Prologue Amodini looked at Mata. The pachyderm’s fear was palpable in her eyes making them shine with the intensity of two burning pits of fire illuminating the dark jungle surrounding them. Amu knew she could do it. She had done it before. Moreover, Shrikant’s trust in her abilities strengthened her resolve. Slowly and gently she placed her hands on Mata’s bristling trunk to calm the pachyderm. All the time her lips were moving silently but rhythmically, singing the loving lullaby that always worked its magic. Shrikant watched from behind the…
Chapter 1
“Amuuuuu!” Matongini scrunched up her aged eyes shading them with her hands to look into the distance as she called out for her granddaughter. The thin wrinkled skin on her throat stretched and the veins swelled up as she did she so. In her other hand she kept waving the red scarf that she usually used to attract Amu’s attention. “What is the point of shouting yourself hoarse Owui[1]?” said Shuddho her 20-year-old grandson lazily from one corner of his cot where he had been sprawled out since morning. “As…
Kolkata! Kolkata!
Kolkata, the city of my birth is the only city I can truly call home. It has given me all my ‘firsts’ which has made my life what it is today – my first friend, my first love, my first job and also my first story. It has nurtured my childhood, witnessed my adolescence bloom into youth and seen me mature as a woman. Today when the heart is all aflutter with the uncertainties in the World, the mind strays to those moments that I hold close to my heart.…
The Gift
The gift arrives The gift managed to change Sudha’s world as unexpectedly as it appeared on her tea tray. It came in a brown envelope and lay innocuously on the tray where Rita, her full-time maid had placed it. Sudha sat staring at it and finally decided to open it. Stirring her tea distractedly, Sudha held up a birthday card that came out of the envelope. Her mouth relaxed in a smile as she realized it was from her son and daughter-in-law wishing her on her 60th Birthday. Sudha had…
How Diamonds are created
Diamonds are a bunch of Carbon atomsBuilt by the earth through a lot of tantrums Unlike what many think, the dear old coalDoes not play any major role. It is created deep below the earth’s surfaceWith a lot of heat and pressure, just as if it was in a furnace Volcanoes helps to push them upAt a great speed that makes it the right setup Once on the surface they cool quickly, albeitNot as their shiny selves but as rocks called Kimberlite. Mining and Polishing and a lot still needs…
Mirage – How the Sun Created Water
A story for kids on how the mirage is an optical illusion created by the sun.
Footprints in the Sand
Munia curled up her little toes as she stepped out on the hot sand. It was 10 in the morning and the sun was shining brightly. The azure blue sea, rushing up to meet the shore and crashing onto the rocks baring its white teeth in a foamy laughter, had beckoned her as she had stood watching it from her balcony. It was a beautiful day and Munia was ready to build the perfect sand castle. Her little fingers curled around the knot tying her netted bag that held all…
Something New – Birth Pangs of A Father
Her breath, short and hurried, rose and fell rhythmically with every push as she focused all her energies on creating something new. The pain was unbearable making her dig her nails deep into his skin creating tiny red arcs . He winced but ignored it as he held her, deeply engrossed in something new. He waited anxiously to watch his creation take shape after months of waiting. Then she came covered in her blood, squinting up at the world to claim it as her own. He looked up perspiring, his…
The Run
The Realization Sonia looked up at the clock with a worried expression as she tugged at her jeans with a last frantic effort to get it up her swelling girth. She knew she was getting late for work but the jeans simply refused to go up any further and there were still several more inches to cover till it reached her waist. Every morning as she stuffed herself into them she had feared it would soon come to this. She just did not know it would be so soon. With…
Selamat Datang Di Bali
Bali – The Prologue “chak ke-chak ke-chak ke-chak” The chants that had begun as a hum rose to a crescendo. We watched entranced as the bare chested men swayed their upper bodies rhythmically to the beat. The coconut oil lamp, set in the middle of the stage, flickered in glee. The orange glow of the setting sun smeared the sky with a gory hue as Sita fainted in the evil clutches of Ravana, the King of Demons. The spotlights illuminating Uluwatu’s ramparts glistened on Ravana’s specter as he bared his…
