A scene unfolds in the Delhi international airport on an unexpectedly hot winter afternoon, and different people see it differently. Shreya Ramachandran transmits the thoughts for us in her story.
Eminent Telugu author Nandula Suseela Devi discusses the many interesting trends that currently hold sway in Telugu literature. This has been translated from Telugu by Pushpa Achanta.
Nine-year-old Monu wants to collect fireflies in a jar, his father eggs him on, while his mother wonders when the child will learn to be serious and score better in his school exams. Nirupama Sudarsh tells us what eventually happens on that rainy evening.
A man is smitten by the charm that the beautiful sea exudes so much so that he proclaims that he wants to come back. But then, priorities change and the sea is left waiting. Ullas Marar pens a poem that captures the nature of this relationship and the despair of the sea.
Nandita and Ayushi are thick friends since childhood and nothing could ever come between them to disturb that bond. But do good things last forever? Gauri Trivedi’s short story reveals the answer.
THE LOUNGE | STORYBOARD | FILM FREAK A mother in denial, a ‘lover’ on an existential trial: Sanjoy Nag’s directorial debut discusses alternate sexuality in a way it isn’t usually discussed, says Yayaati Joshi in his monthly column, Film Freak.
THE LOUNGE | SLICE OF LIFE What does it mean to be an Indian living in a foreign country which, over a period of time, has also become your homeland? Jayshree Misra Tripathi talks about a tale that is close to her heart – of moments of life in an alien land and the Indians she meets there.
Dear Reader,
This month’s issue is a different approach to our monthly themes. We have gone ahead and interpreted a picture (the cover image) and come up with a series of fiction and poetry and a special feature on marathon runners for you this month. In addition, our non-fiction specialty segment The Lounge explores books, movies, spirituality and the slice of life sections. We hope you enjoy this short and sweet issue which also happens to be the last one of this year. This means that when we see you next month, we will have Spark’s third anniversary issue ready! And needless to say, we are super excited! We wish you a very happy new year and hope to entertain you even more through Spark in the coming year. Click here to access the December 2012 issue on the ereader, ISSUU.
It’s highly likely you have, in the recent past, come across a lone person on the road running, earphones on, pushing themselves forward with determination. Running is fast picking up in India, and many are signing up to run in various categories that are being held regularly across various Indian cities – and some venture abroad too. Many runners also choose to tie their runs to a cause they are passionate about. Vani Viswanathan gets talking to three such runners: Ram Viswanathan, founder-president of Chennai Runners, Ajay Gupta of Team Asha, and Jessu John, who, within seven months of starting to run long distance, is getting ready to run her first half marathon and raise funds for a charity through it. Spark is delighted to support them in their cause – please see the end of the article for the fundraising links of the three runners.