Hao Bhiya!

When you are in Indore, even a plate of poha can become a constitutional debate.

Hao Bhiya is a funny, layered, sharply observed portrait of a city racing toward "smart-city" modernity while stubbornly remaining gloriously, emotionally Indori. Across interconnected stories filled with pan-shop politics, startup swagger, coaching-center anxiety, kitty-party cold wars, parking feuds, wedding inflation, chai-stall diplomacy, and Jeeravan-fueled food nationalism, Naina Gumashta returns from America only to discover that Indore has upgraded its malls, cafés, apps, and flyovers - but absolutely refuses to upgrade its personality.

Here, municipal engineers negotiate over poha, retired uncles weaponize bureaucracy, food influencers accidentally trigger civic unrest, and colony WhatsApp groups collapse faster than government drainage systems during monsoon.

Warm, chaotic, nostalgic, and deeply rooted in the rhythms of middle-class Indian life, Hao Bhiya captures the strange genius of a city where everyone has an opinion, nobody follows lanes, and every crisis eventually pauses for tea.

For readers who have ever missed India unexpectedly - or tried explaining to foreigners why sev matters emotionally - this book is a loud, affectionate walk straight back home.