Khekda (खेकडा) by Ratnakar Matkari (रत्नाकर मतकरी)

"Khekda (खेकडा)", a Marathi book, by Ratnakar Matkari (रत्नाकर मतकरी). This book is published by Mehta Publishing House in 2013 (First edition 1970) and has 116 pages. Ratnakar Matkari is known as best Marathi writer of horror (भय) and enigmatic (गूढ) stories. This book is a collection of 11 such stories. All these stories were published in Hans (हंस) magazine between 1965 & 1969.

'Khekda (खेकडा)' is a story of a man who wants to kill his polio affected daughter to marry his lover. 'Kunastav kunitari (कुणास्तव कुणीतरी)' is about a beggar boy and an unknown and dying woman. 'Antaray (अंतराय)' is a tale of revenge after death. 'Kalkiche bal (कळकीचे बाळ)' is about a women giving birth to a Mondor, or is it? 'Pavsatla pahuna (पावसातला पाहुणा)' is about a soul (आत्मा) roving for more than 400 years. 'Shalecha rasta (शाळेचा रस्ता)' is about a girl who thinks to much and had difficulties finding road to her school. 'Ti, Mi ani To (ती, मी आणि तो)' is about a serial killer and his intended victim. 'Nimachi Nima (निमाची निमा)' is about a small motherless girl Nima and her doll called Nima. 'Ek vilakshan aarsa (एक विलक्षण आरसा)' is a story of a mirror that shows you the true yourself. 'Album (अल्बम)' is about deaths when photo is pasted in the album. 'Tumchi goshta (तुमची गोष्ट)' is a possible story that can happen in anyones life and ruin it.

Fear (भय) is the common ingredient of all these stories along with shock (धक्का). It's the shock that multiplies the  fear factor. Every story has a twist. The stories caress you, entice you, surprise you and don't let you sleep because you want to finish the story, if not the book.

Ratnakar Matkari is a master story teller. Fear lurks in the stories and you don't know at which turn you will encounter it. Real shock comes generally towards the end of each story. You should read it alone at night in the light of a night lamp.

I remember having read some of these stories. The one I liked most are Kalkiche bal (कळकीचे बाळ), Pavsatla pahuna (पावसातला पाहुणा), Ti, Mi ani To (ती, मी आणि तो) and Tumchi goshta (तुमची गोष्ट). The one that I liked least was Shalecha rasta (शाळेचा रस्ता). Description of "You - the common man" in 'Tumchi goshta (तुमची गोष्ट)' is so good that it applies to most of the middle class men.

One doesn't read horror stories very often unless you are an aficionado of such stories or you happen to come across one in a Diwali ank (दिवाळी अंक). It's a good change. The stories have been written almost 50 years ago but they have not lost their relevance.

A must read, if you like the genre.