Assamese short story 'Flying Fish' featured in pan-Indian anthology on mental health

Assamese author Najma Mukherjee's short story Flying Fish has been featured in the new anthology Bandaged Moments, published by Niyogi Books, stated a press release. The collection brings together short stories on mental health by women writers from across Indian languages, offering nuanced and diverse perspectives on an often- overlooked subject.

Originally written in Assamese as Uronia Maas and translated into English by Dr. Merry Baruah, Flying Fish first appeared in regional periodicals in the early 2000s before being included in Mukherjee's 2011 short story collection Ejum Galpa, published by Chandra Prakash. The story is a character study of a poet navigating a particular mental health situation, exploring the complexities of emotion, isolation, and creative imagination.

Edited by Nabanita Sengupta and Nishi Pulugurtha, Bandaged Moments foregrounds women's perspectives on mental health, highlighting both personal struggles and societal contexts. Eminent author Jerry Pinto has described the anthology as "an important book that we all need to read."

After exploring themes of gender, sex, and sexuality, Najma Mukherjee's work now turns to mental health, situating her narrative in an Assamese setting. Flying Fish is rich in visual. imagery and exemplifies her signature techniques of non-linearity, intertextuality, and avant-garde experimentation, making it a significant contribution to contemporary Indian literature.