Have you ever seen something, looking at it felt that it was made specifically for you? The object screams that they had you in mind when they designed it? I had felt it a few times.
A few days ago me and my sister had gone for shopping. She wanted to buy something for Diwali while I had gone only to accompany her. We have been walking through the aisles to find shiny and brightly coloured clothing. All the clothes looked so beautiful that it became difficult to choose between them. Finally my sister selected one article and decided to try it on.
She tried that and it fit her well. It looked amazing on her. She decided to buy it. Both of us went to the cash counter to pay for the article that had been purchased. At the cash counter the cashier told us that they had put up a few amazing …
It was a regular Wednesday. Regular working day for me. At the end of the day I left my office and I was waiting for the office bus to arrive. It was around 6:45 p.m. but the bus heading yet arrived. The transport coordinator told me that they had appointed a new transport vendor and the operations were yet to begin with him. This justification was sufficient enough to convey the reason for the delay.
At 6:55 p.m. the bus arrived. We all boarded the bus. I sat down and looked around. The bus had colourful aesthetic. Colourful curtains and lights created a warm and cozy atmosphere. People had settled in. Some people had decided that they would take a quick nap in the bus. While some other people had their media being played on their phones and they were glued to their screen. For me the …
I woke up this morning at the usual time. I sat on my bed thinking about what today was going to bring. I remembered that one of the biggest festivals, Navratri got over yesterday. There was no excitement for the day. There was no excitement towards which colour was the colour of the day. I had not been thinking about which outfit to wear and which accessories to pair with it.
I sat on my bed digesting the fact that Navratri is over. I kept thinking that there will be no music. I will not get to hear aarti in the morning and evening. I will not get to hear the bhajans that I had been hearing for last 9 days. I could feel that the energy and enthusiasm in the air had completely disappeared. It had been just 10 minutes into the new day and I already felt dejected. "So it is going to be a …
It was a regular Tuesday when I received a text message on my friends group, "let us meet up this Navratri. This time we are going to do it differently. Every time we meet, we are always dressed up in a party attire, mostly wearing jeans, trousers, or maxi dresses. This time let's meet up in our traditional attire. Let our traditional dresses and sarees enjoy the festivities". The message was sent by my friend Tara. I loved Tara's idea. She was right in suggesting that we should wear traditional outfits during Navratri because it would have been appropriate for the festival. Also I looked at the stack of my traditional clothes which only see the light of the day during festivals. Throughout the year they just sit in a corner collecting dust. I immediately responded with a 👍 on Tara's text.…
I have had several experiences where strangers had trusted me with their darkest secret. They meet me for the very first time and within a few minutes they tell me something personal. Personal enough that it could only be revealed to the closest friends in the tight circle of trust. I always used to wonder that why would this happen with me. I could not understand why would people decide to trust a stranger with their deepest and darkest secret. I still have not found out the answer to this question.
Let me share an example.
In 2021 at my home we had been performing extensive decluttering. We found out a lot of gifted items which we had never used. These have been sitting in the storage, taking up unnecessary space, and had not even been touched at all. My dad and I decided to get rid…
What is something you've been holding onto that wants to be set free?
The secret of my drug addiction. I’m 21 years old, and I’ve been struggling with fentanyl and methamphetamine since I was around 18 or 19. I’ve been hiding it from my family, carrying the weight of it on my own because I’m scared of how they’ll react and how they’ll see me afterward.
Part of me wants to come clean, stop pretending that everything is okay, and finally let the people who love me know what I’ve been going through. I’m tired of keeping this part of my life a secret. I want to be able to ask for help without feeling ashamed, and I want to believe that my addiction doesn’t define who I am or determine what my future will look like.
I don’t know exactly what the road ahead looks like, but I k…
I am a person who does not like to speak on the phone. Despite having a cell phone I always startle when ever I receive a call. Speaking on the phone would be the last task that I am willing to do. I hate answering the phone calls as well. But somehow my parents think that answering everyone's phone is my unsaid duty.
When I was a child that time the phones were pretty new. Only few households would have landline phones. When the phone was installed at my home I was thrilled. But probably it was only for a short time and I started hating speaking on the phone. But still my parents had decided that I would be the one who would answer the phone calls. As if I was the phone call operator of my home.
Then came the time of cordless phone. When the cordless phone was installed in my home I wa…
The college life comes with some unexpected expenses. One of such unexpected expenses was the breakage charge. In my college irrespective of whether one breaks any tools or equipments, each and every student was required to pay a fixed breaking charge. It used to be rs 500 per student. The breakage charge would get announced just a day before the practical exams. If the student did not pay the breakage charge then that student would not be allowed to attend the practical exams. Needless to say the rules in my college were brutal.
