It was towards the back of the building that they crept silently – three figures, almost invisible, camouflaged in their black dresses against the dark night. There was a drain pipe at the back that ran up all the way up to the fourth storey, and that is what the three were going to climb.
All of a sudden they were aware of a sound in the dark. A muffled sound, as if someone was struggling to speak. Their eyes, accustomed to the dark, looked around for the source of the noise. Soon, they located the source – it was a bundle, or two, lying in a corner.

Rajesh was a satisfied man. Today was his forty-fifth birthday. At forty-five he was a high official in a government department with a bright future ahead of him. He had done all his duties — as a human being, a son, a husband and a father. He had always helped people in distress, especially from his hometown. His father had taken premature retirement from work on his insistence. His father had wanted to work but Rajesh wanted him to rest and be completely at ease. As a father, Rajesh was a firm believer of the axiom ‘Spare the rod and spoil the child’, and he had used the rod liberally. Now Vishal, his only son, 22, an engineer from a reputed institute had all the makings of a future officer. So Rajesh had every reason to be satisfied.

Yet, even in today’s world, there are people who cherish the desire to fly. Loktak was definitely not one of them. He lived his simple life, and loved it. True, he enjoyed the odd superhero movie, every now and then, but he had his head placed firmly on his shoulders, and he knew that what was shown in the movies was best left to the movies.

It was March 2, 2007 when I entered my new classroom – 9A.The feeling of taking a step ahead in school was exciting, not only for me but for all my classmates ? at least those that had not failed. As my school, Convent of Jesus and Mary, was only till class 10, I was [...]

This was the 100th time I was watching the climax scene from the Bollywood movie, Rang De Basanti. I felt a new dose of inspiration being infused in me every time I heard these dialogues from DJ, one of the protagonists of the movie, who in the climax of the scene says -” there are [...]

The word ?Re-take? finds maximum use in the virtual world i.e. the world of movies, soaps etc. where the make-believe world is made perfect to get the best possible result. I often wondered what would happen if in real-life we could avail of this reel-life advantage. How often do we find ourselves wishing things to [...]

Railway stations can sometimes be places where extensive share of memories happen. The memories linger and engulf you with a sense of aura indescribable. Then there are these days, cold and foggy, smashed with traces of memories. Broken relationships, the loss of a job, death of a loved one and the intricacies move from one [...]

Riya adjusted the strap on her new pink top as she logged on to chat, like any other evening. It was just three months into her hostel life but life was a stark contrast from what it used to be at home. No domestic work, no family tension… nothing. ?Work hard and party harder? was [...]

Morning announced itself with the perching of birds on the branches of trees. It was 6 a.m. now, and I was getting delayed to reach the airport. I woke up – rather reluctantly – out of my bed and went to the basin. I looked at my face, in the mirror, which was morose. Today [...]

?Aai?, came the fluttering sound from the Anu. Now, on her fourteenth birthday, she had to have her way, and grandma had to make ?Pohe?, the way she loved it, with peas, onions, potatoes and a generous sprinkle of peanuts.