Sardar Kartar Singh Duggal
Sardar Kartar Singh Duggal: The Reluctant Collector Sardar Kartar Singh Duggal: The Reluctant Collector Sardar Kartar Singh Duggal, the owner of the cottage, was an octogenarian, perhaps even a nonagenarian. With his thick bottle-glass spectacles and deeply lined face, he embodied the steadfastness of an era gone by. As the landlord, he held fast to […]
Ghosts Everywhere
Ghosts Everywhere? In a childhood shaped by superstition, shadowed streets, and sacred chants, a young boy must brave the haunted alleys of Shimla on what should have been a regular school day. “Ghosts Everywhere?” is a humorous, heartfelt tale about fear, faith, and the strange ways children make sense of the world—especially when ghosts might […]
Turning Mummy into a Buffalo
Arranging Milk for Goga A tale of innocent schemes and a boy’s mad love for milk Goga was obsessed with milk. To say he loved it would be an understatement—he cherished it. Every conversation eventually circled back to doodh (milk), dahi (curd), lassi (buttermilk), or barfi (a milk-based sweet). One sultry afternoon, while lounging outside […]
The Price of Dignity
The Price of Dignity In the quiet hills of Shimla, where woodsmoke curled through the morning air, not every axe strike echoed greed—some were carved from need. This is the story of a young woodcutter, a man of hard work and quiet dignity, and the bitter price he paid for both. Navneet Bakshi Tweet The […]
Dog Days and Black Shadows
Dog Days and Black Shadows In the sweltering heat of a Himalayan summer, fear didn’t come from ghosts in the woods, but from a black dog loose in the police quarters. As a child, I witnessed more than just a dog chase—I saw the blurred line between fear and cruelty, duty and guilt. This is […]
Hungry Canteen Manager Full html
Hungry Canteen Manager Sweet Temptations and Silent Warnings Every child knows the growl of a hungry belly, but the truth is, grown-ups aren’t so different. In fact, watching the canteen staff devour leftovers with even more relish than us was something else. Hunger is a big word, packed with memories and sensations, and I could […]
Hungry Canteen Manager
Sweet Temptations and Silent Warnings Every child knows the growl of a hungry belly, but the truth is, grown-ups aren’t so different. In fact, watching the canteen staff devour leftovers with even more relish than us was something else. Hunger is a big word, packed with memories and sensations, and I could write endlessly about […]