This is a collection of five warm and sentimental novelettes that provide an unapologetic male gaze (despite the raconteur in three of them being women) upon the actions of ordinary people and the consequences of these actions, intended and unintended, upon their lives. In the process, it takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of India – from the eastern states of Bihar and Jharkhand to the western city of Mumbai, and from the line of control in Kashmir to the southern city of Chennai – covering a span of time from the license raj days of the 1980s to the lockdown and its aftermath in the 2020s and describing the lives of a range of people, from the English-speaking elite to others from less educated and exposed sections of society. The collection is a must-read for those looking to introduce themselves to the parts of the country and its people that they may not be familiar with, and to values and attitudes different to their own.