Tales from a twisted mind

How often do we find ourselves on the losing side?  Easter Sunday – a wonderful day to celebrate Lord Jesus’s triumph over death and a good chance to hang out with your friends and family members, but also a day when people tend out their inner furies as it happens on such occasional family get-together. But, even before the drama begins, one can find people happily wishing each other, clicking pictures and chatting a dozen after the mass has ended. My family, comprising of my sisters and brother, made our way to a restaurant to break our Lenten observance of abstinence from non-vegetarian food. It was a good time as we tucked ourselves into Chicken chilly, chicken patiala, prawn crispy and chicken tikka biryani, while sitting next to a table occupied by another Christian family of six, who seemed busy in enjoying the Chinese dishes served. The world was at peace. Until, a thought floated in my head as we made our way back home. It has now been four years sin...

They say the grass is greener on the other side. Often, I would ponder over the meaning of this proverb. It is not that hard to comprehend, to be honest. But the more I pondered, the more I realized how deep it actually meant. In order to understand it better, I always tried to apply it in a real-life situation. Fortunately, life has brought some amazing people to me, where I simply could not help, but fathom the meaning of this proverb in silence. I had always admired Anna. She was my childhood heroine; someone who inspired me and indirectly taught me lessons of the real world. It was actually her shoes that compelled me to look up to her. Anna was an adult in her early twenties, when I happened to have met her. She used to live with her mother alone in a very dark room, in the corner of the galli – a narrow lane created by space left between houses constructed haphazardly in shanties. Her mother had an extremely frail face and so heavily wrinkled to the point I started imagin...

Life is full of unexpected surprises. One never knows what the day will bring and what new experiences await you. One fine morning, I got up to get ready for work and while I was scrolling on Facebook, I got a notification about my best friend attending an event on Saturday the 6 th of February 2016. It was the annual Queer Azaadi Mumbai Pride March. I must admit that I always wanted to attend this event every year, but never got wind as to when it took place (seriously, I am still living in the Stone Age). Excited, I messaged my friend that I would be joining him. Making up excuses at work and to my siblings, I put on my best casual shirt and travelled all the way from Jogeshwari to be a part of this event (my friend came all the way from Ambernath). Unfortunately, we met past four and missed out on the initial speeches and the excitement. When we finally reached August Kranti Maidan, the march had just begun. My friend started jumping with happiness at the sight of t...