Deep Ties

  In this hilarious piece, Deepti Menon tells us of her two new year resolutions that she is resolute about making...the keeping of them is a whole different matter!   Deepti Menon In this hilarious piece, Deepti Menon tells us of her two new year resolutions that she is resolute about making…the keeping of them is a whole different matter! Tring, tring! The door bell rings and I freeze in my tracks, clad in my pajamas and my sleep-tousled hair. Who could it be at this unearthly hour? I am still getting used to living in Kerala, where people wake up at four in the morning, bathe, go to the temple and then decided to come a-visiting when I am still in heavenly slumber. Therefore… New Year Resolution Number 1 Having faced this scenario over the past year a number of times, out of sheer embarrassment, I have decided to change my timings. No more do I lounge around in the morning, relaxing over my hot cuppa, reading the newspaper and browsing over my Sudoku. Instead, I make a dash...

  "When will the world become a safer place for children?" asks Deepti Menon, writing about the boy in Kerala who was beaten to death by his mother's live-in partner. “When will the world become a safer place for children?” asks Deepti Menon, writing about the boy in Kerala who was beaten to death by his mother’s live-in partner. On March 28th, a seven-year- old boy was brutally beaten up by his mother’s live-in partner in Thodupuzha, in Kerala,  according to this news report . He was hit on his head, arms and eyes, and taken to hospital with a severe skull injury. The man had a history of maltreating the boy and his four-year-old brother, the gory details coming from the younger boy, who had also been sexually abused by the man. The child was kept on life support at the Kolenchery Medical College for nine days, but finally succumbed to the grievous injuries he had suffered. The whole of Kerala had prayed for his survival, but his blood pressure levels fluctuated and his ...

  Mercy petitions by the rapists of means the hanging has been now pushed to 1st February. What will happen?   Deepti Menon Mercy petitions by the rapists of means the hanging has been now pushed to 1st February. What will happen? The figure leapt out as I was watching the news; 2590 days since that unforgettable day when a 23-year-old medical student was brutally gang-raped by 6 monsters who not only committed the heinous act, but hurt her repeatedly, till her eyes closed into eternal darkness. 2590 days have gone by since then! A horrified nation watched as the police hauled up the culprits who showed not a trace of remorse at what they had done. It was as if the humaneness that is part of normal human beings had been switched off. Five of them were sent to jail, where one committed suicide, or so the story goes. If so, that was too easy a death for him. The juvenile, scot free! The unkindest cut of all was that one of these monsters was a juvenile, short of eighteen by a fe...

  Despite so much effort being put into detecting cases of Coronavirus infection and containing it, there are irresponsible people who are putting us all in danger.   Deepti Menon Despite so much effort being put into detecting cases of Coronavirus infection and containing it, there are irresponsible people who are putting us all in danger. Social media does come out with the most unbelievable videos. The other day, when I was browsing, the title leapt out at me. “World’s Shortest Horror Movie” Being a horror buff, I couldn’t help but peek at it. It was truly horrific. Several passengers wait at a bus stop on a rainy day. As they huddle together, one of them coughs and spits into a large puddle on the road right in front of them. Suddenly a bus speeds by over the puddle, drenching all of them in water, and in today’s scenario, maybe even a virus that could infect them all. Horrific, indeed! For those wanting a peek, here’s the YouTube link. https://www.womensweb.in/2020/03/qua...

  A father daughter bond that was disrupted when the author's father passed away at a young age of 42, but has endured through memories that are cherished.   Deepti Menon A father daughter bond that was disrupted when the author’s father passed away at a young age of 42, but has endured through memories that are cherished. I had a father who doted on me, a father whose letters I still cherish and read through, when I need a little advice. His letters were like a beacon, taking me along with them the two years that I was apart from my parents and sisters, doing my ninth and tenth at my grandparents’ home. Both my parents were prolific letter writers and I would wait eagerly for the postman to hand over envelopes with the well-loved handwriting. I would rush to my pink room, painted especially for me by my doting grandparents, to make me feel at home. Staying away from home… and dad I remember being apprehensive when my parents first told me that I would have to move away becaus...

  Where did my ideas spring from? From the double life I led. I would wear low cut dresses and mini leather skirts and go out in the evenings to the nightclubs where all the action took place.   Deepti Menon Where did my ideas spring from? From the double life I led. I would wear low cut dresses and mini leather skirts and go out in the evenings to the nightclubs where all the action took place. I had always had my own dreams. Dreams that haunted me during the day and broke into my sleep at night. I have no idea how they seeped into my mind, or from where they originated. All I knew was that marriage was not the top priority in my life. Like it was for Rukmani, who dropped out in the twelfth standard so that she could marry the first boy who came to ‘see’ her. Or Geethika who tumbled into the matrimonial rollercoaster to get away from her domineering parents, only to realise that she had exchanged the frying pan for the fire. I had always wanted to be a career woman. As a chil...

  “What you call love is actually possessiveness. You made all my decisions for me. I would probably be happier without you in my life,” Revant screamed!   Deepti Menon Revati’s life had changed when, after ten years of being an only child, her parents brought in a stranger into the house. She had looked at the young boy who had wide, frightened eyes, and she had fallen in love with him on sight. He was small-made and a lone tear hung below his eye as he looked around at the huge house with its crystal chandeliers and eye-catching artefacts. Ma had hugged him impulsively. “Come here, little one! Meet your sister, Revati!” Revati had also hugged him, even as he shrank away from them. He was painfully thin, and his shoulder blades stuck out in jagged points. “Are you hungry?” Revati had asked. He had nodded, and when she saw him devouring the thin chicken sandwiches, her heart had skipped a beat. This was her little baby, she vowed under her breath fiercely. She would protect hi...