The Writer's Platform

    I studied in an all-girls Indian Embassy school where almost all Indian nationals go. India is a very diverse country , having twenty-nine states and different cultures. The people in my classes used to be from different states and there were very few people who came from a similar city like me.   Such differences between my classmates did not divide us, instead we were all one. One of the friendships that I loved and envied at the same time was the one that existed between my elder sister and her friends. Apart from her , the other girls were from Hyderabad and Kerala. There was such an effortless bond between each member and all of their energies matched with each other. They were really good and I am rather glad she is still in touch with them. School was great and enjoyable. I find it extremely embarrassing to admit it but I was not exactly intimidated by others as I am now. The bombastic , younger version of mine was rather loud , over-reactive and the interf...

  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...

  I had shifted from the Middle East to my home country, India, during the year 2017. Since my eldest sister needed to pursue her higher studies, India seemed like the best option to start. As the “obedient “kids that we were, I don’t ever recall throwing a tantrum or even whining about shifting from the place that we called home for 12 long years. Neither did my sisters. We were focused on our last school year, determined to make the best out of it without any regrets. When the time came to leave; a 6-hour flight, happy relatives greeting us, entering the new apartment and then entering the new school greeted us.  I kind of wanted to be home-schooled than enter a new school with new teachers with kids of an entirely different set-up compared to mine. I genuinely detest writing about that particular phase since I had to let go a lot of things I held dear. The emotions that come after leaving something dear to you didn’t catch up with me, rather I wouldn’t allow myself a brief ...