Anonymity

She dares to venture beyond the limitations of villagers’ thoughts and is immediately labelled a vile witch, for treading unfamiliar ground with incomprehensible intent. A woman who crosses boundaries needs to be punished for a demo effect, to preserve a precious culture holding vintage value, lest other females ditch their housekeeping and child-bearing roles and … Continue reading Anonymity

In-humanity

The moose is quiet as the kids count extensions on his two horns. The living room is not familiar terrain, and he is biding time in alien territory. The television screen shows scenes of human brutality, and that has probably quietened him down … as if he is in a simulation, watching the animal nature … Continue reading In-humanity

Uncaged

I decide to let it all go today. The stress I’ve felt in every pore of my being originates from a position of uncertainty – knowing where I come from but not knowing where will I go. I’ve struggled to make sense of where I am, by linking up a resentful past to a promising … Continue reading Uncaged

Sublimation

The journey is scary. … from closed to open, from narrow to wide, from ceiling to sky, from tangible to sublime, from thought to just being. I find myself disintegrating, but then each tiny piece blossoms into a different being. Epiphany strikes. It is scary, for it brings out parts of me I did not … Continue reading Sublimation

To and fro

He looked at the mirror and saw a stranger. He had forgotten who he was. Somehow, his descent to Planet Earth does not feel like homecoming. He checks his device to know how many days will it take for the brain fog to clear. The answer is shocking – Less than a day. And he … Continue reading To and fro

When the Moon Grows Full

When the moon grows full, a story howls from deep precincts of the psyche. It wants to remain in the dark, yet bask in moonlight. It was asked to stay incognito, out of bounds for the civilized world. I feel it growing inside me like an expectant mother, knowing that eventually, it will see lights … Continue reading When the Moon Grows Full

Turning a Page

Talk about a damp squib, and it was Year 2000 – or Y2K as we called it then.  The techies worked overnight to ensure that systems didn’t fail, and we partied away the night with cake, champagne, music and dance. After all, it was the turn of the century, and we wouldn’t live to see … Continue reading Turning a Page

Spooky

Spooky is whatever our senses are not trained to interpret or understand. It lies outside the domain of ordinary life. My maternal grandfather had to reach his village where his wife was counting her last breaths. The bridge on the river he had to cross had broken down, and he was wondering if he will … Continue reading Spooky

Paundraka

This is Paundraka, no ordinary buffalo…        Where does it come from? Lord Yama, the God of Death rides it as a vehicle. It starts moving when a human is born, and takes a lifetime to reach the person. Then, why not a turtle? Buffaloes signify ignorance, and that is how a major part of the … Continue reading Paundraka

Obliteration

Turn off all the lights. Do not document barbarism, or give it a place in history. Destroy all records of past enmity induced by colonialist rulers who walked away after leaving nations to consume themselves. Let future generations not know what happened before. Silence the souls that cry for revenge. Invite them to participate in … Continue reading Obliteration