Year: 2017

The Helpline Number

jhc-2
Photo (c) J Hardy Carroll

The Helpline Number

Words 102

It was dark when she let herself into her new apartment. Switching on the lights she gazed around delightedly.

The room was exactly as she had left it. The upturned heels, the dupatta* trailing on the floor, a half-opened book, the banana peel.

She was truly free of that obnoxious odious nitpicking man!

Humming, she threw open the windows.

Neither a ‘garbage dump’ nor a ‘pigsty’ she thought as she put out the trash.

A gush of wind slammed the door shut.

Locked out without her phone!

 Sweat broke out on her brow.

She couldn’t recollect any phone number.

Except for his.

***

*dupatta: a long scarf usually of cotton or silk.

PS: Would you like to know what happened next? Click here 😉

Written for the Friday Fictioneers – a story in 100 words or less. Thanks to Rochelle for hosting the challenge and J Hardy Carroll for the photo prompt. To read the other stories inspired by this prompt click here.

Thanks for reading 🙂

The Skyscraper

Skyscraper

So, can you spot the skyscraper?

Hint: Linked to Becca’s Sunday Trees 😉

WPC: Temporary

The Daily Post offers prompts for photo challenges which are temporary in nature as a new prompt is provided each week. Because of the fleeting evanescent nature of time I couldn’t complete the challenge in the allotted time span. But then again after a lifetime of being punctual and on the dot (and even before the dot at several occasions) I am enjoying the freedom of being late . And wonder of wonders – the world around doesn’t actually instantly burst into indignant protesting smithereens (honestly it continues to surprise me that no such things happens if I am late or even absent :D) 😉

So a few selected visuals of all things temporary – hope you like 🙂

tikka

Food is so temporary isnt it? Just lasts a mealtime – sometimes not even that 😉

20160617_142550Almost sacrilege to dig into such a work of art don’t you think?

Dance

The raibeshe dancers create a temporary aesthetic formation. If you like to see more of these amazing folk dancers from West Bengal click here You won’t be disappointed, I am quite sure.

So what else is temporary?

Coco

Coco’s infection

TreeboThe perfectly made bed at a hotel 😀

HaircutMy sister’s haircut! Mine is sorta permanent 😉

ScrabbleA game of scrabble – have you played it? Can you redo the words on the board once the game is over? I did it once and my husband still owes me…

FallThe brilliant colors of fall imported from Germany 🙂

Cheers to you from India Chinese rose Have a super weekend!

Don’t forget to leave me your favorite and what would be your idea of temporary. Thanks for visiting.

 

 

One for All

AES

gn@r∠ed

kn§tty

b∂nt

straight

or

skewed

black white brown

or

green

this earth

belongs to all

like it or not

***

PS: In keeping with the spirit of the thought I tried to do different but wonder if I went overboard? Do let me know – thanks!

Linked to Becca’s Sunday Trees

 

One Step at a Time

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Photo (c) Marie Gall Stratford

One Step at a Time

 Words 100

Top floor! She panicked. Never in a thousand years would she manage to reach her goal.

She spied a signage and sighed in relief. Ah the lift!

She hurried to join the tail end of a long winding queue.

The queue behind grew longer and yet she didn’t move an inch.

Restless and impatient, she chaffed at the wait.

“Want to jump queue?” A voice whispered temptingly.

“How? I am new with no resources.”

“Fresh and resource full.” He leered lasciviously.

No time and miles to go.

Decision made she stepped out of the queue and headed for the stairs.

***

Written for the Friday Fictioneers – a story in 100 words or less. Thanks to Rochelle for hosting the challenge and Marie Gall Stratford for the photo prompt. To read the other stories or participate click here.

 

WPC: Sneak Peek

Hello everyone! How have you been? Sorry to have been MIA – too many things happening. Pollution levels haven’t helped and I seem to be floundering in a haze of unformed fleeting thoughts and ideas. And there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Don’t believe me? Have a look.

