Darkness filled the room with silence, the only sound available to me. My juvenile body felt a heavy weight. The rush of worry was loud and blaring like a fire engine. What could this feeling be? How did it appear out of nowhere? I didn’t have the answers to my questions or the words for ...

It is a time of immense happiness. Our brother is coming back home from Canada for a quick visit. He has been away for four years pursuing a Master’s Program and internship. Even though we are far apart, a few letters and photos, keep us connected. His earlier messages depict the natural beauty of Halifax ...

Our youngest sister, Juji, was born with her own rules, and demanded everyone follow them. To understanding her logic took some effort, but ultimately, she’d won. By the time she was ten, her combative instincts had been honed through years of academic authoritarianism. When the nursery section of the Sacred Heart Convent accepted her, she ...

Daddy occasionally takes longer trips away from home, lasting a few days. Rohtak, a small town close to Delhi, offered a unique experience. A village Headman extends an exclusive invitation as part of the trip. The only transportation option to that remote location is an unreliable private bus service, far from Rohtak. The old farmer ...

The transition to Bangalore is epic. All our furnishings and heavy household items are to be sold. Even then, a moving company moves heavy trunks and boxes. The thought of having new furniture in a new city excites us. But first, we have to reach Bangalore. Daddy describes the train journey to us. It will ...

  “Yes, Daddy, yes! That’s the book the teacher read in class.” Daddy is turning pages of a children’s book entitled Fix it, Please. We are in a children’s bookstore. My teacher, Miss Beri, had read that book to the class this morning at school. She displayed it to the kids so they could see ...

Another darn problem! Nothing is going right today, simply nothing! The smallest of tasks has me beating my head against the wall. Now it’s the darn printer with a jammed piece of paper! Calm yourself, Sunita. It’s not the first time. Besides, it’s a straightforward fix. Pull the sheet out slowly and gently, and reset ...

February is the month of gray and the month of love all wrapped up into one. Did someone plan this phenomenon? I believe it is all a plan to get us through the last cold, gray month of winter before the promise of spring lies before us. Some may call it a capitalist ploy to ...

I was ten when Daddy put me on a train to Ambala. Alone and unsupervised for the first time, feeling quite grown up, I hope I am hiding my fears. Daddy sent a telegram to his older brother, Har Narain saying, “Sunita is coming–please receive.” An immediate response comes back, “Who is Sunita?” I am ...

I hate football. The fans lose their minds and endure crowded stadiums to watch their teams run back and forth on a field. My first experience with the sport was in the high school marching band. Being forced to perform at halftime shows for my small town was not what I enjoyed doing on a ...