Poems & Short Stories

There is always a tiger in the room – what did Sheeba do? (Did she remember her list? Or did she reach out to herself first?) Your kids, your keys, your family photo album. It’s the list your repeat in your head before you fall asleep. It’s the short list of things you grab in case of disaster. The list makes you feel in control. Your kids, your keys, your family photo album. When the fire starts, when the tsunami hits, when the Earth literally quakes, do you remember your list? Or do you just duck and cover? – Grey’s Anatomy   If you have watched Grey’s Anatomy, this quote will ring a bell. When I heard this quote in the episode for the first time, I was lost in thought, wondering how on earth can we could choose between the list and our personal safety. What do you care about most when you are in freeze, fight or flight mode? Do you remember the list that you have secretly rehearsed every night before you hit the sack or do you just hunt for a place of refuge to shelte...

  Manu Joseph’s The Illicit Happiness of Other People moved me to tears. Even now, my lips quiver at the mention of the book’s name, and my tear glands well up with a flood of tears. The end was too much to bear. This book is different from his earlier works like The Illicit Happiness of Other People and the iconic Serious Men . I was intrigued by this latest work of his, so without much thought, it became my February read. Why the Poor Don’t Kill Us is a piercingly intimate inquiry by Manu Joseph that highlights real-life instances where the middle class and the rich get away scot-free in their dealings with the poor. Joseph’s matter-of-fact writing doesn’t sound overtly critical, yet it makes you introspect about the things you take for granted. He examines the privileges that define the rich at the expense of the poor, or rather how the poor have resigned themselves to the treatment they are subjected to. It reveals how misery is normalized and how lamenting one’s miserable ...

In this long form, I reflect on the  constant chase, the unsettling void that comes after, and the desirable vs. undesirable chase.   The prospect of something is more desirable than the thing itself. Because there is an underlying chase that hums inaudibly inside of us and makes us sway to its tunes. Online shopping keeps you motivated till the time retail fatigue doesn’t hit you. And for me, retail therapy becomes retail fatigue in no time. My window shuts off very early. I hit gold on the very first page most of the times. And then comes the act of waiting, which is driven with excitement. It is like all elements of the universe conspiring together to make the product fall into your lap. The domino spirals into action from processing and dispatching to delivery. Like usual, that day too I got what I wanted in the first click. Right when I was adding the sparkling accessory to my shopping cart, I had an epiphany. “Do I really need this?” A question that is not part of a shop...

Reading: A Solitary Activity Reading has often been a solitary activity. We read and get hooked by the characters of a story. Then we set off on an adventurous journey, and there is no looking back till the last page. We flip through the pages, analyse texts, parse through the syntax of words written, read between the lines, and form an interpretation from the words unsaid. Silence heaves an inaudible sigh with only rustles of pages making their presence felt. Storytelling: A Precursor to community reading Community reading or reading in a group is a byproduct of storytelling. Storytelling became the driving force to be informed and conscious of our experiences so that it can be regaled with enriching forms of entertainment and dramatic composition in front of an audience later.  Sitting around a storyteller with curious ears gave way to discussion of the stories narrated. Gradually, with more access to written forms of texts and written material, the concept of reading grew ...

       Gratitude is a powerful tool to unlock abundance. Appreciating the aspects around us does not come very easily, especially if you are on a downward spiral; you would find it a herculean effort to unearth the positives. But the moot point is— are we trained to be grateful? The constant chase Fundamentally we all are trained to worry because the survival mindset kicks in every time we are on to something. So even if we have gained something, for example, success, it is hard for us to feel good about it; forget about being grateful. Even before the warmth of the moment mellows, we are on the lookout to chase the next thing and put all our efforts into attaining the unattainable. Every time we achieve something, we are on a next chase. To level up and accomplish more. Pause and reflect We are not taught to pause ourselves, take a moment to feel the joy that our accomplishments have offered us, revel in the moment, and feel grateful for it. This is what i...

“Amma, it feels like you have put on the AC. Air has grown cold”, said my 7-year-old lifting up her beady eyes from her maths homework. A cheery hurray followed. I shook the clothes firmly and filed them neatly on the cloth stand. Yes, indeed. There was a light nip in the air. Not due to AC. And, certainly no change in the temperature. It was still a blazing 38 degrees outside. I smiled and was whisked off to my childhood days. To my nondescript haven that would have looked more picturesque in a child’s sketchbook than in reality. A chawl which housed 14 flats adjacent to each other, spaced out at an arm’s length. A place where people were knitted closely together regardless of what social standing they were in. A place where we children had not one but many houses at our perusal to watch television, eat lunch, sleep under the warm covers and take refuge from the angry monsoon spells. A place where aimless wanderings were honoured but not bothered by ruthless meanderings of the rou...

