Seashells

When the BCCI recently introduced new guidelines limiting family presence during international tours, it sparked debates among cricket players, fans, and families. The reasoning behind it? To minimize distractions and maintain team focus, especially after India's 3-1 loss in the Border-Gavaskar series in Australia. While many found the decision bizarre, I couldn’t help but recall an experience that, in hindsight, makes this rule seem completely justified. A year ago, while working at a PR agency, I was assigned to service a cricket league team. My role involved profiling players—understanding their backgrounds, crafting narratives, and ensuring the media had compelling stories to tell. Meeting ‘him’ Just a few days before the tournament began, I attended a team gathering where I met all the players and introduced myself. Among them was a particular player—let’s call him X. While most players simply answered my questions for their profiles and moved on, X engaged in conversation and...

Marriage? Hmm. It used to be an intriguing topic—until I turned 25, 26, and found myself becoming a part of it. For the longest time, I dreamt of finding the right person, getting married in a typical Tamil ceremony, creating memories together, attending weddings as a couple, going on vacations, having a child or two, growing old together—you know, just the usual. Growing up, marriage wasn’t something I ever discussed with my parents. They never initiated the conversation, and I wasn’t keen on bringing it up either. The only thought that would occasionally cross my mind about marriage was this: I didn’t want to marry a Tamil boy. Now, you might ask why. I have my reasons. Mainly, I’ve never been exposed to Tamil boys who I found attractive or intellectually stimulating. The ones I did know never seemed to be my type. That was the primary reason I never felt drawn to them. Also, I’m not very religious, so the idea of marrying into a Tamil household—where I might be expected to participa...

His ringtone for when I called was 'Thinking out Loud' by Ed Sheeran.  My chats with him have a collection of songs that he dedicated to us. They were some of his favourites he would send as suggestions once in a while. Some were about us, some about the children he wanted to make with me, some about good times, some about why the break up hurts, some about how good we had it.  1) How Good We Had It  2) Don't Give Me Those Eyes 3) Cold 4) Heart To Heart 5) Good Things Fall Apart 6) September  (James Blunt Collection)  7) All Of Me  8) Monsters 9) High 10) Carry you home 11) Postcards 12) Heart to Heart 13) Stay the Night 14) Halfway 15) Melody 16) Someone you loved by Lewis 17) All I want - Kodaline He lives through the songs he dedicated.   

I found somebody who can love me at my worst.  Who clicks selfies with me when I'm sleeping with my mouth wide open I found somebody who loves my strawberry thighs, Who has a super cool yet dramatic family just like mine, I found somebody who is ready to learn an alien language because why not, Who is my reel and real boyfriend, I found somebody who travels kilometres apart to have a cheese grill w me, Who sings like nobody is watching, who flexes sticky notes, I found somebody who shares his birthday with Big B and is quite Bollywood, just like him, Who loves beaches and couldn't care less about it because things he loves are just as infinite as his love.  . . . I found somebody who can love me at my worst.

 I like your friendly banters,  I like your smile, I like how you pull my leg in Whatsapp group chats but send heart emojis across in pc, I like how you make ugly faces while we video call,  I like how you wake up in the wee hours just to see me in sweaty yoga pants, I like how you promise me gifts, but you hardly know any of my favourites! Haha!  I like how warm waffles make you smile! 

  It's not love, It's just you and me It's not love, It's just the hatred It's not love, It's just the way you look It's not love, It's just the fact that we cannot be together It's not love,  It's just the feud It's not love, It's just the secret It's not love, It's what I see in you It's not love, It's that night we spent together It's not love, It's just you and me.

When my school mate fell in love over Instagram, we took slow showers with the phone watching, rather, a boy watching over the video call. Exposing our dirty dark souls with increased brightness and muted video sessions.  Showers together over the phone is quite a challenging task. Your plumber never knew, such a day would even arise. He never knew you would mount your device on the rustic pipe and flirt effortlessly. The dampness in the bathroom makes it look foggy after a while. You can let your stomach be at rest, or tuck it in and pretend to be hot.  You lean on all the walls, the commode seems friendly, and the shower plays the dirty game.  What happens over the span of an hour and forty five minutes is digital vibrations sent across roads, balconies, cafes and clouds.  You cannot hear him, but he is naked. You cannot talk, but he is naked.  Your body kinda glows, you soap yourself like you care.  You smile, you stare and you...