Shane Koyczan was bullied when he was a child. Children are cruel at times… without meaning to be. To carry that pain, to ‘obey’ the perceptions of those whose world view is immature and miniscule, to shape your life with words used by those who had no idea of their power, to live out someone […]
Fear
Nuisance Value
I read something today that stunned me as if I had been hit between the eyes with a wet towel. There is something about yourself that you don’t know. Something that you will deny even exists until it’s too late to do anything about it. It’s the only reason you get up in the morning, […]
A WOW Experience
One summer evening a long while ago, I saw a woman with her three-year-old daughter. The little girl was skipping along ecstatically. She was holding on to a string that was attached to a huge, red helium balloon. All of a sudden, a sharp gust of wind pulled the balloon from the little girl’s hand. […]
Great Expectations
I live on the banks of the river Narbada. The river is lavish and generous to all her children. She lets you take as much water from her as you need. She’d never refuse you, on the contrary, she would love to give all you want. She cannot be called sparing or miserly if you […]
Dear Parent
I read something today that made me want to write to you. I’d like you to imagine a crowded public square, filled with people. They are busy, happy, engrossed in their own concerns. You stand among them, unnoticed. You’ve just realized that you have poured your future, every minute of everyday of the rest of […]
Stepping Back
You take out your best formals to wear at a party and find them too tight. Dismayed, you decide to re-start a regular workout regime. You retrieve (read excavate) your walking shoes from never- never- land and dust the entire Harappan civilization off them. The steely glint in your eyes could slice Mt Everest into […]
A Simple Rope Swing
There was a rope swing on a tree. And there was a child. The swing was a pretty rudimentary affair- just like the simpler times which forms the story’s backdrop. Two parallel loops of ordinary, thick, jute rope tied on a thick limb of the tree. A rough wooden plank jammed between the loops, bridging […]
Power
He is a powerful man, they say. They say it like ‘he’ has tapped into an obscure, secret generator of the universe, forever denied to the rest of humanity. Statements of this kind annoy me. They make me want to take them apart to see what lies behind them and what makes […]
Fenced in
Fences are for protection. They help you hold precious things in a safe enclosure. There is a lot to be said about fences. They help you to chalk out territory and instill a feeling of safety and protection in you. It helps define a framework and gives a feeling of freedom within the boundary. The […]