As part of the writing workshop, all of us were asked to pick a random phrase from any book and write a story on it. Here’s my story Soulmate Keeping the direct sunlight from her kitchen, she pulled the binds and stirred the halwa on stove rigorously. “Suresh…Can you please open the door, I think Anjali is here”..She said in a loud voice. Suresh walked with towards the door clumsily holding his stick in one hand, he peeped through the eye hole in the door and with a smile on his face, he unlocked the door to welcome Anjali. “Please come beta, we have been waiting for you” said Suresh and offered her a seat in their living room. Anjali was looking beautiful in her pastel blue...
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I am the color red, I saw you today when you were thinking about your favorite wine, looking at me as a plastic cup in a cafe.I know how you fall in love with me every time I look at you. You live a little more looking at me. I saw you yet again on the traffic lights with fiery eyes full of warning. I met you minutes later with your long due touch up the “rosy Sunday” shade of your lipstick, I was amazed to see how confident you feel even with the dark side of mine. I was in the flare of your gypsy skirt giving you the Scarlett glow on your face while you were thinking “the hem of my skirt...
Continue readingWhen you need a fiction for your summer evenings with Merlot, you pick up Maharaja in Denims by Khushwant Singh. So once again I went the Flipkart way and ordered Maharaja in Denims by Khushwant Singh. It took me 3 days and few glasses of wine to read the book. Maharaja in Denims is fiction written keeping in my mind the fancy-schmancy ‘Chandigarh life’, which is unique and you cannot compare it to any other city in India.In the background, there is a story about Maharaja Ranjit Singh as well. When I was doing my graduation in Melbourne, I was often asked a few question about Punjab from fellow Gujarati and Maharashtrian friends. “Is Makki ki roti your staple diet? Do you all know...
Continue readingStories of Indian Mythology have always been intrigued my interests. Their magic, mysticism, and their morals, unfold a layer of human psychology and history. Stories are written to seduce human mind with the rights and wrongs. Stories about curses and boons. My recent read was Sita- an illustrative retelling of Ramayana by Devdutt Pattanaik, I like the way Pattanaik gives a very unbiased version of Ramayana in this. I am more of a believer in Karma than dharma so for me this book was about getting to know Ram and Sita and while reading I felt that hero of the story was actually Hanuman!!. So I finished the book in about 8 days, the book was very gripping till the end and left a lasting impact...
Continue readingClub 65, if I could make an association where everybody who is young at heart could do things of their choice without any social barriers. It would be Club 65 and I would make my father the President of that. He belongs to my generation and generations to come…I asked him the other day, “I want to go to someplace with you, just you and me.” Chandigarh Clubbing chale, he said with immense enthusiasm. He is the only man I know who talks about his dreams, his daydreams… I am so much like him in that manner. Or maybe I haven’t taken after him and not my mother. Over-emotional, extremely sensitive and not so quick to forgive but I have something...
Continue readingThe way Social media or facebook has changed our generation is unimaginable but what surprises me is how Indian culture ka tadka affects facebook. “Usne meri photo Like nahi ki, She is always jealous of me.” talks a 30 yr old to her friend because a kitty member ignored her latest picture! The “Like” button is the new ego masseuse So facebook is the new “flatter me” platform where you like every photo your bosses wife posts, to be acknowledged. Not just that you leave a comment “very nice” “lovely”, “beautiful”(the most common ones) to be in her good (face) books We have 90 mutual friends but we are not friends, taking the cold war to a different level altogether. Two women who would...
Continue readingKrishna has always been my favorite god and there was always a veiled jealousy for Radha his consort. I call it love and the world can call me preposterous. It is impossible to think of Krishna without thinking of Radha yet some of the biggest Krishna temples in India do not enshrine the image of Radha. Even the most sacred book of Krishna, the Bhagavat Puran, does not mention Radha. Just very recently, I started reading about the goddess I envied and what an immense devotee I have become of the milkmaid whose reflection I can see in every woman known and unknown. They say when Radha Krishan met the once after Krishan left Vrindavan no words were said. No hands stretched to meet...
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My part of the world, loves to believe that family is a perfect word and if you don’t fit in it, its your fault, you are the Ugly Duckling. They love words like “khandaan”, “Pariwar”, “Gharana.” So having a family and family ‘values’ is considered mandatory or else you are nothing but an alien. What about broken families? Single parents, divorced parents, step parent? OH NO! That’s not acceptable at all. Kids who live in such families are stronger individuals and they adapt better in situations, they make stronger friendships because they know friends are all they have. They have better managerial skills because they were never over pampered, they were left to “deal with it”. They are more likely to be...
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The love for the game is something I inherit from my father . My childhood was filled with his stories of him playing chess with all the champions of the city that time and always emerging as a hero. I have always fancied the game from a very young age but interestingly, father never played with me and neither did he share any of his special tricks and tips. I think the only tip he has ever given me is “don’t lose the knight too soon, he is the only game changer” “I don’t believe in shiny knights who limp in their moves. I believe in Rooks the sturdy fat coins. They like to be ‘straight forward’ “I said to him. And to me the real game...
Continue readingMrs Funnybones When I picked this book, it was only to be judgmental about a celebrity’s writing skill. Yes, I am an Indian woman who will never miss an opportunity to cast a sardonic sneer for a book written by a celebrity. To my surprise, she has done a good job and while the book is not about flowery adjectives like the one used on Simi Grewal’s Tv show, it’s about the non glamorous life of a glamorous celebrity and celebrity wife. Who is Mrs Funnybones First few pages really made me question myself, “Are you going to read this? why would you want to know about what happens in Akshay Kumar’s household” Don’t forget I defined myself as hard to please cynical...
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