66 In Conversation with India

All I did was walk away. I could have spoken to the two little boys on the roadside. I could have reported the incident to the police. Or to an NGO. It was plain fear, fear of the consequences of intervening that made me run away from the situation. I still wonder what exactly the boys were discussing. If only I had stopped...
Regular sexual harassment and domestic violence are part and parcel of a woman’s life in India? Were you aware of the actual percentage of woman subjected to domestic abuse within their own homes in India? Preethy was sitting with a gaping gash on her right cheek, dripping blood onto her sari. What had happened to her?
As man and dog made eye contact, the man stretched out a hand to pat Mommy dog, and offered her his packet of biscuits. The dog, which must have been as ravenous as the man, if not more, accepted the offering delicately, apparently taking care to not hurt the hand that fed her.While man patted Mommy dog and the puppies played around their feet, they shared the packet of biscuits in mute camaraderie.
This collection of short stories of real people in ‘66 In Conversation with India’ contains sneak peeks into the lives of everyday people, people we may meet during the course of our daily lives. Every story speaks for itself and for the real life person it came from, and is based on the uniquely human feeling, empathy. The dictionary defines ‘empathy’ (/ˈɛmpəθɪ/) as ‘the power of understanding and imaginatively entering into another person's feelings or stepping into another’s shoes.’
You and I have empathy wired into our brains naturally; empathy is a skill that we all can nurture and develop.
Shirish from Maharasthtra, Seema Chechi from Kerala, Shyam Sundar from Tamilnadu and the Hero and the Dog from somewhere in India are some of the everyday people living their everyday lives across the width and breadth of India whose stories are contained within this book.
Look at someone today, smile, start a conversation. Step into their shoes, see what the world looks like for that person. Perhaps your world will change.