‘Hidden Arithmetic’ – my latest book

– Authored by Kennedi Gopalan

I have been observing, witnessing, and trying to understand human lives since childhood. Academic education, honestly, never interested me—for two reasons. It was forced upon me, and most of the answers were given even before I had the urge to ponder about them or attempt to find them on my own.

I began narrating stories at the age of eight. People laughed at me. I wouldn’t say I consciously put great effort into creating stories; the process simply happens on its own in my mind.

After the initial mockery, I chose silence. I stopped narrating my stories to people around me. They remained within me—speaking, evolving, forming new permutations and combinations, giving birth to new characters and situations. They kept talking to me, and in doing so, they kept me company.

Perhaps that is why you would never have found me unhappy—whether sitting on the last bench in a classroom, travelling in crowded Bombay local trains, or walking ten kilometres a day to reach the office. I lived and relived countless lives through the stories that continued to narrate themselves within my mind, on auto mode.

‘Hidden Arithmetic’ is one such outcome—a collection of eight short stories deeply influenced by real-life incidents I have personally witnessed and reflected upon for years. I hope that as you read them, they speak to you in the same way they have been speaking to me all this time.

Now available on Amazon @ https://amzn.in/d/0fAPYKfK