Come February and the ‘romance’ fever kind of grips us too! This month’s issue celebrates and explores different perspectives of romance through stories, poems and personal essays, each one of them distinct and unique in their own way. We also have three pieces up in The Lounge that add variety to this edition. We hope you like this issue that celebrates the mood of the season! Enjoy!
Sudha Ratnam shares her experience of growing up with films and what it was like to be among parents, aunts, uncles and cousins whose hearts melted over their favourite actors and actresses.
Could there be questions on love? Well, why not? Anupama Krishnakumar’s piece captures some.
When all is well in love and suddenly, things take a different turn, a young bride is left waiting. M. Mohankumar pens a poem.
There’s a certain romance to being an aunt to your sister’s children. Vani Viswanathan wonders if she can bring some practicality into this romance and pick a favourite.
Saikat Das’ poem is an intimate monologue of a husband who tries to win back his estranged wife and discovers the love that still flows underneath the rocky texture of their mutual distrust. It is an invitation to rediscover the world of romance that lay buried in the power play of conjugal discourse.
Sajid and Kaveh give in to the guiles of the world but after all the vicissitudes, Ram Govardhan’s story explores whether true love prevails or not.
Shreya Ramachandran writes a poem that attempts to capture the difference between life as it is and life as you sometimes wish it were. It explores the tension between trying to be fine and experiencing a tiny regret that comes with feeling an absence.
Two words don’t go down too well with Vibha. ‘Good news’. Parth Pandya’s story dwells on Vibha’s connection with these words, exploring romance from a couple’s point of view.