I was born into a nuclear family where life was neither extravagant nor dramatic, yet it carried a quiet sense of stability that I only truly appreciate now as an adult. My mother managed everything with remarkable ease — two children, household responsibilities, social obligations, guests appearing unannounced, school schedules, illnesses, celebrations — all without …
The Overbridge
Pic credit: Anirban Bagui “Taratari hato, Reema (Walk faster, Reema). The 11:20 local won’t wait for you.” Baba didn’t look back. He never did. Missing a train was almost a moral failure in the Banerjee household. I followed him toward Konnagar station. The overbridge rose ahead- tall, grey, and mostly ignored. Konnagar is a small …
The Unexpected Twists That Shaped My 2025
Every year carries its own surprises, but 2025 gave me two plot twists I never saw coming. Each one nudged me gently, yet powerfully, into a new version of myself. They were disguised as new opportunities and endless possibilities that I didn’t fully understand at first. But as the year draws to an end, reflection …
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Book Discussion: Before the Coffee Gets Cold — A Tender Brew of Time, Regret, and Hope
When I started reading Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold, the element of magical realism kept me hooked. I wanted to understand its significance—its origin, its purpose, the whys and the hows behind it. But once I finished reading, I did not get direct answers to my curiosity. Instead, it gently revealed what that …
Netflix Find: Old Money- The Unspoken Chemistry that Stayed With Me.
I recently watched a Turkish Drama series, Old Money, on Netflix, and I can’t stop thinking about it. On the surface, the story explores the clash between the generational wealth (old money) and the newly emerged rich (new money). At its heart, though, lies a love story between two people from opposite sides of the …
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The Five-Year Wish
Shantivan was a place where stories seemed to grow on trees, quite literally like the leaves on the ancient banyan tree in the town square. The town, famous for its “Festival of Stories”, attracted book lovers, dreamers, and wanderers who found themselves lost in its charm. A vibrant market thrived at the heart of the …
The Storm Within
Noor was walking through the storm, or was she the storm? The sky was getting darker, and the wind picked up pace, howling like a hungry monster. It was April, and Rishra, a small town in West Bengal, was not new to these fierce storms, locally called Kal Boishakhi. Noor didn’t know how far she …
The Taste of Inclusion
Morning at the Tripathi household began with the fragrance of incense, the sound of cymbals, and the low hum of mantras. Sunaina Tripthi, 50 years old, was known to be an ardent devotee and a person of great religious conviction. As she recites the mantras with her closed eyes, her fingers move over the rudraksha …
More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa, Translated by Eric Ozawa.
After reading 'Days at the Morisaki Bookshop,' I was curious to know more about the characters' lives and what the sequel could possibly hold. So, I picked up 'More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop'. Well, I admit, reading the sequel felt like returning home, like a continuation of a life I had briefly stopped and …
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13 Days To Bloom
Preeti had taken up gardening during the early days of the pandemic—a quiet hobby that slowly became a deep passion. Nurturing plants brought her peace amid the growing uncertainty, a sense of control, and something beautiful to care for. Everyone was either baking, binge-watching, or having existential crises. Preeti was taking care of these little …
Cerebration 