Writing

Writing helps me untangle what I feel but can’t always say aloud. I write about people I’ve met, places I’ve seen, and moments from my past that linger. Even in fiction, there’s often a quiet thread of truth — something remembered, something felt. Most of my stories are imagined, some recalled — all deeply personal.

The Whispering Waves

Anup Narayanan · 2025-04-06

“Azad, you can come in now”. He turned to look at the source of the thick African accent and smiled. It was Laura, the finance manager, his usual point of...

The First Meeting

Anup Narayanan · 2024-11-10

Bangalore’s weather was at its best as I walked from my friend’s office on Infantry Road. It was the 6th of September, 2005—a Tuesday. The sun playfully hid behind clouds,...

The Boy Who Ran Away

Anup Narayanan · 2024-11-03

It was a wedding on Neel’s mother’s side of the family. Now in his late 30s, Neel was a proud father and husband to a lovely wife. Before the ceremonies...

There Was Rahul Dravid

Anup Narayanan · 2024-11-03

I had rushed to the cricket nets after college and finished my practice. I did my usual warm-ups, bowled for an hour and a half or so, and quickly changed...

Like The Emperor Of Japan

Anup Narayanan · 2024-10-27

As the group of middle-aged Japanese businessmen gathered into a huddle and began their deliberations in earnest, I watched in mute fascination. All of them impeccably attired in their suits,...

The Unnamed Tax Officer

Anup Narayanan · 2024-10-24

I was nervous as I parked my bike at the Kochi Tax Office. I think they call it Tax Bhavan. I had quit my job a couple of months earlier...

The Mute In The Olive Grove

Anup Narayanan · 2024-10-19

Mount Nebo felt like a place from biblical times. The chalky soil, old houses, and quaint cafés made it seem as though I had traveled thousands of years into the...

The Forger

Anup Narayanan · 2024-10-16

A nauseating and paralyzing fear gripped Neel as he read the remarks in his class diary. Under the column Description, the teacher had written: Neel has forgotten his textbook again....

Next Time, Let Me Call You

Anup Narayanan · 2024-10-14

“You can hang up now. Next time, let me call you.” While that phrase has the bite of a gentle rebuff, coming from a woman I hoped to marry, especially...

The Woman At The Border Checkpost

Anup Narayanan · 2024-10-10

After every semester break, it was an 8 to 10 hour journey for Neel to get back to college. The last leg of the journey involved an interstate bus ride...

Silhouette

Anup Narayanan · 2024-10-04

Pressing his face deep into the pillow didn’t drown out the sound. The darkness and fear only made it worse. It was well past midnight. Neel was still awake, and...

The Big Man From Deira

Anup Narayanan · 2023-02-04

‘Welcome Sirrrr….’ That long drawl and warm tone were so reassuring. The city was Dubai and I was back after two and half years. After checking into my usual hotel...

First Evening In Tokyo

Anup Narayanan · 2022-12-26

Underground metro stations can be incredibly lonely, especially in winter. The Narita International Airport Metro station in Tokyo was no different on a late November evening. It was my first...

The Visitor

Anup Narayanan · 2022-06-01

Reghu paid a visit to my office in Kochi in the year 2016. I first met Reghu 12 years earlier when he was just out of college and working as...

Like A White Dove

Anup Narayanan · 2022-04-20

It was around 8:30 in the morning. We were waiting for our college bus when she rode past on her bicycle, evidently on her way to school. She must have...

Over A Root Beer

Anup Narayanan · 2022-03-10

She must be close to 80. Well, that’s my guess. With a sweet, bird-like face and a schoolboy mop haircut, she must’ve been quite Audrey Hepburn-ish when marrying his father....

Why Not Tuck Your Shirt In?

Anup Narayanan · 2022-01-29

As I was passing by, the gentleman in the picture asked a lady jogger at the KLCC park to picture him with the Petronas towers (out of frame) in the...

That Little Boy

Anup Narayanan · 2021-08-12

The boy was pleading with his parents for something that he saw through the store window, maybe a toy, as little boys usually do. The street was busy with tourists,...

Like Bambi's Mother

Anup Narayanan · 2021-07-03

My wife had a professional engagement, and she assigned babysitting duties to me for the day. Our daughter was shy of three, and my wife had reasonable apprehensions about my...

The Hand Of God

Anup Narayanan · 2021-05-05

It was a foolish decision. The bus was jam-packed, and passengers stood on the footboard and precariously balanced themselves. It was a Friday evening and my weekend escapade from the...

Giving A Ride To God

Anup Narayanan · 2021-02-20

It was Delhi, and it must have been October. The evening was sharp and clear. I could feel the nip of the winter just around the corner, and I was...

The Solitary Dancer

Anup Narayanan · 2019-02-20

After a sumptuous meal of Hainanese Chicken Rice in Singapore’s Chinatown, we were on our way to the MRT when we came across an impromptu performance by a band. A...

The Englishman In Saigon

Anup Narayanan · 2019-01-12

We were in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). But I love calling it Saigon. There’s something round and deep about “Saigon”—it sounds like a prediction from the mouth of a...

The Birth Of A Filmmaker

Anup Narayanan · 2018-11-26

Probably this is how it all started. As a young boy, growing up in a remote hilly village in North Malabar, Kerala, watching a film was a luxury. There were...

Sir, Do You Need A House Maid?

Anup Narayanan · 2018-11-01

I wasn’t walking. Rather I had broken into a mild jog while pushing my way through the morning crowd at the Abu Dhabi bus station. Having alighted the early morning...

A Handful Of Grapes

Anup Narayanan · 2016-10-01

A few years ago, in Dubai, I was waiting to hail a taxi to the airport to catch my return flight. I observed a taxi that was headed opposite to...