Book Title: The Haunted Doorway
Author: Jay Alani and Neil D’Silva
Publisher: Harper Fiction
Number of Pages: 284
ISBN: 936989652X
Date Published: Mar. 27, 2026
Price: INR 421 / $14.95
Book Excerpt
The Haunted Doorway
Pages 125-127
SHORTLY after the lockdown announced during the COVID-19 pandemic was relieved, Jay had a call from Nishita, an acquaintance he had made in those challenging years. A senior lifestyle journalist with a leading national daily, Nishita Sharma was always on the lookout for interesting stories with a human angle. It was during her hunt for such stories that she had discovered Jay’s work. Jay, who had become quite popular during the lockdown years owing to his podcasts, videos, blogs, and the books on his work, came across as a fascinating subject for Nishita. The two met over online meetings and then in real life, and soon Jay signed on to write a column for the daily, the subject being—you guessed it—paranormal research.
The weekly column did not take long to hit the right numbers. Soon it figured among the most-read features of the publication. Jay’s first column, which was on a popular legend of a white-saree-clad female ghost, was widely read and elicited a lot of discussion. In time, he was receiving messages about his columns as well. For Jay, who had worked so far only on digital platforms, working for a traditional, paper-based medium was a new and enriching experience. His audience was different; they were from a marginally different school of thought, who had been conditioned over years of beliefs andpractices. It was an interesting experience for Jay to speak new things to them, to shatter myths, to take them on a journey to see that things go beyond what we can easily see. It was daunting at times, but it was also its own kind of fun. It was the thing Jay needed after the dire, lonely times of the lockdown were done with.
The process Jay had formed for this project was to come up with thought-provoking subjects and running them past Nishita for brainstorming. The two would then together zero in on subjects that would hold appeal to the target audience. Jay would then write his experiences down, trying to ensure that at any time they had a bank of three to four stories ready for their weekly publication.
The following story came in through a different process. It was the first story that Nishita herself suggested to Jay, and due to the sheer nature of the excitement and furor it created, it became one of the enduring pieces Jay wrote for the column.
Over a call that came late in the evening, an excited Nishita said, ‘Hey, Jay, I think we have the story for the next week. I came across a young couple, Paul and Shikha, who have a strange story to tell. So, these lovebirds were hanging out at TalaqiDarwaza where they had a weird experience. I did a little bit of research myself and found that TalaqiDarwaza has late in the evening. Maybe around 9 p.m. They went there on the guy’s bike. Now, you see it’s a make-out point for couples, and so they picked their spot and got busy. There were other couples too, but no one bothered with each other; they all kept to themselves. Paul told me that he was the one who heard it first—a weird noise that came from the wild area beyond the doorway. But wait—I might miss out on something. Let me arrange a meeting with them?’
Jay thought about it. The case seemed interesting on many levels. Firstly, the TalaqiDarwaza does have a haunted reputation, along with its rich history. Secondly, the story was captured on video already. If anything really existed there, Jay thought he might be able to capture more solid video evidence of the existence of the paranormal. And then, he was on the lookout for a good story for the publication; the deadline was fast approaching!
‘All right, let’s meet this couple,’ Jay said. ‘How does Indian Coffee House sound? Let’s see if their spooky story is still frightening in the chaos of a coffeehouse in Connaught Place.’ quite the haunted reputation. I am sure you have heard about it too. Anyway, I asked them to send me video proofs and they have. You take a look.’
‘Sure I will, Nishita. What is their story, though?’ Jay asked.
‘Oh, they were full of details!’ Nishita said. ‘The couple is pretty spooked, to be honest. Well, so they were hanging out.
Excerpted with permission from “The Haunted Doorway“, by Jay Alani and Neil D’Silva, Harper Fiction.
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