The Renegade

A chance encounter with a long-lost friend reveals the ravages of time. A student returning home discovers a familiar place transformed by distance. A neighbours’ quarrel stirs buried memories, while a young job-seeker battles an unyielding bureaucracy. A grandfather’s death-bed confession exposes a startling secret, and a couple in a metropolitan city struggle to reconcile modern aspirations with traditional values. In the title story, set in an earlier age, a man must confront the consequences of his actions. The Renegade by Veio Pou is a strikingly original collection of short stories rooted in the peoples and cultures of Northeast India. Moving between everyday lives in contemporary times and tales drawn from folklore and local customs, these stories offer a glimpse into the region’s rich cultural tapestry, exploring how tradition and modernity shape people’s lives, sometimes in conflict and sometimes in harmony.