We simply seek to speak our truth before we get mangled by other people's bullshit ideas of us. Saira, We Are Lady Parts Finished another journal and I have done the usual, small ritual to stack it away with the others. I leafed through my own sometimes-hurried, sometimes-peaceful handwriting and found traces of the months... Continue Reading →
I see the decapitated head of a baby in the morning on my news feed. It has been raining incessantly this day, week, year, and all the lakes in the city are overflowing. I am told to follow my dreams on the weekend, and on the weekdays, I work through my bleeding skin to pay the taxes on time. I... Continue Reading →
I know that the stories are true — That when things go wrong, other things get betterThat between the two worlds, in an unnamed space, a story resides and belongs to no one but itselfThat when the wound is nursed with frozen ice, it thaws a little; changes from stubborn to willing to talk about... Continue Reading →
Dear S, This is your warning: a baked cherry tomato has steam trapped inside it and you could burn the roof of your mouth. You may loathe to write Dear at the beginning of a journal entry, but you are dear to me, nonetheless. Even if I don't show it. Even if it has been... Continue Reading →
I had briefly forgotten how it feels to be defeated by one’s own life and the circumstances of reality. At times, I aspire to be the kind of person who accepts reality and goes on knowing that the world is not an ideal place and the general disposition for coping involves playing the crooked game... Continue Reading →
Afternoons are my favourite time of the day. They don't have the kind of pressure mornings have to be productive and beautiful. They don't subscribe to the way nights must be lonely or creative. Afternoons don't have that kind of presumption to them. They're usually quiet and soft on their toes. I'm always sad when... Continue Reading →
I found my copy of Orientalism when I opened my book cupboard so that my niece could help herself with any book she wanted. I thought I had given it away, but here it was musky, yellowed, reminiscent of a time when I was discovering the treasures inside bookshelves. The book is still as relevant... Continue Reading →
Last week, my colleague read the Instagram post* I had written on the occasion of inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, and in context of that post she asked me “what had happened to you?” Another old acquaintance pinged me and said they have not paid much attention, but would like to educate themselves... Continue Reading →
Or: spitting facts / stating the truth in no chronological order / that happened I hurt my right wrist during an intense strength training session. Our fitness trainer seemed to have lost her bearing on what is acceptable pressure to be applied on the human body. My hurt wrist reminds me of the persistent injury... Continue Reading →