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Book Name: Letters From Hindustan Author: Kopal Khanna Publisher: Juggernaut Genre: Biographies & Personal Transformation Format: Paperback Print length: 288 pages  Rating: 4/5 Letters from Hindustan by Kopal Khanna is a collection of 22 real-life  short stories sourced from storytelling platform TapeATale.    Blurb From the account of an 87-year-old, first-time entrepreneur to the chronicle of a school set up by a humble cop, these stories are going to make you smile, shed a tear and inspire you to follow your own dreams. Discover the amazing, hidden, real-life superheroes of India. Review Letters from Hindustan by Kopal Khanna is unlike typical books that tell stories in memoirs and biographies. Instead, this book offers a collection of short stories from the experiences of different people with whom the author has crossed paths at some point in her journey of creating and sharing stories.  The author's writing style is concise and straightforward de...

Meera, a 15-year-old girl, lived with her parents in a small town. Her family owned a farm. They had different farm animals contributing to their livelihood. The family managed animals together, though Meera would not be involved much due to her Zoophobia.  Her parents tried multiple times to help her get rid of her fear, but it did not work out. But, growing up at a farm and seeing her parents managing animals, she never missed an opportunity to help them. She would not go close to animals but would be involved in chores like gathering fodder for cattle, collecting eggs from the hen coop, and cleaning. She respected the homes of animals and treated their homes like their own. One morning, Meera woke up with a shrill cry from a farm. She could not hold back and ran to the farm. Meera found a calf crying in pain as a nail stuck in his leg. She saw blood flowing and felt terrified. But Meera resisted going too close to the calf and other animals herding the calf. There were tears in ...

With the advent of Covid, the IT industry boomed. People received jobs with more than the expected compensation. Life was smooth with families living together. Though the outer chaos hurt people, living with loved ones came as a savior. As the situation started improving, the offices began reopening and called the employees back to the office. Those who refused to return lost their jobs, leading to mass unemployment.  Sharad, a 26-year-old, got a job offer in 2021 amidst the peak of COVID-19. He felt elated, and his family received support in harsh times. He got affected by COVID-19 but managed his work and health. With time, he made a good reputation in his company. But in 2023, he received shocking news. The company was restarting work from the office by the end of the year. By then, not just he but everyone around was habitual of working from home, and nobody was ready to join back. After talking to his friends, he realized the job market was not doing well. A few of his friends...

Book Name: The Homecoming and Other Stories Author: Sri M Publisher: Penguin Genre: Spirituality & Mystery  Format: Paperback Print length: 200 pages  Rating: 4/5 The Homecoming and Other Stories by Sri M is a short story collection, exploring spirituality, mystery, introspection and life of a silkworm.The narratives are beautifully crafted Book Blurb On Amazon What happens when a lifelong disciple finds out a dark secret about his guru? Can a thief ever reform his ways? How do you solve a murder with no witnesses? Padma Bhushan awardee and bestselling author Sri M sees the world in a different light. He sees the good, the bad and sometimes the supernatural. From horror stories to tales that will shock you out of your wits and pull at your heartstrings, there is something for everyone in this eclectic collection. In his quintessential no-holds barred style, Sri M's The Homecoming and Other Stories urges you to delve deep into the human spirit and get a glimpse of w...

"The people define the nation." One day, Surya and his friends went to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal, the symphony of love. The monument mostly had visitors from foreign lands who came from different countries to witness the beauty of the epitome of love. Surya's friends started behaving strangely, seeing so many foreigners, throwing comments on their dressing sense, and eve-teasing. Surya tried to stop them, but they did not behave properly. Few other visitors from India saw their behavior and came to rescue the foreigners. The people herded near the reflecting pool. The guards came to disperse the crowd. But they could not do anything as the people were lashing Surya's group for misbehaving towards the foreigners. One of the people yelled at them and lectured, "It is because of you youngsters that foreigners feel unsafe while they are in India. You have disrespected your country by making foreigners feel scorned. Such people should not get an entry." He also...

