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.
On a cold evening in November, the Air India flight from Pune started its descent. In about forty-five minutes, it was to land at the international airport in Newark. In the flight were Mr and Mrs Joshi who were visiting their son and daughter-in-law. They were tentative and unsure about what to expect during their … Read more
I don’t know who I should call a friend. Friendships happen out of nowhere when doing things together. And once they happen, I often find myself keeping them going whether I like it or not. I have made friends when I chanced upon someone who read a common book. I have made friends when I … Read more
They say that when someone goes out of your life, they go out of your memory. I will tell you that it is not true. I had convinced myself it was true, but it wasn’t. I can vouch for that. In that sense, my life has been a lie of some sort. The woman in … Read more
Parikshit Sharma boarded the Thai Air flight from Bangkok to New Delhi. At that time, his mind went back thirteen years. It was then that he had taken the same route last. But at that time, it was the other way round. He had flown out for good from New Delhi to Bangkok. He had … Read more
Me and my brother have no idea what hit her. We didn’t see it, we only heard it. Her last cry. She helped us cross the road. We thought she was behind us when we reached the median. We thought we were tottering along in front of her. She always told us that the road … Read more
The morning sun reached the centre of the sky. Even in full brightness, Lakhinath Kaman looked like a ghost. He sat with a straight back on his second-hand two-wheeler. No beeps on his phone. Not a single phone call. No one thought of calling him. The only calls he received in the past week were … Read more
At 6.04 am, the alarm went off. “Mummy,” he howled from under the blanket. There was no response. He pulled the blanket doubly over his face so that the sound of the alarm doesn’t disturb him. It kept ringing. “Mummy…. Mummy,” he yelled again at the top of his voice after a minute. He turned … Read more
It had been almost six months now that Kirthana had been bedridden. It had been six months since her husband Karthik had been her caregiver. “Another silent day, another silent night. What a useless life!” the thirty something Karthik said to himself. Kirthana tried to move her left hand and leg but her best efforts … Read more
In Varanasi, Pappu Pandey gazed at his dear friend Lalu Mishra’s dead body on the pyre. He stood next to Lalu’s son Pratap waiting for proceedings to begin. He was at a makeshift crematorium ghat next to the main one at Manikarnika. It was for people who had passed away due to the lethal pandemic … Read more