History has time and again indicated that stories of true love have seldom had a happy ending. Tales of star-crossed lovers have captivated our hearts and been immortalised across all cultures. The story of Shireen and Abdul from the beautiful valley of Kashmir in North India is no different. When the only daughter of a …
Song of the Storm
Shain lived in a picturesque little village in the backwaters of Kerala, in India. Her father owned and operated three houseboats for tourists, and was considered the most prosperous man in the village. She was the only daughter to her parents and the family might have been everyone’s envy, except for one aspect – Shain …
The One Witness
They were walking along the shade of Ashoka and Pilu trees, near the banks of Yamuna river. The seven maidens of Braj were in a hurry. They were carrying water from the river for a sacred ceremony at the village headman’s house, where they were celebrating the birthday of his son. Following the ceremony, they …
The Essence of Infinity
The trekkers had never ventured to this part of the hills before. The group of 16 were in their early 20s, all final year students of an engineering college in Bhopal. In the next three months they would all go their separate ways and this would probably be the last outing for them together, before …
Back from the Brink
Rasbihari waited in a dark area by the riverside. It was Diwali festival night, and like the rest of city, the flight of steps leading down to Ganga river were lit up by thousands of lamps, making the atmosphere surreal and magical. One of the oldest inhabited heritage cities in the world, Varanasi has always …
The Island of Magic
The ship had not approached land for almost 25 days, and the sight of the island raised the hopes of the sailors and Captain Barnos that their woes were probably over. While there seemed to be no sign of civilisation on the island, the veteran captain knew that mariners had frequented it in the distant …
One Autumn Afternoon …
She was a queen and a spiritual master, a protector of nature and a warrior. Her followers did her bidding to protect the treasures of the earth. One autumn afternoon, a long time ago, she and her four horsemen surveyed from the fringe of the forest, the castle where a priceless crystal had been kept. …
