Because Today Is Mahalaya And I Cannot Keep Calm

The alarm clock's shrilly tune couldn't wake me up at 5.30 am today. I'd fixed the time after negotiations with myself that 4.30 am wouldn't be a feasible option given the fact that I traded sleeping at a decent hour last night for an engrossing read (thanks Liane Moriarty for writing Big Little Lies!). Anyway, …

At The Threshold

(Image Source: Pixabay) The ICU-cold, clean, sterile The doctors convince me it is you on the bed My vision is blurred By the sight of bandages, pipes, and masks, I hold the doorway and slide and fall At the threshold. The annoyingly efficient digital clock On the nauseatingly spotless white wall behind you Announces it …

Paper Boats

(Image Source: Pixabay) You taught me how to make paper boats, The piece of paper, Deftly folded at the centre, Your thumbs would press the right places To create the perfect vessel that glided along The muddy puddles, with the elegance Of a swan. But I wasn't as good. My paper boats, like a helpless …

Grandma’s Coconut Laddus #FFFAW #FlashFiction

(This week's photo prompt is provided by artycaptures.wordpress.com. Thank you artycaptures!) The smell of neem soap pervaded the dark room. Long ago, when I returned from school, grandma, fresh from her bath would smell of neem soap, while she served me lunch. However, that freshness was missing from the smell in this room of crumpled bed …

…In Which She Lives Happily Ever After

Red Benarasi, Designer lehenga, A honeymoon in Paris. A sea facing bungalow in Mumbai She worked with slum children before He said, "Choose something more presentable." So, now she shops. A lot. She attends kitty parties with friends For half of the year, he leaves for the sea And she's a regular face on Page …

The Smell Of Fear

(Image Source: Pixabay)   1. Incense, Cheap Perfume, and Sweat She hardly reaches the elbow of most of the crowd In her new pink frock and frilly socks, She has come to the Puja pandal with her mother and younger sibling She clasps his hand with the responsibility of being the elder one The heady …

Travel Diaries: Breathing In Leh For The First Time And Being Wise And Otherwise

The plane's landing at the Leh airport was an event in itself. You have the mighty snow-capped mountains that surround a lake brimming with turquoise water (sadly, my seat was on the other side), you have tufts of clouds playing hide and seek with the mountains, and then you look at the clear blue sky, …