How can Time stop moving? How can this room be exactly the same as when grandmother left it? The aroma of chocolate cake hits his nostrils. But there can’t be an oven, if there is no electricity here. He pushes the door, the lights come on …..and his family is singing Happy Birthday… “What are … Continue reading Surprise
“What’s happening out here? All the employees with broken arms in a cast? Accidents cannot cause similar injuries.” “I’m instituting an inquiry”, the Human Resources Head’s voice quivers as the CEO’s roar echoes across corridors. The smiles on faces with injured limbs belie a different truth. Journalists gather outside the office to cover the event. … Continue reading Eye of the storm
I’m impressed by the Ikigai diagram, but the book fails short of expectations. Viability of a project matters - whether it is business, art, a social enterprise or development of an individual. It takes resources to make a project viable. What happens if the desire is intense, but resources are not easy to gather? I … Continue reading Ikigai
“Neurotic projection was only a phrase for me, before I saw Manan practicing it regularly. I’m accused of things which are so evident in his own behavior - maybe it relieves him of guilt or inadequacy, but it’s getting completely intolerable,” I sense desperation in her message. Is she asking for professional help? Will it … Continue reading Projection
A famed comedian dies after a month-long struggle for life, and condolence messages swamp the internet. Someone writes “Why I don’t care” followed by a screenshot showing abusive language used by him on Twitter. Can this be the same person? It’s not easy unboxing another life, to find remnants of strange secrets and unknown temperamental … Continue reading Dorian Gray
He is ready to glide into the future. Inherited wings feel light on shoulders, as wheels whir before leaving the ground. A force stands ready to support, send or receive anything as per instructions. Vehicles are cleaned and polished to carry stories into the future. Somehow, the mud on tires refuses to go. It is … Continue reading Stories retold
A writer sends me stories of people with physical deformities who take to crime; he calls them ‘broken people’ who need salvation. The news talks about the arrest of an unusually venomous guy who developed a huge Twitter following, and makes a living out of publishing vitriolic remarks on celebrities, and then getting paid to … Continue reading A day in life, not ended yet
They assumed she died in the bus accident. The family is feeding the poor to complete posthumous religious rituals. "Don't think about money," the gentlemen says pompously, "my mother's soul should rest in peace." Miles away, an old woman is shivering on the riverside on a cold night. She has been starving for the last … Continue reading Not missed
She was the best vet my furry baby could have ever had. Dr. P followed all procedures by putting a muzzle on her mouth, before treating her. But the gentle submission and total absence of resistance always surprised me. The bedside manners of a doctor influence a patient more than the medicine. It matters a … Continue reading Gentleness
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
Creative Experiments and More 