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
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
She carried the quote in her mind like a secret scripture: “Lightning without thunder.” Her anger lived in that silence, a storm that lit her veins but never broke into sound. Each act of hers was a part of a well-crafted routine; every gesture of hers was polished calm. Her revenge was not loud—it was … Continue reading Without
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
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 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
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
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
I count the villains on my fingers and watch them fall away like decrepit branches. I wish a carpenter’s hacksaw blade would perform the last rites, but they start rising again from slush with new names – Power Politics is now called The Orange Puppeteer, Corruption is Lord Rotveil, Entitlement is King of Claims, Racism … Continue reading Entitled
A bolt of lightning leaps at me, but I’m ready to catch the thunder. Electrocution is a possibility, as much as being activated by a divine force. I call the winds to help me decide, but they are busy pushing stubborn clouds. Those tiny people sitting behind rectangles in concrete structures speculate on various things, … Continue reading Wind Song
Creative Experiments and More 