'The field of battle was set, all the players had blown their conches and the thrill of war was upon them. They would do their karma here today and earn the reward they did not seek. Irrespective of what role they would play, they were all heroes. Heroes bore me.'

Stories He Left Behind is a collection of novellas and stories laid bare by Ekarat, the 'phoenix' writer. Published posthumously, Ekarat's world is layered; his endings unpredictable; his characters unique and yet, common; juxtaposing all the good that the world has to offer with the bad.

Ajay Khullar (1978-2021), who took on the nom de plume 'Ekarat', was born into a Punjabi army family in Chandigarh. An alumnus of Lawrence School, Sanawar; Lovedale and Vivek High School, Chandigarh, he did his Bachelor of Arts in English from DAV College, Chandigarh, and a diploma in Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IMC), New Delhi, in 2001. A travel journalist, he was the editor of Discover India magazine from 2014 to 2018. He published two volumes of stories during his lifetime, Nothing Man and A Book of Love.