Aarav always knew the river by its sounds. In the morning, it was gentle enough to hear the temple bell across the water. In winter, his father took him there to wash their old motorcycle. During summer evenings, Aarav and his little sister Maya sat on the stone steps. They threw pebbles into it. That night, the river sounded different. It was almost midnight when Aarav woke to the smell of wet earth. Then he heard his mother. “Aarav, get up. Don’t ask questions. Just get up.” He opened his eyes and saw water moving across the floor. For a moment, he thought he was dreaming. Their red plastic bucket was floating beside his bed. Maya was crying from the next room. Aarav ran toward her, but the water was already above his ankles. He remembered the little wooden box beneath his bed. It contai…
Call me a butterfly the way I love to stay wrapped up in my cocoon called the Comfot Zone. I'm scared of butterflies.
Its safe and familiar. If its satisfactory why should one venture out of their comfort zone? Everything is being provided for.
But that's a privilege. To stay within our limits and space without having to even think twice about leaving it. Not everyone can rely on safety to have a good life. I'm grateful to be fortunate enough to not have this worry over my head growing up. But now that I'm an adult i'm being forced to walk outside my comfort zone.
And its not as bad as I used to think. I'm learning so much that it feels like my comfort wasnt really comfort, just ignorance. Sure, I had a routine and I was taught whatever was set in the syllabus, but making my own craft …
It's weird how you can learn someone's habits without them ever actually explaining themselves.
I know when you're busy because your replies suddenly become shorter.
I know when you're tired because your messages start having random typos and you don't even bother fixing them.
I know when you're in a good mood because you somehow have a story for everything.
I know when you're annoyed because your replies become suspiciously polite.
And I definitely know when something is wrong when you suddenly stop using the little things you normally use.
No emoji.
No “haha.”
No extra letter in “okayyy.”
Just: “okay.”
And somehow, that one word says more than an entire paragraph.
The funniest part is, I never sat down and decided to memorize these things.
They just happened.
After enough conversations, …
The boy was his parents’ only child, the reason their small home always felt complete. They never imagined one ordinary night could change everything forever. That evening, he left home after dinner. Before stepping outside, his mother asked, “Where are you going?” He smiled and said, “I’ll be back soon.” He put on his helmet, started his motorcycle, and rode away. His father watched from the doorway, unaware that it would be their final goodbye. Later that night, he stopped at a familiar shop to buy a few things. He was slightly drunk, but believed he could safely reach home. While paying, he placed his helmet beside the counter. In the hurry to leave, he forgot it there, started his motorcycle, and rode toward home. The shopkeeper noticed the helmet only after the motorcycle disappeared.…
The first day of college, I noticed a girl sitting alone beside the window. I asked if the empty seat was free, and she smiled. She warned me that she hated talkative people during lectures. I promised to stay quiet, but somehow, that promise became impossible after we became friends. We started sharing notes, snacks, jokes, and secrets. I never realized when friendship quietly turned into love, until one evening, her absence felt strangely painful. She belonged to a Dalit family, while I came from a conservative Brahmin household. We loved each other, but our backgrounds made everything frighteningly complicated. One evening, she asked, “Will your family ever accept me?” I stayed silent, because I knew honesty could hurt her more than uncertainty ever could. I finally told my parents abou…
Today was so tiring , after a day's hustle now back on my bed, sharing my thoughts . Even though today was tough, everything was worth it. When we see the smile on others and knowing the reason is you , the struggle will become priceless. I'm so tired every morning before my duty but when I reach there everything tiredness just fades off and I'm back with the same energy I've everyday. Same way I'm still keep going and I hope all my dreams will come true..
Even when my entire body say you are not fit for this , my mind and my soul goes another way round.
I just want to free from all the tensions and problems and have some me time but still trying to have it. Still at my lowest even after all this hardwork. I wonders why I never succeed. Hope the day will come..
There is something deeply strange about being taught how to stay safe before being taught how to feel free.
