I was newly married and living abroad. One morning, I got a frantic call from my dad’s part-time maid. She said “Didi, there have been heavy rains and our neighbourhood flooded. Your dad has got a high fever. He is unable to get up from the bed and the whole house is filled with drain-water.” … Continue reading When My House Flooded #writebravely #WTFOW2018
My dad’s grandmother’s sister was a child widow. She got married when she was seven years old and became a widow at nine. She absolutely had no memory of her married life. She didn’t even have a photo of her husband. All her life she stayed as a leftover member of the family. Her brother’s … Continue reading Beyond Last Wish #WTFOW2018
“Our fate lives within us. You only have to be brave enough to see it.” Ruku uttered these words with a hint of arrogance and smugness in his voice. His cycle was punctured and we were standing in a deserted field. I was standing there shaking in fear, imagining all kinds of bad things that … Continue reading When He Smiled #WTFOW2018
The regular readers of my blog already know about Sikku. She was my mom’s foster daughter. My mom loved her more than she loved me. One day, my mom washed clothes and brought them out of the house to dry them. It was one of the rare sunny days in Gangtok and Ma found it … Continue reading The Clothesline and Sikku #WTFOW2018
Yasmeen’s maiden name was Sujata. After getting married to her Muslim driver she changed her name to Yasmeen and converted to Islam. Yasmeen or Sujata is my mother-in-law's neighbor. When she was around 19 years old her parents decided to get her married. She was a beautiful girl and ever since she was 14 years … Continue reading Yasmeen- The Hindu Wife #A-ZChallenge2018
Xavier Bivera was the quintessential handsome macho guy in college. He was the heartthrob of almost every girl and those girls who actually didn’t feel anything for him also started liking him out of peer pressure. He was tall, lean, and looked like a Roman God. He was a year senior to me. I used … Continue reading Xavier Bivera- The Fallen Rockstar #A-ZChallenge2018
Waheeda had twelve children. When I met her she was expecting the thirteenth. Her eldest daughter was 14 years old and Waheeda herself was 28 years. So she literally had one child every year since her fourteenth birthday. Waheeda literally begged me to appoint her as a part-time maid. I was honestly hesitant looking at … Continue reading Waheeda- The Poor and Smart Woman #A-ZChallenge2018
Vaswani Uncle loved playing with kids in the park. I always used to find him in the park swinging some child or helping some child get off the slide. He had a scooter and kids flocked around him for a free joyride. He used to indulge kids with chocolates and ice creams. My son was … Continue reading Vaswani Uncle- The Alleged Paedophile #A-ZChallenge2018
Tanushree Boudi was a true domestic goddess. She was extremely beautiful, good Rabindra sangeet singer, good dancer, amazing cook, her house was well organized, and her kids always stood first in class and won medals for extra-curricular activities, she was also an amazing artist whose alpona used to impress everyone. In one word Tanushree Boudi … Continue reading Tanushree Boudi- She Walked in Beauty #A-ZChallenge2018
