Expressions

There is lot of struggle getting myself up from bed. Most of the time I lie back down and stare at the many jingling and colorful 'stuff' hanging from above.... its not always the case , the hanging things are only at one or two places. It is usually a white colored ceiling with circles and hexagons cut out. Other times I am rolled over facing down to the bed . This is a relief from seeing the jingling objects and the empty ceiling. Nonetheless, the starting down at the bed is not too exciting either. Unless there is a very colorful bed sheet spread across. I like to find and trace small patterns in that case.  I practice trying to get up from bed on my own but there is a lot of effort and I give up after a few moments. I am pulled into people's laps ever since I remember my existence. The enthusiasm and excitement on people's faces whenever they come close to me is remarkable. I feel I am the center of the house.  People make faces at me and I try to score them base...

It was a busy working evening on the streets of Mumbai. Just outside the Ghatkopar metro station,  a line of people were waiting eagerly to get home after tiring hours of work. And there were some others who might just be getting ready to get started to toil hours for the night. The Bus stand was filled with exhausted feet, hopeful eyes waiting for their sawari to come get them. And buses were obliging in their capacity, taking steep turns just along the corner and stopping right in front of the bus stand but in the middle of the road; blocking off the traffic for just a few minutes and jostling off with equal energy and larger burden of weight upon them tilting heavily to the left side. Then there were shared rickshaws and autowallahs swooping in and buzzing by doing their duties of transporting people from places to places. Shivram was one among the side of the pavement just outside the gate 2B of the metro station, observing this daily hullabaloo eating his share of frie...

The First It was a warm sunny day. The sun had almost risen up until the helm of the building and the light streamed through the grilled French windows and on to the tiled floor. Zee lay rested on the carpet enjoying the Indian suntan of a lazy weekend afternoon, his eyes closed and face tranquil like disciples of Buddha. The sudden chatter of Ami broke this reverie. He looked up, eyes half closed, and found her clearing the creases of the cushions. This was arguably her favorite pastime – cleaning up here and there, setting things straight so that the house looks out freshly delivered every moment like a hotel room. He gave a resigned look, well aware of the obsession. “Don’t you think life has become boring; too monotonous!” Ami said glumly, raising her eyebrows to signal Zee to comfort her of random musings. Zee rolled his eyes as usual and sank back to oblivion. “Isn’t always so? After every change, life does become stagnant. That’s what stability means”. “No, it isn’t s...

The thrill of decorating a new home is like painting an empty canvas. I had numerous visits to the furniture stores in that month. We had to fit in pieces of dining table, beds, wardrobes and sofa-sets to convert our flat to livable space. And I was so excited. Shopping for furniture means choosing a long term partner for your house. Different shapes and sizes of sofa sets were talking to me through the shop windows. A shining black leather recliner winking at me from a distance and alluring me to take him home. A covered cloth sofa sets in bright summer colors offering a competition to palette. They even adorned flashy and digitally printed cushion covers with ditsy celebrity faces or artistic Buddha pictures to add to the glamour. I was attracted to one of such bright blue fabric sofas. Italian making. While I was engrossed in feeling the fabric of this newly found gem, my husband on the other hand spotted a meek wooden sofa in the corner. In the world of modern architectur...