Familiar Friend

FAMILIAR FRIENDImage Courtesy - kendra coupland on Pexels.com The feet moved swiftly in the air, a loud sigh and an acrobatic sway landed him straight in front of the Tiger, in an upside-down position; this wasn’t new to him; he now stared at the beast’s upper palate, who too stared back with a tilted head …

The Challenge

The ChallengePhoto Courtesy - Tomu00e1u0161 Malu00edk on Pexels.com The night was long and tiring.  The exhausted eyes refused to open up even though the sun was hitting his face directly. The worn-out legs were unwilling to budge and bruised hands stayed close to the body as his mind felt helpless as the body pleaded for …

Contentment

ContentmentImage Credit - shravan khare on Pexels.com “I can’t take this anymore,” the self was itching for rebellion, unable to suppress the feelings gathering to become a deadly force as his boss shouted at him yet again. “This is not expected from such an experienced person like you.” “This mistake of yours has pushed us …

The Truth

The TruthImage Courtesy - Bhavesh Jain on Pexels.com The ghat decked with light, holy music, and intermittent and melodious blowing of the conch shell was inviting people to witness the worshipping of the divine Ganges; the holy mother, for the daily ritual of offering prayers on her banks. Children and adults, men and women, old …

The Homecoming

The Ride Back HomeImage Courtesy - Sanjeev Kumar on Pexels.com The eyes couldn’t keep the excitement within, shouting out loud, informing everyone of their eagerness to see what they missed for 10 years.  The head leapt out of the windows repeatedly, while the lungs showed a keen desire to take in as much air as …

The Climb

The Climb Image Courtesy - rodrigo-946337 The arms turned steady, but the legs continued to tremble; 40 feet ascent wasn’t a cakewalk; a quick surge of adrenaline, however, ensured two hours of struggle bore some fruit even as the entire body bathed in an unbridled shower of endorphins. With this victory, howsoever, small, firmly within …

Devlok – Abode of the Gods – A Short Story – Do Check Out

Short Story - Devlok Guest House The house is deserted now, Savitri has passed away and his two sons no longer stay with him.  Dinaram lives alone in the twilight of his life, managing a dilapidating guesthouse abandoned even by the tourists now.  Porters now stay here in return for food and smoke.  Bidi is …

Night Travel in a Bus – North India

Image Credit - https://www.patrika.com/ The luggage thrusted in places where people could not sit, the bus now packed with both people and baggage, and not an inch to spare, suddenly stopped. ‘He is a staff member’, the conductor shouted, preempting any complaint from the passengers sitting inside.  After standing close to the door for a …

Once, on a trek in the Himalayas

It is 5 a.m in the morning and forcing oneself to come out of the sleeping bag at this time is always THE most difficult thing to do in an early morning trek.  It was freezing outside with less than -5 degrees and everyone had to use the torch light to ensure they are putting …