Hello, reader! This issue, let’s delve into secrets – secrets kept, shared, and revealed, secrets that confuse and secrets that clarify – through poetry, fiction and non-fiction.
Disha’s story is about the secrets one is forced to keep because societal expectations neither value nor tolerate their truth. One such truth drives a family apart before bringing them back together.
Mohankumar’s poem relates to the confession, many years later, of a CRPF constable who was involved in an encounter in Kerala in 1970 that resulted in the death of a Naxalite leader.
Asha’s poem highlights known and unknown secrets. While it reveals an open secret of yore that we are parts of a whole, it also speaks of the struggle of a secret, comparing it to a larva in a cocoon.
What is life really about? Why are we living it the way we are? Where does the curiosity to know things begin and what is limiting us? Aditi attempts to unravel the secret of life.
Life is inherently mysterious and for some specially called upon to be the bearer of its enigmas, the insightful secrets could be a gift whereas the dire ones could be a curse. Mandira Ghissing’s poem is a whimsical take on the extraordinary, almost heroic, effort required of us to carry this burden.
Lalitha Gouri’s poem speaks of love of a universal kind that is usually forgotten in the daily grind of life. This love remains hidden and unaware of its presence within us, we look for it outside of us. But there are moments when it is whispered to us and we realise its strength. When we do, what lay buried inside bursts free.
Nisha is dating a prospective marriage candidate set up by her parents. Social media shows a side to her beau that helps her reach a decision about the man she seems to have fallen in love with. Gargi’s story describes a young woman’s tenuous connection with societal norms of what relationships should be like.
Who doesn’t like reading or listening to a story well told? At Spark, we celebrate the short story this September. Read through our short and sweet edition this month for a fine selection of stories that capture people in varied situations and how they deal with what life throws at them. We hope you enjoy this issue!