Rishabh Mehta Part 1 – The Arrival The bus wound its way up the narrow mountain road, its engine straining against the climb. Aanya Kapoor pressed her forehead against the cold glass, watching the mist rise like smoke from the cedar forests below. It was late afternoon, but the hills were already wrapped in a twilight haze. The signboard that flashed past read Chamba – 18 km, its paint peeling, its iron frame leaning precariously as if even it wanted to escape the lonely curve of the road. She closed her notebook, the one already crowded with scribbled headlines and…
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Arvind Malhotra The Arrival The bus from Delhi shuddered as it wound its way along the serpentine mountain road, the Beas river glinting like a steel blade far below. Arjun Malhotra sat by the window, notebook on his lap, watching the snowy ridges of Kullu rise into sight. Winter here wasn’t like the polite chill of Delhi—it was sharp, biting, and unrelenting. He pulled his muffler tighter but his eyes were alive with purpose. He wasn’t here to admire landscapes. He was chasing a story most people had chosen to ignore. The first whisper had come in an email—anonymous, unsigned.…