How would it be to face water scarcity in a world of plentifulness? Due to urbanization, people started moving from villages to cities, leaving behind pure resources to embrace polluted life. In this queue, Saksham joined his friends and moved to Bangalore. A few months back, he interviewed for an MNC based out of Bangalore, and little did he know that he would embrace crisis, accepting that job offer. Being an engineer, sitting unemployed at home was depressing for him. Finding the first opportunity, he could not resist and left home. Saksham had few friends already living in Bangalore, so he did not face issues finding a place to live. He lived with his childhood friend Aman for the first few weeks and later shifted to a PG in HSR Layout. His job went smoothly with distinct perks, making his life easier in an expensive city like Bangalore. He worked on rotational shifts. So he received a cab facility to and fro and a meal at the office with tea and snacks. He would work diligently th...

When the government announced plans to destroy the illegal properties, many towners removed the extended shades from their properties to avoid demolition. But a few could not take action in time.  On D-day, when the government sent out a team with a crane for demolition, there was chaos in the market. The shop owners were unbolting tin shades and removing items from the footpath. It was a terrible scene. The town looked destroyed, as if a natural disaster recently hit it.  Those who could not clear off the extended area faced demolition of extended property, impacting their private property and leaving them at a loss. The roads looked destroyed. The markets were empty. People stayed indoors. Meanwhile, destruction covered each area of the town. The most dreadful part was the demolition of homeless people's temporary homes. Many lost roofs above their heads. The government did not care for the people, and the politicians came promising to eradicate poverty when they initiated p...

With the rise of unfairness, companies started following a new trend, "Let's lay off." Rahul and his colleague Rohan were sitting in the cafeteria of their office building discussing the layoffs, shaking them and affecting people, including their friends and acquaintances. While sipping coffee, they overheard a coworker, Sonu, talking about company management's plan to lay off from their company soon. They looked at each other in surprise but did not dare to reach out to that person for details. Rahul and Rohan sat quietly, putting all ears to the layoff news. But Sonu's friends noticed other employees in the cafeteria and asked him to stop, as people would start spreading rumors. Confused, Rahul and Rohan got up from their chairs and ran to their group to break the news. When they shared layoff news with other friends, one of the friends told them I heard that too. HR is my friend. She told me the company prepared a list of 200 employees who would get laid off. H...

The school bell rang, and the students ran towards the assembly ground. It was time for morning assembly, and it was the eighth standard students' turn to host. The commander led the assembly, and all students prayed in chorus, with teachers monitoring students. After assembly, the students moved to their classes. The class teachers took on their duties.  Everything went well until lunch break. While the students were busy playing and sharing food, there was an announcement from the central speaker, "Everyone needs to move to their classes. There is danger on the other side of the school ground." There was panic. Students started running here and there. They bumped into each other. The teachers rushed to the ground to redirect students to a safe place. Tapis and his group were playing on the other side of the school grounds. Before they could understand and run, the terrorists got hold of them and took them hostage. While the headmaster was sending students to school, he ...

With the blossoming flowers, December transitioned from autumn to winter, bringing joy and chillness. The town was hustling with pomp and show as it was wedding season. The resorts and hotels were full, and the preparations for marriages began.  Ritu's friend Sanya was also getting married this wedding season. She was busy preparing for Sanya's wedding and other functions. After all, she was the most eligible bridesmaid. She had to look the best and organize the best Bachelorette for Sanya. Ritu and Sanya, born and brought up in the same neighborhood, grew together from sharing secrets to sharing school, college, and even job. And now the day arrived when Sanya decided to tie the knot with his beloved Karan. Ritu had plans for higher studies, so she was not ready to get married yet. But she was happy for her best friend. Before leaving abroad, she had to manage the events of Sanya's wedding, including Haldi, Mehendi, Sangeet, Bachelorette, and the D-day her wedding. Ritu to...

The Gupta family was out on a family dinner as it was Mr. and Mrs. Sharma's anniversary. Before leaving home, Mrs. Gupta asked her kids, Neena and Chikki, to check the locks of every window and door, as there had been many cases of robbery in their neighborhood lately. They drove to Mr. Gupta's favorite family restaurant, Spice & Chutney, 10 km from their house. Neena and Chikki booked a table and cake in the name of Mr. Gupta in advance so that they would not be required to wait as the restaurant used to have long waiting hours. They wished to make it the best experience for their parents. Before the receptionist could ask them to wait, Neena interfered and told her about the booking in Mr. Gupta's name. Mr. and Mrs. Gupta looked at each other in surprise and then at their kids lovingly. Mrs. Sharma pulled Neena and Chikki's cheeks and adored them for their quick action. She told Mr. Gupta, "See, our daughters have grown up."  Neena and Chikki blushed. Th...