This book is a collection of stories set in various countries around the world. It showcases the human predicament in the face of socio-cultural and political forces beyond their control. In all the stories, the protagonists are victims of the system, puppets controlled by the political state or patriarchal norms. The prevailing feeling in the stories is the essential loneliness of the individual, arising from being away from home, loss of family, or detachment from the social community with which one cannot identify. Velliyodan boldly addresses political issues worldwide, reflecting the loss of human values such as loyalty, affection, love, sympathy, friendship, kinship, and above all, humanity. This book effectively explores both the dwindling of empathy and its potential rebuilding.