‘आलेख’ हा रणजित देसार्इंचा ग्रामीण जीवनावर आधारित कथांचा संग्रह. गाव वरवर जरी शांत वाटले तरी अंतरंगात कितीतरी घडामोडी चाललेल्या असतात. गावची चावडी, पार, हिरवेगार मळे, चिरेबंदी वाडे, गरिबाची झोपडी, डोंगरमाथे, करवंदांच्या जाळ्या ही घटनांची केंद्रस्थळं. गावातली तहेवाईक, इरसाल, बेरकी, गरिबीने गांजलेली, देवभोळी, अंधश्रद्धाळू माणसं! निसर्ग आणि जनावरं यांच्याशिवाय त्यांच्या जीवनाला पूर्णत्व येतच नाही. ही माणसं त्यांच्या ईर्षा, त्यांचा बाणेदारपणा, यातना, मुलांवरची माया, शहरवासीयांशी त्यांचे येणारे संबंध, सर्व सच्चेपणाने जगतात, निभावतात. निसर्ग आणि जनावरांशी एकरूप झालेली ही माणसं त्यांच्या रंगरेषांसह देसाई यांनी आपल्या लेखणीतून तितक्याच सच्चेपणाने चितारलेली आहेत.

This is a collection of short stories based on rural life. The urban people often feel that the rural life, the village life is very calm, quiet and peaceful. From a far distance if we try to judge it, then this will be our first impression. But if one goes closer to find out what lies behind this calm and quiet village life then one`s beliefs would be shattered. The village life also has tremendous ups and downs; its own turmoil. It takes place anywhere, on the "chawadi,` on a river bank, in a hut, on a farm, on a hilltop, among the trees. We see a variety of mentality among the villagers. They are smart, cunning, sweet, innocent, rarely rich, mostly very poor, optimistic, pessimistic, believers and nonbelievers in God, many times they have blind faith in things around them. Their life is incomplete without nature and animals. They are superstitious. They have a desirous, a loving, a caring, yet an indifferent mind. They suffer, they care, they love, they hate... They deal with urban people. They live their life contently. They are blended harmoniously with nature and their cattle. Ranjit Desai has very successfully pictured all these fine qualities in his various stories. Each story makes us think in a unique way.