“Does the winged lion look tired? Are his eyes droopy?” “Not yet. I guess he is gathering strength to fly.” “May God give him that strength, to find his destination in the sky!” “Really? Will he fly?” “He has to. The genie inside awaits liberation, as soon as the vigil drops.” Flash Fiction for … Continue reading Your turn now
I’m on a visit to my village after two decades. My school still looks the same. Grey walls, wooden staircase, old-fashioned desks …. It needs repair in some places, before they move to renovation. Lack of funds has been an issue for long. A small donation from me is appreciated, but is clearly insufficient to … Continue reading Wickless Lamp
A leader is applauded for his great initiative, and takes credit for that in all humility. “It was teamwork.” Sure, it was. But nobody knows the team who slogged to make it a success. They were not just implementers, but value-adders. An idea takes final shape only in the implementation, and nobody knows the variance … Continue reading Tools
Card paper stacked up in a corner of the stationery shop looks forlorn. It is holiday season, and the kids are away. There are no school projects or fun time activity that needs paper. Anyway, the kids are far more digital than we are. I can almost hear the paper speak … I have lost … Continue reading The Paper Story
The Exit sign is not part of a public place to regulate traffic, as one would expect it to be. The darned sign is a prominent part of office interiors, where other circulars on office discipline, compliance etc. are displayed. It is meant to remind employees that non-compliance leads to the door. Three Line … Continue reading Compliance
Getting in a flap about things is not my style. The beauty of chaos is that everything finds its own place, without any effort. It may not be the ideal scheme of things, but then, what is ideal for one is anathema to the other. Let the good times roll. When life comes to the … Continue reading Beauty of Chaos
The villagers are illiterate, and I often use shells to explain their liabilities. It is the business of a moneylender to maintain accounts. I’m the richest person in the village, and would like to maintain status quo. I have seen lifecycles of local residents from birth to debt to death, from prosperity to poverty, from … Continue reading Farther than the truth
The corner looked exactly the same, as it did for more than a decade. I often pointed out that the only thing missing is a laptop. But Anna-Marie preferred a notebook and pen to note down her creative ideas and household task reminders. The phone kept her connected to the ecosystem. “Everything is in control.” … Continue reading Waiting for her
“Amazing! This contraption does function.” The Inspector of Schools exclaimed. The teacher looked apologetic. “Sir, we do not have a well-equipped lab. The children make use of whatever is available to execute their ideas.” “You will now ask for a grant. But I am nominating this student for a scholarship in recycling research. I am … Continue reading Jugaad
“From inky thumb impressions of the illiterate to biometrics … the world is round. This script may be old, but the images will convey what alphabets cannot. We can use this in digital devices for the unlettered.” “Sure, I have already figured out how to dupe them of their money.” (279 characters) Twittering Tales … Continue reading Scripted
Creative Experiments and More 