Travel
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Saffron Kisses
Ira Devyani Sen It was the kind of evening that carried warmth on its skin — not from the sun, but from the longing that hung in the air like unspoken words. The rain had stopped just an hour ago, leaving behind a breathless hush. The windows were still misted, half open to the scent…
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Terracotta Trails: A Journey Through Bishnupur
Bhaskar Majumder 1 The attic of Daipayan’s ancestral home in North Kolkata smelled of old books, mothballs, and the faint aroma of his grandfather’s pipe tobacco — a scent that clung to the wooden trunks and rusted almirahs like a memory too stubborn to leave. Dust motes danced in the slanting beam of afternoon light…
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Echoes of the Deccan
Devendra Joshi Chapter 1: The Call of the Deccan Vikram Roy had spent the last five years of his life chasing fleeting successes in the dusty archives and half-excavated ruins of India, always just one breakthrough away from recognition. An ambitious archaeologist from Kolkata, he had always dreamed of discovering something monumental, something that would…
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The Desert Speaks
Ayaan Venkatesh Sand Without Time Haider Khan stepped down from the rickety minivan with the stiffness of a man far older than his 38 years. The heat pressed against his face like a hand that didn’t care for permission. Red sand stretched endlessly ahead, framed by towering rocks carved into bizarre, wind-scoured shapes. Wadi Rum.…
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Postcards from Hampi
Sahana Pillai Chapter 1: Arrival in Ruins The sun was slipping behind the rust-coloured boulders when Tara stepped off the bus at Hampi Bazaar. The air smelled of dust, old stones, and wild basil, and the landscape looked nothing like the glossy travel blogs she’d scrolled through. This place felt older than time — a…
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The Road to the Valley of Flowers
Aarohi Desai One Isha had always found solace in the delicate balance of nature. A botanist from Bangalore, she had spent her life studying the intricacies of plant species, tracing their evolution, and discovering the hidden stories that each leaf and petal held. But when an invitation arrived from a prominent research institute, asking her…
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Arrival in Mumbai: A City of Dreams
Atrayee Mullik Part 1: Arriving in Mumbai – A City of Dreams I arrived in Mumbai on a humid summer morning, and the city immediately made its presence felt. As soon as I stepped out of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, I was swept up by the chaos. The air was thick with the combined…
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The Heartbeat of Punjab
Arvind Khurana Chapter 1: The Call of Roots Karan sat in his small, dimly lit apartment in Delhi, staring at the empty screen of his laptop. The cursor blinked mockingly, as if daring him to begin. He was a documentary filmmaker, known for his insightful work on urban issues, but something was missing. His recent…
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Breezes of the Lost Horizon
Atreyee Pradhan Part 1: The Call of the Mountains Neha sat by the window of the train, watching as the landscape shifted from the concrete chaos of the city to the serenity of the countryside. The air felt lighter, the rhythms of the world slowing as she neared the foothills of the Himalayas. It had…
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The Hidden Villages of Sikkim
Vikram Patil 1 David stepped off the bus into the crisp, mountain air of Pelling, a small town nestled in the Sikkim Himalayas. The journey from Delhi had been long, but as the sun set behind the towering Kanchenjunga range, the sight before him made the weariness fade away. The town, draped in mist, seemed…
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Tea, Taboos, and Tuktuks
Deepa Krishnan 1 It began with a samosa and a breakdown. Nithya Ramanathan, 29 years old, certified English teacher and closet emotional hoarder, sat on her balcony in Chennai biting into a lukewarm snack while a pigeon judged her from the railing. The samosa’s stuffing had slipped out like her resolve, and the WhatsApp group…
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Winter in Shantiniketan
Sudipta Sengupta Part 1: The Quiet Escape Ananya had always found solace in the chaos of Kolkata—the honking cars, the bustling markets, and the never-ending hum of the city. Yet, after months of relentless work, she felt like a piece of her soul was being swallowed by the noise. The endless deadlines, the shallow conversations,…