thewriterfriends

  Sunil was new to our colony. He was a few years senior to me and so naturally, I looked up to him for teaching me how to be a big boy. He wasn’t a kind one could take as an icon but he was all that was available to me. The bigger reason for getting closer to him, which could mean and unquestioned free access to his home at any time was, his sister. Yes, that was more pressing reason for me to seek his friendship. She had golden streak in her otherwise unkempt hair and now when I look back at the memories of those day, I think, she wasn’t much to look at, but when there are not many to choose from, one can’t be finicky. I would like to get drunk on the thoughts of her beauty or whatever that was. She possessed all the powers to possess me. Uncontrolled like lava flowing from a volcano, all the dirty thoughts which often could be so dirty that feelings of sin would rise in me, needing me to say small prayers for absolution, would flow in my mind. Those thoughts were so powerful t...

Preface: Character बुदम is about me (not fiction). Let me start with why I felt that I was बुदम . While growing up in Chamba, I used to get all kind of punishments in the school like बिच्छू बूटी treatment, मुर्गा आसन , बेंत treatment, standing hands up, etc., etc., When this did not work teachers started calling my little sister Vibha to show that I was in मुर्गा आसन pose. This was the moment I felt something inside that I am not normal, and it was hard for me to understand basic stuff education-wise. I was never asked to look forward to becoming something like a doctor, engineer, govt officer (HAS/IAS/IPS), but the rest of the siblings were being looked at from that perspective that they can become something. Thus, my thinking to feel as बुदम was natural. I was not bothered about it and accepted it as part of my life.   बुदम ’ s siblings loved him and used to had pity without letting him know. बुदम ’ s Hemant Bhai (Big brother) always supported him and never questioned...

  SardarSohan Singh and his family had shifted to Chandigarh. Suddenly, I had lost two close friends. Loss of company of Goga hurt me because suddenly my daredevilry and my pranks had come to a standstill because one needs a partner in such escapades. Anyone who has read the adventure blog   will vouch for it. We didn’t need to read the books to plan our adventures but there’s no fun in them unless you have a partner if not many. Since Pali was elder to us and as I have said that he was different, he wasn’t our partner but his resourcefulness was important to our plans. He never questioned us why we needed what we asked him to get because he understood that the children have their needs and intrinsically they don’t like to discuss their projects or divulge the details to others who are not a party to their plans. That is because it entails a risk of a secret becoming an ‘open secret’ and parents have sharp ears and prying eyes. In addition to that, there are spies in the shape...

  A picnic at Kregnaino When I was in school, picnics were a part of routine activity. I am not sure if the present-day children know the meaning of this word, but to us, it used to bring an immense thrill. It was customary for the school administrations to take the children to picnics at least once a year. Come summer Shimla is full of tourists. The newly married couples start coming early on because they need more warmth and quiet to share, which Indian households are bereft of. I am talking of the warmth and not the heat and I pledge not to deviate from my focus during this story. With the onset of summer, besides these love birds also come the ‘love birds’ the tiny insects who are always seen making love even when flying, joined back to back, a position that can possibly be seen on Khajurao carvings but is impossible to achieve, was impossible to achieve until Yoga became an international sport or passion or fashion. You see, I can fit every word that has come to my mind li...