At 2 a.m., the world outside was still. Inside my head, it was anything but. I was close to 11,000 feet above mean sea level, trying to sleep in my hotel room. The ceiling fan whirred softly above me, a steady rhythm that somehow made the silence louder. I thought I was sweating. I turned … Read more
📚 Book Launch Invitation | Climbing a Mountain Dear friends, I’m delighted to let you know that the launch of my new book ‘Climbing a Mountain – Short Stories Inspired by Trekking’ is scheduled for October 26th, 4 PM to 7 PM at The Bangalore Room, Indiranagar, Bengaluru . Hemant Soreng – Everest Summiteer will … Read more
Swami burst into the café last weekend, nearly tripping over a chair on his way to our usual table. Jigneshbhai and I could see that he was tense about something. “Jigneshbhai!” he exclaimed, waving his phone like a man on a mission even while he took his seat opposite ours. “You have to see this! … Read more
There’s a little tea stall at the corner of our street. It is an old one. The paint is peeling, the wooden benches are wobbly, and the tea is always a little too sweet. But no one seems to mind. Every morning, the place fills up with people — strangers, neighbors, and regulars – all … Read more
The radio was playing an old song I hadn’t heard in years. Suddenly, it wasn’t just music anymore. It was the soft lilting of the song, the sound of melody drifting from the next room, and a presence I hadn’t felt in a long, long time. For a moment, I wasn’t sitting in my present. … Read more
Last weekend, when we met for coffee, Swami’s phone buzzed like a swarm of angry bees. Notifications flashed. Emails piled up. Deadlines closed in like storm clouds. Across the table, next to me, Jigneshbhai stirred his coffee slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. Swami, on the other hand, clearly didn’t. … Read more
I was not in a particular hurry, but closed lifts seem to do it to us. I tapped my foot as the lift doors finally closed, waiting to reach the ground floor. A few of us were crammed inside — strangers sharing a tiny metal box for a few seconds. Most of us stared at … Read more
When I turned writer, I never told anyone that I was just a writer. In my corporate years, the dreaded question — “What do you do?” — had a simple answer: “I work for …” The company name changed over two decades, but the conversation stopped there. No one asked more, no one expected more. … Read more
Swami had been fidgeting with his phone for the last ten minutes, his face tightening with every swipe. Jigneshbhai, on the other hand, sat back comfortably in his chair, sipping his coffee as if he were in no hurry at all. “The markets are going to tank, Jigneshbhai!” Swami finally blurted out, his voice loud … Read more