London Revisited

So here I am, on a cloudy Monday, seated on an old wooden bench facing the Thames. I feel different things- excited, exhilarated, nervous, scared, happy. I am all of these now.This is my second time in London. I came here last year, but as a tourist. This time, I am a student. And what a difference it makes! My last visit to London was experienced through the camera lens....

Continue Reading 30 Sep 2013

I

Fiery,I swam across bloody oceans seeking that elusive shorewhere dreams run freeand I am just me. Where gentle curves and rough edgesdo not determine fateWhere sacred bodies do not contain imprisoned minds. I prayed for footprints that do not trample,Eyes which do not degrade.Hands outstretched, I waited forwinds which carry freedom and my ears strained forlaughter that didn’t stifle hidden pain.But all in vain becauseMasks slipped as they snatched the books and confiscated my...

Continue Reading 31 Aug 2013

A Nightmare

Sometimes you pray that dreams don’t come true. As I did today. I am usually a good-dreamer (?) and wake up mostly feeling positive. This afternoon’s nap however was the most disturbing one for me and I woke up in a cold sweat. It took me a while to realize that it wasn’t real and I was safe.What did I dream about? Child Sexual Abuse. I wasn’t there in this...

Continue Reading 21 Aug 2013

Aromas from Home

I grew up in a Nomadic family. Well, almost. Having a parent work in the armed forces meant living out of the boxes throughout our childhood. My memories are like a huge geographical collage; a few snaps from West Bengal, some from Maharashtra, tit bits from Karnataka- you get the picture. In all these trips and stays my siblings and I subconsciously internalized a lot of what we saw, and...

Continue Reading 17 Aug 2013

Enough Now

'Enough now',said his innocent eyes,'Hand me down grenadeswhich explode mid wayand bullets which shoot inwardshave scarredand re-scarred.And now blood runs freelyin this land of the golden dunes and the glistening Nile ''They watch freedom bleed us dry and say,Blue and red interweave topaint your city free. But when the cries of my mother echofrom the square, over my sister, clutching her broken doll:tangled limbs,out of socket, eyes blank,I am not so sure anymore.''But now bullets...

Continue Reading 16 Aug 2013

Some thoughts

A lot has been going through my head. So much that I am unable to figure out where one thought ends and the other begins. The only way I can get them to appear even slightly coherent is if I try to write it down.So here’s me typing each and every word that comes into my mind. I do not want to think ahead about what I am writing. i...

Continue Reading 28 Jul 2013