Watched

“I guess you love the food here. We’ve introduced a few new dishes”. The waiter pushed the sparkling menu card on the table. “Bring it on. I’d love to savour the food slowly”. The smile is clipped. “Oh, that’s the best way to enjoy our delicacies. The chefs really put in a lot of effort … Continue reading Watched

Carried away

The handcuffs mock at past glory. The athlete is a gold-medallist in international sports, and has broken records of time taken to cover a certain distance. Fond of sight-seeing, he scans every illustrious corner of the countries he visits and makes new friends. Probably, he got carried away by success, or he loved and trusted … Continue reading Carried away

AI Battles

“Doff your hat to novelists for fleshing out characters from thought patterns, and screenplay writers for extending it to real life interactions. All poetic thought is abstract, and poets are escapists. They seek flexible spaces where they can fashion things out of nothing, there is room for interpretation and nobody could blame them for being … Continue reading AI Battles

Variants of terrorism

“Borders have re-opened after the pandemic. This bus will take you a longer distance than it used to.” The coach guide volunteers information eagerly lapped up by many. Some are waiting to resume work-from-office after a long spell of working from home. Others have gathered courage to travel, since tickets are available at low rates. … Continue reading Variants of terrorism

Shades, hues and intensity

“The twins are growing up to very different from each other,” rues an exasperated aunt who pampered the duo in their early years. “Whose imprints do they carry?” She looks baffled, “You mean what did they inherit?” “They did. But what makes each individual unique is their experience and how they react to external stimuli. … Continue reading Shades, hues and intensity

Vanity – a thing of the past

I am a lighthouse-in search of darknessto obliterate-in search of shipsto seek direction the ocean laughs hystericallywaves slap my idle limbsmy forlorn face stares at the MoonIt dodges my wistful glanceand seeks the Sun I wonder if ships are anchoredto a safe harbour...Do I need to start walkingand find the sky that shelters them? only … Continue reading Vanity – a thing of the past

Empty Nest

I don’t know when life passed us by. We taught the cute munchkins how to walk and keep their balance. Soon, it was their time to run and it was part of our responsibility to provide the playground. It was a pleasure to watch them fall, get up again, discover their velocity. We just kept … Continue reading Empty Nest

Forward and backward

It’s time to review a decade. All that is valued is packed away in boxes. Whatever is discarded speaks volumes about wrong decisions, wasteful expenditure, whims and fancies and phases of life relegated bins. I think about memories I’d like to take, and numbers I will delete. My relationships stare back at me, demanding answers … Continue reading Forward and backward

Beginner

“Grandma, you missed a note”, chimes a sweet voice. It’s one of the kids who attend the same music class. “Thanks for taking me in, Hank! I was turned down by all music classes for my age.” “You are doing fairly well. Just keep at it.” Hank waves at her as he guides another kid … Continue reading Beginner

Humanity

My grandpa dissuaded us from getting on these rickshaws, as it felt cruel to have a human pull your weight. By refraining, we deprived the rickshaw-puller of his income. But there is no end to certain ethical dilemmas. Then, came the cycle-rickshaw which was also a novelty for us. We had none of those in … Continue reading Humanity