A Slice of Life

One pale Sunday, She sits in her room The feeling that looms Is an uncanny gloom. She cannot quite say Why it is this way, As nothing lifts her mood On this dull day. It could be her painting, With colours spread wrong She whiles away her time, By writing a sad song. Sometimes she lazes On the brown cosy sofa, Musing about holidays, At places, afar. Browsing through websites, She picks a red dress But the money in her purse, Seems a bit less. Giving it a miss, She pours in some wine The movie she’s watching, Is called ‘Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne’. An aroma from the kitchen Suddenly fills her room It stimulates her senses And punctures through the gloom. She gets up and runs, To see what’s in store But all she can see, is steam, Gushing through the door. Soon the cloud clears And on a plate, she sees A sizzling fried fish, Simmered with spices it is! Slices of lemon and onions Make the garnish With some cor...

Two years back, when my husband and I decided to get married, we were clear on one thing – grand wedding or not, there has to be a grand honeymoon. However, planning for a honeymoon was not an easy task. We wanted to visit a place that would satiate our wanderlust, suit our budget and also have a story - a strong background as to why we chose that place. It seemed almost impossible to find a place that ticks all of the above criteria! Tired of all the looking up, one fine day, we sat ourselves down instead and turned on our favourite movie on the laptop – Satyajit Ray’s ‘ Sonar Kella ’ (or ‘The Golden Fortress’). The movie, based on a novel by the same name, traces the journey of a fictional private detective named Pradosh Mitter, who travels all the way to Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, in search of a little boy who has been kidnapped from Kolkata. The boy is believed to possess a special power of remembering his past life, which was centred around a mystical Golden Fortress, amidst the sand...

Alone, on my bed I stare at the wall, Coloured red. Fat lizard, on the wall Stares back; I have no one to call.