About the book
This book began as a way of remembering — of meeting strangers, visiting homes, and moments that lingered long after the fieldwork was done.
In each story came a reckoning — that quiet pause when life reminds you to listen, not measure; to see people, not data points.
A reckoning isn’t always dramatic; sometimes it’s a gentle awakening — a glimpse of ourselves reflected in others.
Nine Reckonings is built around such moments, when the professional turns personal and research transforms into empathy. Drawn from real encounters across India and beyond, these stories capture reckonings that are subtle, human, and unforgettable.
Set across Delhi, Bhopal, Kolkata, Jalandhar, the Middle East, Manila, and Jakarta, each story reveals a different truth — of fear and trust (Beyond Punjab), conscience (Five Kg Gold), lost love (Anurupa), gratitude (Mermaid), endurance (Middle East Dreams), forgiveness (One Perfect Sunday), belonging (The Twelfth Man), empathy (Walking with the Truth in Manila), and identity (Once Upon a Time).
 
About the author
Ranabir Sen has spent over four decades exploring the worlds of people, places, and perceptions through his work in market research across India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. His professional journeys — from remote Indian villages to the night markets of Bangkok, the souls of Cairo, and the gleaming malls of Dubai — have given him an extraordinary view of how stories live beneath statistics.
What began as research often turned into reflection, and encounters meant for data became lessons in empathy. His writing draws from these moments, blending the precision of observation with the tenderness of human truth.
Based in Gurgaon, India, Ranabir continues to explore the intersections of work, culture, and memory. Nine Reckonings is his fourth published work of storytelling, inspired by real-life encounters that reveal the quiet reckonings shaping ordinary lives.