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Showing posts from April, 2023

When the Stars Appear

 I went out on a walk with my Baba today. It was not quite 6 in the evening. These days we hardly go out, as it is sweltering hot out. But, "Indradev" promised some respite, and the welcome drop in the temperature in the midst of summer, felt like the "Jayabheri" for the upcoming rain. Having exhausted my metaphors, let's move ahead.  One moment I saw kids playing at this park in our colony, and the next moment the mothers in the park started shooing their kids back home. With them gone, we finally found a bench to sit on, Baba and I. I wondered why the kids were already back home. Was it the heat? Was it study time already! But isn't it summer vacation time! Suddenly, I got reminded of what my mother used to say when I was a teeny weeny kid. "Come back home when you can spot 4 stars in the sky!" It was my grandma's cardinal rule too, Maa says. Funnily I hardly went out to play, so I hardly followed that rule. But I loved to ride my cycle, a He...

Is it Dark Enough?

It is getting dark outside. But not quite. The yellow light of the lamp post is shining, and there is a pool of light below on the ground. As I said earlier, it is not pitch dark yet. Stormy winds are blowing. The storm isn't here yet. The lights at home are out, and I am outside, sitting on a weathered wooden stool; meditative music playing on my phone, Spotify setting the tone of the evening. I am sitting out, but not quite outside. I am still in the cocoon of my house, on the verandah, patio whatever it's called. The big gate is looming in front of me. Mosquitoes are humming to the anticipation of my blood. Nah, I know it's their wings flapping. They don't want to make a single sound, wanting to creep up surreptitiously, as noiselessly as possible. Yet here they are, betrayed by their own wings.  I am reading a book called Sputnik Sweetheart. I am on a Murakami spree these days. trying to give up my phone addiction. Am I there yet? Nah, not quite.  I feel like the mo...