A Writing Quill

  The one who sits on the pedestal of the loving world finds it very difficult when the one assuring him or her of love forever starts moving away. He or she finds it hard to breathe without the love and kindness he or she is accustomed to for ages. Such was the feeling of Ridhika. She always had her mother to love her infinitely, but suddenly, when her mother died, she was lost. She was in a dilemma about whether to trust anyone. In fact, she could not even decide whom to marry, as arranged marriage seemed to be unreliable to her. “What if the person whom she would marry is found to be a fraudster? What if she becomes the victim of domestic violence?” All these speculations led her to the world of uncertainties, and she became more and more fragile emotionally.   On the other hand, the matches brought by her aunts found her very timid, nervous, and insecure. They, too, wanted a woman who would be confident and reliable enough to be their life partners. They were unsure af...

  Ahalya woke up with broken legs. She did not know how or when it happened. Huge, thick, white bandages wrapped around her legs nauseated her. She was trying to ask the nurses, but it seemed her voice was choked inside her throat, and not a single word had pushed out of her mouth. She felt tears pouring from her eyes, and she picked up the small piece of white cloth on the bedside to wipe her face, only to find it dry. Where had the tears gone? She looked for some mirror or shiny objects to validate her situation but could not find anything. She became restless. A sudden desperation flooded her mind and body and she wanted answers for everything. She lay helpless. Ahalya woke up. She was panicky. She searched for her spectacles rigorously on the bedside table. She had kept them on it before she slept at night. She remembered clearly. She was unable to see anything now and she wanted them back at any cost. In haste, she had pushed the novel on the floor that she had been reading be...

Manoroma was dressing up in front of the mirror. She adjusted her pallu broadly, covering up her upper body so that she is fully impeccable to the world. She had put a little kohl on her wide eyes, accentuating them slightly. She had done that after many years of protecting herself from the world that might taunt her for doing so after her husband’s demise. She had stopped going out, meeting her friends for fun, and having some relief and happiness. It was not because she was financially dependent on him; she was quite secure enough to take care of herself in a very respectable way. What was the reason for the prohibition? Most of the women consider themselves vulnerable and completely surrender to the norms of society; Manoroma is no exception.   Her mind is functioning in a way that has been trained as per the do(s) and don’t(s) for a widow. But the main catch is, the world will see you as you see yourself. Maybe she has understood this concept and decided to be a little bold a...

It is never easy to start something new, especially if it’s your long-lost hidden passion. But, once you make up your mind to give wings to this fervent burning desire, it may be answered with certitude that nothing comes amid. The monotony of our day-to-day existence pushes the desires that were always embedded somewhere in the farthest corner of our mind and heart, which have certainly been lost in memory. The evocation of this fervent memory burgeons at some point in life when we regret not achieving it earlier, and for pursuing something that was never our sphere of concern. This little sprout germinated from the intense thoughts of our mind starts putting out its shoots. Here, the mind plays a trick, making the individual vulnerable both emotionally and mentally. The ploy is to make us comfortable in the present unbothered ‘sphere of concern’, both financially and physically, and then make us regret not pursuing our desires. Those who can rise from this delusional trap have achi...

  Village. ‘Mr. Ananta Suri, lawyer. He is from New Delhi. He had read about our struggle from the news article that we had published last week in the newspaper. He is here to support us.’ Lobsang was relieved at the presence of someone from the capital city showing interest in their cause. He introduced this young, handsome lawyer to Athang. Also, inside his mind, he was ambivalent about this stranger suspecting it to be a foul play of the opponent. Lobsang was disappointed to see Athang with no one by his side, ‘Where is Sheshnag? You had promised me to ...’ St. Athang’s head was already drooped in embarrassment. ‘Sheshnag instructed me to be here. Rest, I don’t know.’ Both were dismayed. Anant talked with the villagers in their local language with empathy and concern so that everybody could relate to him. In a short time, he was popular in the village. After learning the views from the villagers, his next agenda was to know the company that was to do the construction. ...

  Village. The ‘ mukhiya ’ was sitting on the pedestal of the huge statue of the first chief of this village. The pedestal was made such that it extended outward, creating space for a person to sit comfortably on a higher platform than the rest of the sitting area, imitating a king’s throne. For the first time in his tenure as the ‘ mukhiya ’, Lobsang was clueless about the solution for which everyone had gathered today. Lobsang was a kind-hearted person with acute decision-making capability. The Dihang River was the life of this village. The abundant nature, comprising both flora and fauna, was considered to be blessed by the Dihang. They regularly worshipped the mighty river to receive its blessings. ‘We need to save our Dihang from the encroachers.’ An octogenarian shouted from behind. ‘I am leaving for Amarnath to meet St. Athang. I believe he has a solution for us. I agree, we want development in our region but not at the expense of our Dihang.’ Lobsang looked at eve...