ghost town: call to rise

as i walk on through the truncated rendezvous and eyes of lies flickering through pages of stories that live and die inside a mortuary of pain, love, grief, ache and tears hardened by the apathy of world; sliding doors of years succumbing to the reality; the rule of the land burying righteousness with heaps of […]

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28.1.2025

Soumyata: A Sight Most Dear; Even Dearer When Sight is Denied. Here is an open letter to you. With marriage—just as Shivaa in the USA, a didi in Edinburgh, and an Aunty on Talkatora Road once told me—things change yet remain the same. Marriage brings unspoken shifts. We sit together in silence, yet it feels […]

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dilli and us

Hold a handful of sand—your inescapable fate. Redemption dangles like a carrot on a stick—Always within sight, yet forever out of reach. Delhi, the heart of India, is a city layered with centuries of history. It has borne witness to the rise and fall of empires, each leaving its mark on its culture, architecture, and […]

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bob dylan’s tarantula

something that has never been said before; rhyme “at-his-prime” with state-crime sell your soul away for a dime. be ruthless, conniving and vengeful, In this world consider me a revolving door: Push and pull. Hate. Use ChatGPT to come up with an elaborate plan to kill. Drink methyl alcohol, have fits and say fuck it. […]

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Dear Right-Wing Voter

Every thought or word crossing my mind recently often reflects an effort to bridge the gap between what our society is and what it ought to be. I have tried dialogue: the proverbial crossing to the other side to find a common ground and try to find out the reason as to why the right […]

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11 years of decay

Mr. Kapil Sabil, a stalwart, renowned Supreme Court lawyer and Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, recently stated that India’s democratic fabric is upheld by five pillars: a transparent Election Commission, a free and fair press, politicians prioritising public interest, an impartial judiciary, and efficient bureaucrats. Each of these institutions ensures that democracy remains functional and […]

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social imprint no more

Today, I deleted my social imprints of 15 years of Facebook, 17 years of Twitter and 10 years of Instagram. In recent years, social media has become an integral part of our lives, shaping how we connect, communicate, and consume information. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have brought people closer, facilitated global conversations, and […]

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FoE: back at last; 30.6.2024

The people’s verdict on who they want to lead the country was delivered on June 4, 2024. As I pen this on June 30, 2024, the Prime Minister has conspicuously disregarded the public’s desire for change (his face losing the electoral mandate for his party) and took the oath of office for the third time […]

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a week after lok sabha 2024

More than a week has passed, yet the populace remains incredulous, their disbelief palpable as they observe their Country pre and post election results. The entire nation, even factions of the opposition, with the exception of a few diligent grassroots psephologists, finds itself engulfed in profound shock. This astonishment is multifaceted: not only were the […]

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religion, age, gender & geo-politics

As conveyed by the prolific writer and infamous whisky connoisseur, the late Mr. Christopher Hitchens, “Religion is poison because it asks us to surrender the most precious faculty, which is reason. It then demands respect for this surrender, which it calls faith.” The geopolitics of the last century have been defined not only by geography […]

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Appeal: 21.5.2024

Are you happy with what we have become? This is the question I ask you. It is not a question I want you to answer right now. I want you to answer it after 10 minutes of silence: In a state of deep thought at a place away from others. Without lying to yourself. Ask […]

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dystopian manifesto: 20.5.2024

The two major National parties of our Country rolled out their manifestos last week. “Manifesto” is a document summarizing the key promises, ideas, opinions, views or plan of action of a political party to the people. The parties create a document that summarizes their key promises, ideas, opinions, views or plan of action to the […]

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opium of the masses; for the masses

I write this with a heavy heart. A thick haze of despair and hatred now envelops the world, seeping deeply into our nation’s ethos. This is the same country that once stood resilient during historical waves of religious fundamentalism, weathering invasions while preserving its cultural fabric and absorbing diverse influences into an ever-vibrant flow. As […]

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humans in a red society

It is a facade; thrown head first into a story with no context A mirage. The conflicted test to upset the existing hierarchy and bigotry At last: the concept to understand humanness and the value it holds  But the tolls it takes to achieve till the last breath the hunger and satiety  That never rests. […]

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A Post Post-Truth World

“Post-truth” is a term that refers to the widespread documentation of, and concern about, disputes over public truth claims in the 21st century. Oxford Dictionaries popularly defines it as “relating to and denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” While the term […]

