Critical comments on “Ground Zero” – short stories translated from Punjabi Diction /language of Rani Naginder’s short stories is poetic. It has a special reason being employed as a literary device. Characters populating her stories are victims of dilemma, alienation, melancholy, tension, and epitomize feelings of insecurity. Traditional language of fiction can’t capture the aforesaid shades of the human mind and condition. Poetic diction is quite robust and appropriate to express the internal but intense occurrences of these characters. Rani’s stories permeate not only with a wide variety of multi-linear subjects but also endow these with depth since she has exposure to both Eastern and Western cultures. Subjects such as disintegrated mental landscape, globalized venomous face of terrorism, constantly changing equation in human relationships, inability of humans to make enlightened decisions etc. and their fine knitting into a multi-dimensional tale by Rani Naginder has enlivened and transformed her story-telling to be contemporaneous – a mirror to modern times and humanity. No matter where Rani’s stories happen geographically, her laser like focus is human mind. Her medical background has helped her for getting a deeper peek into the human psyche. Happenings of “Ground Zero” are significant but Ground Zero occurring in the human mind is no less devastating and unbearable. Surinder Sohal/Daljit Mokha