A lament flickers the evening lamp For nine nights the Goddess carves herself in beige and jewels draped in silk and strapped with silver- foiled cardboard weapons ‘I am a mannequin’ she says tongue tied with paper flowers Her geometry does not rest on mythology and offerings The revolving disco lights decorate her avatars in…

The News Circle ⭕️ The Times  Of India carries front page headlines on the landmark judgment of the Supreme Court. According to the SC verdict, the Sabrimala Temple which hither to only allowed men to enter, will now also permit women  access to this place of worship. Sabrimala is revered temple of Lord Ayyapa in…

  There was a lonely lady, and she walked a lonely mile. She was found in a lonely old-age home, instead of her now lonely age-old home. She made lonely friends there, who were only themselves too. And they all lived together in a lonely little world. *** -Priyal Panchal For Priyal Panchal poetry &…

My window overlooks a slice of our lane by the corner stands a gulmohor ; bursting in flames My weary eyes take a sip of the scarlet , scarlet; as … Continue reading →

  Arranged marriage   is like buying a crate of  mangoes   They stare at your body  from head to toe   Touching the soft supple skin of the mango   They look at your dark complexion, disappointed   Shoving the green mangoes away for the sunshine yellow ones   They look at your breasts,…

Things That A Bra Contains  By Kanupriya Dhingra Mobile phones, candies, shopping lists, stretch marks, your gaze, cash and coins, cuss words and their meanings, and, at times, also, a pair of breasts — Things that a bra contains Because there were never enough pockets in our bonnets and blouses. *** Kanupriya Dhingra is a…

Keep me burning By Preeti Vangani  I practiced crossing my legs the way my father daggered his eyes at mother if I wore shorts. Twin openings exposing more than what they could hold inside. It took me three sex-ed classes & a crushed pamphlet to know that I must fold and hold my body like…