includes glossary.

Paramita Satpathy belongs to the second generation of modern fiction writers in Odia. In her career spanning two decades, she has carved out a niche for herself with seven short story collections and a novel to her credit. This work is a collection of 14 short stories written by her that have been selected from four different Odia books to depict the range and diversity of her creative output.The stories in this collection straddle many layers of human experience. They make an honest effort to explore overpowering passions carefully concealed under a veneer of a false confidence. The protagonists in most of the stories are driven to seek a state of euphoria to release these dormant passions in unguarded moments. While some stories deplore the evils of a social system that find expression in 'Children's Day' (sexual abuse of children), or dowry deaths in ('The Ultimate Payment'), others protest the crude invasion of urbanization into the peaceful territory of nature. A striking note of feminism is discernable in stories like 'The Nowhere Nest' and a few others where the women protagonists boldly challenge patriarchy and hypocrisy . Others like 'The Wound', 'Elixir of Love', and 'A Strange Bond', are efforts to dive into the human psyche to unmask the real self, haunted by a sense of guilt, insecurity and frustration.