' DANCING IN THE MOONLIGHT +' ': REVIEW SNIPPET

FICTION : By Zafar Azeem. A collection of 15 short stories is a mixed bag, reflecting the author's preoccupations with philosophies across time and geography and sometimes underdeveloped ideas.

Author Zafar Azeem practices law in the U.S.A. He has written two other short story collections : As Luck Would Have It and Other Stories in 2005. And the Cab Moved On and other stories in 2025.

There are 15 stories in Dancing in the Moonlight and Other Stories. They are all short and easy to read. In many cases there is no story as such, no yarn being woven. Instead, the ideas of the great thinkers of the East, such as Bulleh Shah, Kabir and Rumi are discussed or juxtaposed.

The collection is, in fact, also dedicated to those very philosophers. The stories also feature the Greek philosopher Socrates and the ideas of Florentine Niccolo Machiavelli and the 4th-3rd  BC Mauryan empire adviser Chanakya.

' Dancing in the Moonlight ', the title story which is also the first story of the anthology, is a nod to Rumi. Four friends, some old disciples and some new to the game, are attempting to participate in the Sama Raqs, the dance of the whirling dervishes.

Their experience is discussed the next day, and in the process, Rumi's ideology is presented to the reader. Contradictions and contrasts are used in elucidating Rumi's wisdom to very good effect.

'' The Mystery She Was : A Secret Unveiled ' is a good story that needs to be properly fleshed out to make it work. Even the country it is set in is unclear.

A fortune teller who works with a parrot picking out the cards with the client's future sets her price at 50 cents and is paid in two quarters by the heroine.

Yet the names of the characters in the story belongs to the Subcontinent and the protagonist gets in trouble with the law for smuggling contraband to Dubai. There are many other unexplained occurrences in this short story.

It reads more like an outline of a story rather than the finished product.

In ' I Expected This From You ' and  ' A World Upto Itself ', Azeem is sharing with his readers ancient stories which bear lessons for the modern world.

In the first one, we come across Emperor Chandragupta Maurya and see how his Jain principles help him to deal with rebellion.

In the second one, it is made clear that giving a pledge can often bring trouble. Since the future is unknown, to fulfil a promise becomes a burden.

!WOW! thanks Rehana Alam.