Infinite Versions.
The crowd broke out in applause as the husband handed a jewellery box to his wife, followed by several oohs and aahs from many of the wife’s girlfriends as she snapped the box open. Unlike popular opinion, the box contained a charm bracelet. She removed the bracelet from its container with the charms dangling delicately…
Jhumka.
The breeze rustled through her tresses as it blew over the trees in the copse. The tiny bells attached to the jhumkas hanging by her ear, tinkled a soft jingling sound as they danced to the whims and fancies of the wind. A stray lock blew over her face as the breeze intensified its hold.…
Penny for them.
Pennywise clapped his hands, the white cotton gloves swallowing the sound. He leaned forward towards the group of mostly silent children. He bobbed towards them with his face breaking out in a grotesque smile, as the one etched on his skin. “One of you’ll not leave this room alive, my dear children,” he cackled as…
A Wash of Emotions.
Hunger and Anger are at it again. The same old argument; flogging the same dead horse. “I don’t think Anger can cause humans to die. Whereas, if they experience me, I’m sure to kill. Q.E.D.,” rumbles Hunger, tipping his pointed nose at Anger. Anger’s bulbous nose reddened as his veins popped. “Hogwash. I can cause…
If you stumble, make it a part of your dance.
A week before Diwali. Shachi. “The hot oil welcomes the uncooked chakli in its unctuous folds. It is satisfying when the chakli goes belly-up. The skimmer spoon swoops in to rescue the chakli, not bothering about its own safety. The mission is successful. The boiling oil hisses, desolate as the chakli departs, further and further away from…
Much Ado Over a Var.
Naradmuni. I couldn’t check my WhatsApp messages. The networks were down, and the towers, destroyed. Everyone around me examined their devices in vain. The data services were cut. The reverberations of his stomping foot could be felt everywhere but to him. His pain was unbearable, cutting deep. Locks of his matted hair spread on the horizon.…
Embers From The Same Fire.
Samsara. Camels. Ships of the deserts. Objects of my unwavering affection. They, strangely, do not top most people’s list of favourite animals, but then I’m not most people. Given half a chance (a rare occurrence!), I can wax eloquent about the grace and agility of the humped creatures. Poor Cheetal, my prized stuffed toy, endures…
No Book Left Behind.
The matriarch, Sunehri, squared her shoulders as the impending exodus loomed. A sense of melancholy washed over her as she recalled the words. The place that had housed her and her children and grandchildren. And now soon-to-be great-grandchildren. It was here that she had arrived as a young bride, metamorphosing into a mother, and then,…
Absence of Colour.
The sun beats down on him as Aryak pedals the cycle systematically on Ashoka Road in Delhi. Push. Rest. Push. Rest. He chants the Hanuman Chalisa under his breath, and mops his sweaty forehead, moving faster as he had expected the mechanized wheels would ensure he’d reach the courtroom quicker. But because his scooter has malfunctioned, he…