Ghosts, Gossip & Garrison Life: An Exclusive Excerpt from The Cantonment Ghosts & Other Stories

Our host started narrating this true incident.

‘We had been married for a few days, and our battalion was in Bhagat Line in Meerut. We were living in SN Park, and my wife and I went for a stroll towards Topkhana Lines. There was a lane there that had old, deserted bungalows—those huge, crumbling colonial bungalows with driveways and pillared porticos. Peepul trees grew out of their walls, and the driveway had the unmistakable circular pillars. It was a lonely stretch, and the time was about half past nine. My wife still wore her marriage finery and rows of bangles, and there was just a dim light of a faraway street lamp. I heard a moped drive up from behind, and a man was driving it. He stopped and said to me, “Musafir, this is a haunted road. Don’t you know about the 1857 mutiny ghosts? You shouldn’t come here with your wife. Go back.”

‘I caught a glimpse of the man. He wore a long, flowing achkan and juttis. His clothes looked as if they were from the nineteenth century. I turned to my wife and said, “Let’s turn back, darling.”

‘And as we turned, there was no sign of the man on the moped.

This excerpt from the titular story Of Col Roberts and Some Other Cantonment Ghosts offers a fictional glimpse into what unfolds behind cantonment gates once the sun dips below the parade ground. It captures those unguarded moments when rank softens, drinks are poured, and stories—half-remembered, half-believed—begin to circulate. Each encounter in the chapter carries the unmistakable undertone of military folklore—where duty sharpens instinct and survival often feels guided by forces beyond explanation.

And while this chapter leans into the supernatural, The Cantonment Ghosts & Other Stories goes far beyond ghostly encounters. This military fiction collection delves into the culture of service life—messes and informal gatherings, regimental humour, unspoken codes, and the peculiar rhythm of cantonment life that civilians rarely see.

With 38 short yet layered pieces, the book spans combat and intelligence narratives, sharp humour in stories and deeply personal reflections on military family life. Together, they form a collection that is distinctly fauji and universally human.

If you’ve lived in a cantonment, served in uniform, or simply wondered about life inside them, grab your copy today!

Buy here: The Cantonment Ghosts and Other Stories