Sourav Pattanayak’s Blackie is a story borne out of our fascination with the colour of our skin, and the roles it plays in our lives – the obvious and otherwise.
Prateek’s story is about a bitter, resentful actor who recounts the events that led up to his arrest. Devoid of regret or remorse, he shrugs off blame and maintains innocence, tries to convince the police that he is just like the hero he plays in his films. But all that may matter for him at the end of the day is capturing headlines, because any publicity is good for the business.
This August, bask in the warm glow of friendship with Spark’s latest issue! Featuring poetry, fiction and non-fiction, the issue covers friendships of many kinds: the childhood ones, the ones that pull us through tough times, or that we struggle to define.
Shwetha’s poem depicts an innocent friendship between two children that eventually goes awry due to the socioeconomic cynicism exhibited by a group of adults.
How does one define the space between friendship and love? In this story by Meera Raja, Vidya wonders what it might be like to cross this space and imagine a new life for herself.
Chandramohan Nair recollects his two years at a French-medium school in Brussels when his struggles of coping with a new culture and language were greatly eased by some wonderfully supportive classmates.
Bhuvana Sri’s poem is about those true friends who are always there for you in the darkest of times, and the joy of realising that you are not alone.
What does it mean to enter a house as a pet kitten and break into the circle of friendship forged by four older cats living there? Anupama Krishnakumar’s story tells you more.
Nighat teaches the story’s narrator how to make tea, and friendship blossoms, with tea at the centre of it all – until they meet again, seventeen years later. Vani tells the story.