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…

I shun my gown and tuck my shirt, I dab some lipstick and slide a kohl stick, along the lids of my dream-laden eyes, and after I am all decked up, I leave for work. My eyes long for the warmth of home, and want to stay put, but weary of the questions, I adorn a different role. Questions that confront me during the day and haunt me during the night, and with the choice of my work, tend to test my worth. Work that is honoured only if I slog in the fields, and not in my home— where my heart b…

Uma switched off the TV and thumped the remote on the glass-topped teapoy. She immediately lifted it to check if the glass had cracked. Gooli perked up his ears and looked up at her. Uma caressed Gooli’s ears and whispered, “180 days”. Gooli slouched and closed his eyes. It was 180 days since lockdown was announced. Life had turned 180 degrees for Uma and Gooli. They felt like prisoners in their own home. Only two years ago, they had moved into the large apartment complex called Himalayan Enclav…

MORE THAN ‘JUST’ A MOM! It all started with an apple. But then, this is not the story of an apple. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," was a 19th century English phrase that advocated apples for good health. For most of the twentieth century, apples were a luxury for Indian households. Apples were grown in the colder Northern belt, particularly Jammu & Kashmir. By the time they rolled their way down south to hot Madras, both the skin had lost its sheen and made such a dent in the family bu…

Neera disappeared, just like that, one day. That morning when Dhiraj found she was already up, he was a bit surprised. "Even today?" he wondered sleepily, and then slipped back to a deep slumber - the effect of too many glasses of whisky last night. They had thrown a big party and so he thought she would laze around a bit more. But no, she was punctual as usual. Both of them were early risers. Neera got up at six o’clock sharp while he slumbered a little more. Neera cooked everything herself …

Eyes went wide; cups and saucers clanged, a stream of laughter followed, and a silent pity seemed to abound, when I said I want to be a homemaker. Counsels and opinions poured in— if not for women’s liberty, a job is must for financial stability. But no one asked why and how, when I said I want to be a homemaker. Humiliated and hurt, I looked at my mother, hoping she would know and come to my rescue, but she rebuked me and urged me to test avenues new, when I said I want to be a homemaker. …

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…

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…

Driven by Floods If we believe that development and progress always bring relief to people in their everyday lives, the current climate change debate should be an eye-opener. The era of frequent flying for work or vacations is increasingly being recognized as a major factor in human impact on global climate. While many of these activities are restricted due to the global pandemic, what we as people choose to do when the world resumes its regular rhythm is the important question. Linked to this…

POEMS ---- Title: When the Flood Stops Poet: Chaitali Sengupta Poet Intro: Chaitali Sengupta is a writer and a poet by passion, a financial analyst and a language teacher by profession. She’s a translator and volunteer journalist, based in the Netherlands. “Cross Stitched words”, her debut collection of prose-poems, has been recently published by SETU publications, USA. Her two translated works (from Bengali to English) are “Quiet whispers of our heart” & “A thousand words of heart”. She has con…