Hmmm...

Great Success or Big Failure Arun was in his mid-forties and for him being successful in his professional life was, what it was. He was always busy with his work and attending a lot of professional and personal development programs. At home or office, he would be always on working mode, either on his mobile or his laptop, sitting in the back seat of his car he would be working, never noticed the changes happening around him and in his own city, 16-18 hours working every day was normal to him. Hopping from one flight to other, from a city to other, he was happy.  His family had given up on him, he would come late night, heat his dinner which would be kept on the dining table and go back to sleep. Before his daughter wakes up, he would have left for the office or would be sleeping. The only interaction between them would be on Sunday when he would take his family to a temple and then for some meditation class. Harika, studying her engineering, always wanted to go to m...

Everyday Struggles! Mounting workload, an endless stream, Pressure building, like a relentless dream. Colleague's selfishness, a constant strife, In an office filled with unhealthy competition rife. Unreasonable targets, set to dismay, Bosses uncomprehending, no room for leeway. Meagre salary, barely enough to survive, As health starts to deteriorate, we strive. Bills keep piling, a growing weight, Unreasonable wants, desires we can't sate. Relationships strained, expectations high, Family misunderstandings, happiness denied. Traffic chaotic, a stressful race, Always rushing, always late, at a rapid pace. Avoiding accidents, battling road rage, The toll it takes, affecting health in every stage. Self-help books line the shelves, gathering dust, Gurus with theories, advice we can't adjust. Words of wisdom, difficult to implement, Maintaining an image, leaving health to lament. Deteriorating health, the ultimate cost, Amidst life's chaos, our well-being lost. But we mu...

Once upon a time, there lived a seven-year-old girl named Reya. She was a joyful and happy child, always immersed in her own colorful world. With her trusty set of colored pencils and papers, she would bring her vibrant imagination to life through her sketches. Reya's creativity knew no bounds, as she would even sew dresses for her beloved pet dog and her cherished dolls using her old clothes. Her inquisitive nature earned her the nickname "question bank" among her parents and grandparents. Every morning, Reya would wake up early to accompany her father on their daily walk, bombarding him with all sorts of questions, even though he wasn't allowed to answer any. Meanwhile, Sunil and Sunitha had been married for quite some time. Their lives had fallen into a monotonous routine of home-to-office commutes, leaving little time for socializing and enjoying life. Responsibilities and financial obligations consumed their days, leaving no room for outings with friends or parti...

Rita, is a known designer for Living Spaces. She was one of the most sought-out designers for most of the prestigious projects. Single, successful and popular, what else would anyone asks for!!! She was happy go lucky type, most of the time spending her time on new projects and with her staff to meet the deadline. Whenever she found time she used to visit Bhuvana, her close friend and classmate from NID. She used to spend most of her weekends at Bhuvana’s place… it was home for her.  Rita was alone, with parents no more and her sibling settled in Australia, she had few relative here and there. She had a lot of friends or shall she call them acquaintance, she used to party with them, hangout with them, but if looking for an emotional support she came over to Bhuvana…Both of them got married early in life just after their college. Bhuvana married her classmate and after a few years of working and giving birth to her daughter she decided that she will be more a helping hand ...

To My wife and My Best Friend, When we first met Twenty-four years ago, I never thought I would be writing this. As we stood in class front of all of those strangers, I never once believed we would find ourselves here. We’ve come a long way. When we first met, I thought you were different. I was right. Because despite the internal battle you fight on a daily basis, you still manage to be truly the best wife, mother and many other relationships I could have ever hoped for. Despite the challenges illness will no doubt bring to our future, I welcome them head on. So long as we can do it together. I was a foolish college boy with a tremendous crush. I was not properly equipped to handle the effects of illness, nor was I ready to deal with the perceived backlash I thought could only be my fault. I was ready to give in to whatever you wanted, even if those tendencies were reckless or self-destructive. When we met, I’d never been truly close to a person who suffered from fi...

In the realm of my mind, your presence invades, Causing sleepless nights with your piercing tirades. Your words, like daggers, strike with cruel might, Echoing in my thoughts, relentless through the night. Your outlook on life, a source of distress, Leaves me restless, yearning for solace and redress. While you slumber peacefully, free from my pain, I'm left tormented, trapped in a sleepless domain. The notion of error, haunting my dreams, Leaves me pondering, lost in endless streams. My emotions, crushed beneath the weight of your gaze, Spawn restless nights, a maze of disarray. Bound by duty and responsibility's call, I toss and turn, unable to find peace at all. You fail to comprehend the depths of my plight, Leaving me adrift, trapped in sleepless nights. Another day dawns, where I'm merely a machine, Caught in the cycle, where rest remains unseen.

In search of purpose, I often ponder, Life's questions, I can't help but wonder... I struggle to fathom my very existence, Yet, you see me through your own lens... The choices I made were with care, Though you interpreted them in despair... I wonder how I cause you pain, When it's you who's been hunting in vain... But still, I pray for your well-being, In nights of sleeplessness and tears streaming...

Dimmipur is a remote village in the state of Telangana. The population of 1000 villagers is distributed among 200 families within a few kilometer away from National Highway. If you miss a road transport bus which comes only once in the morning and returns back in the evening, then there is no way you can reach the nearest town. Thereafter you have to walk 12-15 kms to Highway and take lift from the passing lorries. Villagers were not even sure if the road transport bus would come or not… With no electricity, everyone preferred to stay indoors for fear of snakes and scorpions as it became dark. Most of the families were depended on agriculture and livestock. Children used to drop out of school after their primary education as they didn’t have a high school in the village. They may require to travel a long distance to reach to the nearest government high school. The closest one was about 8 kms away in another village where children from all the neighboring villages would c...

It was JP and Jaya’s first marriage anniversary and they had called few of their very close friends to a pub, it was a grand celebration and it went on to wee hours, JP has always been a social drinker but that day due to force of his friend and wife he had a couple of drinks more. When it was time to leave JP suggested let’s take a cab rather than driving, Jaya, mocked him and said, “down in couple of drinks?!!” JP said nothing of that kind; I thought “why trouble, with cops?” Saying that he sat in his car and Jaya came and sat next to him, He saw a packet in his rear seat and asked, we never had that packet in our car did you get anything, she said, no may be our friends would have kept that as a gift for you…it’s okay, let us go home and check. Both of them listing to some old Bollywood music and singing along were very happy; very close to their house a lorry was coming at a high speed from the opposites direction and headlights of the vehicle made JP bind, to avoid acci...

After a long summer break, I was travelling alone to join a new college and a hostel, the thought of it was giving me enough Goosebumps. The entire family had come to see me off at Secunderabad station. My younger brother was all happy that he will have our room all for himself and he gave me a piece of suggestion, “Enjoy!! Your hostel life, you can do whatever you want” after a pause, he said “You will have pretty girls also” and winked at me…I couldn’t react, I was tensed. He was two years younger than me but we had great relation and more like friends… My mother had a list of instructions for me and then the last one, again one more, then again a last one while my dad was keeping my luggage into the train. When the train was about to start, he asked me to go in and sit on my seat. I just wanted to go back home, I looked at my father, anticipating he would also say that!!! He gave me a warm hug and had only one thing to say, “It is bad world out there, be careful an...