The Writer's Platform

The Recap The year started off busy and is ending again on a busy note. With University fulfillments and family functions to attend to, it had become increasingly difficult to take some time off to write regular blog posts. Add to it the fact that I am the sole person who manages this blog. Whilst exams and tardy lessons took most of the time, skill building and household chores were also part of the mix. Nonetheless, getting four-five blog posts out each month like last year could not become the scenario this year despite my wish to be consistent. But the worst part wasn't the exams or the chores. It was the rainy season this year that chose to be volatile and guarantee sickness to everybody in my community. I had just recovered from a bout of illness at the end of July, only to fall sick twice in the month of September…in the middle of semester-end exams. I did not mind that either. But the fact that, no matter how badly I am sick and in need of the doctor’s attention, the rain a...

  We all love a good twist in the show. We appreciate a generous surprise that starts pumping the adrenaline to us. I have only recently discovered the joy of reading thrillers that are realistic to the core. It all started when I was reading this comic that had a bizarre title with an evenly disturbing art of a blonde woman boasting a bloody knife. While the story typically starts with a cliché and a supposed ‘love at first sight’, it slowly starts to descend into its psychological aspect the moment we delve into the male lead’s problematic backstory. His story starts a chain of depressing backstories which heavily imply that a certain blondie was toying with the male lead from the moment they met. I was introduced to the concept of psychopathy at the start of a comic called, 'It's Mine' with more or less the same backdrop. It had a different twist to it and started with the male lead being a dangerous stalker to a girl with whom he has a mysterious and disturbing connecti...

    We left at dawn and reached at 9 am, as a light shower greeted us. My head, the entire ride, was partially occupied by a murder-mystery called Purple Hyacinth which I had started reading the day before. The plot was immaculate, there was no fantasy to it which is why it felt even more realistic and the characters are very engaging. Also, there was this one passenger on the train with us who was grinning to himself, eyes glazed over. When he was casually scoping his surroundings he still had that goofy grin on and his eyes were unfocused. All the while, I was hoping I would see a sign that he has air-pods or earphones on because he was looking like a straight-up criminal (no offense, by the way because I look like one too whenever I am spaced out. Heck, I look possessed) he was wearing them so weirdly I couldn’t even tell but at least I won’t think badly about him.   The first day was only for sleeping because a certain member of my beloved family spent the entire ...

    Every good story evokes some emotions in the reader. A sad and tragic tale makes the reader cry while a happy and cheerful one makes the reader joyous and fulfilled. Authors are indeed super humans with their pens. How a trail of ink could trace the letters and words that could move a cold human heart. It takes effort to weave a tale that has interwoven strands of tragedy, happiness and comedy. Everyone loves to have a good and hearty laugh. Some people also look for tragic tales to have a good cry. Some absolutely adore a good piece of drama (I personally love drama but not in real-life). The essence of a good book lies in how much they were able to touch the reader’s emotions, how much the characters resonated with the readers. After all, all books are the results of the inspiration authors had while looking at people in real-life. Also, readers like to humorously quote that authors love killing off their characters and have a cup of tea with the devil right after wo...

  An anecdote on why cats are never going to be allowed in my household Everyone has pets. Everybody loves the warm embrace of their animals. Even before the advent of the pandemic, the idea of having a little animal pal has endeared millions of people around the world. Cats, dogs, fishes, birds, snakes…lizards? Rats?? Lion cubs? What next…Komodo Dragons?!I am joking, of course. Some people love embracing animals out of love towards nature and some relish the idea of having a furry companion for emotional support. It is a form of peace, entertainment and support in the form of a faithful animal. My family had kept chicks and fishes. But the idea of having a cat as a pet was always shot down by both of my parents. It wasn’t the issue of hair fall or the care, rather, yours truly has a severe allergy to both fur and feather. My cousins had even kept rabbits through red and watery eyes but my family…not a chance. I like animals. But with no opportunity to physically connect with...

