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Project Gyan Jyot Stories – 1
There is a boy, about 14 years old. Shy lad with a soft voice and a little hunch, like he is trying to disappear between his shoulders lest someone spots him. He barely speaks but when he does, he speaks calmly with a sense of control on his carefully measured words. He once told he me his hobby was reading so I started getting him books to read. I love reading myself and I have hundreds of books that a young boy, his age, will enjoy. Each day, I used to check with him whether he liked the book from yesterday. He would shyly nod his head. I would nudge…
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Bees Saal Baad
Pavan and I celebrated our twentieth wedding anniversary recently. Like most loving couples out there, I wish I could write a sweet, rosy, gushy description of our wedded life and call him puppy names. Haaaah! But that’s not me and that’s not our story. The name of the horror thriller Indian movie, “Bees Saal Baad” suits more aptly to our journey together of twenty years. The thing about Indian Horror movies is that you tend to laugh more than you actually feel scared, so you get the idea why I chose this title. For those who don’t know, ours is an interstate or more appropriately cross country love marriage with…
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Car Drive
We are off to an impromptu drive in the glistening night Yog: Mama, sit with me in the car Pavan: No. Mummy will sit with me Yog: No, I asked Mama first Pavan: But I already booked Mummy even before you were born Yog (asking me sheepishly): You had Love Wedding Mama? Me: Yes, we did Yog. Considering his odds of winning, Yog strikes a deal with his Dad. While going I will sit with Papa. While returning, I will sit with Yog. I can only stand on the road letting these two cute boys fight over me. Such a priceless feeling this is. Who cares where I get to…
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The Flip Side of Covid
We have lost a lot in these times. Maybe it is time to start counting things we have gained.
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Holding On, Moving On
There are some things in life which are very dear to us. Like the first College T shirt or the first black boots or the broken vase in the corner of the living room. Even though these items have lost their materialistic purpose long ago, they still serve a very emotional purpose for us. We understand the thing and it understands us. Whenever we come face to face, we tend to give out an inward sigh and go back into those good old days where… … These small items are windows for us to go back to our happy past and live that moment yet again. One such item in…
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Reasons to Love
If you are looking for a reason to love, it ain’t love, my dear!
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We love knowing we will leave
Its been more than a month since we lost a loved one. They say time is the best healer. I think more than time itself, it was the family that came together to stand by us, who saved us from getting lost in this time. The last few of this family, closest of all, left a few days back to get back to their own lives, leaving us officially on our own. Few days back, I took the long airport ride to see them off on their journey to the other side of the planet. The fact that it would be months before we meet again, kept rubbing in, throughout the journey.…
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I had to leave your hand
You nurtured me to grow You were my back bone till I couldn’t keep my head held high As I take the final push to stand on my own I have little choice but to push you away at the same time That is the law of nature It is painful to be independent but it is more painful to pull you down with me
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Do you Own your Spouse?
” Do you own your spouse?” Rather, “Did you buy your spouse in the open market through bidding, betting or negotiating?” Well, in case you did buy your spouse, then you have every right in the world to own them. You have every right to dictate what they wear; what they eat; how much they sleep and how much they are supposed to earn. No questions asked! You sure must’ve paid a hefty price to own them, so you have every right, now, to control their lives. Needless to say, I pity those spouses who sold their pride, dreams and individual entity to be, from this day forward, called the spouse of XXX.…
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8th February
13 years ago on the day of 8th February, Pavan and I, both of us a little too young, a little too tired and sleepy, smashed lumps of jaggery concoction on each others heads, accepting each other as our partners for life. I remember that day as a heady mix of mantras, sarees, jewelry and confusion. We never really went for a formal honeymoon, but life from there on just seemed like a never ending honeymoon. Days following the marriage, we couldn’t stay away from each other for more than 30 minutes in a day. The fact that we both worked in the same organisation made it easy for us…