Thankfully our college seniors had already informed us of this fact. One of my seniors told me straight on my face, "even if you are a careful and did not break anything they are still going to ask you to pay rupees 500. Rather than that be careless and break th…
I thought I was finally okay.
Days were passing normally. I was busy with my own things, talking to people, laughing sometimes and slowly getting used to your absence.
Then one evening, I was leaving a place we used to visit together.
Nothing special happened.
No message. No call. No old photo.
But while walking away, i suddenly remembered you.
The way you used to wait for me. The small jokes. The random conversation.
I smiled for a moment. Then I felt a little sad.
It was strange.
I had spent so much time trying not to remember you, but that one ordinary evening brought everything back.
Maybe that's how memories work.
They don't always come when we are alone or sad.
Sometimes, they come when we are finally moving on.
That day, while going home, i realised something—
I don't miss every mo…
I find it funny how most people chose another person as the "Love of their Life". It's valid, people are just as important, but for someone like me who has no one currently, my love is a bit different.
I love all my friends. I wouldnt be the person that I am now without them. They are my lifeline, the ones I put all my trust in. I've lost many and gained a lot more, and some I don't talk to daily but we still stay in touch. I would call them the loves of my life if I didn't have other loves.
I love my family. They raised me and gave me a place to belong. They taught me love for one another and love for culture. It's not only my mother and father, but also my cousins, aunts and uncles, family friends, helpers. We love the other people who are a part of our lives just as much as we love ea…
"When you go, please carry a mask. Please do not take this lightly," my friend Priti warned me.
I was planning to visit my friend Neha. Her dad recently died. As a social norm, I had to visit her family to express my condolences. Neha and I had been friends for several years but surprisingly I had never visited her home. Priti had visited before me and her warnings made me feel strange. I could not understand why would she say so, until I visited Neha's home myself.
I stood at Neha's doorstep waiting for her to open the door. Neha opened the door and let me in. Her home was dark even in the daytime. All windows were closed and curtains too were drawn. Plus the fans too were off. There was absolutely no ventilation in the house.
The air in the house was filled with various odors. Soiled …
Me and my friends had gone to the cafeteria to have our afternoon coffee. We were looking for a table where we can sit comfortably. Finally we found a table which would be suitable for our big group. We sat there and started having our coffee.
While having the coffee I glanced around the cafeteria. I saw a girl walk into the cafeteria. She was taller than most girls in the cafeteria and was slim. She was wearing interesting type of clothes. High rise trousers and sleeveless shirt tucked in. She loked really elegant in that attire. I liked how she had styled her outfits that made her look even taller and slimmer. She saw that I was looking at her and admiring her style. She smiled at me before moving to the coffee counter.
I liked her style so I asked my friend Veena to look at her. Ve…
In the last week I was working on my academic review projects. In my inbox I had received a project. It was simple with great compensation. The project required me to take photos of six outfits by themselves and wearing them. This was supposed to be for AI training. I decided to participate in that project.
After accepting the project I went through the guidelines. As per the guidelines I was required to wear three types of outfits. Two outfits should be too tight; two outfits should be too loose; and two outfits should perfectly fit me. To me this sounded like an interesting task. Also I felt that this is a task where I would be able to wear my outfits that I generally do not wear outside.
To complete the project what I needed to search my entire closet for the clothes that fit into t…
I have a diary where I've wrote about the things which happened on a particular day in school and looking back at it made me realise how things change. I used to have so much fun with my friends but I did not value it the moment it was happening, so now I yearn. I found I've made so much fun of my now girlfriend in the diary not knowing how our paths would join eventually 😹. And not to forget that one day someone broke the washroom stall door (I wouldnt take their name). I mean A LOT of crazy incidents happened throughout the year, so yeah that's it for now I'd love to share specific stories from that diary soon!
There is someone i still about sometimes,even though we were never really together. We talked, laughed, and shared little moments that probably meant nothing to them, but somehow meant everything to me. I never had the courage to say what I truly felt.
Maybe they never noticed the way I looked at them, or how I waited for their messages. I kept telling myself that the right time would come, but it never did.
Now, we are just two people living our own lives, carrying memories that may mean different things to us. I don't know if they will ever know this confession is about them.
So I'll leave it here, anonymously: I liked you more than I ever had the courage to say. And a small part of me still does. 🥀
It was a rainy evening. I had just finished my work and I was packing up my laptop. While finishing up I heard of faint squeak. It was already dark and I assumed that the squeak came from a parrot that had flown by my window. I love listening to the birds chirps and squeaks. As I thought that it was a parrot that had passed by I decided to ignore that squeak.
