Yaar Batohi । यार बटोही [ 14 मुसाफ़िर, 14 कहानियाँ ] Paperback – 16 June 2024

A beautiful collection of 14 stories that you just can’t miss. The author’s masterful storytelling weaves a narrative that’s both heart-warming and beautifully written. The characters are skillfully crafted, relatable and easy to root for.So grab a copy, settle in and get ready to be transported to a world of wonder!

Yaar Batohi is a book which has been written by 14 authors who have met in a workshop and after attending the workshop they thought to collaborate for a book of short stories. They thought and in reality they did it and the outcome in the form of Yaar Batohi is wonderful. I read all the 14 stories. Their writing style is quite different from each other. The theme is travel but each author has taken a different meaning of travel which reflects in their stories. Some took it in a literal meaning but some took it as a metaphor. All the stories are beautifully written but my personal favourite is Ishq-e-journey. It is quite relatable. The same thing has happened with one of my friends and she has also gone through the worst phase but now she is also doing fine like the protagonist.The story is beautiful. It actually motivates you to do the right thing when everything is going wrong.All the best to all the authors.Keep up the good work.

This is a book about Traveling. Traveling outside and Traveling within. Hand on heart, I have read quite a few anthologies over past years and there are very few that have stayed with me, as most are just amateur attempts at putting a book together, so that the author finds some sort of validation that comes with a published work.Not so with this one.It is an extremely honest attempt by 14 writers from different walks of life, who met at a writing-workshop and figured that if they push themselves a bit, there are stories that need to be told. And that’s what has happened. The stories are of 14 different flavors; from Vaishno Devi to Cape Comorin; from Train to Boats; from Mumbai to smallest of the villages in UP. But most of all, these are stories of journeys, enriching ones at that.I quite loved how some of the stories handled complex emotions such as Love, Friendship, Divorce, Death and even Preparation-of-Death so well. Polite applause to the writers.I would definitely recommend it as a strong 4.5/5* and hope to see more from these writers in future.

14 travellers who put you back on the trains, roads and waiting areas of the numerous journeys that you have long forgotten. My favourite story is the one titled Reunion, by Manish Srivastava. The character building is impressive and the train itself becomes a character that subtlety resonates with you like everybody else. I loved the way he writes about the forlorn faces on departure, the excitement of planning snacks at every upcoming station and strangers who become lifelong memories, all these seemed like my own experinces somehow find their way into the author’s words. The WhatsApp based political debates have not left any school/ college groups untouched and the way Manish has shared those conversations struck a sombre chord. All in all, this a an unputdownable book and unlike the now trending and loosely termed “wanderlust”, it will will make you pack your bags and go on a “journey” .

Yaar Batohi is a breezy collection of short stories. As someone who doesn’t read as many Hindi books, this anthology still felt accessible. The writing style of different authors is engaging and keeps one hooked, making it easy to read multiple stories in one sitting.I’d recommend it for anyone looking for a simple, lucid read. It can actually be a good option to break your reading slump.

Read a Hindi book after a long time cos one of my friends has a story published here. I thoroughly enjoyed reading these stories by a diverse group of authors. My two favourite stories out of the 14 are papa ki Priya and Main, Shahrukh Aur Meri Favorite City. Both these stories seem like personal experiences which would be relatable for anyone growing up in this beautiful country called India.If you are looking for a breezy read or something to accompany you in the journey please go ahead and order this book.I wish they had released an English translation on Kindle, seems cruel to deny this joy to other readers.

Stories that make you think deeply. Must read once.

This book is neither a travel guide or a travelogue, but with its engaging stories it has awakened a desire to pack my bags and set out. There are stories set in the mountains ; the beaches of Mumbai and Kanyakumari; the railway wali chai or a highway drive or even living away in the faraway land of Berlin. The book unpacks stories like souvenirs from different walks of life.The writing is lucid, palatable and keeps one hooked. It’s very interesting to read the author's bios - how such different writers from across the country have come together for this book. Would recommend Yaar Batohi to be picked up as a nice, relaxing read.