first century. Of course, the menace of selling human organs has also added to the gravity of the situation. From the first collection of the stories to the last Abbas shows a consistent growth in his concern towards the poor downtrodden people. He depicts his characters with utmost sincerity and compassion. He is conscious of the socio-political causes of poverty and does not regard their poverty as a ‘fit punishment for their vices.’ The poor are portrayed with respect and conviction

The question of dignity of women in the society is discussed very passionately these days. The instances of violence against women at work place, in public transport and at home have created a furor in public space lately. More often than not the victims of gender violence arecommon women, especially those who are forced to work out of their economic necessities. The stories of Abbas depict this pathetic state adequately. The protagonist women in his stories include village girls, struggling actresses, nurses, flower girls, dancers and extras in film industry. However, these characters do not accept humiliation lying down but assert their identity and right in strong words. The best example of such assertion is the story ‘The Dumb Cow’. The protagonist in this story is a young girl named Bholi. Her step father thinks her to be a burden and wants to get rid of her by marrying her to a greedy old and lame person. Bholi tries to resist but is not given any space to express her views. She later realizes that