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The Walls of Delhi is a short story by Indian author Uday Prakash. It appears in the book Delhi Noir, which features mystery and crime stories by Indian authors. All of the stories take place in the city of Delhi. Delhi Noir is one in a series of "Noir" books by Akashic Press, a line which includes the books Manhattan Noir, Paris Noir, Istanbul Noir, and many others.

Ramnivas is a poor man, living with his family and many others in a run down, deserted building in such a bad area that even the Goodwill bus passed by without stopping. He has a job cleaning up in a building that housed several businesses. He seeks comfort from his overbearing wife and sad circumstances with a young girl named Sashami. She offers a few bright rays of happiness in an otherwise dreary existence, but his life was a constant struggle to make ends meet.

Then Ramnivas discovered a huge cache of money hidden in a wall of one of the buildings where he cleaned. He stuffs a few handfuls of cash into his pockets, and treats Sahami to a wonderful dinner in a fancy restaurant. Addicted to a new life of high living, he goes back to take more and more money. Unfortunately, he finds out too late that stealing dirty money has its consequences.

I enjoyed The Walls of Delhi because it was suspenseful. The narrator is a neighbor who is recounting the story of his friend. We know from the start that a terrible fate has befallen Ramnivas, but exactly what happened to him is revealed in the end. The story works as a cautionary tale; it teaches a lesson of what not to do. It teaches not to be overwhelmed by greed, or it will lead to your downfall. The story manages to be entertaining while communicating its message well.

I also liked the glimpse into Indian urban culture. The narrator describes the slums of Delhi in a way that the reader can almost see them. We are introduced to many characters as well as Ramnivas and really get a feel for what living in the part of India is like, especially for the poor. All of the stories in Delhi Noir convey a sense of what a foreign culture is like, and The Walls of Delhi in particular does this well.

While The Walls of Delhi is not my favorite story in the collection, it was a good one, and yet another reason why a reader should check out this anthology.

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