“We don’t have your size, Sir!” The salesgirl gestured. “Okay,” the tourist smiled congenially, “Tell me your secret, how do you maintain such fab figures and skin textures?” “It is cultural - habits passed down for generations.” “We do have a cultural background as well - a very rich heritage.” "But you got busy imitating … Continue reading Selling skills
Itisha is arrested for a social media post, which is perceived as being inimical to the interest of the powerful. Fear pervades the neighbourhood, as her family gathers funds to engage a lawyer, and lives in dread of the midnight knock. Her father comes across an email from Goodreads, which shows that Itisha has been … Continue reading No Camouflage
“The gate will open on 28th May, and the spirits of your ancestors will step out. We need to be here to welcome them, beg forgiveness for our slip-ups, and ask for solutions to ongoing problems.” "You’ve been coming here on 28th May for a decade now. They never stepped out.” The son is super … Continue reading Note to self
You always knew it. Didn’t you? I was made in a different mould. I couldn’t twist and turn myself to fit into the social moulds of your expectations. What forced your hand to get tough with me, and spew venom? Whose expectations were you living up to, when you criticised every act of mine. You … Continue reading Isolation
Photo by Connor Lucock on Pexels.com Spring arrived with mud and a torrent of bad news. “Wash the mud off thoroughly with soap, and spray a sanitiser after that.” “I love the smell of wet earth.” “You need to do it to retain the sense of smell.” I dreamt of trees laden with a spiky … Continue reading De-sensitised
The Feminist Hen is asked to lay off. “Rebels here lose their life and wings in an hour’s time. Don’t push them to the chopping board.” It is time for the Deadly Rooster to declare dawn, but the sun is nowhere to be found. He limps out in the dark to meet a stony silence. … Continue reading Hens in business
“Why are these five publications not echoing our stance on burning topics? Only fear and greed will keep people on your side - where have you failed that they still stand on isolated platforms…” the Boss is furious, not used to facing failure or opposition. It is only a matter of time before this fury … Continue reading Connection
My five-year old cousin from the countryside visited Mumbai for the first time. He had never seen high-rise buildings and box-like apartments before. While he hankered to catch sight of an actor or celebrity somewhere, and loved the sea, he was not impressed by homes. ‘What’ll you do, if there are more guests? Where are … Continue reading Portable
“Make the Nation Read” is a great mission statement for a startup, that publishes free book summaries and promises to keep services free forever. My old handset dies a natural death after living a long, fulfilled life of seven years, and I need to download several apps again, in the new monster that enslaves me, … Continue reading Slavery
The rat ran and he chased. He came out in the lawn, and looked for the rat between the shrubs. It probably disappeared in a rat hole somewhere. He walked back home to find that six other rats of different sizes were scurrying around the kitchen. They scooted away on seeing him, but with food … Continue reading Strategic
