“It’s 7 o clock already!” Sumedha looked at the clock on the wall and rushed to the kitchen. “Mornings are specially bad for my rheumy joints, I just feel like lying in for a little while more,” she mumbled wriggling her fingers, slowly trying to loosen up the stiff joints. She measured two glasses of milk and poured them into a pan to boil. Scooping two heaped teaspoons of Bournvita in one of the glasses and adding cardamom powder into the other, she placed them on a tray to take them to the breakfast table. The house was eerily quiet, the ticking of the clock amplified in the stillness. “Ame ..read more

I received a rude shock as I came across a piece of news that the government has now decided to hold PEET for political aspirants on the lines of NEET for Medical aspirants?’ “Oh God, they are hell bent on making our lives difficult. Good old days when atleast getting into politics wasn’t that tough.” Declared the corpulent Mr Shah, crumpling the GR into a ball and tossing it out of the window. ( Swatch Bharat went out for a toss) “Manage Karna Hoga!” He Mr Shah nodded his bald head fiercely. It was evident from the Gazzete that the eligibility criteria, curriculum and the exam pattern would b ..read more

“Where would you like us to go for a vacation, sweety? ” She asked ruffling his hair. ‘Before..’ she couldn’t even think about it. “I’ve never seen the snow.” He answered. They flew to Manali and played in the snow to their heart’s content. He had malignant tumours in his eyes needing a surgery to remove his eyeballs. ‘Mumma I couldn’t properly see the snow even then but I could see you and I wanted to capture us in happy times before I won’t see again.’ He lay in his hospital bed. #DrDeepali ..read more

Why can’t we get married?” Said a dejected Mandar. Habitually, Saritha illustrated each point on the checkered tile behind her. L : “Lhanguage” she said in her strong Tamilian accent. O: “We are outcastes since my father married my Muslim mother.” V she inscribed “Varna, you are a Konkani Brahmin, me a lower caste. E: ” Education, I’m a teacher and you are peon. Won’t that cause ego clashes? Look what you’ve written, Love is Love Saritha. It knows no boundaries. I wish to walk with you under it’s colourful canopy till the end of time ..read more

“Please eat something. You’ve been crying non stop since he left.” Wha…what are you doing here? He didn’t take you along?” She squinted trying to focus. “I couldn’t leave you alone! You had passed out.” He said applying ice pack to the bump on her forehead. “You’re making a big mistake. Go with him, I’ve nothing to offer.” “You didn’t choose me to be your son. But I get to choose between my parents. Now eat up that sandwich and be a good Mom.” The ten year old said feeding her ..read more

“A day of victory for the Gaziabad Police. The mystery surrounding the disappearance of twenty girls from the surrounding slums has been solved. Ranjan Tyagi the owner of ‘White Castle’ farms and his accomplice used to lure girls as young as five years into the farmhouse, molest them and later kill them. Their corpses are being unearthed from the basement even as we speak,” the silver stars on ACP Anjana Singh’s shoulders caught the glint of the flashing cameras. The perpetrators still await conviction almost twelve years since the day. Justice delayed is justice denied ..read more

He drove as fast as he could on the roads drenched with an unexpected downpour. The first time father rushed to be by his beloved’s side. A sudden clap of thunder shook the lone cottage atop the hill and a single flickering light went off plunging the house into darkness. “Please God, let me make it in time!” He begged, taking a sharp turn towards his house, causing the car to skid off the road and down the cliff. The wail of a newborn drowned the screeching of the tyres. “It’s a boy” exclaimed the midwife ..read more

The fragrance of the delicacies wafting through the kitchen made my tummy churn. “Won’t you eat Vihaan?” Dadi asked. “No Dadi I’ll eat later.” I said watching my family relish their Diwali lunch as Ma dutifully served them. It was almost evening when she finished with her preparations. “Why didn’t you eat beta? You feeling well Na?” She enquired. “Are you done with your work Ma?” She nodded. “Then let us eat together, I’m very hungry.” That evening we lit the deeyas together. “LightItUp my child” she whispered, “just as you’ve lit my life up ..read more

‘Sanjana weds Rohit’ read the golden letters embossed on a beautiful red card. Sanjay tore the card up into tatters before hurling it out of the window. Sanjana had been brought up under military discipline. Her life had been all about permissions and supervision. How dare she marry someone against his wish. How dare she fall in love. Sanjana was at a loss, she needed to choose between the elephantine ego of a man who had given birth to her and the love which had nurtured her and given her the courage to soar to the highest skies ..read more

“Blue or Pink” I wondered caressing my bump. My shopping bag was overflowing and I needed some help to carry it. “May I?” said a familiar voice. “Raghavendra?” My voice sounded feeble. Our’s was a live in and bringing a baby into our equation wasn’t what we had originally planned. “How could you do this to me.” Raghavendra had yelled flinging the sonography reports at my face, before walking off. “I’m sorry.” He said gently placing his ear against my tummy, just as the baby gave a hard kick. “You deserve this.” I giggled ..read more