Books by Salini Vineeth

The Tree, the Well & the Drag Queen

A Dream. A Threat. A Mumbai-based drag queen must return to their ancestral village to confront an uncanny opponent: A demonic jackfruit Tree.

Centuries ago, a greedy man and woman in pursuit of an elusive treasure fall into the servitude of a dark force. It assumes the form of a gigantic jackfruit Tree. Generation after generation, their descendants serve the Tree, pawning their freedom for wealth and power. It’s a vicious cycle. Then, a child is born who is designed to break the cycle. The child, assigned male at birth, defies gender, familial and social expectations. At seventeen, they run away from the cursed home, and after a decade of shame and struggle, they transform into a powerful drag queen. But the Tree won’t spare them. The Tree lures the drag queen back home. The Tree will do everything in its power to break the drag queen’s spirit. Will it succeed in its mission? Will the drag queen conquer their fears and destroy the Tree? The Tree, The Well and The Drag Queen blurs the boundaries between reality and fantasy as it follows a gender queer person’s brave and relentless pursuit of freedom and authenticity.

Buy it on Red River website or Amazon

Lost Edges

When Geetanjali and Ravi fell in love as teenagers, they hoped to find refuge and solace in each other. Ten years later, Geetanjali is an ambitious contract negotiator, and Ravi is an unemployed engineer. Their insecurities and conflicts have caused a rift in the very relationship that was supposed to keep them afloat. Were their love and marriage a mistake? What brought an unlikely pair like Ravi and Geetanjali together? Beneath their turbulent relationship, are there deeper issues waiting to stir up another storm? To find answers, they must travel into their pasts and confront uncomfortable truths. Lost Edges is the story of two millennials trying to find love and purpose while navigating misplaced ambitions, mental health issues, and gender inequalities. Will the couple come out unscathed, or will they sink further? Will they be able to rediscover themselves and their love for each other? Buy it on Amazon

Everyday People

‘Everyday People’ is a collection of eight short stories featuring familiar strangers. These are stories of ordinary people whom you have met – at work, during the daily commute, in your friend circles, or on social media. However, the stories have a twist or an element of thrill to them. They rip open the sheath of mundane lives and present you with raw, poignant, and profound vignettes of urban life. Buy it on Amazon

Magic Square

Amudha is a Ph.D. scholar, practically living in her research lab, leading an uneventful life. Amudha’s life takes an adventurous turn, when she finds a puzzle in an old Mathematics book. Surprisingly, the puzzle has nothing to do with Mathematics. Amudha embarks on a journey to solve the enigma. Every twist and turn in her journey is filled with suspense and surprises. The journey challenges and threatens Amudha. Whenever Amudha solves a part of the puzzle, a new one presents itself. Will Amudha solve the puzzle? Buy it on Amazon

Hampi

History and Architecture

This book gives a comprehensive account of all the tourist destinations in Hampi. It also covers the history and mythology of Hampi in detail. Hampi is a famous archaeological site in India and a UNESCO world heritage site. The temples in Hampi are great examples of Indian sculpture and architecture. This guide helps a traveler to gain deep knowledge about the art and architecture of the Hampi monuments. Buy it on Amazon

Badami – History and Sculptures

Badami is the ancient capital of Chalukyas from 544 CE. From 5th to 7th century CE, Chalukyas built cave and structural temples in Badami. Badami – the history and sculptures is the second book in the series, “the ancient Indian artists.” The book gives a detailed account of the ancient Chalukya history of the 6th century CE. It can also be used as a tour guide for Badami, Pattadakkal, and Aihole. The book also gives an in-depth description of the notable sculptures in the Badami caves. Buy on Amazon

Everything Changed After That : 25 women 25 stories

My story, ‘The talking heron’ is featured in Everything Changed After That. This anthology of twenty-five winning stories from eShe magazine’s short story contest for women writers will leave you enthralled to the last page. The contest was judged by India’s highest selling female author Preeti Shenoy, eShe’s founder and editor Aekta Kapoor, and author and editor-in-chief of Embassy Books, Aruna Joshi.Written by twenty-five women of varied backgrounds from all corners of India. Buy on Amazon

Zia : Stories from India Season II

My short story, Varayan is featured in this short story and poetry from the land of enlightenment. Varayan is a story that belongs to the mystery-fantasy genre. It revolves around the predicament of a remote village in Kerala. On a fine morning, the villagers find their front yards being vandalized by intricate lines. They give a name to the mysterious creature who is responsible for it – Varayan. In Malayalam, Varayan means the one who draws. As the Varayan continue to strike, the villagers are coming up with different explanations. Will they be able to capture Varayan? Will they make sense of what’s going on? Buy it on Amazon

Tea With a Drop of Honey

My story, Yours Forever, Bulbul is a part of Tea With a Drop of Honey by Hive writers. This anthology has twenty-eight carefully curated stories from the everyday walk of life; simple stories of ordinary people, like you, me, and the person next door. Some stories will bring you joy, and some will evoke happiness; some might be bittersweet and will make you cry. Some will then compel you to look for magic, because what is life without a wee-bit of magic in it. But we assure you, all these stories will show you that life is indeed beautiful. Buy it on Amazon

Life in Lockdown – COVID 19 Pandemic

As the nation went into complete lockdown to fight COVID-19; this created a new unprecedented situation for the entire mass of India. A new culture of work from home was created and the productivity of minds got increased. So, Literatureslight brings you the best short stories from the best literary minds, such as Williamsji Maveli, Salini Vineeth, Apurva Bhuta, Sonali Ganguly, Vandana S Saxena, Indranil Mukherjee, Priyanka Varma, Neel Anil Panicker, Beetashok Chatterjee, Rajan V Kokkuri and Akshay Sinha. These stories are the experiences of the authors who have been living in Lockdown and will take you on an adventure of a lifetime.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the lock down it brought is causing unforeseen changes to our lives and the way society is organised. The effect is at multiple levels and dimensions: health care, anxiety, friendships, intolerance, buying behaviour, education, work, the economy, so on and so forth.