Originally published in KQED Perspectives, Dec 23 2021 One cold, dark morning, the clouds seemed heavy, the sky ready to burst, and the air full of suspense. At school drop-off, I heard mounting whispers in the backseat of my car.… Read More »The Legend Of Lake M
My kids went back to in-person school today. It’s just for two hours this week but still, the elation is real. It’s been a long year. A year of no field trips, no racing each other around the tracks, no monkey bar throw downs, no impromptu bey-blade battles, and no lunch-time shenanigans. It’s not all back to normal, but still, the end is in sight.
First published in Aaduna literary journal It was the middle of the school year. Mala’s family had just moved to the little obscure town of Belgaum in the interiors of India. The only school within walking distance was the vernacular one.… Read More »Daffodils
Just then, out of nowhere, as the train left Mulund station, a beautiful voice came lilting through the doors and windows. It was the sweetest sound one could have heard. “Lemons sweet lemons for you”. And like magic, the rains suddenly stopped. A brave defiant rainbow stood outside the window. Overjoyed by this happy coincidence the ladies brought their hands together and clapped for Suman Bai. “Look what magic my lemons bring”, said Suman Bai equally elated. “Lemons sweet lemons for you.
I am ecstatic! Won third prize in the Katha contest 2017. Thanks, India Currents Magazine and The Wellstone Center in the Redwoods for the opportunity. The theme this time was California. Take a read. All the stories are fantastic! https://www.indiacurrents.com/katha-fiction-contest-winners-announced/… Read More »Third prize at Katha 2017 (India Currents and Wellstone Center)
First appeared in http://raisingworldchildren.com/2017/07/05/marital-symbols-significance-ring-mangalsutra/ . Find out what my real marital symbol is. What is yours? I Don’t Need a Ring On Me A few weeks before I got married, I had an engagement ring,my first marital symbol . The first… Read More »I don’t need a ring on me!
A piece of mine is on KQED Perspectives this morning. If you are near the radio, listen in at 8.43 AM How do you cope with the obsession of coming first in your children? https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/2017/07/01/first/ Recently, I was finishing… Read More »First! (on NPR)
Traveling with small children can be stressful. There is, after all, relentless planning, panic-inducing air-travel, tantrum-ridden eating-out and ceaseless tantrums and sleepless nights to contend with. But the things we experience together traveling are not available in any brochure. Travel brings us priceless moments of growth for both children as well as parents.
My short story “Beautiful Eyes” was chosen for publication in Peacock Journal Beautiful Eyes “You have beautiful eyes”, I remembered his words suddenly as I washed my face that morning. I hadn’t plucked my eyebrows for months, my skin was… Read More »Beautiful Eyes
We humans have some baffling little habits, and not returning shopping carts to the stand is one for the anthropology class. It’s not because we are pressed for time. We are happy to spend forty minutes every day back and forth in our oversized minivan to go to the gym and run on a stationary treadmill for another forty minutes. But we will not spend the extra forty seconds to walk an empty shopping cart back to its rightful place.
A new immigrant in a new country has a lot to learn. The practical things are easy to master. It is the cultural differences that is the real challenge. Here’s a personal account of how an innocent invitation to Tea could get misconstrued in ‘translation’.
invitation to Tea.
A story of temptation, falling and then redemption. (Appeared in India Currents August 2016 Issue) This is a story of temptation, of failing and finally redemption. Last holiday season, I fell prey to a craven desire. It was as… Read More »Michael Kors, Jhola and I
This morning as I was walking back from dropping my kids to daycare/school, I clutched at my bag. I could feel my wallet inside – it carried a few spare notes and some cards that were easily replaceable. But… Read More »The treasure in my bag
300 million firearms. What happens when guns become as rampant as grass? A story from the Mahabharata reminds me of the madness that sometimes surrounds us. My article in IndiaCurrents….read on https://www.indiacurrents.com/articles/2016/05/14/guns-and-grass#.VzpZrsyEPbY.facebook