A Slice of Life

Artwork by: Tanmayee Chakraborty Another year, another day  And the sky is lit up bright “Are those firecrackers?” asks little  Amira ,  Hugging her Mother tight. Mother knows that they are not,  But she cannot tell a lie She holds  Amira ’s hands and says  “My girl, one day you will fly. Hate will cease and peace will ease;  You will see the sky so blue!” Amira  smiles and closes her eyes,  Hoping that one day, it will be true.

As the brief spell of winter in Mumbai disappears, everyone in the city gets busy preparing themselves for the gruesome summer that is going to arrive. ‘Summer is Coming’ becomes the catchphrase and the checklists for saving oneself from the horrid heat makes its way out – fluids and fruits for the body, umbrellas and sunscreens for the skin, loose cotton clothes for the wardrobe and air conditioners on rent for the house. Being a ‘ Mumbaikar ’ for the third year running now, I am obviously no exception to this. Even though I have spent a healthy summer childhood in Kolkata, which is equally hot and humid, every year, I unfailingly despise the summer blaze of Mumbai and crave to run to the Himalayas for some respite. My friends have often suggested that I plan my summer vacation to the Western Ghats, which is closer to Mumbai, than the Himalayan Range. But I invariably turned the suggestions down, stating that they are not mountains at all! As many would know, the Western Ghats are a...