June 2026

Ahmedabad was still asleep. Or at least it pretended to be. The sky beyond the Ellisbridge bungalow remained a deep indigo, the first hints of dawn still hidden beyond the horizon. Streetlights cast pools of golden light across nearly empty roads. Somewhere in the distance, a milkman’s bicycle rattled…

Ahmedabad stood unnaturally still in the heavy afternoon heat. Outside, the sunlight lay harsh and blinding across the quiet roads, the dry warmth of late afternoon pressing down over the city like a weight. Somewhere in the distance, the faint sound of a hawker drifted through the stillness before…

The conference room did not empty immediately. For a few seconds after Sameer’s final words, no one moved. The silence lingered – not uncertain like before, but settled. Heavy. Conclusive. Then, slowly, chairs shifted. A file closed. A pen was set down. The small, ordinary sounds of movement returned……