In an era where Gen Zs and millennials seek meaning through experiences rather than possessions, Whispers from the Lighthouse of Galle – Stories of Friendships & Adventures in Nature offers exactly the kind of soulful escape today’s young adventurers crave. For those who live for spontaneous road trips, mountain treks, beach escapades, and serendipitous conversations with strangers—and secretly nurture the hope of finding love and companionship along the way—Priyanka Kumar’s latest collection is a deeply relatable read. With its mix of short stories and memoir-style reflections, this book resonates with those who believe that real connection and personal discovery often happen far away from the familiar.

The newest installment in Priyanka’s celebrated People’s Kafe series, Whispers from the Lighthouse of Galle brings together heartfelt stories and travel-infused memories that capture the healing magic of nature and the unspoken bonds we form with people and places. Though it’s not a travelogue in the conventional sense, the book reads like one—with vivid glimpses into landscapes and emotions that stay with the reader long after they turn the final page.

And yet, the book is as much about the people as it is about the places. There are tales of peacocks who roamed her childhood garden like kin, strangers-turned-friends on spontaneous journeys, and even encounters that subtly hint at love blossoming when least expected. The presence of love—gentle, unforced, and organic—is a quiet undercurrent in a couple of these stories, offering a warm, relatable thread for every romantic dreamer who has ever looked out of a train window and wondered, what if?