• Poems

    The Dance of Fate

    I saw Fate dance today. She lifted her skirts a little Stood tiptoe And twirled across my canvas. A canvas I had kept secure since long And yearned to paint With my imagination. But she arrived unannounced…

  • Poems

    Degrees of separation

    They choose to walk away from my life And I learn that game of masquerade- Pretend their absence doesn’t affect me. How do I explain the insomnia And your constant presence In all my dreams? I wonder…

  • Musings

    Lost and found

    Venice is full of alleys. We stepped off our vaporetto and pulled out the map trying to find our way to our hotel. It said it was just 5 minutes away. That we were rolling four suitcases…

  • Folklore,  Food,  Musings

    Saturdays and khichdi

    One of the most delectable dishes that Bihar has to offer is the masoor dal khichdi. It isn’t the usual bland khichdi which is served to people who are ill. Instead this is flavourful, with added vegetables…

  • Birds,  Musings,  Nature

    A divine morning

    Some mornings are divine. You wake up to the find out that the rain gods decided to work overtime during the night. The whole world has been washed clean and the leaves are glistening green. The air…

  • Musings

    Borborygmi: the rumblings of your stomach

    This morning I read a good (and ‘gud-gud’) piece written by Indraneel Majumdar which talked about the nocturnal rumblings of an overworked stomach. It instantly transported me back to my medical school lecture theatre, where Dr Jalgaonkar,…

  • Musings

    The hunt ends after three decades!

    My day today has been like the happy ending of a Manmohan Desai film. For over three decades I had been searching for my favourite class teacher in 4th and 5th grade, Ms Manju Ghildyal. We were…

  • Poems

    Diwali without you

    Lights bright and festive On the outside. Noise  Crackers Fragrances wafting out of kitchens. Colourful motifs abound There is celebration everywhere. The inside is Quiet Calm Searching for answers. For a change It isn’t dark- Just reflective.…

  • Poems

    A spinner of dreams

    I want to be remembered As the spinner of dreams. Not fancy fairytales Or webs of untruth But of dreams which come alive. And I often imagine myself Sitting at a charkha Spinning and singing away. And…

  • Poems

    The brew and my spell

    In the shiny cauldron Of my dreams I brew a golden fantasy- Where love conquers all Where doubts don’t distance us. Don’t come into my life To ruin it all. Don’t break my magic spell.   –Anshu,…