Our Featured Writers

After ending a self proclaimed writing sabbatical, or rather a writer’s block, I was toying with many ideas to finally write a piece about. I won’t lie, I have numerous, partially- written pieces in my notes about so many things I’ve been wanting to put out there. And I promise to complete those and share too. But this one just seemed to be the need of the hour! Fashion. Now fashion isn’t my field. But I’ve had flair and fondness for it. I am ‘Guilty of Gucci’ to say the least. The point is, fashion means different things to different people but it does mean something to everyone. It’s the most dynamic external influence on human mind. Well, after social media of course. But Social Media does play a huge role in everyone’s perception of fashion! Speaking of dynamic, there’s something new in the field of fashion each day. By the hour actually. Every time you open Instagram, there’s a new shirt sleeve you need to bookmark, or a heel type your

Few years back a friend asked me this question, trust me it was a very genuine question, there was no malice in it, he asked; “I have read history books as well, why do you Marathi folks revere Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as if he is God incarnate? I don’t see you guys following his footsteps, but you use his name to bully us, those from out of state, why?” I will share the answer here for all my non-Marathi friends. First the politically tricky part; Do we directly or indirectly bully non-Marathi people by leveraging his name? First and foremost, Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj isn’t just a Marathi King, he is an Indian King who represents all of us and our shared way of life. Now do you feel we bully you? Yes, if you feel so! Let me clarify, the show of strength symbolized by the excessive worship of our beloved King, which you misunderstand as bullying, is just a reminder of our tolerance. If you perceive it as bullying, then it is because deep down you know that your aggression has g

        My world never felt empty It had thousand reasons for me to go on I was living it in peace and sanity But never found one like you to count upon   Just when I thought I was sure That I had these feelings buried down deep You came and touched my soul with yours In joy you made my heart give a leap   You showed me a whole new way The one that I could have only dreamt of You presented to me a totally new world That consisted of only and only pure love   You are the sole reason behind This constant smile on my face The twinkling in my eyes And the happiness in my soul   I hear your sensual voice Even when you don’t say a thing to me Every time you whisper how much you love me You make my heart skip a beat   This sure felt like a deep connection Not from now but many lifetimes before We may have left our unfinished story behind I now wonder for us, what else is in store?   You are more than just a companion to me now

I understand the commercial compulsion. It has become nearly impossible for film makers (and artists at large) to keep their art independent of commerce and hence a lot of films we see these days are monochrome. Firmly dipped in a saffron or green or blue and now the newly emerging or shall we say reemerging red, the chosen color complements the product’s (art?) positioning. The choice of color isn’t a subtle watermark anymore; these films are blatantly opaque. There is no chance of any light passing through, everything is reflected back in the same color. I am unwilling to call these products work of art, these are mere propaganda tools. The other extreme is the transparent film. Very rare to find, we will have to go back in time or broaden our search to find such gems. We know it when we see such film, because it stands out in its brilliant transparency. The work is clear, it is sharp, the expression is independent of any ad-hoc riders and it allows us to witness the full spectrum of color. It

With the onset of the new decade, we are all excited to welcome a whole new era of interior design. Every decade is defined by its unique design trends that change and evolve. Some trends last for years whereas some only for a season. I have to admit - there are hits and misses… So here is some sweet nostalgia for you from the past few decades-   Do u remember how the 1990s saw furniture in pinewood (almost blonde in colour), huge tv/wall units, and the daunting use of poor quality artificial plants?   The 2000s were all about granite kitchens in black and white, that one accent wall in the living room (often in lime green or orange colour) and dark wooden furniture.   The trends from the 2010s that still warmly feature in our spaces are the neutral tones, open-concept floor plans, the shabby-chic concept, and rattan furniture. My favourite from the 2010s still being the popularity of maximalism: the more-is-more concept.    Come 2020 and you have probably read hordes

