Dopehri is Pankaj Kapur’s first novel, originally written in Hindi and translated into English by Rahul Soni. Set in the old lanes of Lucknow, the story follows Amma Bi, an elderly widow living alone in a deserted haveli. Every afternoon at exactly three o’clock, she hears mysterious footsteps outside her home. Her loneliness and fear begin to change when she takes in Sabiha, a young woman whose arrival brings warmth, companionship and new purpose into Amma Bi’s life. The novel explores loneliness, companionship, ageing, empathy, women’s resilience and self-discovery, with gentle humour and an evocative Lucknow setting.