      There’s nothing more relaxing than sitting in the car, rocking pleasantly with the car, feeling the fresh breeze from the open windows as trees zip back into a green blur and the sun peeking from behind those giant tree tops. I adore the peace and quiet of the ride, choosing to listen to the swishing winds than songs that matched the vibe. The rhythmic rocking, the pleasant winds and the noise of the car fills me with peace.  I am the type of passenger to silently gaze at the passing by trees, cars, windmills and road signs. I like the sight of the soft blue sky, tinged with yellows and oranges. Road trips are calming and a chance for us to unwind and exit the monotony of our everyday lives. I had been on multiple trips to Hyderabad and I always fall victim to the beauty of those outstretched fields of green. It is a relief to see such varying shades of green after staring at our screens. We always start our trips before the break of dawn so it is alway...

  I love food. I believe that it is an extremely underrated blessing. Sometimes, even the most seemingly simple dish will overwhelm you with its delicious simplicity. For example, my mother had once made dal and mutton keema and let me tell you: I almost had tears in my eyes. It was peak deliciousness and I had never been so satisfied. My parents (most importantly, my esteemed father) used to always emphasize the importance of food and how blessed we are to get three, wholesome meals every day. If ever any of us kids were faced with a dish we weren’t impressed with…we still ate it anyway. I am not especially fond of organ meats yet every year it is cooked with the most appetizing way on every Eid. And if you think I snoop around the kitchen for a second option whenever it is cooked, you are absolutely wrong.  Under my father’s gaze, I eat it without a complaint. Funnily enough, all three of us (that is, me and my two sisters) do not agree with eating coconuts. It is different ...

  When the first day of camp started, the kids were seemingly excited in the presence of such a well-furnished playroom. On the other hand, I was this close to calling it quits at the sight of the kids themselves. Now all the readers might be wondering why I was scared of such puny humans (some may even poke fun at me). The reason was simple; I was not sure how to build my image as a teacher in front of them. I was extremely aware of the fact that I have zero crowd-control and non-existent fluency in delivering a lecture as long as fifteen minutes.  I didn’t even know how I was going to introduce myself. Internally screaming, I make my way to the make-shift stage, and blurt out my introduction. As I spoke, I remembered that many people have had difficulty in pronouncing my name. The ‘Y’ would often be confused with an ‘L’. So, as a half-baked attempt, I made them repeat my name twice. And my eyes might have deceived me but they looked a little bit more animated and eager. I wa...

  After the grueling two years of college ended, my schedule was left wide open. My parents made me take up as an English tutor in a summer camp organized by my mother’s colleague. I wasn’t entirely against the idea but I was feeling rather unwilling to be up for the job since I am not good with kids. I have the least amount of tolerance when it comes to kids and I have no idea why. I don’t seem to have the hyperactive energy required to bond with children or the crackhead energy either. As a child myself, I did not have kids my age as playmates after school. It was always my youngest sister with whom I played. She used to be rather clingy and wanted to do everything that I did (I know it’s natural for a small child to be like that and I’m not complaining). I was initially skeptic about it but in the end my parents told me that it will be a kind of personality training for me.   My ears perked up at the words “personality-training”. I have a satirical, impatient and a...

Mid-February had the outgoing second-years scrambling to finish their record books and cramming in experiments for the up-coming practicals. Students who did not yet feel confident enough to perform the experiments spent the days holed up in the labs, tinkering around with the instruments and chemicals. The other students whose records weren’t complete would sit in the classrooms, on the floor, Indian-style (since the building was new and not ready yet for the benches) while being supervised by a lecturer. These records were completed under constant laughter, gossip, scandals and general banter. Upon one of those days, we were again welcomed by a disastrous fit of insubordination. For the new readers, I have a group of eight people, four of whom were introduced in the previous post. This narrative will now include the other three members. Misaki, Sora and Fumi. Misaki is the quietest yet outrageously vocal girl in our group. She is a girl of fewer words and rarely talks about her real ...