Suggestions

April 2022

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Travel Poems

Waiting for the Haripriya Express The train connecting the god of creation To his consort, the goddess of wealth Is late by a half hour;  Men who shed their manes  In utter devotion Utter curses under their breaths; I read
April 25, 2022
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Demolition

before the streets smell rain an eye spies an opening in the clouds the gaze curdles anticipation,  traces a metronome louder than a bomb.  fear splays the sun into smithereens spreading laughter into the sky I spoke to him once about
April 25, 2022
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Indian Fusion

We married nearly 36 years ago, and at the time, we had no idea we were trendsetters of a sort. Our house has been a multi-cultural, blended home for decades. Our sons are beige-brown with Indian names. We celebrate Christmas along
April 25, 2022
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I want

I want to walk my hands swinging long and free if these roads were not cobbled eyes but spun trees flowers would become fences or paths at my feet I want to suspend thought wear old jeans pull that thorn
April 25, 2022
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The Interview

The interview was supposed to start at ten in the morning. A worried Bushra in a cream coloured shalwar kameez paced the room in anticipation. What questions will the interviewer ask? How will she answer those questions? Will there be any
April 25, 2022
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Madam a Sandwich Please

“In this highly electronic and techno era, where fundamentals, manners and charisma are dwindling from the sector who claims as human beings; somewhere in a corner of the globe lived a child…….” I was drained and exhausted this evening after work
April 25, 2022
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Walking Away

beyond the window a net of roots stitches the creek bank to battered earth. red dust swirls, seeds lie in cracks and crevices patient for rain. paddocks of brittle stalks fill the space between us, overhead a crow flaps its
April 25, 2022
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A Bizarre Premonition

About a week before the Berlin Wall came down I had a bit of a bizarre premonition. It came over me as my father and I were watching that old news analysis show on television, Agronsky And Company. “The Wall’s coming
April 25, 2022
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To My Daughter Yashfeen

That First day and first sight You were wrapped in a shawl Coloured as pink, green and white Your smile I met was so nice All senses I caught were soothing As if this tranquillity was gifted from the skies It seemed
April 25, 2022
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Who is An Accomplished Woman?

How many times have you been asked when you’re getting married? When will you have kids? Or what you have planned for your future? I promise If I had a dollar for every time some random person asked my parents
April 25, 2022

Mothers and Lovers in Tamil Cinema

(Painting: Courtesy Shameela Yoosuf Ali) Mothers and Lovers in Tamil Cinema: Ashok Kumar (1941) and Mangayarkarasi (1949) Abstract: This essay engages with two Tamil films, Ashok Kumar (1941) and Mangayarkarasi (1949), to explore female desire through the roles portrayed by
April 25, 2022

Bharti Singh’s Zero Maternity Break

Is it a personal choice or a public policy failure? Celebrities maintain a social media presence across multiple platforms, like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube in this digital age. They present public-private selves by sharing both sad and happy moments
April 25, 2022

Importance of Being an Ethical Traveller.

At Human & Hope, we want to see a world where communities experiencing poverty are empowered and developed through locally-driven initiatives. We raise funds to support a locally-run community centre in Cambodia, enabling them to run their own poverty-alleviating projects
April 25, 2022

Responding to Criticism with Wisdom

Isn’t it astonishing that a few spoken words have such power to hurt us? Have you ever wondered why? At work and in our relationships, we can carry with us an anxiety that someone will be critical of us, which can shape
April 25, 2022

You Better Not Fall

I fell off my bike, but that’s ok. Everyone falls at least once in their life. Some from the chair, some from the bed, others slip and fall. I should feel lucky for not getting injured. But what about the pain that
April 25, 2022

Learning from Pastoral Lifeworlds

Like this, like that Like Here, like there Friend, enemy Life, death All the same  All is he… – Shah Abdul Latif (1689-1752) For millennia, movement has been central to the existence of human communities across the world.  The nomad’s
April 25, 2022