  You cannot run from positive affirmations even if you think you have run out of them.   They will come, looking for you. All you have to do is keep your eyes wide open and graciously receive them with warmth and care. They can come to you at any moment and from any quarter perhaps, while running errands like when the momentum has picked up in you to array the disarray in your child’s wardrobe. When that happens, you treat them as a little note, an epiphany or a sacred sign from the universe and insert them as a key that locks itself into your mind with an audible click, only to unlock a change in you and get reflected in every journey you embark. When your little one’s Tees mouth affirmations, you cannot just run away without glancing at it. Start small, dream big, repeat – Starting small and repeating them with consistency is so underrated these days. So much of today’s world is rooted in instant gratifications and making it big in a wink of time. Small, incremental progr...

  I just finished reading the beautiful book ‘Tathastu’– the lovely short stories that are more like reminders, the motivating sentiments that one has forgotten and should be mindful of. First of all, I found it hard to believe that it is the debut work of the author and she has made a write-up that is an extension to her blog. One is because of the words, the articulation, and the anecdotes linking to the messages she needs to pass on to the readers. The second thing is the clarity of her thought process. All these stories are quite catchy, not too long and worth reading aloud to your friends and family. I cannot tear apart one story and say it is my favourite as I loved all of them. Some stories are rich in sentiments, some have resplendent settings, and some fit in as positive affirmations that will set you up or propel you to move forward with confidence. The characters in the stories are quite relatable. It is like you know these people and in some or other way, have come in...

  Though there are self-care practitioners, influencers and life coach who practice and encourage people to practice self-care, we don’t practice it ourselves until there is a severe push or introspection. The precursor to start a habit is always our own willingness to practice it. We should fully be consumed with the idea to be able to produce it in full force. You must have heard buy first, pay later. Here also you need to buy the idea of the habit first but the difference is once the habit is formed and sustains in your routine, you are getting paid by its multi-fold benefits. My cousin and I had a conversation just recently when he was in India. A chance question sent me on the lane of introspection. I was absently gazing at nothingness when he asked me mainly because I was not able to produce a suitable reply. Firstly, I stared in disbelief for the question was unusual and secondly that made me go inward to seek answer and put forth as a justified reply. A simple question ...

  What would you do if you had the opportunity to go back in time? To unravel the mystery and know answers to hidden puzzles. And if you are provided with such a chance to retrace your steps and set your footprints on the exact path you have travelled on, would you grab such an offer? Isn't this deal too alluring to pass up? Set in Tokyo, in an unassuming café dated more than a century of history with nondescript but eccentric décor that saw hardly any upgradation in all these years, is a story of bunch of characters. The windowless underground café is awash with sepia glow from the overhead lights that hang above the tables. These characters have nothing in common but what ties them is one ardent yearning to engage with the past. The secret tremors in each of their hearts become so unbearable that they shake them and throw them in a whirlpool. Every suck and pull makes them more distant from their own selves. When they are at the end of their tethers, this café pulls them from t...

  Travelling is by far the most underrated educational course I believe. So many learnings it imparts, and the empathy it rekindles in us. The empathy for other cultures, societal notions and people’s beliefs. All-encompassing and wholesome. We recently travelled to Hyderabad, the city of Pearl and I was pleasantly astonished at its history and culture. Mainly because the city has still retained its historical significance and every pillar and rock breathes and cherishes its value. For the uninitiated, Hyderabad boasts of Charminar, Hussain Sagar Lake, Salar Jung Museum and Golconda; the old and eternal gems. And Ramoji is a whiff of fresh air that combines modern-day filmmaking techniques with its stretches, winding lanes and palatial parks that have been home to some 5000-odd films. We spoke to some of the locals who are living here for aeons and the freshness and raw emotions that they gather when speaking about this city, their city, is phenomenal. I was overwhelmed and choke...

