Looking Out

[Yesterday was the International Day of Non-violence. 
To commemorate the day, here is a reminder that the only purpose violence serves is none at all.

This is a work of fiction.]

The Impetuousness of Youth. The Belief that Violence could Right a Wrong. I Picked up a Gun. Shot down Innocents in a Random Act of Violence. Witnesses Swore I was Elsewhere. The Law could pin Nothing on Me. I am Free. Free to Do Whatever I Choose.
She will Not Leave Me. Her Eyes Follow me Everywhere. Pleading with Me to Save her Child. Burning in Anger after I Gunned Him Down. From Her, there is No Escape.
She is my Jailer. I am Stuck in a Prison Cell of my own Making. Forever Looking Out. Forever Hoping for Redemption.

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A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

In October 2010, the Burrow is presenting a collection of drabbles inspired by the colours of the Spectrum. Read this Orange/ Red drabble and many, many more  exclusively at the Burrow.

Some Questions

"As soon as we lose the moral basis, we cease to be religious. There is no such thing as religion over-riding morality. Man, for instance, cannot be untruthful, cruel or incontinent and claim to have God on his side."

~Mahatma Gandhi

On the Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, it is worth pondering on a few questions-
Can a terrorist ever know the religion of his victim?
Is it possible to worship in a temple built on the foundation of bloodshed?
Will burning a religious book bring back the people who died in a terrorist attack?
Does any religion condone the killing of innocents?
Can an entire community be blamed for the sins of a few?
Has violence ever achieved anything, except inflicting harm?
Is it so very difficult to live together as one?

Let there be Peace. Let there be Love.



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A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

Photograph by Margaret Bourke-White  

I'm Literacy Builder Award

This week, I received a wonderful Award from two wonderful bloggers. If you asked me to pick one Award over all others, I would pick the Literacy Builder Award- literacy and education are two related issues that are very close to my heart, and if I had to choose one cause to dedicate my life to, it would be Literacy. Naturally, I feel privileged to be given this Award.

What makes receiving the Award even more wonderful is the fact that it was passed onto me by two ladies I am privileged to know and call my friends. Jan Morrison and Margot Kinberg are both knowledgeable people, talented writers, and great bloggers. But what makes they both so wonderful is that they are both wonderful human beings. Thank you Jan and Margot- you don't know how much it means for me to get the Award from you.

The rules for the Award are simple -

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.
2. Display the award logo on your blog site.
3. Tell us five of your favorite words and why you like them.
4. Pass the award on to three bloggers you feel are excellent literacy builders, and link to their sites.
5. Contact the bloggers you’ve chosen and let them know about the award.

It was really difficult to narrow down my list of favourite words to just five, but I managed ultimately-

Serendipity- I fell in love with the sound of the word- isn't there something intrinsically appealing about the sway of the waveforms as the word enters the airwaves- but over the years, it has come to become the leitmotif of my life. My life seems to be a necklace of serendipitous beads, and I am richer for it.

Inertia- often used with negative connotations to describe someone lazy or obdurate, I prefer to stick to the meaning vested on it by Newton. Of inner courage and strength of character, of courage of conviction, of not being swayed by empty arguments. Of a person continuing on a pre-destined path unless convinced to move from it by a convincing reason.

Juggernaut- there is nothing appealing about a destructive force that crushes everything that comes in its way, which is precisely why I like the word. Jagannath is a Hindu God, who's idol is taken out of the temple in an annual procession. Vast crowds take up to witness the procession, and legend has it that the chariot bearing the idol crushed all the people who came in its path. From the Divine to the destructive- would anyone but a word even attempt such a journey?

Universe- a word that embraces all that was, all that is, and all that would ever be. Everything we know is contained within the Universe. It is so vast, the human mind cannot even start to comprehend the vastness. And yet, each of us is an intrinsic part of the Universe, and are as vast as the Universe itself.

Mamma- when this word is uttered in a crowded place, dozens of heads will swivel to locate the source. Uttered in affection, in command, in exasperation, in pleading- it is the most beautiful word invented.

