(Image Credit: J Hardy Carroll) The stifling hot air was accompanied a stillness which sucked out any hopes of even a slender breeze. There was nary a mild movement that would make the Stars & Stripes to at least flutter.  "In sync with the times" reflected Obarck Barama from his office.  “When neighbours are walled … Continue reading RIP HEGEMONY

(Image Credit: Crispina Kemp) The pain knifed across the sole of his foot before coursing up the shin making Venky wince in undisguised agony.  He stifled a scream even though not a soul was to be found in his vicinity.  Rivulets of sweat streaming down his forehead, dripped into his eyes. The blurred vision triggered … Continue reading The Flat Foot

(Photo Credit: Pexels from Pixabay) The dreaded chair was out yet again. It was the third time this month. This disturbing frequency signaled a total collapse in the law and order situation in the county. While the appearance of the chair was by now a ritual that inhabitants were habituated to, they were not acclimatised to … Continue reading Kok Jeen’s Justice

(Photo Credit: Ted Strutz) He was 13 when his stepfather took him to the Opera for the first time.  In fact, he was more dragged than taken along with his mother. It may well have been for the good of humanity if he had stayed at home. Obsessed by the travails of Andrew Lloyd Webber's … Continue reading The Phantom

(Photo Credit: Crispina Kemp) The makeshift letter box attached to the fence-cum-gate leading to the house was in danger of collapse. Not that Venky was expecting anyone to write to him. The twin perils of a disruptive digital world and a self imposed existence in isolation combined to ensure that neither post office nor postman … Continue reading A Mendicant’s Biography

(PHOTO CREDIT: Rochelle Wisoff-Fields) "Airports rank second only to hospitals in kindling hopes and rekindling memories" wrote Venky. "Memories rooted in the head like giant pillars rooted to the sparkling floors. Hopes as capable of making hearts skip an involuntary beat as a turbulence is capable of taking stomachs out of passengers. The steady stream … Continue reading Soaring Memories,Starry Hopes

(Photo Credit: Lakshmi Bhat) The tree elicited in Venky a smile, as well as triggring a tinge of sorrow. This alternating paradox was courtesy the inimitable and mercurial Ash. Nature's own child, optimism's chosen daughter and the favourite offspring of positivity. "I am going to hold on to the beak like appendages and climb atop … Continue reading The Ash Thumb

(Photo Credit: Valerie J. Barrett) Venky read somewhere that the inspiration behind the dystopian epic, "1984" came to George Orwell only after the brilliant author had cloistered himself away from the scrutinising gaze of the world by renting a sparse cabin situated on an isolated stretch of  land. Venky, desirous of emulating his literary idol, … Continue reading The Orwellian Obsession

(Photo Credit: Susan Spaulding) People do not attempt glamping in an area where a bear is running loose. Rather, bears do not, or are not supposed to run around gleefully like happiness on steroids where glampers have set up their tents. By nature, averse to adventure, Venky preferred to spend time with his nose buried … Continue reading An Un’BEAR’able Experience