Em's Twisting Kaleidoscope

I went for my first swimming lesson today after a long time; and by a long time, I mean almost ten years. It's not that I am completely unaware of how to wade through water, but let's just say I'd rather be doing it only in situations when I'm forced to save my life. That is my experience with swimming. I do it in rare situations so as to not die. Anyway, I stood at the edge of the pool, too scared to get in. I mean, it was 12 feet deep. I don't mind dying but I'd rather not die with water flooding inside me. My instructor told me to get in. A strict as she was, I went down the steps. After a while she asked me to show her what I know. I stared at her. What if I drown? She told me to try so she could at least she what she had to teach. Grudgingly, I complied. After years, I swam with all I had towards the nearest support, after which I looked nothing less thana person who had just faced death. My eyes wide open, I looked at her accusingly. My instructo...

I've had a fascination with this red dress for a long time. Well, i got the dress when I was a teenager but other than one odd party, I never wore it. I don't know why, but I just kept the dress. It was a bright dress, strappy with a deep neck but a knee length skirt. Movie material, right? When I started dating.. dating.. hm, yeah.. i guess, well, when i got into my first (and only) relationship, I just never had  a chance to wear it. When we initially started going out, I wasn't really asked out. So, there was never a first date, you know. We went from being classmates, to partners, to friends, to best friends to something completely different. And by then we practically already did everything together. So what was a date and what wasn't couldn't be told apart, y'know? Even now, it's not like we pick out what's a romantic date and what isn't. So afterwards, I thought one day really special, I'm going to wear it and feel like a fucking prin...

The night the announcement of banning higher denomination currency notes in India was made, there was a sudden frenzy. My phone was exploding. Everybody was glued to the live news of the announcement. People were worried about how they were going to survive. I was worried about how the poor were going to survive.  My mom suggested we go have a coffee. And so we did. We drove through relatively empty streets as it was late at night to come to a relatively bustling cafe on Carter Road in Mumbai's Bandra surburb.  As we sat down to order, we heard a worried voice talking in an agitated voice over the phone, "Buy shares. I don't know. Put it in the Swiss account." We couldn't decipher anymore as he moved away, but one thing was clear. People were figuring out ways to clear their hoarded cash. ATMs were jampacked with people trying to withdraw an amount of 400 so as to get notes of 100. The next day, every petrol station had a queue of about 250m outside ...

Dear Eman, I meant to write this to you a week or so ago but could not find the time or rather was little too lazy. However, I feel it is imperative I write this letter to you today. I first wish to remind you...tell you... well, i hope, that whenever you read this letter you read it with the same openness of heart that you have in you today.  I'll start with the hope that the world hasn't robbed you of your optimism and happiness.  What prompted me to write this letter was when I recently saw you smile at strangers and wish airport employees and hawkers Happy Diwali. These gestures made me realise you're still preserved from the toxins of the world where people forget to aplogise for ramming into each other and well Trump has won the election, etc etc But then I figured what if you change? You know you'll grow up and get busy and then what? So here goes. Eman. Please. Never be so caught up in work to forget to smile at someone around you. Never be...