To pee or not to pee
It was a Sunday, but I had pending work piled up. So I decided to spend the morning in the office finishing off some work. At noon, as I exited the department, I noticed two middle-aged women…
And the heavens open up
I wake up before dawn as the lunch boxes have to be packed. As I am rolling out the phulkas, I hear a different bird song. It is a song that I haven’t heard since a year,…
Of mobs and herds
This is an anecdote narrated to me by my friend several years ago. But it has stayed with me for what it taught me. My friend was on her way to school with her sister on her…
At the mercy of a deaf system
The year 1995. Our Unit was on emergency duty that Saturday. I was posted in the ward, while my seniors managed the casualty. Around five in the evening, a group of around eight or nine patients were…
The choice
She looked longingly at my cupboard and said, “Can you lend me a salwar kameez which you don’t wear often?” I had never ever seen my mother in a salwar kameez as far as I could remember.…
Vikas redefined
We are in the Pathology practical hall in the medical college. It is a room with long green platforms, designated work stations and several stools. There are sinks to conduct your experiments with bunsen burners near some…
Normalizing misogyny
It was a big moment for us. President Kalam was visiting our institute. He was someone everyone admired. A lot of work needed to be done the week before he arrived. An Open House with students was…
The eye of the pathologist
There are things which come with the territory. And others which you are trained for. Being a histopathologist is one such territory. You are taught to observe. And observe carefully. See what does not appear normal. And…
The other women
I have several sautans. To those unfamiliar with Hindi, sautan means ‘the other wife’ or ‘the husband’s mistress’. So yes, I have to deal with these vixens who distract my husband’s attention so much that my existence…
Welcoming hearts and hearths
That vacation, we kids were told to clean and vacate our rooms as we had guests coming over. It was a familiar dictat. We lived in a two-bedroom house. Every time guests came over, the children would…
