Presenting to you the Spark May 2015 issue, “As you like it!” Read on for a smorgasbord of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and remotely enjoy the season of festivities in Kerala through splendid photography. We hope there’s something for you to enjoy Spark as you like it!
It is the season of festivals across the temple-towns of Kerala. Hari Krishnan’s photographs reflect the splendour of the festivities, the colours and rituals.
Vinita Agrawal writes a poem in memory of Suzette Jordon who was raped by 14 men in a moving car and fought bravely against her rapists in court, and succumbed to disease later.
A young woman goes through a desolate phase at a kid’s birthday party. One little boy decides to turn things around for her, though. Vani Viswanathan tells the story.
A photograph becomes the subject of a conversation between two men over breakfast. Anupama Krishnakumar writes a story of two people whose lives revolve intensely around art.
M. Mohankumar writes a poem on the thoughts and emotions that a beautiful cherry tree in the backyard evokes.
Free speech in India is increasingly becoming difficult, with so much discontent and oppression surrounding writers’ words and content on the media and the Internet. Harman Mavi expresses the Indian censor’s attitude in verse.
Lavanya Pathmanaban traces the journey of her love affair with coffee – from her kitchen, to Chennai’s cafés, all the way to Sydney! Read this hilarious account of a south Indian trying to deal with coffee in another part of the world.
Parenting is no easy task and at every stage of the child’s life, the job only gets harder, says Parth Pandya in his poem.