The Loneliness of Hira Barua by Arupa Patangia Kalita

Winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award an extraordinary, ever-relevant collection of stories from one of assam’s greatest living writers. Hira Barua, an ageing widow living in a conflict-ridden region of Assam with her beloved Tibetan spaniel fears she is beginning to resemble a lonely Englishwoman from her past. A vicious sexual assault by the invading military drives a group of women into a shelter home. On a fateful night, a group of prostitutes make an extraordinary sacrifice for the safety of their companions.