The train stops, and it’s not a station. It’s a mechanical fault which will take time to fix. Passengers jump out for an impromptu picnic in the flower gardens near the track. Am I not lucky to have taken a train today? The boss’s secretary said flight tickets are getting expensive, and we need to … Continue reading Smell the flowers
Volatility makes one feel insecure. Flying with no strings attached is a nightmare. My daughter wants to go abroad for a doctorate, and I’ve spent three sleepless nights in a row. Umbilical cords remain. Relationships become tumultuous if one side holds tighter. Quivering balloons on the bumper of the car driving ahead tell me she … Continue reading Set free
A photo-app filter can create this effect - slightly better than pixelation. The images are easily identifiable as human, though they look faded and broken. Do I have a right to do this with their spirit? Should I break them before they dare to reach the sky? I wonder if it was a power-hungry maniac … Continue reading Filters
“You’ve no clue how demeaning it is. I got chucked out of the show at the last minute…I couldn’t fit in the bandage dress, as I measured half an inch more.” “Couldn’t they alter the dress?” “They hold the power to alter careers and damage egos.” The model’s soul was scarred, which no bandage could … Continue reading Fashion
The loudest voices are the ones that speak a different language in different places. The camaraderie is unmistakable, as I see in the backslapping and guffawing. The superior lateral vision I’m born with (some people call it intuition), helps me see the passing empty look on faces as soon as another face turns away. The … Continue reading Time to go
I distinctly remember the midnight mass I attended with Aunt Josephine, and the purple frock with golden checks stitched by my mom for Christmas. I was all of five years old. Eid was spent with Uncle Latif and Aunt Mariam. The childless couple doted on me, and cooked vegetarian food for us, respecting my family’s … Continue reading Bonding
“Say what you may, but those forsaken futures at the end of the road live only in your mind. They have found their place somewhere else in the lives of people who walked that road. Could it have been a swimmingly smooth ride, instead of the sanity-stretching sojourn to glamorous, glossy goals your life has … Continue reading Pixels and Petals
Mars and Moon may not have sufficient space or resources to shelter all inhabitants of earth. Nor are earthlings rich enough to reach there. What are we planning for? Coming back reincarnated as an advanced specimen of techno-humans, with a choice of planets to live in? Or someone is selling dreams, just in the way … Continue reading To the Moon, Alice
“This is the kind of chase that both enthralls and perplexes me… the criminal is one of a kind who leaves no easy trail”, the lady police officer affectionately called Madam Sir, plonks herself in her chair. “You are in the hot seat, Madam Sir…. the Chief Minister has announced a prize of 5 million … Continue reading Amoeba
A question marked Urgent perplexes me. A millennial wants advice if he should opt for a car loan and invest his money in mutual funds to earn higher returns. It takes tough questions and hard calculations to make him see sense. I question his assumptions of the future. The session leaves me with more questions … Continue reading Dreams
Creative Experiments and More 