Deep Ties

GREEN   Unsplash She was a cuddly, sweet young girl, with the most melodious voice ever. When she got married, she made a beautiful bride, her eyes sparkling as she looked up at her besotted bridegroom, Romesh. “I love you, Simran!” he whispered in her ear as the wedding ceremony was going on, and they were hidden from the crowd by the thick billowing fumes of smoke that emanated from the sacred fire. Romesh’s eyes smarted, and even as he closed them, he could still see the beautiful picture his Simran made in her emerald green sari with its gorgeous border of gold. Wherever Simran went, she created an impact. The very sight of her took people’s breaths away. Her large eyes seemed to look into their souls, and it was all they could do to keep from divulging their deepest secrets to her. They would confide their problems to her, and once they were done, she would look at them for a moment and then hand them a solution, which worked. It was as though she knew the pulse of those who s...

 VIOLET                                                                           Unsplash Twilight had always been her special hour when the sky turned violet veering towards darkness. The books she had read had mentioned it as the hour most deceptive to the eye, the hour when shapes would assume ghostly proportions, and loom, shadowy and unnerving. The hour when things would turn dim, as though the very air was holding its breath. Many accidents had been known to take place at twilight. Especially on the stretch of road just short of her house which curved sharply on to an almost blind corner. A vehicle coming the other way would have to brake and wait  with bated breath. Monica would often sit at a window that looked out on to the road. The sun would have set, and the velvety tone of the ...

  GOLDEN                                                                         Unsplash She was driving at full speed now. The sun shone down, fierce and golden. The words of the doctor were echoing in her mind. “Ms. Deshpande, you have a growth in your stomach. I am afraid it is malignant which gives you less than six months to live.” His voice was grave, and she found herself wondering why he needed to put on an act. After all, he was in the profession of doling out bad news. She had unfinished work. She was on her way to remedy that. Especially now that she was living on borrowed time. The sunrays filled the car with golden warmth. She rang the bell. He stood there, handsome as ever, and her treacherous heart skipped a beat. How could she still be so gullible after what he had done to her. ...

                                                                        Dreamstime.com When I first registered on Blogchatter, I was not sure what I was getting into. However, the name sounded tempting because it encompassed two things I enjoyed – blogging and chating. I tentatively put a toe in to test the waters, watching the videos posted by the erudite founders with awe. The possibilities were mind-boggling, the opportunities galore. I have been writing since the age of ten, because words have always fascinated me. I love the idea of juggling them around to create content that I enjoy reading. I have always believed that if I don’t like what I write, no one else will either. Believe me, that’s the gospel truth! Here was an opportunity to write and create and throw ideas around. There was a huge network...

Credits: Varun Rao A title like the above can be puzzling, I confess, but no other would describe the scenario better. So here we were, cosily ensconced in Johannesburg, with our daughter and her family. The day before we arrived, an unusually cold front decided to make its presence felt, resulting in our cowering under blankets, gulping down umpteen cups of green tea and hot water. What kept our adrenalin pumping was the presence of our adorable little granddaughter and grandson, both of whom we had not seen for two years, and of course, the rest of the household. Except that a new member had been inducted into the family where, for so many years, a grey cat, grave and majestic, had held sway. Tyrion (Game of Thrones) was the ideal house pet – pleasing to the eye, present when required and well able to take care of himself. Most of the time, people were not even aware of his presence. Credits: Gopi Menon Enter a batty dog, the most beautiful looking Labrador with a personality that ...

The title of the book proclaims it a romance, but the reader is plunged into the tragic backstory of the Devgarh Royals on page one itself through a newspaper report, proving that this is much more than a romantic read. The main protagonists are His Highness Veerendra Singh and Nivy Sharma, around whom the whole plot is woven in a manner that is dexterous and intriguing. Veer’s sister, Yuvrajkumari Jayshree Devi aka the irreverent Jessie is all set to marry Deependra Singh Dogra, the portly son the Maharawal of Tejpur. Likewise, the Maharawal is keen on his daughter, the determined Anika, marrying Veer in an exchange marriage. Rani Ma, Veer’s mother’s only condition is that her son should marry a girl who will not bring shame to their family. The fast-paced and witty retorts between the mother and her offspring set the ball rolling to make the book a rib-tickler. Nivy Sharma, the so-called proverbial black sheep of her family, is a rebel who runs away to Mumbai to be an actress. ...

  When a lawyer needs to relax and makes cooking her hobby, the result is bound to be mouthwatering. Shail Thosani began cooking after her 12 th Board Exams, and as she puts it, there was no looking back. This book titled ‘Breads and Breakfast’ is divided into two sections, the first one dealing in bread recipes and the second in breakfast recipes. For a person who loves bread, this book is a godsend, for there are many tempting bread recipes with equally enticing pictures as well. However, there is also much beyond bread, as has been proven in the second section of the book. Potato and cheese are the heroes in the first section of Bread Recipes that has sandwiches with different fillings. Whether it is an aloo-tikki sandwich served with pudina chutney, pav bhaji toast or potato cheese chilly sandwich, the accompanying picture makes one’s mouth water. Bread besan chilla, paneer chilly sandwich and veg tomato omelette sandwich remind one of Mumbai street food, which is so p...