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…