Turn of the Wheel – Part 3

The year is 2055. It is heartening to see people from different nationalities, genders, and skin colours in a face-to-face meeting, under the same roof. They are achievers in their respective fields who have redefined art, tech, humanities, creativity, and repetitive tasks with artificial intelligence. They notice that the company's face has changed as they … Continue reading Turn of the Wheel – Part 3

Trapped Goddess

This is an excerpt from my book "When Time Stopped" where this image kind of fits in. I meet her inside the next door. “So, you are finally here? But I’m trapped, cannot come out to greet you.”  “Do we know each other?”  “How can you forget? You are the one who worships me in … Continue reading Trapped Goddess

Impact

She scrolls past threads tangled in rage. Her silence is deliberate. She refuses to get involved in toxic conversations or vulgar counter-attacks. Elegance is refusal to enter a fruitless debate. Yet across the digital din, another voice erupts: “Elegance be damned. I need to speak my mind. Volcanoes are erupting inside me for decades.” Two … Continue reading Impact

I don’t miss myself

Dawn was just breaking. She stared at the path ahead, wondering if she will make it to the other end. The anklets gradually gave way as she walked. Other worlds awaited her raw beauty and talent that needed some polish. Brava! What emerged from the simple exterior was stunning. Perhaps she was not aware of … Continue reading I don’t miss myself

Castles in the Air

“Don’t talk about this till the elections are over”, she whispered before saying goodbye. He was over the moon. He had inside access to the future Prime Minister of the country. He had just learnt about the proposed projects and the land acquisition deals that would precede those. Back in the office, he suggested they … Continue reading Castles in the Air

Cliff-Hangers

They saw a callous criminal without a conscience who could kill to attain her nefarious objectives. They wondered how so young a mind could be so venomous, language so vitriolic and demeanours so remorseless. She struggled to analyse the instincts that drove her - the inner compulsion, the act of rebellion, the courage of taking … Continue reading Cliff-Hangers

Shadows lengthened

She did not know what delicate meant until she felt the pressure and assessed her capacity to withstand it. She did not fear Power until the intense heat threatened to wither her away. She made no effort to avert deceit because she did not see a reason for anyone wanting to harm her. Curiosity drove … Continue reading Shadows lengthened

The Power of Ideology

The genie emerged only when someone wiped off the dust of stories from the lamp. She felt suffocated in there, especially because she was punished for no fault of hers. The claustrophobia had also compelled her to look inwards and find a light beyond what the lamp could imagine. She was destined to be a … Continue reading The Power of Ideology

History and Story

Sheena was a gift from God to her mother, who had been childless for five years after her marriage at the ripe young age of 18, and was being lambasted for infertility. Her mother’s position was precarious as her maternal grandfather told her she would be welcome back home, only if she visited with her … Continue reading History and Story

Three Believers

The celebrity conducting a famed chat show is flummoxed by the same photograph placed in the offices of three of her interviewees. Could there be a connection? Anaita, a Parisian model; Sandy, a startup founder in Silicon Valley; and Saraswati, a Professor of Psychology at an international university, conducting classes in India. The research team … Continue reading Three Believers