Stereotyping has become a part of our life. More often than not we do it subconsciously and sometimes we do it knowingly. Either way, it has become difficult for us to accept things as they are. People, places, things, thoughts everything has to fall in this or that bucket and art is no exception. So which bucket do we put Chhappak in? Is it a tragedy? Is it a quest? Is it rebirth? Is it rags to riches? It can be anything or a bit of everything. Try and park the urge to assign a category, try and accept the film with a clean perspective without expecting cliché of the genre, only then there is a possibility that you will be able to see Chhappak for what it is. For it is just a story that needs to be told, as it is...! I came out of the theater obviously troubled, scared and concerned. But not once during the entire run time did I cry, and let me tell you I cry easily. Not once did I experience shock, not once did I felt like closing my eyes. There have been insensitive films where heinous crimes are

When you aren't happy and you cannot express it..it's horrible There aren't any responsibilities upon you yet you have to shoulder somebody else's responsibility just for the word of mouth.  When you die inside everyday and have become like a live corpse yet you are living  When your efforts don't bear any fruits  And your prayers have become so ineffective that you don't think any miracle will ever happen again When you're free in actual life yet you are caught up due to work place responsibility that will Never ever bear any fruit yet God only knows what karma debt you are paying.  It's bad... it's so bad that you are sorry for yourself...  You're at your worst of emotional state when you know you will be orphaned on a certain day not by your parents but others... Life never was so bad and it was never so dependent on anybody else as it is now.  On sharing stuff with friends they say Resign but it's difficult because you're Trapped..  When you can see time fleeti

The only election I ever contested was for being the class monitor in 10th standard, which I lost to a very good friend of mine. No shame in accepting that he was a better student in every way; polite, studious, humorous, friendly, good in sports and good in arts. Of course he was excellent in subjects and ranked in the top three. He was the better choice and our fellow students knew it and did well to vote for him. It did not matter what his name was, which caste and which religion he belonged to. All that mattered was competence. Oh and it didn’t matter whether the kid was a he or a she. A few years later some of us batch mates met for dinner, by then we were doing well with our respective careers and pursuits. Couple of drinks down and having indulged in nostalgia for a long time, the conversation slowly drifted to films, then to cricket and finally to politics. One of our friend who was connected with a political party took the lead and the conversation quickly turned unpleasant. He kept on talking

To, The broadcaster, the standup comedian, the actor, the activist, the guru and the social media influencer   STOP IT! NOW! If you do not, then you are as much a criminal as the one indulging in arson, rather you are a bigger criminal. An individual can pelt a stone or two, one can torch a bus or two, but you people are lynching and burning sensitive minds. Stop it. Yes, you are better read, maybe you are better informed, yes you are far more intelligent than the average person, happy? But you are biased and indulgent and insensitive and it is visible, it is obvious! Remember, the ability to remain tolerant to provocation varies from person to person. One may find your critique logical, another may not but shall remain steadfast, yet another may ignore and laugh back and then there will be someone who will talk back and debate. But, a major section of our society neither has linguistic ability nor the domain knowledge to counter your provocation. This section will keep quiet, they will keep burnin

The way they'd love each other was now rare to see,  For the bulk of misunderstandings had lead them away from which they couldn't be free.  The fight they've had everyday, Have now made that child it's prey. The child could do nothing,  Closed the door and sat for sobbing.  The screech from the souls who've once loved each other, Weren't suppose to be heard by the child who loved them as it'd bother. Seeing the parents falling apart Would leave the child with a life which'll never start.

If you are driving a car.., on a particularly pleasant evening.., with someone sitting next to you.., and listening to a song on the stereo, if you are getting goosebumps.., your eyes are getting moist.., you are having a lump in your throat., and you are shivering with that feeling…   Then you turn around..,  see that the person sitting next to you.., is going through exactly the same set of feelings.., then my dear you are in a state of absolute bliss..!

Catalyst is a substance which increases the rate of a chemical reaction without getting consumed in the reaction. Lot of people known as "social media influencers" feel that they are "catalyst" and they can trigger a reaction without getting consumed in it. They tend to overlook that in some cases a reactive by-product causes additional reactions to take place triggering a sequence of events called as "chain reaction". Be very aware that once you trigger a chain reaction, there is no escaping the snowball effect. Be careful, learn a thing or two and have a wonderful Sunday, on Monday you have to hit the streets.