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silence

One of the most traumatising, melancholic & yet at the same time, enlightening experience in a doctor’s life is the rounds/posting done in the psychiatry ward. This was written just after my last day of posting in Gurgaon district hospital in 2018: Silence. No words form ink at the brink of end Words falter; dreaming […]

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the kings

Times we enter in the middle expecting the prose that was written before this; We continue searching for the missing parts before the beginning and after the end Long after the words were read; long after the curtain was drawn. The search in the words and within us goes on; Sometimes while we live; sometimes […]

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Finally, your/my terms

I saw you. You had uploaded us on your gram. Like you used to.  Not anymore though. You are not that active there now. 1st post:  We are cutting our reception cake. Small gathering. No parents. Just you and me.  Looks like we are the generic doctors we never wanted to be. But, happy.  No […]

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rahat

Rahat hai ki har purani khwaish rusva hui Tum hi to meri aakhri chahat ho Iss chahat ke paar apaar dukh hai Iss bimaar ka ilaj tum ho Na pao ghar ka pata agar to chodd dena yahin Har ghar ghar hai jaha tumhari aahat hai Mujhe ikhtilat ki jarurat nahi; ikhtilat ka bandish nahi […]

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my sacrifice, creed, 2009

Whispers in the wind about the bullets gifted to my valentine Etched in the memories a lost child believing in the divine Hearsay; they state you stay home; sit alone by yourself all day.  But I see beyond the eyes; I see the soul. A wish to save the part of you that will save […]

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gaam

Gaam The cot had used condoms below it Hiding in them romance, infidelity & rape;  The cards from the game spread out on the table;  The scent of hookah from the forenoon stayed on them Cards and hookah; the two assets of faux pride they do not share The draught from the monsoon an unspoken […]

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poems; genes; steroids

The reason for poems is a lack of imagination and grammar to write full sentences. Boredom from typing. Few words suffice. It is the reader’s imagination that makes the poems interesting; their critique at a conscious level and meta-analysis at a subconscious level. The authors tend to wash their hands away by the time the […]

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soul train

Soul riding on rock n’ roll Smell of whiskey and cigarette smoke eyes; staring embers in embrace Forgetful of time and place Just a love story; a happily ever after Defeating death and disaster With kisses and laughter

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karz

Mujhme kabhi tasali se dekhna Ek ranjish jiye ja raha hai Ek vaada pura kar raha hai Ek vaada toda ja raha hai Aasman se bhi to bandhe hai ye pakshi Kya azaadi ka hawala diye ja raha hai Khudko khatam kar dene pe tula hai Koshish me bas piye ja raha hai Agar tamana […]

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2002

The bloodthirsty demon kept biting necks Easy: through the sternocleidomastoid, into the carotids; Succulent, delectable, magnificent;  The warm blood fills the mouth; fangs wide to the shock of the crowd Was there ever any doubt?  Can you hate on a snake for biting?  Can you hate on an emperor for ruling? We chose this. We […]

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like toy soldiers

Battle wounded soldiers crowded in a tight space No air to breathe, no gasps to take In an open space of echo chamber Obliterated by might; thoughts surrendered.  Guns ready for doubts, bombs ready for questions Distraught, hurt; awaiting armageddon.  Fighting for a piece of land of a flag Hunting for a prey not unlike […]

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Upamana

Paint brush flowing on the ground like clouds in sunshine.  Birds awaiting dawn; shining in the moonlight.  All generations flawed; the next one will be better Learning from the flaws; the ancient and foregone disasters.  The jungle. The concrete. And the jungle.  Falling short, but having insight that it does not matter; As long as […]

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tanashah ka takht

mujhe maluum hai ki tanashah takht se chipka hai uske har gulam ke haath me khanjar hai galiyan laal rang ki holi khel chuki hai raatein barood ki khushboo aur bambo ki awaaz ko diwali maanti hai maut ke saayein bhatak rahe hai tanha; utne hi tanha jitne jeevit the nyay mar chuka hai; insaaniyat […]

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mousetrap

the zeitgeist is faux it is not blood, gore and testosterone it will always be passion, heart, grit and soul. the anger is directed at the wrong end by false gods and false men that do not want us to be led in the right direction the right wing is the antithesis to the right […]

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again

Dew drops streaming down the grass defeated by the sun days contemplating the end again and again and again, merging in and within each other no one to see, no one to bother. a long empty, grey corridor that consists of faceless people and we wish to fill it with another attempt of color again […]

