Smell the flowers

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

Comatose

“She is in a coma,” informs the doctor, “but try and say positive things when you are around her.” Is it a case of suspended consciousness?  I suddenly become aware of my own consciousness that makes me feel alive. I exist and know that I do. But physicists have not been able to see and … Continue reading Comatose

Mother Wound

I don’t know if time and circumstances hardened her, or she had an inborn animosity towards me.  Her sarcasm never failed to sting. Toxicity could have been her second name.  I was driven to past life regressions to check if there’s a story from the past, which made her hate me so much. If there … Continue reading Mother Wound

Strategic

Riots color the landscape red with the blood of innocents.  Actually, they’d prefer another color - one they’ve been using to paint mindsets. People do not become followers unless they think alike. And to think alike, they need anger, a common cause, a common source of fire in the belly. It needs to be ignited. … Continue reading Strategic

Giving

“Life is about giving, irrespective of your own needs”. My revered grandmother kept repeating this. I follow her advice in taking care of the drug addicts, unemployed and other needy members in the family. Nevertheless, they continue to be a nuisance with their behavior. Nor did I realize that my need for approval drives me … Continue reading Giving

Conversation

Walking through the woods may have been a way of life for some. I booked a safari to drive through the forest in a jeep, with a professional driver. I’m expected to believe what they tell me about the animals, my own research notwithstanding.  Then the unexpected happens. A tiger is sitting on the bonnet … Continue reading Conversation

Risk of Living

Those were the days when life was a dream waiting to happen…. I wandered lonely as a cloud, and dreamt of lifelong friends, soul-stirring conversations, ever expanding networks and spheres of influence. Human beings survive on hope and imagination.  Everything that is yet to happen is beautiful. It keeps us moving towards a goal post. … Continue reading Risk of Living

Dynamic pages

I hold the manuscript of her book, as I walk out of the graveyard after her funeral.  “The story has not ended. I find new meaning in every word, as the characters unfold and express their deepest selves.” Her words on the last call pierce my psyche. Am I one of the characters? Our relationship … Continue reading Dynamic pages

A creative life

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5xFLfmdC0EAvPv0UAJ4Rbj?si=347c12a0fff74a2e I looked up at Sangeeta as a mentor - my research guide at one stage. The bonding continued over books, coffee and no-holds-barred discussions.  She stayed alone, but connected to the world with her writing. Her amazing clarity of thought often created discomfort, as the paradigm shift created by her vision made people feel … Continue reading A creative life

Strangers

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3IGumfzltlaOsasyDZLMPz?si=36687869213147a4 Strangers not so strange ….they share a special bond with me. They look at me with compassion, seem to understand my agony and pour out theirs. I dress in their stories patterned and purple as night, and life is not the same again. I’m not alone, nor am I unique. Stories seem to merge … Continue reading Strangers