Nobody does more for the cause of Literacy than a Teacher, and I am passing on this Award to five* outstanding teachers  - 

Chary @ Bronx Tales & Inner Musings 

Jemi @ Just Jemi
Shannon @ Book Dreaming
Stephanie @ Hatshepsut: The Writing of a Novel
Theresa @ Substitute Teacher's Saga

I know some of you may not like passing on Awards, but do pass this Award on. We cannot do enough to create Awareness about the need for Literacy/ Education, and this is just one more way of doing so.

* yes, I know it should have been three, but all rules are meant to be bent a bit

Victims of Silence

A couple of days back, Tabitha Bird wrote this post - This is Why I Write. I cannot even start to comprehend what she had gone through in her life, and it must have taken her enormous courage to put her story up on a public forum. I want you to read what she wrote- reading it will only take a few minutes, but it is unlikely ever to leave you.

And on the same note, here is something I witnessed a few months back, and which I have put down in words only today. Silence is not always the option. Sometimes, we have to speak up, sometimes we have to interfere.

Rush hour. One woman decided another had invaded her personal space. She picked up an argument.
"How dare you kick me?"
"I didn't. You stepped on my toes, I pushed your feet away."
People watched, fascinated.


"God will punish you."
"If your god has nothing better to do, let him."
"How dare you!" 


Her station arrived. She slapped the other woman on the face, and got off.


Helpless, the other woman burst into tears. Everyone rushed to comfort her. Told her they were on her side.


She cried even more. Not for herself but for the other victims of silence.
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And I do know that for a fact, because that woman was Me.

A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

Banning gets you nowhere

[I tried writing a post for Banned Books Week, but found I had nothing to say that hadn't already been said by dozens of people. 
Hence, this drabble that says it all, without saying anything.]


"Anita has a ponytail so she is a girl."
"No Teacher, you are wrong. Anita is a girl because she doesn't have a [soosoo]*. And because she is a girl, she has a ponytail." Not yet four, my son held his guns.

"You really shouldn't teach your son all this stuff", the teacher told me. "He's too young for it."
"I can't lie if he asks me a direct question."
"But it is wrong."
"It is factually accurate. And he is too young to give it any of the connotations we give it."

Evasion gets you nowhere, neither does banning.

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* insert own word for the organ here
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A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

And just in case there is still any ambiguity in where I stand on the issue, I firmly believe that nobody has the right to dictate what anyone else reads. A book can come with a warning/ rating, but ultimately it is upto the person to decide whether they want to read a book or not.

Why Bother?

December 1989. Ayodhya, India.
Hindu fundamentalists, armed only with pickaxes and brute strength, brought down the triple domes of the Babri Masjid. A mosque where prayers hadn't been said for decades. A mosque allegedly built at the precise spot where Lord Rama was born,  though there is no evidence he even existed. Weeks of communal frenzy, fueled by Fundamentalists seeking political gains.

Twenty-one years later.
The politicians have held high office and retired. The nation has moved on and forgotten.
The court is finally giving its verdict. Violence is expected. Why bother, when the guilty aren't going to be punished?
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A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

And because I need a bit of cheering up after a couple of weeks of news that has left me feeling angry and helpless, I am passing on a fun Award I received from Leigh today- the "Strangely Irresistable" Award (a.k.a. the Yo Gabba Gabba Award). Now, Leigh is a person with whom I felt this strange connect the moment I met her (maybe something to do with the fact that we were born on the same day, in different parts of the globe), and in the three months I have known her, I have only grown to love her more. You have only to check out her blog, That's Write, to know why.
I am passing this Award to three people who I think are Strangely Irresistible (not so strangely, actually- they are irresistible, because they are so great) -
Kitty Howard @ The Block
Pamela Jo @ There's Just Life
Holly Ruggiero @ Scribbles and Splashes

Ladies, if I know Leigh, she would have jinxed the Award so it implodes if hoarded for too long. I implore you to pass it onto three (or more) simply irresistible people as soon as you can.

Piece of Cake

The other day, someone was talking about a friend who made the most amazing baked desserts ever. While she was getting orgasmic about the brownies and the white-forest cake, I nearly mentioned someone I knew who was an equally good baker. Luckily, I caught myself just in time, because strictly speaking I don't know the person. She is a character from Hart Johnson's WiP, but I do know her better than several people I am friends with on Facebook.
"The secret to a compelling character is that they live on after you finish reading the book", someone said. I agree.
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A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.