Weaving of Arachne

The incessant banging grew louder and louder until it became unbearable. Initially, Sharon was reluctant to go out of her room but then it occurred to her that it might be her family who have returned from the community hall. Moreover, she reasoned that what she saw was just a dream and hence it's silly of her to believe in any possible encounter with an apparition. Finally, she shrugged away all her reluctance, mustered all her courage and went out to open the front door. However, as she was unlocking the door, an eerie thought stuck her, What if it was not merely a dream but a premonition of her encounter with Samuel's apparition? The thought sent a chill down her spine and her hand froze. Meanwhile the loud banging continued uninterrupted. Sharon wanted to shout and ask who was banging the door but she couldn't find her voice. After a short while she finally managed to squeak, "Wh...Who is it?" No answer. Sharon cleared her throat and asked once again, th

Tucked in the blanket, Sharon was staring blankly at her brightly lit phone screen. The light emitted by the screen cast an eerie glow in the dark room. It was past midnight but sleep evaded Sharon. The irrationality of her family has left her baffled. No one was ready to listen to her, even her dad who had always encouraged her to speak her mind, had asked her to stop her ' nonsense '. Sharon was hurt, incensed, outraged but most importantly determined to prove them wrong. Sharon was fervently hoping for her phone to catch network and let her access to internet. She had been trying since 1 hour but to no avail. She decided to give it a last try and hence refreshed the web page once again. Miraculously, a page propped up before her with the text: "A total lunar eclipse is sometimes called a Blood Moon, because of the reddish tinge the Full Moon takes on when fully eclipsed. The term is also frequently used to describe four total lunar eclipses that occur in a row."

Sitting beside granny's chair Sharon thought that nothing had really changed. Gathering around granny and exchanging stories was a hallowed ritual of this house and Sharon is genuinely pleased to see this ritual still continuing. This is a common practice in many families especially the traditional ones but in Sharon's family, unlike the common rule, even the children are encouraged to share their opinions and stories rather than being the passive listener. Granny was ecstatic today to have Sharon beside her almost after a gap of 5 years. Sharon had always been granny's favourite grandchild. Both of them shared a beautiful bond. So, to celebrate Sharon's home-coming Granny was narrating the fairy-tales which Sharon loved as a child and was also fondly reminiscing her childhood memories. Bonding over stories and walking down the memory lanes ensured they had a fantastic evening. Suddenly Arash exclaimed, "Granny, do you know what blood moon is?" Granny, Est

Today is winter solstice. The names of such astronomical events have featured regularly in our school textbooks but unfortunately, the books had always cast a dull, monochrome light on these events. Be it the solstices, the equinoxes, the neap tides, the eclipses or any other astronomical or geographical events, the school textbooks had always managed to make them dull, boring and esoteric events which are supposed to be mugged up for exams but never to be comprehended. I, like everyone else, hated memorizing those dull, arcane definitions and ended up losing any interest to delve deeper into those topics. Though these events as academic subjects have always bored me but as astronomical/geographical events they have always held my interest. Leaving the confines of classroom and entering the threshold of the expansive world, I realized that I practically know nothing. That's when I decide to enrol myself into the school of Nature and comprehend the mysteries that She holds so clo

It had been a long and arduous journey from Lengui airport to the quaint village of Kepran but surprisingly, Sharon, rather than being tired is rejuvenated by the invigorating ambiance of rural Mizoram. Martha and Robert, Sharon's dad, had slept through their entire journey from Aizwal to Kepran but Sharon hadn't even blinked her eyes once. She is transfixed by the tall, rugged mountains, dangerously stiff cliffs, all-pervasive lush green blanket of vegetation, clear and sinuous streams, and sleepy villages insulated from the modern, anxiety-ridden life. Sharon had been transported to a past, idyllic, nostalgic world, the world of her childhood by the mystic, alluring mountains so that she didn't even realize that their SUV had halted long ago and her parents were busy unloading their baggages. Sharon was brought back from her reveries by the mirthful laughter of her cousins and the mock menacing tone of her uncle who very dramatically declared that if Sharon didn't g

Coming out of the exam hall Sharon heaved a sigh of relief. It was the anticipation of this moment which kept her going through the gruelling exam weeks. Like most of us, Sharon too despises all kinds of examination and fervently prays for it to end soon whenever she is faced with one but this time her prayers had an unusual sense of urgency. Her exuberance and conviviality slowed down her progress towards to the home to such an extent that when she reached her home she found her mother sitting at the front gate with a sullen expression. Martha, Sharon's mother also shared the convivial disposition of her daughter but any transgression of her rules by Sharon or her dad pushed her into an abyss of gloominess. And Sharon, for one was too familiar with the ebbs and flows of her mother's moods to exacerbate the situation. So, as she reached the threshold of her home her mother launched her blitzkrieg attack and Sharon had the better sense to keep quiet and let the storm pass. &