A girl learns early.Don’t walk alone at night.
Don’t take the shortcut.
Keep your phone charged.
Share your location.
Don’t wear that.
Don’t trust strangers.
Don’t talk to unknown men.
Hold your keys between your fingers.
Call when you reach.
Text when you leave.
Be careful.And eventually, “be careful” becomes background noise.
It becomes part of growing up.Women are expected to carry an invisible safety manual everywhere they go.A simple walk home isn’t just a walk home.
It is checking who is behind you.It is pretending to be on a call.It is looking at the reflection in a shop window.
It is deciding whether a particular street feels safe enough.It is keeping your headphones out ev…
The Love That Came After HeartbreakClass 10th. That age when we don't know the difference between attraction, addiction, and love. I was in 10th, he was in 9th. One look and I was gone. I don't know what it was—his face, his attitude—but I got addicted to him like a habit you know is wrong but you can't leave. Deep down I knew he was not a good man for me. But a teenage heart doesn't listen to logic.That addiction continued until Class 11th, when everything finally broke. The breakup.
And that breakup didn't just break my relationship, it broke me. The girl who laughed loudly, who believed in fairytales, who trusted easily—she died that year. I became a different person. Cold. Practical. A girl who said, "I will never fall in love again."And then Class 12th came. The year of boards, of pre…
I always find it truly fascinating when people who have no prior relation whatsoever meet and fall in love and live happily ever after.
I mean, how truly beautiful destiny is!
To be loved unconditionally by the strangers to the point of building a family with them...that is so sweet and so unconditional.
I hope I can find love like that one day yet in a society like ours that is not possible. I heard them talk about people like us , they said we are mentally unstable, they drag out name through the mud,they regard our kind like we are the detrimental effect of our parents.
In the next life, I hope destiny to grant me that kind of love so fulfilling l can flaunt in in front of everyone.
In this life, I'll experiance the beauty of solidarity because I am just a coward who could muster up the…
Last afternoon I was working. I was completely engrossed in the research study that I had been reviewing. I was startled by my phone. I checked the notification, it was a text from my friend Shubha, "did you see the news?"
I was completely clueless. I had read the news in the morning but after that I was completely unaware what had happened. I replied, "which news? I am occupied with my research work".
"Oh! Nothing urgent. We will speak later," texted me back.
Once my work was over in the evening I decided to text her back, "what did you want to tell me in the afternoon?"
10 minutes later, Shubha shared a news article with me "20 dead cats were found in Chembur area". Just the headline gave a lump in my throat. I swallowed hard and read the news. The news article mentioned that in Chemb…
I believe some of you must have heard the saying " if a place you have never visted calls to you than that means that something is waiting for you out there " and i feel this way about Edinburgh. Since i can remember, i have always wanted to live in Edinburgh. Now more than ever i want to be there , to experience my life in a place that is forever stuck in autumn. Idk if i will ever be able to move out of here but i am putting this out there in case god is listening to me 🤞🏻🦢.
I had received a call from my friend Bhumi. I was delighted to see her name pop up on my phone. We had been friends for several years and it is always pleasure to speak with her.
"Hello how Mumbai is treating you?" Bhumi asked with a cheerful voice.
"Mumbai is treating me like a royalty. Just how she had been treating me ever since I was born. How is New York the treating you? Have you adjusted yet?" I asked Bhumi. I was curious to know how my fellow Mumbai Girl was coping up with a new city.
" Quite ok. After all New York is not Mumbai. I am trying to adjust and enjoy. But nothing beats our spirit of Mumbai. Every now and then I miss Mumbai. Whenever I see the huge burger in here I definitely miss our vadapav, Misal Pav and sandwiches. The one that I miss the most is Pav Bhaji. Otherwise …
During my college internship, I once prepared a presentation that I was quite proud of. I had spent several hoursworking on it and felt that I had covered everything properly.When I presented it, my teacher listened carefully and then gave me some feedback. She appreciated my effort but also pointed out that my presentation was too detailed and that I had focusedmore on providing information than explaining it clearly.Honestly, I didn't like hearing that.For a moment, I felt that my hard work had not been appreciated. I wanted to explain why I had included everything and why I thought my approach was correct. But instead, I decided to listen.
