A-Quaint-Essences

Some encounters, relationships and friendships go beyond definition.

In ëThe Food Serverí, Rashmi seeks to find closure at an ex-boyfriendís wedding, finding redemption in an unexpected source. Nine years after losing his son, government employee Abdul in ëPhotocopyí begins to confront his grief when faced with another bereft soul. A luxury Dubai hotel is the setting for a jaded PR Managerís conversation with ëThe Guestí. Meanwhile, octogenarian Ramaiah and 20-something Shahzadi swap perspectives about the Hyderabadi haveli they work in under ëThis Old Mango Treeí. In íBody Mind Indexí, two gym-mates find that thereís more to magnetism than meets the eye. Amidst a swarm of engineering aspirants, Venkatesh learns to like the career path his parents pick for him in ëFuture Perfectí. A retired adman canít sleep till he encounters íStrangers Every Nightí. Touring Edinburgh and London, a successful theatre couple try to go ëBack to the Beginningí. An unnamed street urchin finds God in her own way in 'Grace is She'. And finally, during self-isolation, film actress Asha takes an inward journey into what it means to be ëAloneí.

ëA-Quaint-Essencesí is a short collection of stories about these connections, forged over years or over instants, twisting, upturning, or simply adding a brushstroke of meaning to our lives, leaving us different from the people we were before.