The legendary city of Delhi, India, provides fertile ground for stories of darkness and despair. “For those whose view of India is shaped by  The Jewel in the Crown , conversations with a call-in center or even  Slumdog Millionaire , this anthology in Akashic’s noir series will register simultaneously as a shock, an education and entertainment. All 14 stories are briskly paced, beautifully written and populated by vivid, original characters . . . Few books can alter one’s perception about the state of a society, but this does, while delivering noir that’s first class in any light.” ― Publishers Weekly , Starred Review Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with  Brooklyn Noir . Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book. Brand-new stories by: Irwin Allan Sealy, Omair Ahmad, Radhika Jha, Ruchir Joshi, Nalinaksha Bhattacharya, Meera Nair, Siddharth Chowdhury, Mohan Sikka, Palash K. Mehrotra, Hartosh Singh Bal, Hirsh Sawhney, Tabish Khair, Uday Prakash, and Manjula Padmanabhan. From the introduction by Hirsh Sawhney: “Every morning, papers in Delhi abound with alarming stories: accounts of the unmitigated corruption and contract killing that make this city of more than fifteen million tick; indications of increasing divisions between rich and poor that lead servants to murder masters and foment Maoist movements in the country’s hinterland; synopses of so many rapes and sexual assaults that readers become numb to them. Yet the everyday depravity and anguish of Delhi life remains confined to news copy. Despite notable exceptions, authors of literature―particularly those who write in English―usually choose to ignore the capital’s stains . . . Delhi Noir ‘s contributors are diverse: They are Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs; Punjabis, Biharis, Bengalis, and Keralites; men and women; gay and straight . . . What they have in common is the inclination to write delectable literature that doesn’t shy away from the city’s uncomfortable underside. Their fiction isn’t politically correct and refuses to pander to popular perceptions about India or its capital, perceptions that conform with the agendas of governments, glossy magazines, and multinational corporations . . .“ "Star of the show is the city itself, and this is where Delhi Noir really succeeds as a work of art. The city is undead, an aggressive and relentless giant lumbering defiant towards a choice of hells, a festering beast playing host to pockets of messy life and easy violence." ― Wasafiri Magazine The legendary city of Delhi, India, provides fertile ground for stories of darkness and despair. HIRSH SAWHNEY ’s writing has appeared in the  New York Times Book Review , the  Guardian , the  Times Literary Supplement, the  Financial Times ,  Outlook , and numerous other periodicals. He is the editor of  Delhi Noir , a critically acclaimed anthology of original fiction, and is on the advisory board of  Wasafiri , a London-based journal of international literature. He lives in New Haven, Connecticut, and teaches at Wesleyan University.  South Haven  is his debut novel. Visit his website at www.hirshsawhney.com. Delhi Noir Akashic Books Copyright © 2009 Akashic Books All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-933354-78-1 Contents Introduction............................................................................................21Omair Ahmad Yesterday Man Ashram......................................................................42Radhika Jha How I Lost My Clothes Lodhi Gardens.......................................................65Irwin Allan Sealy Last In, First Out Delhi Ridge......................................................84Ruchir Joshi Parking Nizamuddin West..................................................................101Nalinaksha Bhattacharya Hissing Cobras R.K. Puram.....................................................125Mohan Sikka The Railway Aunty Paharganj...............................................................147Siddharth Chowdhury Hostel North Campus Delhi University,.............................................159Meera Nair Small Fry Inter State Bus Terminal.........................................................182Palash Krishna Mehrotra Fit of Rage Defence Colony....................................................194Hartosh Singh Bal Just Another Death Gyan Kunj........................................................213Hirsh Sawhney Gautam Under a Tree Green Park..........................................................235Tabish Khair The Scam Jantar Mantar...................................................................246Uday Prakash The Walls of Delhi (Translated from Hindi by Jason Grunebaum) Rohini.....................269Manjula Padmanabhan Cull Bhalswa......................................................................290Glossary............................................................................