STORIES OF INDIA is a series of story-led conversations from various corners of the world, curating the experiences of being Indian. What is the idea of India? What does it stand for? Which stories of life are reflective of the country and its culture? The objectives of the STORIES OF INDIA series: 1. to understand the past and present of India from the perspectives of various thought leaders and change agents, making a difference in diverse disciplines. 2. to discuss the stories representative …

Abstract: In a year that overwhelmed us with the many lives lost, the promising young actor Sushant Singh Rajput passed away on 14th June, 2020. We delve deep into the Instagram posts of Mr. Rajput in an attempt to understand his cerebral and stirring posts. He contemplated the universe, life and the human condition in several posts, characterized by an economy of words but a striking beauty of expression. We try to unearth his philosophy of life aided by his interviews and other secondary sourc…

“Mashima, how are you feeling today?” greeted Sharmishtha. Mallika, dressed in a crisp white saree with a blue border and sparkling pearl earrings, greeted Sharmistha with a toothless smile, the wrinkles sitting beautifully on her old face. She was busy searching for something on her table. “Oh dear, I am not able to find my dentures. Thank God you came!” Mallika said, staring at the mess on her table which was filled with boxes of medicines. Sharmistha smiled. “Here it is! You had kept it on th…

Dalgona coffee. Jia picked up the coffee mug brimming full of the whipped creamy beverage, which was the drink of the moment and placed it gingerly on her little white side table. She picked up her smartphone and zeroed in on the coffee cup using her phone camera, moving the phone in all directions to hit upon the correct angle that would give her the perfect shot of the mug. A shot that would fetch her the most likes on both Facebook and Instagram. It would of course have to be in portrait mode…

The story is the winner of the Best Thought Leader title from Simon & Schuster India, and Best Language and Expressions title from Pan Macmillan. Submitted for a competition themed on Sensuosity & Sexuality hosted under TMYS Review. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The prodigious stairway that led to the entrance to of MARCO museum in Rome was decked in decorative boughs on e…

Bollywood Cinema brings together the sweetness of love and happy memories and the unsettling social realities of our times blending together dichotomies like Gulab Jamun or Gajar Ka Halwa, with opposites like Aam Ka Achar and the bitter taste of Karela. Film narratives and life experiences of audiences do not just remain contrasts but intermingle to produce cultural identities linked to and inspired by cinema. The mixture of fantasy, comedy and melodrama provides essential survival tools for lon…

[A story for Gabriel Garcia Marquez, to his memory] Never been able to quench her thirst, she perennially remained dry and the villagers had aptly named her Bhookhi Nadi, the Hungry River. Often she would compare her name with Bengal’s Subarnarekha or Mayurakshi and would feel aggrieved about her name! But bhookhi she always remained! Once in a while if rain gods were in good moods, Bhookhi would turn voluptuously mad. Flooding! Chhasara is a village of my childhood memories and therefore it e…

The universe, like a giant balloon, expands every day, every moment. If you come to think of it, the edge of the universe is in fact the very brink of our imagination too. Hence, whilst sinking on our pensive chairs, we often tend to feel the inhibition of this expanding yet entrapping balloon. The years flow in accordance with the mortal dimensions of time. Lives and relations drift apart into mundane, conformal corners. The deepest wound and the saddest thought fade into the immense abyss of a…

“How much it would cost?” Sheetal asked. “Forty Thousand Only!” came the response from the salesman. “Isn’t it too much for this portrait?” Sheetal tried to negotiate. “You can buy some other portrait, madam. This one is special.” “What’s so special about this one?” she couldn’t take eyes of the green eyes of the man in the portrait. “Do you know Raja Kishan Singh of Rajgarh?” “Heard about him!” “Well, this is his portrait.” “So what? Aren’t their other King’s Portraits in this world? What’s s…