Chicken Vindaloo and the Old Lady - Ankur Chaudhary

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Author: Ankur Chaudhary

Genre: Short Story, Horror.
Rating: 2 stars.

In a Nutshell: I liked the idea but the development and the editing required a lot more work.

Story:
Ajita, a middle-aged woman has just moved to Mumbai with her husband and her newly-employed son. When she plans to make ’chicken vindaloo’ on a special occasion and goes to borrow the masala from her neighbour, the woman is shocked and warns her to stay away from any non-veg preparation as there is a ghost of an old lady roaming the society and this ghost is known to have an affinity for chicken vindaloo. Ajita doesn’t believe in such fantastical tales and goes on with her culinary agenda. Several paranormal misadventures result and yet Ajita isn’t deterred from cooking her signature dish again and again. How will this all end?


Where the book worked for me:
πŸ‘» It was quick. Barely 30 pages long. Can be read in just about half an hour or so.

πŸ‘» I liked the Mumbai-related titbits, though they didn't really feel necessary. The Mumbaikar in me was happy to read those trivia.

πŸ‘» The ending, though predictable, was interesting.

πŸ‘» It had just the right level of horror for a scaredy cat such as me.


Where the book could have worked better for me:
☠ There are too many grammatical and word usage errors. This story really needed a lot more proofreading.

☠ There are some continuity errors, as in scene settings/locations change without any intimation.

☠ There is a fair bit of repetitive writing, with words or ideas being reiterated needlessly.

☠ The chapter headings were like spoilers at times. I don't think a novelette required chapter titles in the first place.

☠ The Mumbai facts, as I mentioned above, weren't always necessary and their regular appearance affected the flow. Furthermore, Dadar isn't a part of SoBo but Central Mumbai. Also, a shop owner in Dadar wouldn't suggest one in Fort for something as common as a meat masala. There are plenty of options in Dadar itself and also in other nearby areas such as Matunga or Parel. A non-Mumbaikar wouldn't recognise these as errors. But I've been a lifelong Mumbaikar so these felt jarring.

☠ Truth be told, pork vindaloo is more common even today. Chicken vindaloo wasn't an immediate Indian adaptation of the original recipe but took a long time to come into being and isn’t as popular as the pork version. The book suggests a different idea and makes it out that the dish is traditionally made with chicken in India. Wonder if it was because chicken is a more acceptable meat of choice in Indian than pork, which has appeal only in limited regions. Still, facts are facts.


I just grabbed this just because it was a quick novella, had a free Kindle version on Amazon, and the author is somewhat familiar to me in a Facebook group. I got more than what I paid for it, so no harm done. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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