The joy of finding hidden treasure — My father pulls the tallest stool to the bedroom and places it against the wall. He balances himself with one hand on the wall and climbs up slowly. Once he stands upright, my mother provides instructions. She asserts that all the cardboard boxes have to be labeled so that they…

Who decides her identity? — “To be, or not to be” is the opening phrase of a soliloquy given by Prince Hamlet in the famous Shakespearean play, ‘Hamlet’. This line that discusses life and death raises an existential crisis. However, I would like to use this line in the context of ‘being a woman.’ Why…

The Fleeting connections that we make in our life — Second row on the left. Window seat. This is my place on the office bus, if not always, at least often. I am not particular about this place for its position or its aesthetics. But because it gives me a sense of familiarity. …

An open letter from one woman to another — While going through some of my old notes, I came across this line that I had highlighted from the novel, ‘Little Women.’ “I’ve been angry almost every day of my life.” — Louisa May Alcott, Little Women. Though the author used this in a completely different context, the line got…

Friendships and Heartaches — When we vowed that we would always have each other’s back, Did you know that someday, even our bond would crack? When we shared every detail of our life with each other before anyone else, Did you know that someday we would become ignorant of the other itself? When we…

What returning to the office feels like — Two years ago, the introvert in me was rejoicing. My forlorn homesick soul was so happy at the prospect of spending time with family for days at a stretch. The reason being that our company announced Work From Home as Covid began peeking up. As colleagues and friends bade a…

A short story on distorted reality — I was lonely. I had zero contact with the outside world, and there was nothing or no one to keep me company. To my surprise, even my parents were not keeping tabs anymore. It had been a very long time since I had heard from either of them. …

An analogy — As a kid, I eagerly looked forward to the transition from pencil to pen. It was a sign of a grown-up. I vividly remember the day I got my first fountain pen. I was elated and overjoyed. But it unfortunately came with a set of chores. With great power comes…

A controversial review of Louisa May Alcott’s acclaimed classic — I loved English classes in school for all the poems and stories that we got to read. In our class 10, the first prose we had was “Mrs March takes a break,” a single chapter from the book “Little Women.” It was the first time when I came across the…