Laffaz— by Yogendra Ahuja, translated from Hindi by Varsha Tiwary—is a novella about an elusive, manipulative figure known only by his alias: the word spinner. The unnamed narrator first hears of Laffaz in the 1980s while working as an assistant manager at a small-town bank, where Laffaz’s name appears in the file of a willful loan defaulter. This man, with a saintly smile and a gift for eloquence, had vanished after securing a large loan using false documents, leaving the narrator’s naïve manager suspended and exiled to a remote posting.
Over the years, the narrator encounters Laffaz in different guises—first as a charismatic storyteller at a wedding gathering, then as a political agitator, later as a supposed doctor running a dubious clinic. Each time, Laffaz mesmerizes people with his mastery of words, adopting whatever persona best suits his scam: concerned citizen, reformist educator, humanitarian physician. Behind the rhetoric lies deceit, fraud, and the ruin of those who trust him.
The narrator’s pursuit spans decades, through small-town alleys, communal unrest, and shifting political climates. Along the way, we see the damage Laffaz inflicts—not just financial, but moral and emotional—on individuals, families, and communities. He can speak with equal conviction for opposing causes, draining meaning from language itself. Even his personal life is in shambles, marked by a toxic marriage and alienated children.
A quarter century later, the narrator finally meets an aged, frail Laffaz in a warehouse “office.” Hoping for a confession or glimpse of truth, he presses the man to define himself. After all the disguises and years of pursuit, Laffaz’s final answer is as empty and self-contained as his life’s work:
“I am just a word spinner.”
Important Information:
Title: Laffaz
Author: Yogendra Ahuja
Translated from the Hindi by: Varsha Tiwary
Publisher: Moving Words (an imprint of The Antonym Collections)
Publication Date: September 2025
Format: Hardback
Genre: Novella
ISBN: 978-93-49203-55-6
Hailing from Badayun in Uttar Pradesh, Yogendra Ahuja has been writing Hindi short stories since 1988. His first story “Cinema-Cinema” was published in 1991 in the prestigious Hindi journal ‘Pahal’. His widely acclaimed first short story collection, ‘Andhere Mein Hansi’, was published in 2004 by Bharatiya Jnanpith. His second collection, ‘Paanch Minat aur anya Kahaniyan’ came out in 2014, and ‘Laffaaz aur anya kahaniyan’ from Aadhar Prakashan in 2019. His collection of non-fiction prose “Toot-te Taaron Tale” was published in 2023 from Navarun Prakashan, Delhi.
His stories like ‘Marsia’, ‘Galat’, ‘Khana’, and ‘Laffaaz’ have been translated into multiple languages and adapted for dramatic performances by National School of Drama and various theatre groups.
Among the several honours conferred on his work are: Katha award, Anand Sagar Kathakram award, Parivesh Samman, Spandan samman, Premchand Smriti Samman, Ramakant Memorial Award, and Vijay Verma Katha Samman.
Writer-translator Varsha Tiwary lives in Delhi. 1990, Aramganj, her first book length translation wasbrought out by Eka, Westland in 2024. A recipient of HWR emerging writer’s fellowship, 2025, she is also working on a fiction project.
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