Solitude and Books

How about some horror stories for wintery nights? 👻💀☠️ In Odiya dialect Bhoota Gappa means Ghost Stories.  Bhoota Gappa by Pratiksha Misra is a collection of ghost stories that will give you chills and keep you hooked till the end.  The book is inspired by the rich culture of Odisha and takes us back to the days when stories were shared around family gatherings. The book has seven short stories in each volume, with a bigger story running alongside them. This bigger story connects the characters from the shorter ones, making it exciting to read. The stories are about ghosts, spirits, and black magic, making them both scary and fascinating. I feel what makes this book special is how real it feels. Many stories come from true events or experiences shared by the author’s family, which adds a personal touch.  The writing is simple and creates a strong picture of the places and events, making you feel like you are there. The author dedicate...

Siddhartha Kapila's 'Tripping Down the Ganga' is a memoir and a travelogue, but it is much more than a plain journalistic account of his trips to seven major pilgrimage sites along the Ganga. It recounts his journeys—or yaatras—from his thirties (2015–2022) and earlier years. It's his quest to find God—or "meaning"—a journey inspired by his devout mother since birth. Reading his experiences was like witnessing metamorphosis of beliefs and the wholesome exploration of spirituality.  He describes himself first as a habit-based follower—believing in faith yet sometimes questioning it, like an agnostic. However, his experiences from trips to Gangotri, Kedarnath, Banaras, and beyond ultimately transformed his perspective.  His conversations with people of different nationalities, who came from different walks of life were quite an experience. The vibrant-rustic culture of the Ganga ghats, with yogis, babas, and aghoris in Varanas...