Seashells

  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.

It looked like it was that time of the year, amateur fishermen loudly calling out to each other, carrying huge stacks of nets to get their best catch. Little did we know, to make ends meet during the lockdown (due to the coronavirus pandemic), the nets were/would be laid 5-6 times in a row! The men from Darya Nagar rahivashi sangh mainly work as drivers, fruit sellers, cooks etc. Multiple of them have been jobless or paid partially during the lockdown. The Darya Nagar rahivashi sangh, (south of Mahalakshmi temple) situated at the bay, has made it conducive for men from various professions to try their hand at fishing. Since 1963, men from this slum have always resorted to the sea to earn an extra penny. Due to the lockdown, the fish caught in March and April were not taken to Sassoon Dock local fish market, as it always was. Fish are sold by the process of bidding at the Sassoon Dock market, which used to help them sell their catch at a higher rate. Fishing on this coast was started by...

What do you think is the difference between you and a Swiggy delivery woman? Oh, nothing much actually! On the day when i met her, she was wearing a wet swiggy tshirt, because she only has a single swiggy Tee.  Her namer is Uma. Uma is the mother of a baby boy, she drives a scooter. and is an introvert  I had met her for an interview. She was very skeptical to answer to my umpteen questions.  Unlike us, she does not get restless if the food ordered at the restaurant does not come on time.  Unlike us, she does not sit in the dining area, she waits at the lobby or at times outside the restaurant.  Unlike us, she was not even offered a glass of water at the restaurant.  Swiggy gives you the liberty to choose shifts, and hence Uma comes for delivery only according to her preference. "People that order keep calling, but at times forget to say thanks!" says Uma.  I almost lost sense of time, and travelled from Madhya Kailash to Adyar to The story of a Chines...

You beautiful woman, I will set afoot on the quest. To unearth every nerve and trail my way through roads that would lead me to the darkest stories that my people are waiting to say. The trail will lead me to the people whom you haven't comforted enough. To the ones who have been unable to sleep peacefully on your chest. You are a blessing to my rival, but o woman, why are you turning a blind eye to my forefathers friends? Why are you running on an escape treadmill and soothing yourself with buckets full of tears and blood? You are the answer to the millions that left your land through the civil war.  Let me in. Lend a shoulder to the one in need.

    Bombay is evolving,  Oh, it is Mumbai now! It already has.  I see little elves walking on the stones that they laid, Trucks dumping earth on the seabed. Decades ago, there was water where I live today. Dad and his friends also grew up on this coast They swam to kill time.    When the sea hit hard, they feared.  When the sea hits hard, we no more fear, Mankind envies concrete jungles.   My children will only hear stories and see pictures. Will they be able to sit by the sea? It is like your favourite season of the year. Gushing winds and stormy days. Roaring waves and conch shelled coasts, Hues of the sun, remains of the day!   How do I vocalize?  Watching coconut trees swaying on full moon nights,  Shoals of fish in the water when looked at closely, Flocks of white migratory birds during December mornings!   My grandfather sailed his way to this city,  Fruits of his labour, we devour today. Legacy gave us houses and th...

When in school, the earliest memory of hanging out with friends began roughly when we were in 6th or 7th grade. The only feasible place was Mcdonalds and the potato they serve. We would take cabs after school to Sobo Central to devour french fries. With time, our obsession for Mcdonalds knew no boundaries. All my favourite people have eaten fries with me, at least once. (Not even exaggerating).    My association with potatoes goes way back. Definitely after we started going to McDonald's during school days but even before high school you know. It was when a friend had hit puberty and started to have prominent acne. How easy was it to nickname her a potato mainly because she had a round face with some serious teenage issues.  Bullying just passes as any other thing during years of schooling but the mark remains etched in your heart. Growing up, I was extremely cautious about my skin colour. Though nobody actually bullied me, my best friends called me "Black beauty". I wond...

(Long read but you should read) Imparting sex education to children as a compulsion has become a huge deal since digitalization hit us, globally. What it has done to you and i, is beyond providing information at a click.  State board education is a less cared about affair in India. The school I went to was in one of the prominent places of Mumbai. Geography classes have never taken place with a map hanging on the wall. Language was a compulsion. An imposed variant.  A few teachers explained biology with PowerPoint presentations while others chose to skip the chapter. A few days into seventh grade, a woman explained menstruation to around 200 students.   Briefly beginning with good touch or bad touch from the time when the child is in third grade and then proceeding forward according to their age.  Censorship plays a huge role in the upbringing of children. Indian parents switch channels on the television to avoid young ones from watching explicit ...