The soothing words of Rumi "Raise your words, not voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder" makes the closing line of the heart-rending animated movie 'The Breadwinner' directed by Nora Twomey. It is the stories through which we continue to live in this world long after we are gone. And it is through stories that our heart finds the courage to face the daunting challenges that life throws at us. This gem of a movie presents to us the monochrome daily struggles contrasted with the colourful analogous folklore of extraordinary struggle. The movie is set in warn-torn Afghanistan and revolves around the life of a little girl named Parvana and her extraordinary quest of rescuing her ordinary, crippled father. The movie evokes our empathy in its portrayal of the atrocities and anti-women stance of Taliban. Parvana's father was a school teacher, but after Taliban's occupation when schools were closed down he was forced to sell his 'literacy' like

Dearest Pagla Babu , Friendship is one of the most beautiful human relationships; it is liberating as well because unlike our blood relations here we get to choose the person with whom we want to establish this bond of heart. Moreover, it is less obligating than most other relationships and this is where its preciousness lies. I know you are probably thinking, " How long I have to bear her preaching on friendship? " Well, don't worry this won't go long because I was only making my point why I cherish our beautiful friendship and why I value it above all other relations that we share. So, on the day cherishing ' friendship ' I thought I too should cherish it and hence the letter. But don't make the mistake of thinking that you would be praised throughout the letter in the name of cherishing friendship. Firstly, I would like you to know how much pagla you are. You don't care what the world thinks about you when you start singing or dancing in public

What is passion? Is it an obsession with something? Is it total immersion in something that our heart yearns for? Maybe, the answer lies somewhere between them. I don't have the suitable words to capture the elusive passion in concrete terms. But, I watched a movie that touches upon this abstract concept of passion. First, let me give you the gist of the movie. The movie revolves around the life of a few high school boys studying in one of the prestigious schools of United States and their new English teacher John Keating. If you have watched the movie then you must have guessed the name by now. Well, I am talking about Dead Poets Society. It is one such movie that stays with you for many years. The plot is rather simple but its execution makes it a masterpiece. It is set at the conservative and aristocratic Welton Academy, a school that never fails boasts of its high credentials. The school takes pride in its alumni who went on to Ivy League and made it big in their lives. Th

I was too stunned to blink my eyes. I sat motionless at the desk of Inspector Raunak Chaudhary holding the letter in my hand. The words on the letter were spinning inside my head as I stared blankly at the ceiling of the room. The Inspector cleared his throat to draw my attention. It took me a while to focus my attention on him and to make any sense of what he was speaking. "..... hard for you. But there are a few more missing pieces in this puzzle that you need to know. The letter in your hand is a sort of confession letter of Ms Alice Leroy. Now you must be wondering how I got hold of it rather how I came into the picture?" To be honest, my brain was too fazed to think anything at all. Nevertheless, I kept quiet and let the Inspector continue his revelation. “As mentioned in the letter, Ms Leroy indeed worked as a governess for the Bansal family. She lived in a rented single room apartment nearby Bansal's residence; and had been regular to her work for over a decade

I was drenched in sweat, gasping for breath, nausea was overwhelming me. Sitting on a creaky chair in a dingy room, I kept tapping my feet on the floor to distract myself from the hideous gaze of the prisoners cramped inside the single lock-up of the police station. After I received the call from Inspector Raunak Choudhary , I hurried to the police station. I had no idea why I was required here, since all my life I had maintained a respectful distance from the guardians of law. The thought of being involved in matters of law freaked me out, but today destiny had dragged me to the threshold of dread. After I reached the police station, I was ordered by the constables to wait in the visitors' area near the entrance. I have been waiting for nearly an hour but nobody has taken any notice of me.  I mustered up my courage and approached a constable who was busy with his mobile, "Excuse me sir, I have been asked by Inspector Raunak Choudhary to reach the police station as soon as

Triiiiiiiing Triiiiiiiing Triiiiiiiing ........ I wanted to snooze my alarm and spent some more time embracing my warm, cosy blanket. But I did not have the luxury to steal away extra minutes of forbidden sleep. Unwillingly, I dragged myself out of bed. I did not have a moment to spare. I have to get read quickly, drop my son to his school and haul myself to office through the ocean of cars plying on potholed roads.  Before going to the bathroom, I glanced at the bed and was surprised to find my wife still lying on it as if she had all the time in the world. Embittered, I asked, "Have you forgotten that you have a son and you have to get him ready for school?" She seemed annoyed at my intrusion and she retorted with equal bitterness, "It seems that you have forgotten to consult the calendar. For your kind information, today is Sunday and schools remain closed on Sunday." I sighed and lamented the mechanization and isolation of my life. After the morning ablut

I was hunched over my phone. There was an incessant flow of Whatsapp group messages cascading on my phone's screen. Heated discussions were being held in college Whatsapp groups about a postponed test. I sighed and closed my eyes. The unending wait was suffocating me and some dark thoughts which were lurking around for a while overwhelmed me. I was seized by the terrifying thought of "What if she didn't turn up?" Just when I thought that I will pass out due to anxiety, I heard a mild coughing. What I saw when I opened my eyes would remain embedded in my heart forever. Stood before me, the most elegant lady I have ever laid my eyes on. She was probably in her mid-30s but none of her feature showed any signs of ageing. She was as fresh as a newly blossomed bud. Her face, with its soft, smooth, flawless skin and perfect features was simply cherubic. Her shiny, brown hair was twisted up in a perfect French Roll. She had the lithe figure of a ballerina and wore an exqui