In the confines of an AC coach, the narrator struggles to reconcile herself to sharing a few hours of her life with people who check none of the boxes in the list in her head that lays out what a well-ordered existence looks like. Renuka describes the journey.
Annapurna writes a poem about an old woman whose only desire is to eat fish. The poem traces the woman’s journey since childhood and speaks about how she wishes to end this mortal journey.
Richard Rose’s essay reflects on the joys of travelling to the seaside and contrasts experiences in the UK and India. It reports an amusing true incident when visiting a beach near Chennai in Tamil Nadu and suggests that such experiences are unique to India and part of the charm that rewards such a journey.
Ankita’s story is about someone who anticipated the journey of a lifetime but found that he was left behind. How did he make sense of it all? Where did he end up? Does the absence of an experience make us know it in a way that we wouldn’t have if we had had it?
Tabish’s poem is about the dual nature of journeys. One that takes place on the surface, and another that takes us to our own selves, and helps us understand the higher purpose of our lives. The poem highlights that even though death is inevitable, it is important to set a destination beyond it and make the journey of life a meaningful one.
Soumya Hegde writes a poem on the longing one feels for a lost love. An old woman still thinks of a man she had fallen in love with during a train journey years ago. No matter how short-lived, this first love haunts her even in her twilight years.
Vani talks about how thinking of individuals as being on their different journeys could help her deal with the chaos around her – and be a little kinder.
Mohankumar pens a poem about a long and difficult journey of exploration undertaken by a team of explorers, their joy of discovery at the end of it, and how this would provide the impetus for such worthwhile activities in the future.
As summer sets in, what memories or thoughts does it evoke? Our writers offer diverse, wonderful takes on summer in the forms of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. We hope the issue gives you some respite as the heat rises!