Over the last week, my jewellery stash, usually replete with a small, yet fairly enchanting variety, has thinned. I’ve stuck to wearing two earrings — elusive ones— that my Amma has retained as keepsakes from Appa. Everything else has been tossed, shredded or burnt. What hangs by my ear is…

Dearest, It has been days since I have written to you. The last time I did, you answered briefly, and never asked me how I was in return. It might have perhaps mattered once. It does not now. I'm writing to ask if life is progressing as per plan. If…

At Vasanth’s bookshelf in Thamaraikulam, one can find copies of books I would never imagine him reading today. There is Chaucer’s The Prologue, Jesus’s Holy Bible, Science’s JEE entrance test papers and some odd proverb collections. The rest of this rectangle shaped room of his childhood is sparse yet full…

I have bits of Meera all over me. She is in the staple, old, and somewhat gold earrings I wear every other day to work. A black, patterned overcoat that I use to cover my body when I step out wearing something scandalous, belongs to her. She once lent me…

If you have had the privilege of making my acquaintance, it is likely that you know by now that I fall in love easily. All it takes is for someone to be kind to me. A warm “How is your day going?”, a small compliment, a brief smile, or even…

At first glance, everything about Gautham Jain is odd. This regular Boat Club walker who has been leaving shoe imprints in the area’s four central roads since 2019, has Hindi music blaring from his phone. He sings along loudly with his arms outstretched, almost as if he is crooning the…

Two years ago, when the thick fog of the pandemic's second wave rose, my house opened up to visitors. One such night, I had friends from school over. We were celebrating a birthday and were given a drink that was a little too strong for all of us. When we…

It is the month of April and I’m in Chennai. I live on the third floor- the last in my building. It is beautiful in the morning. The sun seeps in through the windows by 6 a.m. If one does not have thick curtains, it just might be impossible to…

Can you point to a moment when you've been absolutely free? Untethered, soaring? I couldn't until recently. While sitting behind my friend on a scooter, I remarked that he was going exceptionally slowly. We were driving a long way- from RA Puram to beyond St. Thomas Mount- amidst metro construction…