His life had changed in the four months, twenty-two days, seven hours and sixteen minutes since she had last seen the back of his head as he walked away, his gait proud, her eyes moist, his fists clenched, her head hurting, his shirt crumpled, her hair billowing, he hesitating, she hoping, he trying not to turn, she willing him to look back one final time, his mind swirling with the thought that he could never go back if he did not turn around right then as she took out her phone, dialed, and collapsed in a heap, lifeless.

The sun descends behind a swirl of cumulus clouds. Mosquitoes make their way towards me. Their evening nibble. Mud droplets bounce off my shoes. Onto my bare calves. I am irritated. The dogs bark. A staccato. Then an almighty din. I speak to them. Softly. I slow down, nudging them towards the pavement. He zips past. Between me and the dogs. A frenzy of bells and barking. I look up. Startled. Furious.

As with most things in life, water finds its level if we wait. Success follows failure and failure follows success just as surely as night follows day. As I learnt to accept myself and my own failings, the world around me slowly became more accepting of me too. As I…

The America-returned young man disembarked at the platform and surveyed the surroundings. The oppressive heat and dust stifled him. It was 1949. India was newly independent. And the young man had to repay the Government for funding his studies abroad. …

They tried every possible way to eliminate him. Exploding cigars. Infected scuba diving suits. Ballpoint pens with hypodermic syringes pre-loaded with poison. Mafia-style killing attempts. Poison pills. They failed each time. 638 times it is rumored. He was the man who refused to die on someone else’s terms. Because that…

It is said that no lady’s wardrobe can be considered complete without one of her creations. Even ninety-eight years after its launch, a bottle of her most famous fragrance is sold every 30 seconds. Coco Chanel did not only create fashion; she defined it forever. Born into abject poverty and…

It was 7.30 AM as I walked into the office that I had left a few years back. The security guard squinted at me suspiciously as he asked me what I wanted. I told him I worked there. He stared back at me and asked for my office ID. I…

In a world where man looked to a Supreme Being to explain what he did not understand, one person questioned everything. In a world that believed that happiness and relief from pain could only be obtained through sacrifices to the Gods, he probed deeper. …

It is Thursday evening, the end of the work week in the Arabian world. The almost entirely male audience is on its feet, craning their necks, as they try to catch a glimpse of the makeshift stage. The arena fills up with the sound of violins and cellos. But everyone’s…