Extraordinary drama rarely announces itself in everyday life — yet it is often hidden in ordinary moments.
These short stories explore the lives of everyday people navigating love, loss, restlessness, humour, and unexpected change. Each piece offers a brief window into a moment that reveals something deeper about the human experience.
Browse the stories below and discover these everyday epics.
Binita, 16, squatted by the open doorway of her family’s modest village home, pretending to grind spices with a pestle. Her eyes, however, were fixed on the jagged peaks of the Himalayas, visible in the distance between the rooftops. The late afternoon sun painted the snow-capped giants in hues of orange and purple. Her younger … Read more
At 12.40 am, the watchman at the security gate of Keshav Kunj apartment woke up with a phone call on the intercom. “A bunch of people are making noise outside the gate. I am unable to sleep. Can you check who it is?” the voice on the other side said. The watchman instantly recognised it … Read more
It started raining just as I stepped out. A proper, old-fashioned rain — the kind that doesn’t drizzle politely but declares its arrival like a marching band. I ran for shelter under a nearby shop’s awning, only to realize it was a small, weathered umbrella repair shop. The irony wasn’t lost on me. A man … Read more
A few days back, I travelled overnight by train after a very long time. Trains were commonplace while in college but now seemed like a new world that I hadn’t visited for years. I found my mind restless during the journey as the bogies reverberated on the tracks. As it got close to midnight on … Read more
There’s a small barber shop near the corner of my street. In fact, a few have popped up over the past couple of years. They had mostly shut down after COVID, and even I had got into the habit of calling for a haircut at home. But, of late, I started revisiting the new ones, … Read more
Ping. Ping. Ping-ping-ping. The phone wouldn’t stop buzzing that morning. I glanced at the screen. It was our apartment WhatsApp group — the one meant for “important updates only.” The thing about the Keshav Kunj WhatsApp group is this: it always starts with good intentions. Someone shares a helpful reminder, like “Garbage pickup time has … Read more
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
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