Within few seconds I heard the squeak again. I thought to myself that it was not a bird passing by but probably it is coming from an animal. I decided to listen to it intently to find out who is making that sound. I heard the sound again. I went to the balcony so that I could hear it more clearly. The squeaks were coming from the ground floor. They were loud enough to be heard on the 8th floor where I stay. Now I was sure that they …
Before I begin, let me get some things straight: I am a girl and I have fallen in love with Madhuri Dixit.. Again.
I was a child who was not allowed to watch TV much. Films were alien. So my exposure to films and film stars was almost equivalent to nothing. As a 90s child, I first came across the name 'Madhuri Dixit' when I was maybe in Grade 2. A teenage didi from my society would always talk 'Madhuri Dixit this, Madhuri Dixit that'. Obviously I was curious who Madhuri Dixit was. One day that did announced she had the same haircut that Madhuri Dixit had in the latest film. So was so over the moon.
Then my cousins (who also had last name 'Dixit') told me that Madhuri Dixit was their distant relative. They told me that they had met her several times. She looked more beautiful in person th…
I had met my generationally wealthy friend Nidhi after a very long time. We met at one of the offices. Despite being different, we became friends. Nidhi joined her family business and I continued with my job. We had still been in touch with each other and meet once in a while.
I was waiting for her at an aesthetic cafe. Nidhi arrived wearing her 'quiet luxury' outfit. Her vibe would tell anybody that she was wealthy. She smiled and sat down.
"Great to see you after a long time buddy. How are you?" She spoke while placing down her bag and phone. I noticed that it was one of the latest folding phones.
"Good to see you too. I am good. How are you? Have you been away for a while?" I asked, because I have seen her pictures on social media at airport lounges.
"Yeah, just here and there for bu…
Sensory memories are the best kind of memories.
In April this year there was a family get together at my home. My relatives are really fond of carbonated drinks. Everybody was having Pepsi or Coca-Cola after the meal. I am not fond of carbonated drinks yet there was an insistence on me to have something. So I had prepared a simple drink for me: jaljeera, little lemon juice, and club soda. I mixed it all together and sat with my relatives sipping on my drink. I took one sip and it transported me back to my childhood.
I remembered it was few days before Diwali. I was with my parents to shop for new clothes on the occasion of Diwali. We had been walking and searching for clothes for over 2 hours. When we completed our shopping we all were thirsty. We decided to get something to drink.
In…
It was a busy Tuesday for me. I had back to back meetings along with a deliverable. I absolutely had no time for breakfast, lunch, or even coffee break. In the evening around 4:30 I felt that I needed a short mental break so that I can start functioning again. While I was thinking about my choices a colleague Nisha came near my desk.
"Are you coming for the coffee break?" She asked me.
" I need a break but I do not have time to go to the cafeteria. I guess I will grab coffee from the pantry," I was direct with her.
Nisha looked at my face and said, " you do look tired. You definitely need coffee. I will go with you".
Nisha and I both grabbed our coffee mugs and headed to the pantry. From the vending machine Nisha took latte. I took a shot of espresso and made myself Americano without s…
My phone rang at 10 am. I looked to see who was calling me. I knew it could not have been for work because I am a freelancer and people I work with only contact me via email (that is always my preferred way of communication, I hate phone calls). I saw the name flashing as "Sanjay". I immediately had a face palm moment. Sanjay was my classmate from school. As the reunion is being planned he keeps calling to seek help.
I thought I should keep it ringing and ignore it. Then I felt it was rude to ignore so hard. So reluctantly I answered the phone. The tone of my voice gave away my irritation, "Hi Sanjay", I said.
"Good morning. How are you?" Sanjay asked me, there was a lot of background noise - people chatting, horns blowing, announcement on the loud speaker. It was my guess that he was at …
Something Feels Different
I've been thinking about how strange it is when you suddenly realize that you're not the same person you used to be. Nothing dramatic necessarily happens. There isn't always some huge event that divides your life into a "before" and "after." Sometimes you just notice that something feels different.
A song you used to love doesn't hit the same anymore. A place that once felt exciting suddenly seems ordinary. A conversation you would have cared about months ago barely bothers you now. Even your own thoughts can start sounding unfamiliar.
It's a weird feeling because technically, you're still yourself.
But not completely.
The Things We Outgrow
I think we spend a lot of time trying to hold onto things simply because they were once important to us. We keep old interest…
It happened a couple of years ago. I believe it was in the year 2020.
Due to COVId-19 pandemic I had been working from home. It was the new way of working and nobody was yet acquainted with it. Everyone was trying to understand and adapt to this new way of working. It included not only the working professionals but also there is families.
In my case my parents were still not able to cope up with my way of working. They would come and ask me questions even though I would be in meetings. Another thing that they would to would absolutely annoy me is to keep their mobile phones near me while I would work. I had no idea why would they do that. Why should mobile phones of the entire family should be kept near me. But there was one incident which made me Furious and take action.
It was an…
