Discomfort

She cringed on seeing the large number of people who had come to see him off. Well, it was nice that his employers were sending him abroad at a raw age of 23, and he was the first in the family to fly abroad, but the crowd was kind of too large for comfort. It …

Gifts

“The Gift of the Magi” by O.Henry was a lesson in gifting. The writer’s intention may have been completely different. It is difficult for a girl to give up her crowning glory to buy a gift, more so than it is for a man to give up his inheritance. I think about the story more …

Plastic

Julie holds my hand, as I’m about to fling the empty water bottle away.  “Let’s walk a little more. There must be a recycling bin somewhere.” “Bottles are picked up to be refilled and sold again.” “Crush it as much as you can. Do you remember how my sister could not receive medical help during …

Silent Screams

The sketch-book revealed a life full of woes. There were heart-rending scenes of abuse. The victim was seen pleading for mercy, but kicked around into submission. The Smiths had been lauded for adopting a deaf-and-mute girl. It was the suicide of the girl which threw light on bizarre happenings in the house. Mary wondered how …

Rainbow

What was so pathetic about her, that most people turned apathetic? She silently suffered the punishment for being different. Her skin color and facial features all resembled that of the family, but the mind was different. Her mother often made these remarks, that her brain on a petri-dish, would look green or black or some …

Deep waters

The widow did not shed a tear, and the world was aghast. They were such a happy-go-lucky couple. She was labelled as stoic, determined not to display emotion in public, cold, manipulative and whatever they could think of. Nobody knew she was breathing free for the first time. Nobody knew the mental torture she had …

Bias blinds and binds

“Is the American story reminiscent of India against Corruption movement?” “No. India against Corruption was an inorganic, planted idea, hence it fizzled out. It comes closer to the subversion of a particular community and their acts of rebellion.” “The perception of justice may differ, but the ground reality remains the same. The people do not …

Minimized identity

silver moonlight hits hard rocks drenched in apprehension blasphemy will follow can't shed lingering aromas though...   drenched in apprehension pain finds its place after joy can't shed lingering aromas though... those moments feel like eternity   pain finds its place after joy women are born to be non-existent those moments feel like eternity they …

Hope

Neeta dreamt of Diwali that night, and her garden being illuminated by a hundred candles. It was the 59th day of lockdown, and it was expected to last a few more weeks, since they resided in a red zone. Another 40 days meant the lockdown would end on First of July, and then … they …

Shooting Pain

A sharp pain shoots through my head on the left side, as my husband animatedly makes a political argument. We do not support the same ideology. Life is back to normal in a while, but the pain continues. I wonder how much of it is psychosomatic. And what exactly is the trigger that generates discomfort …