it was soft and cool against his fingers. he stroked the fabric feeling its smoothness, its supple texture. the yarn had a natural golden sheen, a deep innate gold that didn’t need to flaunt itself or glitter too obviously. it was rich and comfortable with its beauty. asr held a fistful of mooga and then slowly let it go… watching it fall. “can you make it as light as chiffon, weave a fine transparency in? what do you think, salman?”…
“kk! you look dazed… are you hungry?” salman asked khushi from the front seat of the ambassador car taking them toward margharita tea estate where they would be staying at the guest house. salman’s parents were at a garden nearby, he had wanted to make sure his boss stayed at the best place around here. salman had grown up in assam. he loved the place, in fact, he was almost proud of it… it’s natural beauty, the richness of the…
the pooris were heaped high on the stainless steel plate, white, fluffy and still steaming. in a bowl next to them, the potato curry looked delicious, a bright green chilli sat right on top, khushi noticed it was shining. like his eyes, she thought. she swallowed hard and tried to fight her tears. “c’mon, guys, dig in,” salman said with gusto as he swooped down on his makki ki roti and tore a piece grinning at kareena and khushi. kareena…
he had just slipped the narrow end of his charcoal grey silk tie into the loop of the single knot when he felt her ram into him from behind. he inhaled sharply, the knot came undone. but before he could react, her arms had come up over his chest and she was holding him tight at the shoulders, pulling him close… he could feel her bury her face against his fine cashmere waistcoat. “hey!” asr shouted, “watch out! what’re you…
INDEX the alarm was strident and it wouldn’t stop. he reached out in his sleep, eyes still tightly shut, searching for his phone. where was that phone dammit! his fingers touched something soft. what was that?! he stretched farther. he felt a contour, sharp and straight… it was someone’s nose. asr’s eyes opened instantly and he sat up with a start. what the! who was in his bed… with him!! furrows rushed to his forehead knowing exactly where to…
INDEX “chhotey, where are you and khushi? hariprakash ji said you aren’t at home!” anjali was sounding worried. asr swung the suv into the driveway of shantivan. “di..” he began to answer… “kya?!” anjali practically shrieked at the other end. khushi, who was sitting in the passenger seat looking dreamily out of the window, jumped and turned toward asr, eyes very wide. “di!” she whispered. “om prakash ji says you haven’t even slept in your bed!!! chhotey… tum kahan…
INDEX “how… could… you… even… think.. you could get away from me, dammit?” asr asked khushi in a voice roughened by need, rasping for it tries to hide hurt. the call to the guptas had been made. now he wanted to get back to doing something about that bright alive feeling he was assailed by after two nights practically of no sleep. he had paused between the words to kiss her on her eyes, cheeks, forehead… khushi’s eyes were…
then even nothingness was not, nor existence, there was no air then, nor the heavens beyond it. what covered it? where was it? in whose keeping was there then cosmic water, in depths unfathomed? ~~~ nasadiya sukta, rig veda~~~ he stood outside the room, unable to look in through the glass panel set in the door frame. blue door, white walls, a skirting of pale grey oil paint along the wall almost three feet high. an eerie silence all around.…
INDEX they glowed orange refulgent shiny, heaped almost a foot high on a large bell metal platter, next to that another sumptuous mound sat on a stainless steel plate, the largest in bua ji’s kitchen… there were a couple more formations of bright, crunchy, crisp, hot, freshly dunked in clear sugar syrup jalebis in other containers on the platform next to the stove. however, the mistress of jalebi making seemed not quite done, she had a large basin of…
INDEX Chapter 26 Red.. Not crimson like jiji’s.. Not maroon like mamiji’s.. Red like devi maiyyas chunari.. Like the richness of rubies glittering under a blazing sun.. Like that very same sun when it starts to set after a scorching day.. Carmine like blood that flows in our veins.. throbbing of life.. Like the color of sindoor that was heaped onto the silver plate by her side.. Khushi Kumari Gupta saw her lehenga in the mirror. The golden threads, beads,…