as seeing the shades of people from across time, his gift gives him an uncanny instinct for those who have lost, or are losing, hope, and compels him to try and give them a new purpose, like the one he himself has, mixed blessing though it may be. All along he’s constantly searching for a particular woman, waiting for a flash of recognition and a familiar face – Singh gradually reveals a little of how and why Aseem ended up in this situation, but deliberately keeps things tantalisingly ambiguous, providing a new question for every answer.
It’s the sort of story that hooks you in and doesn’t let you go, taking a fascinating central idea and exploring it with a patient, subtle touch, bringing the city to life with beautiful descriptions and Aseem’s unusual viewpoint. He has an intriguing perspective but a lonely one, and as the story progresses he muses on what he’s actually achieving and whether he’s having an impact or living according to someone else’s design, and wishes for someone to share his burden with. Singh deftly weaves together Aseem’s past and present with a sense of Delhi’s overall history and future, and a quietly fantastical sense that there’s a bigger picture if only Aseem – and we as readers – can grasp it. All told it’s thoughtful, hopeful, wonderfully imaginative and beautifully evocative – a total joy to read.
I read Delhi as part of The Best of World SF Volume 1, edited by Lavie Tidhar and published by Head of Zeus 2021.
Many thanks to Head of Zeus for sending me a review copy of The Best of World SF Volume 1, in exchange for my honest reviews – click here for more short reviews of some of the other stories featured in this anthology.
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