“At the end of the day, when we search for a shelter, we always return to stories.”
With this hope, I present to you, Katha – One Hundred Tales of Life.

This is my fourth solo book and my first work of fiction. I am very much excited to have finished authoring this book. Writing 100 stories was a daunting task for me, yet I enjoyed the authoring process. These bite-sized stories are actually my attempt to compile all my micro-fiction and flash fiction works I had written so far, in a span of five years into serious writing journey.

The stories in this collection are woven around ten themes: Mitti, Chasing the Question, Thrills and Chills, Love – Beyond the Word, The Blank Space, A Pocketful of Sunshine, Goddess in the Making, Lullaby, Kaleidoscope, and Song of Life.

Mitti is the opening section of the book where I have written stories from the village landscape. In Chasing the Question, I have written suspense stories and in Thrills and Chills, I have kept the horror stories. In the next section, Love – Beyond the Word, I have written a bunch of love stories with different flavors. Wherein in The Blank Space section, I have written some stories of longing, and I am sure these stories will remind you of the void in your life. The next section, A Pocketful of Sunshine, the stories will make your heart shine with joy and hope, as these stories leave a message about the ride of life. The section Goddess in the Making is dedicated to women and the section Lullaby is dedicated to mothers. In these two sections, you will have many stories woven with different aspects of womanhood and motherhood. In the next section, Kaleidoscope, I have kept the stories of everyday things, simple yet profound moments, and people we meet in the journey of life. The last section, Song of Life is dedicated to ‘Life’ itself, where the stories speak of hope, light, and new beginnings.

In Katha, you will have one hundred tales. Each story is based on a specific theme, sometimes evolving around more than one theme.

There’s horror – a theme that I have never written on before writing the stories for Katha. In this book, I have written not only one but eight horror stories, one folklore-style horror story, and one horror vignette blending with a dash of delusion.

There’s suspense – a theme that’s a favorite to every reader, irrespective of their age and interest. In Katha, you will have ten stories that intrigue you to exercise your brain muscles and then leave you with an unsolved puzzle and an unanswered question.

There’s love – a forever theme that makes life more meaningful with its hidden beauty. In love stories, you will find themes such as longing, memories, friendship, ghosts, pride alleys, societal norms, and more.

When there is love, there will be longing, too. Always. I believe love and longing are inseparable, and this is why, with love, I have also kept some stories on the theme of longing. These stories will leave a blank space in your heart – a void that can’t be filled with anything, a thirst that can’t be quenched ever.

When you are pondering the void in your heart, sunshine comes your way to brighten your day and uplift your mood. These tales touch your heart and remind you of life’s bright and beautiful side.

There are stories of womanhood. I have brought to you fifteen such tales of women who narrate the stories of power, courage, and strength. In the next section, tales of motherhood narrate the stories of mothers who dared, survived, and thrived.

Apart from these themes, there are stories of everyday things and scenes from the streets. The book begins with tales from the village landscape where life means living with simplicity and weaving the narrative of life, one day at a time. At the end of the book, I have kept the theme of hope – a theme that inspires us to keep going and singing the song of life.

And thus, my book ‘Katha’ gifts you one hundred tales of life.

Each tale, inspired by ordinary lives and everyday moments, reveals hidden truths within our existence. As you read, you will discover them unfolding tender emotions, quiet struggles, fleeting joys – telling a story within a story. Through these slices of life, they reveal how the simplest moments often reflect the deepest truths.
I hope these stories linger in your heart forever.

Buy the book here:
https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0FR57HNFT

(This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon)

(This post is part of the Bookish League blog hop hosted by Bohemian Bibliophile https://bohemianbibliophile.com/)