The Cold War of Sadanand Borse
Shyam ManoharWhen a humble funeral procession collides with a scooter on a scorching
afternoon, a chain of bewildering, comical, and deeply revealing events is set
in motion. At the centre of it all is Sadanand Borse-an unremarkable, lowermiddle-
class man whose sudden lottery win turns his small, anxious world
upside down.
In The Cold War of Sadanand Borse, one of contemporary Marathi literature's
most incisive voices, Shyam Manohar, turns the microscope on the moral
and emotional contradictions of India's aspiring middle class in the post-
Independence era. Through the chaos that follows a simple accident-
unfolding across streets, hospitals, cramped apartments, and gossiping
neighbourhoods-Manohar paints a world teetering between aspiration and
insecurity, decency and greed, humanity and absurdity.
Translated with wit and precision by Jerry Pinto, this darkly comic novella
exposes the quiet hostilities and petty wars that define urban life-the small
humiliations and secret ambitions that shape the Indian middle-class dream.
At once satirical and tender, this is a brilliantly observed study of how sudden
fortune, social pressure, and the hunger for dignity can turn ordinary lives
into a tragicomedy.
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Speaking Tiger Books
Published: 02/16/2026
ISBN: 9789363366503
Pages: 160
Weight: 0.36lbs
Size: 7.81h x 5.06w x 0.37d