Concluding 2014

Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come whispering, ‘It will be happier’ - Alfred Lord Tennyson 2014 has been a mixed bag. Ap...

Yun Hi Sahi (यूँ ही सही)

ना सही मेरा ईमान काबे कलीसा में हुआ मैं गर तो क्या, क़ाफ़िर ही सही मेरे हर दिन, हर पल में शामिल तू तेरे लिए चाहे मैं रहा अजनबी ही सही किसी ...

Save Your Tears…

Prolonged water stagnation softens the soil and moisture seeps in through the walls. The paint cracks and peels off and the pillars lose the...

Liberi, Liberi…

True freedom can only exist in one’s mind. In your head, you are free to be the king of the world, rule the human race, have absolute ruthle...

The Marina Chronicle

Marina Beach is a natural urban beach in the city of Chennai, India which runs from near Fort St. George in the north to Besant Nagar in...

Foodie Files – Platters from South

If you relish good food and happen to be visiting Chennai, here are a couple of things to do - # Try out one of Anjappar Restaurants. Here...

Foodie Files – Nandu Chettinad (Crab Masala Chettinad Style)

Chettinad is actually a region of the Sivaganga district of southern Tamil Nadu and Chettinad cuisine is the cuisine of the Chettiar communi...

The Bride…

I sketched this on my phone and am calling it ‘The Bride’. To those, who see marriages as only a social celebration for a license to procre...

A Cage Called Hope

It is funny how people around you see the silence you are engulfed in and fail to hear the noise inside. The mind works overtime, echoing sh...

Toys...

He played with keen interest, unmindful of the world around, sitting less than 10 feet away from my car. The halt on the red light was longe...

Street Cries…

I clicked the picture below along the roadside near Kalka Ji Metro Station, New Delhi during the Diwali week. The following verse from Saroj...

Rafoogar (रफ़ूगर)

कुछ स्याह और हो यह शब तो सुकून मिले तेरी हसरतों से फिर मुझे नया जूनून मिले मेरी दीवानगी, मेरी तिश्नगी की नज़र हुई कहूँ तुम से भी अब क्या, कि...

The Sand…

This heart is but an empty space – even with you filling all its corners. The apathy in this relationship is seeping in through the holes in...

Disgusted…

How old is a two and half year old? - Old enough to recognize one’s parents and family - Old enough to call out to the parents - Old eno...

The Dreamwalker

She was there sitting next to me on the same bench overlooking the lake. The blue sky was flanked by puffy white clouds. A few birds chirped...

The Desert…

There comes a time when you realize that you will not last the distance; that your lungs will explode before the last lap; that you will go ...

Holding On…

I will not let go. Not yet. I have held on long enough now and can’t let go with just a plaintive whimper. I have become accustomed to th...

मेरी मीरा तुम (Meri Meera Tum)

क्षणिक मृत्यु का वरदान तुम्हारा भाग्य कब था ? तुम्हें तो प्रत्येक पल सहस्रों बार मरना था किसी अविरल वेग संग अनायस विलुप्त होना शायद सौभाग्य...

Foodie Files – Paya Masala (Goat’s Feet)

Paya essentially refers to the trotters or feet of a cow, goat or lamb and is a dish which was originally brought to the sub-continent by ...

The Marked Territory

She woke up feeling lost and her head hurt from previous night. It was just as much she could take. The pangs of pain on her bottom felt rel...

A Day’s Work | A Night’s Sleep

I know people who have trouble sleeping. People who live in plush houses in serene neighborhoods, have comfortable beds, ample food, secure ...

Achchaa Hai…

सलीब अपने सर उठा चलना कहाँ मुझे रास था तेरे जूनून की चादर से मगर फिर भी यह हल्का है मेरे सर पर छत ना सही, बे-शक़ फाका-मस्ती ही सही आज तेरी ...

Zara Sa Faaslaa…

कुछ देर शब और जला अभी तो सिर्फ़ आग़ाज़ है  चाँद कुछ और सुलगा नींद अभी नाराज़ है कहाँ मैं मयसर अभी कहाँ कोई सुरूर है कुछ खामोशी है मगर कुछ ...

The Circle

The circle loops back again. It repeats itself every few days and I am beginning to get tired of it now. It’s time to follow a tangent and ...

Sun or Moon

“Sun or Moon?”, she questioned. “Sun, I guess” I quipped “Why?” she demanded “Because, Sun is real and Moon is artificial, just a fa...

Office Office

The picture below is an actual board at sector 126, Noida that I encounter daily on my trip to office. Added the last row to it. Of course, ...

Possessed

He gave her chills, scared the life out of her. He swerved and steered and controlled her being like no other. He tormented her, left bruise...

The Ghost

She looked out of the window. The Sun had not set as yet but the evening had already splashed the skies with a sharp violet tinge mixed with...

The Silence

Happiness is a brazen wench. It needs to be paid to seek its company. Most often, it leaves you destitute, addicted and wanting for more. T...

The Vagabond

I walked a fair distance today, raking up leaves strewn all over yesteryears. The silent Sun bore my witness as I crossed the railway tracks...

The Exit Door

All along I was focused on finding a way to reach you. I walked through the dunes, braved the floods, survived the bruises of the woods and ...

One Of These Days…

I will burn the walls and break down those doors you have been hiding behind. I will set fire to the tethers and kick the ash with my feet a...