Clouds and their conspiracies

Wife likes to believe that she holds some power over the weather. Husband can't help but play along. And to his dismay, every morning, while leaving for work, it begins to rain. Thus forcing him to acknowledge that the sky—if not the entire universe—conspires against him. But then, he can't be late for office either. So he sets out with his umbrella knowing pretty well how ineffective it is in keeping one's pants dry. However, just as he's about to leave the room, Wife says something to effect of "The rain won't trouble you!" like Lady Indra would have. Husband nods and smiles at her pretending to be grateful for her divine intervention. As soon as he gets out of the building, the rain stops as if on cue. He looks back up at Wife standing near the window on the first floor. Both her eyebrows rise together, forcing his face to fall down. After all, as always, rainfall will resume once he's moved out of her sight. Something she isn't aware of.

Well, a sher can

Everything that i wish i was.
Unafraid of anything that faces him.
Even a herd doesn't startle him as much as NGC would prefer.
Lazes through the day sunbathing.
Golden.
Never has a bad mane day.
Fornicates with half a dozen lioness and Africa knows what else!
Oh, here's the best piece: doesn't bother to hunt at all.
What are the fierce lionesses for?
Has the lion's share of meal, nevertheless.
Sleeps for more than 16 hours.
Baby-sits the cubs but for a short while.
Photogenic.
Healthy, gale and respected by Disney's.
Unless he belongs to Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

Frozen news

My amma and papa don't get along very well but they share a lot of similarities. For example, there are seriously demented characters from both ends. As if mental illness runs in the family. But one particular specimen stands out for her sheer bonhomie. Malamma. My mother's eldest sister who had a nervous breakdown at a rather young age after her husband passed away leaving her with a son to fend for. She had a not-so-colorful life but the people who took care of her had it worse. Eventually, she ended up in our house in Bombay and that's when i came in close contact with her. A gentle soul (under heavy medication), i remember her muttering words to herself. Between sleep, food, staring at TV and petty chores (and several pills, of course), there wasn't much to her existence. Oh yes, there was one thing she was very fond of: newspapers. Actually, newspaper. There was this Kannada daily that she got hold of someday when i had just entered secondary school. And she continued reading that particular edition for several months—if not years. I don't remember the exact time period of her fascination with news she can't use. But i do often reminisce how we used to jokingly ask her "Are you done with it? Or is there still some breaking news in there?" with no response whatsoever. Paying attention wasn't her forte so it didn't matter how many times she read that paper nor how many times we tried to be funny.

Walking the distance

Him: "Do you want me to kiss you? I can do that. Although i've seen it happen in movies, i haven't done it before. But there is a high probability of us getting it right. On top of that, the nocturnal beach is going to help us too. However, there is a catch here. As soon as our lips collide, the space that separates us will be filled with an intimacy that will alter everything that's between us. We'll never be the same again as expectations will roll in and make themselves at home...."

Her: "God! You think too much and talk much more. Alright, just keep walking then."  

The next morning he woke up in his house with a mix of regret and relief. He was sad for being such a control freak but glad too that he didn't plunge in like others would have in his place. Whichever way one tilts the argument, both of them learned last night that a smooch can't possibly last longer than a laughter-filled conversation. 

In the meantime, the dried sand were engrossed in a deep kiss with his sandals.

OK

Calm down,
get up,
walk beside yourself,
look ahead but don't stare and hurt your eyes.
Not worth the unease, you see?
Don't talk if you don't wish to,
just make sure you aren't still
or dead
or consumed by memories.
Whatever happened shall make you strong
—if not stronger;
wait and vouch for the future.
In case possibility reckons, do destroy your own negative thoughts:
nothing more, nothing else. 
Trust me, it's alright.

Ladies and gentlemen, please board

In reality, there's no point in criticizing a bad movie. People are going to watch it anyway. The tough part is to drive the public towards the cinema hall to grab a good film. This is just the way things are and has got nothing to do with India. We are inherently lazy and intellectually inert so the tendency is to avoid whoever speaks the truth. Give us glossy love stories and OTT action anyday because we don't get to witness them in our otherwise bland life. However, once in a while an endeavour like Ship of Theseus walks along and hypnotizes us with questions, answers and the silent space between them. It doesn't try to be different but it is not the same either. One can not only relate to the characters but also to the situations they are in even though they are facing existential dilemmas of their own. It can't be missed. Sorry. Do yourself a favour, watch it. In any case, it has a limited release and ain't available on torrent either. Who knows? You might emerge out of the theater with an enlightened smirk on your smug face.

An act of fruition

The famished monk won't throw stone at the tree. Not because he can't but because he's willing to let the wind and time combine to do what they are supposed to. On the other end, the benevolent old tree can take a few blow. It's used to the abuse by now. However, the enlightened soul has to set an example although there's no one to document his deed. After waiting patiently in the shadow, a fruit falls down and he partially fills his stomach. Even if it took a long while, he's not furious at nature as hunger and anger aren't good for each other. Something he knows very well and something the tree loves to test.