The House in Pudukkottai That Woke Up at 5AM

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By 5AM, the house in Pudukkottai was already awake. The old tape recorder would be blaring Pithukuli Murugados songs somewhere inside, and above everything else you could hear the steady creak of the wooden swing moving back and forth. My athai paati — my grandfather’s sister — would often be on that swing, singing “Gopala Krishna Swamy Gokulathiley,” a soft Krishna lullaby . She had been widowed young and lived the rest of her life in that house, and to me she always felt like someone straight out of an RK Narayan story. For us, summer meant Pudukkottai and Gobichettipalayam. A couple of days after the final exam, we would take the overnight Trichy Express from Bangalore, then a bus onward, and by the next morning we would be inside that long, bustling house full of cousins, relatives, and noise. Athai Paati with the kids on the swing The house itself stretched from one street to another, a lon...
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The Legacy Beneath the Leaves

My first ever publication — a small step, but a meaningful one.

Many of us carry a quiet wish to do something meaningful with our hobbies. If you love cricket, you dream of playing in a local league. If you’re passionate about music, you imagine performing for a small crowd. Some people even try their hand at stand-up comedy just to feel that spark on stage.

When any of these milestones happen, it feels like a dream — not because you’ve “made it big,” but because you’ve taken one real step toward something you love. And in my book, that’s a gigantic step.

This week, I finally took my own step: I published my first Kindle Single.

For years, I kept sitting on ideas. I kept waiting for the “perfect” novel, the magical debut that would fetch stunning accolades. Instead, nothing moved. It was a classic case of kicking the pot in the dreams — forever imagining, never doing.

But the publishing world has changed. Shorter works are welcome, self-publishing is accessible, and with tools like ChatGPT, the barriers feel smaller. I didn’t have to hunt for a developmental editor, line editor, copy editor, proofreader, or writing coach. AI let me focus on emotions, storytelling, and the heart of the narrative instead of getting lost in ultra-fine details.

So I decided to plunge headfirst into the publishing world.
First publication. First-time author.
There’s a nice ring to it.

My short story is titled The Legacy Beneath the Leaves.
If you get the chance to read it, I’d love to hear what you think.

Amazon Links:

US Edition & India Edition

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