Posts

The Damaged Child

Image
Pari- a jovial and sociable kid- is playing in the courtyard when notices her aunt coming towards her house. She excitingly rushes to the door and welcomes her. Pari loves festivities- whether it’s a festival, any ceremonial gathering, or a surprise guest, she enjoys the broken monotony. Moreover, she likes her home when it’s filled with people. Pari helps the mother to serve tea. Sipping her tea, the aunt looks at the new painting on the wall and exclaims – Wow! What a wonderful work Gauri . Gauri –Pari’s elder sister- has beautifully signed the painting at the bottom. Motivated Gauri runs inside and brings the table cover she embroidered recently. Every nook and corner of the little house depicts Gauri’s creativity. The aunt applauds Gauri for the good work and then turns to Pari when she asks sarcastically - So Pari! What have you made recently? Umm Nothing! Just wasting your time hopping around the whole day? Pari giggles in embarrassment and runs out. She picks up the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Coffee - A Door to Another World

She was looking hesitantly at me. I smiled and she quickly asked –  Do we have a coffee shop nearby?  I realized something common between us –  The Love of Coffee . I introduced her to my favorite coffee shop, and she offered me to join in. She was in India for the first time on a six-month project. The coffee became a means to discuss our culture, art, language, and philosophy - finally something beyond the irritating girly gossips . Gradually over our discussions, a lot of myths were cleared and the differences admired. She became my door to another world, and I was her guide to a new country -  India . Though she had one of those thick ' A Visit to India ' sort of book with maps and details of the places to visit, still there were lot many things she was struggling with -e.g. catching the local transport or dealing with the hawkers.  She shared with me the experiences of her most difficult journeys. Her photographs were vibrant. Over our coffee, I ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Little Mili's World of Kites

Image
Mili -standing on her rooftop - is staring at the sky. The sky looks beautiful -filled with numerous kites of different shapes, sizes, patterns, and colors. It’s not a festival today but the daily scene of Mili’s locality. Mili -putting her palms on her forehead to avoid the sun- is busy watching two kites tangled fiercely. Mili loves to spend her spare time with the kites. Afterall, she is growing up in an environment where kite flying is a daily activity except in extreme winters when the fog doesn’t leave any visibility and the kites get drenched. Every afternoon, the neighboring kids gather on their rooftops and spend most of their evenings in kite flying – until it gets really dark to see anything in the sky. On Sankranti- a festival in which kite flying is a ritual- her uncle who is a dexterous flyer, flies a kite for Mili and let her hold the string for a while. She feels joyous and excited within those moments. Kite flying is an adventurous sport; it starts with mere f...
Post a Comment
Read more

Taxing The Menstruating Women

Image
Finally, GST is rolled out. Pundits are busy analyzing the pros and Cons while normal citizens are curious about what gets cheaper or dearer. Listing sanitary napkins under 12% tax slab is disheartening for most of the women. It’s more irritating to know that bindi, kajal, sindoor, and bangles are tax exempted by the same policy makers. It definitely shows the priorities of our patriarchal society.  Isn’t women rights mere tokenism?   Are we endorsing the cultural symbolism over today’s women’s genuine issues?  A decorative woman is an eye-catcher while a menstruating, dirty and miserable woman is neglected cavalierly. Our modern minds have abolished many ill-practices pertinent to menstruation still we ignore to understand the tough challenges it has imposed. Categorizing the sanitary pads under high tax slab is an implication to opt for alternatives. The question here is –  why are the sanitary napkins considered a luxury item?   First,  if ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Love is Crippling

Image
That morning, Sara gets up little late -in her hostel room- annoyed with the noise outside. She casually makes a bun with her tangled hair and peeps out the window. The girls outside are cheering. The euphoria in the air reminds her,  ‘It’s Valentine’s Day'.  Sara murmurs -  What a stupidity!  Does true love really need this show-off?  She heads towards the cafeteria when observes the corridors are filled with chattering girls laden with gifts and roses. Sara ignores the crowd convincing herself  ‘I’ve better things to do. I’m here to pursue my dreams, not for these silly diversions. I’ll leave no stone unturned to achieve my goals'.  She finishes the coffee and rushes to her room. Sara checks the phone- no messages or calls as usual. She pins herself to the books but those elated faces dance in front of her eyes as if they are teasing her. The harder she tries to concentrate the more she finds herself distracted. Irked Sara puts the earplu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dad!!! I Wish You Croon Again

Image
Dear Dad, Today I want to tell you so many things I haven’t told before because I know - I can't hold my tears looking at you. It’s true that I don’t need any special day to express my love for you yet I’ve learnt to celebrate the little things come on my way. On this father’s day, I want to tell you what an amazing person you are. You have always been my hero – A man of golden heart, a man of words. Though the world perceives your image of toughness, I know you are just like a tender coconut – extremely soft within. I grew up wishing to be like you - a staunch supporter of humanity, a person of immense courage and strong opinion. Fifteen years back when middle-class people in small towns didn’t approbate the idea of sending their daughters out of town for higher studies, you stood firm on our career aspects. People suggested you to save your hard-earned money for our marriages but you said ‘ If my girls are well educated there will be a long queue of grooms outside my...
Post a Comment
Read more

An Innocent Assailant

Image
Diya, a five-year-old was a jaunty and zestful kid. She liked to remain happy in her own world. The world which was full of love, colors, beauty, and dreams. The little blonde hair girl used to run barefoot behind the butterflies for hours. She was mesmerized by its colors, patterns, and most importantly – its character to fly. She was a nature lover who liked everything from sunrise, dewy leaves, misty mornings, rain, sunsets and starry nights. She was amused with nature - an artist- who painted and sketched uniquely every day. She had the immense love for freedom.  She wanted to perceive and explore even the tiniest phenomenon of life - free as a bird. She, a chatterbox, was full of life but mostly considered naughty because of the unexpected results of her silly experiments. She had the special affection with birds. Usually, in evenings, she used to sit and gaze at the sky; endlessly watched the birds’ flocks heading back to their nests. It was exciting for her to see th...
Post a Comment
Read more