The Uber Chronicles: Mini Stories on the Go

By Rakesh Gambhir

Every journey in life is unique, even the mundane ones that take us from point A to point B or point X to point Y. While riding in an Uber or taxi either for personal or professional reasons, Rakesh Gambhir approached each trip as an opportunity to converse with his drivers to distill the essence of people. But what he did not know is that the short conversations would also lead to unexpected personal discoveries.
In a collection of short tales inspired by his experiences, Gambhir reveals insight into his interactions with housewives, students, ex-cons, bootleggers, seekers, and the healers pursuing side gigs in an economic revolution. From a Buddhist monk-in-training who drove an Uber to make ends meet while questioning the evils of materialism to a former circus daredevil seeking infinite calm in Key West to a Somalian transplant relying on her faith to drive in treacherous weather, Gambhir’s stories delve beneath the surface of the mundane and the ordinary to provide a fresh look into the people, places, and cultures that comprise our big beautiful world.
The Uber Chronicles is a volume of bite-sized stories that highlight the wisdom and insight gathered from an Uber passenger’s short conversations with his drivers while en route.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Jun 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665724296

Book preview

Copyright © 2022 Rakesh Gambhir.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by

any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system

without the written permission of the author except in the case of

brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents,

organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products

of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Archway Publishing

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of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-6657-2428-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-2429-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022909570

Archway Publishing rev. date: 6/30/2022

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Prologue

Episode 1   The Bear Whisperer

Episode 2   Key West—Everything Is North of Here

Episode 3   Spirits in a Material World

Episode 4   Could This Be Love?

Episode 5   My Dog Is Running for Office

Episode 6   Could This Be Love (Part Deux)?

Episode 7   Where in the World Is Kyrgyzstan?

Episode 8   The Almighty Will Make It All Right!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I dedicate this short story collection to my kids, Nupur and Ratik, both incessant travelers and adventurers. Call it compromise or evolution, but I was forced to evaluate fresh perspectives and new ways of thinking, which ultimately led me to shed some redundant notions. I am thankful for that, but the journey is not complete yet. We will all continue growing together.

Special thanks