The curious cases of the false-negative RT-PCR tests
I find it unusual. I have returned to Delhi, and even after two days my landlady has not paid me a visit. She is one warm woman, and perhaps needs someone to listen, and so she often…
The death of logic
The turbulence starts even as the flight is beginning to land in Nagpur. If it weren’t for the turbulence already on my mind, I would have been unnerved by the shaking of the aircraft. Nagpur is awash…
Memories from a shared childhood
In Bangalore, two schools, Sacred Hearts Girls’ School and St Anthony’s Boys’ School, shared a common boundary wall. I studied in the former, and my brother, Manish, studied in the kindergarten in the latter. The schools were…
The walls around us
As we exit Delhi airport, my eyes spot a pink ‘Women on Wheels’ board. There is no queue in front of it, and I prefer to book a cab there. The heavy suitcases I am carrying squeeze…
Travel in the times of corona
I am flying anywhere after precisely fourteen months. And it feels awkward and unfamiliar to be carrying a negative RT-PCR report with the boarding pass. In the departure lounge, alternate seats have yellow stickers saying “Do not…
Lessons to learn
A new dawn has arrived. The calendars will be replaced. New planners and diaries will make a customary appearance on my desk. Some more resolutions made. But there is a conscious awareness of the artificiality of this…
Rage and outrage
The hazy smoke and fragrance of the dhuni still lingered in the air. The rhythmic reverberations of the dhak could still be felt long after the drummers had stopped playing. The smell of the bhog wafted through,…
Angry birds
I am getting ready for work when a loud tok-toking outside the front door grabs my attention. The tok-tok sound is repetitive. And persistent. It makes me leave what I am doing and walk to check its…
Lost opportunities
“She told me that you had given her a hug that day.” I hear these words and my heart sinks. It is a feeling I find difficult to describe. Guilt. Regret. Shame. Did that mean so much…