  What happens when your face talks too much? Have you reflected on this question like me, anytime? Well, this is the question I am brooding on. I have been fairly good at articulating my thoughts but lately, my face is surpassing my articulation skills. Before even I start to sort and adjust the words within me and garnish them with flowery vocabulary, I find someone shining an adequate response to my unasked question. Did my face take the creative writing class lesson too seriously? Show, not tell. And it shows err broadcasts it loudly, abrasively leaving the words tongue-tied. It happened to me a lot many times. The other day, I was sitting in a restaurant looking squarely at a menu leaflet. I was waiting for my order and it had been 15 minutes since I placed it, but could hardly see anyone inch closer to my table carrying the tray laden with my finger food and espresso. I tried taking in the surroundings and the ambience of the restaurant helped quieten my increasing pangs ...

  To my space, It has been a long time since we met. The quiet and the bliss we used to have in the arms of each other, I missed that. And hence, I wanted to step in and make up for it. For the shared times that crept by, in the thunderclaps of daily routine. Here the winter has started slowly settling in, slowly raising its glorious visage to rule over the sun. Sun takes a downy rest and catches its feverish fervour a little late nowadays. It feels good to sip coffee and soak in the balmy weather before the wild routine waylaid us. The holiday mood has set in everywhere. Christmas naivety, cribs, barns and star-crowned Christmas tree glimmers brightly on almost every shop window, enveloping the city with a warm, crushing hug. It is like the universe coming together to chase the worldliness and folly, by smiling a little longer and listening to the harmony a little deeper. With the new year just casting its glance to get embraced by us, it is a nice time to get reflective a...

   Unputdownable thriller and nail-biting mystery. Author just reels you into this masterfully told story. A premise that promises a great experience but at the same time shakes your inner core. A perfect whodunit murder mystery that will set you sailing with a detective hat searching for clues and doubting every character that orbits around the saga. A larger-than-life painter married to a photographer, lives in a palatial house. One evening, the photographer husband is shot. And not just that, his painter wife who held him last refuses to utter a word. What ensues further makes the people engaged in the search as wild goose chase. Beautifully spun, the tale just pulls you into its labyrinth and Poirot’s ghost just takes over you. Many a times, I stopped to work out the conflict, revisit all that had been said by some characters and draw out some discrepancies in their dialogues or behaviour. But not to get overwrought but just move with the words, I pulled myself together,...

Anne of Green Gables - A masterpiece in literature.  Engrossing, amusing and a read that promises to keep you transported for hours. L M Montgomery has penned an absorbing body of imagination and created a character who gives substance, value and meaning to her literature form. Anne is a gem of sorts, an embodiment of imagination or maybe the word imagination finds a true meaning when it attaches itself to Anne. Anne with an E, ofcourse! That you won’t forget if you have read this novel because Anne won’t let you. A simple, ordinary story told with simple characters whom you will cherish for lifetime. They will outgrow their simplicity and become extraordinary as you flip the pages. Montgomery has given every character a rope wherein the scope of growth is meticulously chalked out. Take for example, Marilla, a head strong woman who doesn’t feel right to let go her emotion and is strong enough to hold her tongue and not fritter the praises on Anne transforms into a mellowed woman to...

  Maya gave an involuntary shake as that memory flashed in front of her. She remembered every small detail of that everyday ritual. How could she not! She used to get restless to see Satish and desperately wait for those magnolias he gave her. Jaya always envied her and she went all green-eyed looking at those magnolias in her hair. That was so childish of them, she thought. Nevertheless the memory gave a reason to put a smile on her face. That face which lost the path of smiles and embraced a perennial frown. With the letter on one hand, she got up to examine those magnolias that they planted it together. They were given by Satish’s aunt on his birthday and what did he do with that. He urged Maya to take it with her and when she gently rebuked him for giving his own birthday gift, he came along with her post school hours and planted it on his own. Robbed off all plausible excuses, she had to submit to him and his childlike requests. The bright little magnolias winked at her, s...

  Once upon a time a frog Croaked away in Bingle Bog Every night from dusk to dawn He croaked awn and awn and awn Other creatures loathed his voice, But, alas, they had no choice, And the crass cacophony Blared out from the sumac tree At whose foot the frog each night Minstrelled on till morning night Neither stones nor prayers nor sticks. Insults or complaints or bricks Stilled the frogs determination To display his heart's elation. But one night a nightingale In the moonlight cold and pale Perched upon the sumac tree Casting forth her melody Dumbstruck sat the gaping frog And the whole admiring bog Stared towards the sumac, rapt, And, when she had ended, clapped, Ducks had swum and herons waded To her as she serenaded And a solitary loon Wept, beneath the summer moon. Toads and teals and tiddlers, captured By her voice, cheered on, enraptured: "Bravo! " "Too divine! " "Encore! " So the nightingale once more, Quite unus...