Deep Ties

“If only... the saddest words in the English language.”  Kristan Higgins Over the past three days, the whole country has been avidly following the news at the accidental drowning of one of the most charismatic stars we have ever seen. If only the beautiful lady, the heartthrob of millions, the only superstar of India, had survived... If only she had realised that something was wrong when she went in to have a bath... If only certain people on social media had shown more restraint, instead of commenting on her lifestyle, and all that she should not have done with her body... If only some news channels had not jumped to their own conclusions and rushed in where angels fear to tread... If only mindless speculations had been left unspoken, and trenchant voices been silenced... If only the word ‘karma’ had been left out, instead of being bandied about like a dry leaf in the wind... If only cameras and obtrusive journalists had not dogged the funera...

“Not every man with a heart is understanding, not every man with ears is a listener, and not every man with eyes is able to see.” Imam Ali Saadiq Haider, renowned gene therapist, comes across as a brusque, impatient man, as he shares his life story with Anne Miller, an intrepid journalist with ‘The Daily’ who is eager to interview him after his nomination for the Nobel Prize. Not for nothing is he known as the bad boy of bioengineering and cancer research, even as the world acknowledges him as a genius who had featured on the cover of Time magazine. Luckily, Anne and he are on the same flight, and as the ride turns turbulent, Dr. Haider decides to unveil the grand canvas of his life story on the enthusiastic journalist. As he says to her, “The beginning is Maryam.” Saadiq and Maryam share a magical relationship from the moment he meets her. Her father, the Colonel, owns the garden on which Saadiq’s father, Haji, works.  Saadiq turns into her protector, but it ...

Marcus Cicero once said that “Brevity is a great charm of eloquence.” Piyusha Vir certainly seems to believe in the adage, as all three of her short stories, in her debut book titled ‘Just Another Day’, are eloquently brief, each one striking in its denouement. ‘Writer’s Circle’ revolves around a murder that takes place before a crime thriller book meet. The language is conversational, almost like a Christie piece, as the police check out the facts, and the murderer stays in the shadows, determined to stay there. Ms. Vir reveals a turn of phrase that is easy on the ear, and the twist in the tail/tale appears all the more startling. ‘Happy Birthday, Saisha’ talks about a young girl who tries hard to fit into the patriarchal scenario that refuses to treat women as equals. This story is mired in the world of today and leaves the reader with a tear in the eye and an ache in the heart. ‘Elevator Tales’ is a tale that ends on such a note that one needs to go back and read ...

 “You are Destiny’s girl, born for fame!” smiled Maya’s mother, looking at her perfect little bundle of joy. As Maya grew up, she excelled at everything – academics, sports and the arts. Her parents were proud of her, and spared no expense on her education. When Maya started winning prizes in various singing contests, her parents hired the best music teacher in the country. She had the voice of an angel, and when she sang, it was as if the world itself paused to hear her sing. Her teacher taught her all she knew, her heart swelling with pride when she heard Maya sing. Each note was perfect, the melody unbroken! It was when Maya was in college that she got a scholarship to one of the most prestigious universities in America to further study music. It was a dream come true for her and her parents. “Ma, I will miss you and Papa so much!” she sighed. There was just a week left for her to leave and her heart was torn in two directions. She was looking forward to he...

When one delves into the poetic offerings of Bhuvaneshwari Shankar, it is akin to dipping in a cornucopia of life itself, in all its myriad glories. As one reads through her poems, one is likely to find, as she herself suggests, a mirror to one’s feelings. In ‘ Beginnings ’, one is reminded of Wordsworth’s “Child is Father of the Man”, especially in ‘Hold My Hand My Love’ where the mother and the daughter shift roles “as we walk together through life, /No, not all of the Seven Ages,/Just, till you think you are no more a child.” This ends on a poignant note as the daughter replies, “I will walk beside you mother,/I will hold your hand in mine /Not for you that clawing grasp, mother/ More a gentle but firm grasp.../ Until you cross the Seven Ages, /Until it’s Time to let go.” Bhuvaneshwari writes of the world gone by, and of relationships that have strengthened over the years. She also reminisces about the loss of those times when “making origami boats... was magic” an...

“Sometimes people carry to such perfection the mask they have assumed that in due course, they actually become the person they seem.”                                                                           The Moon and Sixpence – Somerset Maugham Nostradamus could not have done it better than Sapna Vaid, the protagonist of Amit Sharma’s ‘The Woman Who Saw the Future’, a timid young girl who despises cornflakes, adores Greek mythology and has healthy spats with her mother. Her parents, Prakash and Kalpana, have built their future together at Dilshad Garden, “piece by piece. Togetherness for us was creating this ...

“All that we see or seem/ Is but a dream within a dream.” Edgar Allen Poe A brown unlabelled bottle hidden away behind a rack of books is what brings Manisha alive, Manisha who is married to Amit who has mastered “the art of throwing his weight around, of keeping tight control.” While people around her seem normal, never having been “confused or angry or even conflicted at points of decisions”, Manisha, who has given up a high-paying job, is not ready to be a trophy wife. Her childhood is punctuated by stories narrated by her Amma, from the Mahabharata and the sacrifice of Devavrata who could choose the time of his death. One truth must have stayed in her mind. “What does it matter what others say, Moni? You know your truth the best, you always do.”  Thus, when it comes to the moment of truth, Monisha knows exactly what she is meant to do with her life. She walks into a newly opened coffee shop, done up with clay and terracotta, where an old man with bright ...