MSK

  20.11.2000 It was 7’o'clock in the morning. I was a cute, chubby boy who had just turned 10, wearing my new attire and waiting in a red plastic chair swinging my legs impatiently. I kept gazing at the clock and shouted: “Mom, it’s already five past seven. Please hurry up or we will be late” This was enough to make my father and brother Melvin, who was elder to me by three years understand that it’s applicable for them as well. In those days, we were staying in a 1 bhk apartment, on rental. We have, since then lived in four different houses. But none could give us the contentment that this apartment had given, even if it were the smallest of the lot. The walls resembled a museum and indeed if kept unaltered, the house could be converted to a museum. The walls were beautified with innumerable paintings, stickers, and not to mention, phone numbers and other scribblings. We were getting ready to attend my uncle’s housewarming function. I could sleep even up to 10 am if left...

Valentine’s Day came after the world stood still because of the Corona pandemic. It was midnight on February 13, 2022. I and my belle were on the phone talking about having a romantic tryst, and to my surprise, her father permitted her to use his car. I didn't ask how she  persuaded   him  to  give   permission. It was our first Valentine’s Day after falling in love. Shikha is a post-graduate in Civil Engineering from a renowned college in Kerala. She is an average-build girl with medium-length curly hair. We met at an architectural firm where we did our internship and entered into a relationship in August 2021. We planned to meet at our regular meeting place-a tea shop opposite the traffic signal, 1 km from her home. I was wearing a blue shirt and white jeans and arrived on my bike at around 9 am. Most of the time, I preferred to travel by bike. I saw her coming in a Tata...

  'Just put your sign here' said I, as she remained perplexed. I am a daily wage employee in a Government Office; one among those who are not supposed to enjoy any other benefits other than getting paid for the work we do.   Right from the day we got married seven years back, I haven't given her anything costly. A husband who earns a meager salary cannot afford to buy expensive gifts. Thank God! She was content with samosas and pani puris. She would get a greeting card along with these junk foods on special occasions. While my colleagues boast about the ornaments their husband had gifted them on birthdays, anniversaries, idiotic 'monthversaries' or the husbands planning to surprise their wife with a diamond ring, I would be there waiting for the peon to bring the daily free evening snacks, which I readily pack in an A4 size paper for her. The main reason for our happiness is that we won't compare ourselves to others. Oh! I forgot to introduce her. She is Nan...