Later that day, I went through my presentation again. This time, I looked at it from the audience's point of view rather than my own. I realised that…
He never called himself an artist. He simply loved drawing. A pencil and paper were enough to make him forget everything around him. Drawing became his livelihood. He made portraits and commissions for people. The money was never much, but it kept food on the table. At home, his elderly parents depended on him. There was no brother, no sister, and nobody else earning for the family. His drawings were their security. He developed a serious illness that slowly took away his ability to work. Every unfinished drawing reminded him of what he had lost. His parents spent everything they had saved on his treatment. Whatever they owned was sold. Somehow, they brought him home and hoped the worst was finally over. Then the illness returned. The doctors gave them devastating news: he needed an operat…
They had recently married, believing they were finally beginning the most beautiful chapter of their lives, filled with dreams, promises, laughter, hope, and plans together. They travelled together along a quiet roadside, talking about ordinary things. Nothing seemed unusual that day, and neither of them imagined tragedy was approaching them. After some time, the husband needed to stop. He walked a little away from the road, while his wife remained nearby, waiting patiently for him. She probably expected him to return within minutes. Perhaps she was thinking about their home, their future, or simply what they would do next together. Then, without warning, a government bus came towards them. Within seconds, an ordinary journey became a devastating accident that nobody could have imagined th…
What is something you got wrong recently — and what did it quietly teach you?... I am a 40 years old housewife. I tried everything which could be done for making my family happy... But I lost myself in this plate... After spending 22 years of life trying to be a good daughter and 18 years of trying to be a good wife.. i learnt that I shouldn't lose my dignity for making everyone happy... I am guilty for making down to myself.. we should keep our dignity above of all.
I wake up and went to wake up my son and as he opened his eyes, first words he said "good morning mumma". I smiled and replied him by Wishing the same. But the thought reflected in my mind that what does it mean to Wishing someone for good if the happened or will be happened can't be changed?
Wishing someone a "Good morning" or "Good night" is to offer them a shield of positivity for the upcoming 24 hours in the day, isn't it?
Sometimes a person says a "Good morning" not because they know the day will be good, but because the desperately want it to be. These two words are smallest form of emotional support we can offer someone without knowing he needed it or not.
We all wake up and wish everyone a "Good morning" without knowing what is hidden in the upcoming twenty four hours. And this is …
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!
Never thought I would write this but nvm.. let me tell you my story in Muslim cousin marriage is very common so I grew up with my cousins like my dad used to live abroad and my mom used to mostly live in her mom's house my grandma's house. Both my mamus also used to live there. All my cousins grew up together my khala's kids, my mamu’s kids we all grew up together. After my dad came back from abroad, we bought a house here and lived here, but most of the time we visited each other's houses.
Time flew by. I was in 8th class when lockdown started i downloaded Instagram and added my cousins. But never knew what I was doing my elder cousin brother basically my khala's elder son, was three years older than me so he was in his clg 1st yr. We used to talk normally but eventually he started flirt…
Funny how someone can be a part of your story long before they actually become a part of your life.
We were from the same school, but somehow, we had never seen each other. I was his senior, but after 10th, I changed schools while he stayed there. We had no conversations, no friendship, nothing.
Then, when he was in 11th and I was in 12th, he found me through one of his friend's following and sent me a request on Instagram.
He tried talking to me, but honestly, I barely cared. I was busy being completely obsessed with my society crush, so his messages usually got very late replies.
Then one day, he asked me something I never expected:
Would I want to give him 80–90 years of my life?
I said no.
But strangely, after that, I started noticing him.
After my 12th, I joined college—and the funn…
