On the morning Mrinmoyee first saw the sea, Kanyakumari felt less like a town and more like an arrival people had rehearsed in their minds for years. Families stepped out of buses in crumpled travel clothes and looked suddenly alert. Tour guides raised their voices above the traffic. Hawkers moved through the crowd with the Read more…

The stairwell was packed—heels clattered against concrete, breath came in sharp bursts, someone was sobbing nearby. Maya Nair gripped the rail as she descended from the 78th floor of the South Tower, one hand wrapped tightly around her bag. Somewhere above, a voice crackled over the loudspeaker, urging calm. But calm had left the building Read more…