TunnelScene at 5.30 pm

IMG-20171108-WA0003And this is the most popular meme doing the rounds these days

Veiled

Although I have to admit this is my personal favorite. Anyway I seem to be rambling more than usual. I intended to post some pictures related to last week’s Daily Post’s challenge Peek. But then I guess these gave you a peek into my mind 😀 But if you are still up to it, here are the ones that I had originally intended to post but never got the time to do so.

KidAren’t we all like the little boy peeking curiously at the world around us, trying to make sense and often unsuccessfully.

SunrayA ray of sun peeks out through the clouds (not smog!) at the foothills of the Himalayas.

TreesunThe Sun plays peek-a-boo with the tree

Short treeThe tiny tree peeks out from behind the taller cousins

SquirrelSafe in the arms of Mother Nature, the squirrel peeks out

DanceA sneak peak into a folk dance – colorful ladies

Dance2and their counterparts

cafe

Okay so now I am off to grab a coffee and breakfast – care to join me? I’m waitin 😉

Unfettered

20171104_101031

stripped,

scarred,

battered,

embedded,

shackled

and

enchained

she may be

yet nothing

deters her

from

reaching

for the stars

 

Linked to Becca’s Sunday Trees – 6th anniversary!

 

Unrequited

20171029_151752

arms

outstretched

I wonder –

would you

ever

take even one

step forward?

Linked to Becca’s Sunday Trees

CB&W: Stone Idols

Hello all! Anybody miss me? Ah well, I did. But life happens and we cannot always have everything can we? Anyway I snatched a few moments and thought of marking my attendance with Cee’s Black and White Challenge which is Bricks or Stones. As I mentioned in my earlier Ivory post, I had a selection of statues and idols.

And here they are – hope you like 🙂

BrokenDevi Durga the vanquisher of Evil (Mahishasur) – her strength, her shakti (power) comes across despite the desecration does it not? Just like it does from the millions of women oppressed and abused all over the world.

Princess

A stone idol of perhaps a warrior princess? These images are from the collection at Salar Jung Museum at Hyderabad, India.

King

I had initially thought this idol to be of a king – Chandrasekhara. But four arms and the lack of any jewelry and simple attire made me rethink. He is Lord Shiva the one who wears the Moon on his matted locks. Apologies for the blurred picture.

Nandi

Nandi the sacred steed, constant companion and ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. It is said that even if the Lord does not hear your prayer anything that is whispered in Nandi’s ear is sure to reach the ears of the Lord Himself. The white color apparently symbolizes purity, righteousness and devotion. Although I am not so convinced for most of Nandi’s idols are in black stone.

ShivaThe more famous form of lord Shiva as Nataraja (the Lord of dance). Did you know that at CERN the European Council for Nuclear Research there is a statue of the Nataraja? As a plaque alongside the statue explains, the belief is that Lord Shiva danced the Universe into existence, motivates it, and will eventually extinguish it.

The Nataraja idol typically shows Shiva dancing in one of the dance poses, holding fire (as he is the God of destruction) in his left back hand, the front hand is raised in blessing, the front right hand with a wrapped snake that is in abhaya (fear not) mudra while pointing to a Sutra text, and the back hand holding a damru (a small drum like musical instrument) the sound of which created the universe. He is surrounded by a ring of flames, standing on a lotus pedestal, lifting his left leg (or in rare cases, the right leg) and balancing over a demon dwarf Apasmara (not a child!) who symbolizes ignorance.

BuddhaA second century stone idol of Lord Buddha.

KrishnaThe much loved and popular Lord Krishna. Again apologies (a blanket apology!) for the poor quality photos 😦

Vishnu

A 13th/14th Century AD sandstone idol of Lord Vishnu in Dhyanmudra (meditative pose)

ShayanmudraAnother statue of Lord Vishnu the Preserver in the shayanmudra (reclining pose) with his ten avatars carved on top. At least that is what it looks like. The one on the horse (on the extreme right) is the Kalki avatar (destroyer of filth) foretold to appear to at the end of the kali yug the present epoch.

That’s it from me – at least in this post 😉 Do share your thoughts in the comment section – thank you for visiting.