A Slice of Life

“ Mechanics ta-ke ropto koro! ” (Master the concepts of Mechanics!) Tia’s Physics teacher shook his head disapprovingly, his spectacles dangling at the tip of his nose. The report card for mid-term examinations had just arrived and Tia’s score was still a single digit, not reflecting any improvement from the first term results. No matter how hard she tried, Mechanics had remained a mystery. Centripetal and centrifugal forces were nothing but ‘tomayto and tomahto’ to her. “Joint Entrance examination is no joke, my lady,” he continued. “Do you want to be an Engineer or not?” Tia stared at him blankly. Since the beginning of the year, Tia had been on her toes. Senior school was getting tougher by the day and she had to juggle between school and tuition classes to ensure that her grades were up to the mark. Over the last few months, her day begun at 7 in the morning and ended at 10 at night, being tightly packed between classes, assignments and self-study hours. In the...

I wish it ended This uncanny connection Between you and I; I wish black and white Could be separated.  If I could see it, I would cut it, burn it And clean it off, leaving  No trace at all. But it does not show itself Does not answer the questions Lurking in my mind.  Comfortably, it sticks around Like an old tea stain On a crisp white shirt. It only fades When washed a lot, But never disappears. Artwork by: Tanmayee Chakraborty

It was a Thursday night in the hilly town of Mcleod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh. Having witnessed torrential downpour in the previous two days, the rains had finally decided to take a break. The dark blue sky was at peace, lit up by a bright full moon. Far across the horizon, the Triund peak shone like a vanilla ice-cream top, piercing through the sapphire backdrop. I absorbed this view from the terrace cafe of my hostel, while waiting for my friend Adam to arrive. It was the second week of my stay in Mcleod Ganj. That evening, I had decided to visit the hippie village of Dharamkot, which is located slightly uphill from Mcleod Ganj, in the direction of the Triund. I had convinced Adam to be my guide. I took out the mobile phone from my jeans pocket to click a photograph of the majestic moon in all its glory. Just then, a voice from behind told me, “Don’t click!” Startled, I looked back to find that it was but Adam. The day I first met him, was the day of my arrival at the hostel. ...