In Ranchi, mornings do not arrive with applause. They seep in quietly, like dew threading itself through blades of grass. The farmhouse lies still under a pale sky, its long driveway scented with damp earth and faint petrol from machines that slept through the night. Beyond the gates, the city stirs in low murmurs, but here there is only the soft percussion of paws against tiled floor, the clink of metal bowls, the swish of tails that carve invisible signatures in the air. He steps out in a faded grey T-shirt and track pants, hair slightly unkempt, the great calm face of a nation’s composure now stripped of stadium lights. The dogs sense him before he speaks…

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To read the full story and 19 other short stories in this series click on the links below:

This story is part of the book Unknown Companions, my second printed collection of short stories, bringing together twenty quiet encounters between well-known Indians and the animals who moved through their lives.

These stories do not revisit achievement. They turn toward the smaller presences history rarely records: a dog waiting at a doorway, a bird crossing a garden, a stray who appears at an unexpected hour. In such moments, reputation falls silent and a different kind of companionship becomes visible.

Rooted in real lives and shaped by the quiet crossings between humans and animals, this collection gathers the unnoticed companions who stood briefly beside lives that history remembers for other reasons.

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If you have found something here that stayed with you, some of my other books (collection of short stories, novels, and more) are now available in print and digital editions. They gather many unique journeys, quieter questions, and stories that continue beyond this page.