A friend recently asked me if I could live alone. I said I could probably do it for a day or two. Maybe a week. But I don’t think I could survive it. I told them I’d need distractions. If nothing keeps me occupied, I’ll be alone with my thoughts and almost a decade ago, … Continue reading The Loneliest Night of my Life
One Battle after Another
At some point in life, everyone realizes they’re cursed in a very specific way. Some people always seem to have a cracked phone screen. Some people never get their order right in restaurants. Some people attract the kind of rain that starts only after they step out. Me?I apparently break chairs. Not metaphorically or anything. … Continue reading One Battle after Another
Driving through Decembers
People always talk about darkness like it’s some metaphor you reach for when life feels heavy; but lately I’ve been thinking about the literal dark. You know, the kind where the city quiets down, the air gets colder, and you suddenly feel like you’re standing in a room where someone dimmed the lights without telling … Continue reading Driving through Decembers
Crossroads, Revisited
I remember, very confidently, almost ceremoniously, telling myself that I would post at least one write-up every month. A small promise to keep the engine running, to keep the voice alive. But here we are now, and the last thing I posted was in September. And the funny part is, those who know me also … Continue reading Crossroads, Revisited
Mystery of the Vanishing Roommate
Writing the Study in Sink actually took me back to the college-hostel days and ended up making me reminisce. I mean, it was a weird place, but ripe with possibilities of a great story just around the corner. You walked in past the security gates, where guards made sure vehicles had permission but anyone on … Continue reading Mystery of the Vanishing Roommate
Kind Records
A person I care about deeply once asked me something seemingly simple, but that had me at a loss for words for a bit. “What’s the kindest thing you’ve ever done for someone?” She probably didn't mean it like one of those dramatic, confrontational questions. No; it was soft, almost playful. But it hit me … Continue reading Kind Records
A Study in Sink
We were supposed to be back by Monday. We returned from our two-month vacation with duffel bags in hand and guilt-free hearts. College was scheduled to reopen on Monday, but we, being seasoned veterans of Indian Railway travel by then, decided to arrive on Saturday.After more than 24 hours of grueling train journey, we reached … Continue reading A Study in Sink
Where Are You From, Really? ( A Sequel )
So, there’s this thing that’s happened consistently throughout my life. On good days, when someone asks me where I’m from, I smile.I puff my chest a little, like I’m proud of the mess I carry.And I say, I belong everywhere. That I’m a citizen of the world.I’ve got stories from too many pin codes to … Continue reading Where Are You From, Really? ( A Sequel )
Only Sometimes
"A story about an almost-love and the versions of us that outlive the real thing." She was the kind of person who broke quietly, without fuss, and rebuilt herself out of sight. You’d never catch her crying. You’d never see the cracks — only the renovations. And even those, only if you were paying attention. … Continue reading Only Sometimes
Kindness Over Kicks
Lately, being off Instagram has rerouted all my habitual doom scrolling to Facebook. Which, as it turns out, is just another kind of emotional landmine.I mean, it’s filled with people I knew in my teens — who are somehow still more active here than on Instagram — and people in their 40s and 50s sharing … Continue reading Kindness Over Kicks
a semi charmed life 