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Sevilla

The taste of her lips still lingers long past she is gone The short span of apartness; evanescence; a swan song. Her laughter a promise of a secret she will reveal Her eyes a canvas of a summer holiday I need. The usual drag of 9-5 is a myth, the reality is her smile The […]

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Tapas, maun aur raat

Tapas: kab aankh kholega tu? Maun: kab bolega tu? Sukoon thikaana nahi, manzil hai Khoti milti ranjish hai Ab ek durse ko aankh bhar dekh le hum? Thoda theher le, ro le? Araam ki chaadar odh ke so le? Jo keh nahi paye the keh le? Ek dusre ki panah me reh le? Gun-guna le […]

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Politics

The King is no more. Long live the King. A cascade of hazy memories & falling things, If the dawn was the allotted time for rendezvous I have been sitting on the curb waiting since dusk, A container of stories of struggle, passion, revolt and luck Tomorrow comes back again as the promise for today […]

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our entropy

you feel inspired you have words you want to encapsulate a whole life into a few lines where to begin? i write this in the middle dreams, thoughts, women, childhood, verb, dawn, nights, coffee, a woman that lies beside me, lies? no lies: she is the truth. a future that excites me, a home that […]

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Stan

Clots & plaques in a rotten society’s arterial path, Do the tarnished memories of a good time revert back? The rails go beyond the horizon; punching a hole like Mike Tyson, Toughen up, little soldier, I got your back. Tears so perpetual she does not need glycerine, Can speak a thousand words but, alas, no […]

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Don’t Do It

Don’t do it. To the citizen of the nation, I say: If you can lend a hand, don’t do it. If you can continue to pretend, don’t do it. If you can comprehend, don’t do it. If you have any empathy left, don’t do it. If each vote of yours is for the dictator, don’t […]

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Fight The Machine

Dragging the other down to climb that ladder Conscience fading; clinging on to heavy death metal Listening to fables about broken bodies on broken tables How are we even supposed to act stable? We are all believing the lies coming via cable Lines are blurred between the messenger and the machine We are busy watching […]

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Break of dawn

Yes, the surreptitious fade away They come back on rare nights but you ain’t there Not an ounce of care Rejoice: for you are free from the noise The power that they once possessed ain’t there The final form on the perfect timeline The canvas filled with candles & love bites Truth or dare? I […]

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The Reason

In the times of my confession And the smoke of cigarettes When the coffee is an outer body experience And I am riding a bike of no regrets Each moment of mine will sing out loud The melody, lyrics & quotes Wasn’t life a backdrop? A backdrop for memories & thoughts The vessel to feel […]

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My Heart

Finally, the birds fly away Towards the Northern skies for their homes All together, yet apart, Whole; yet alone. The winds carry messages and memories On the travelling smoke lies our demons & struggles What am I if I am not for another? Who am I if I am not there for someone else’s struggle? […]

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The Train

On a garrulous, endless trip On a train that has no destination I had a company of faceless persons That revealed no names, region & religion A few did, but chose to not reveal; a few had, but I forget. My priority was to save my love My priority was to retain us. To not […]

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Cheesecake

The involuntary pursuit for that final lunge at the unknown Thoughts, body & shrouds of soul sprayed all over the floor The tapestry that is the unseen and undrawn masterpiece The trials, tribulations, tears and defeats. Broken days move forwards to meet and respawn into more brokenness The journey of the serious acted in jest […]

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Confessions of a Man

It is time we have to kill. Cool, either we make out or talk? Either ways, I penetrate your penetralium. My confessions are varied and contain contradictions. I will not be able to explain it all in one go: I contain multitudes. If you distill me to my confessions, it is unjust. If you see […]

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Nietzsche

Burn in one’s own flame Rise from your own ashes The Camel, The Lion, The Child. The Apprentice, The Creative, The Sublime. Reliving all mistakes, all feelings, all passions. Resisting, fighting, sharpening, growing. Kissing, breaking, dancing, hating. Over and over again. The nature is me. I am you. We are cut from the same cloth. […]

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Memories/Stories

God is dead: We killed her/him/it With violence, with our conformity, with our silence With rationality, arguments, and reasons, With our turning coats and changing with seasons. Even an atheist has his hell It is the love for those he cares for; and not receiving it in return. It is memories that he buys and […]

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In the Night

I understand. I know why we are here. To share our solitude, hold our embrace, kiss that smile. In the still of the night. To make mistakes, to dance underneath the moonlight, to lose our minds, In the thrill of the night. To share stories, to understand and be understood, to explain our times, In […]

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