Tag: News

The Age-old Ban

cafc3a9-terrasse-dale-r
Photo (c) Dale Rogerson

The Age-old Ban

Words 102

 

“What a historic day*!” Rohan exulted. “We are free! The society has been forced to accept us.”

His wife swallowed. “Co…congratulations.”

Rohan looked at his watch. “Why aren’t you ready?”

“I thought you’d be out celebrating with…with your boyfriend.”

“Don’t think so much.” He snapped. “Get ready.”

“I…I don’t feel like…”

“Did I ask you?”

“Fine!” She stood up. “Let’s go.”

“Are you crazy? Go to a family function dressed like that? Wear the red and gold silk sari.”

“That’s so bling!”

“I don’t care.”

“Take Ma, she’s dressed.”

“She’s overdressed.” Rohan fumed. “With Dad gone, it’s time she wore sober colors**.”

***

*Earlier this month, in a (welcome and long overdue) landmark verdict, the Supreme Court in India overturned the controversial section 377 a 158-year old law against consensual gay sex. The judgement heralds a new dawn for personal liberty and a major victory for the LGBTQ community.

**In India, widows were (are) supposed to wear only white and red is the prerogative of married women.

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

A New Breed of Terrorists

Photo (c) Fatima Fakier

A New Breed of Terrorists

Words 100

“Mamma!” A scream of pure terror rent the lazy afternoon silence.

David.

Carol’s heart stopped.

She dropped the casserole and ran out into the backyard.

She stopped short in horror.

An unkempt dark skinned man held a knife at her son’s throat.

“Stop. Stop. Stop. Please!” Carol begged falling to her knees. “What do you want? Take it. Take everything anything just leave him. Please.” She sobbed.

“I want,” His eyes were crazed, “to make you feel my pain.”

She struggled to her feet.

“A child for a child.” He waved his knife.

“No! Please!”

“Tell the President.” He vanished.

***

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

The link to the picture? I am sorry but I cannot ‘see’ anything else….

Blooming Amaltas

The Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge this week is about our place in the world. I decided to interpret it rather literally mostly because this is the right time (although not the right weather) to showcase my world. Temperatures are soaring and yesterday it was a sizzling 43o Celsius (109 o F) and like every summer my campus is on fire. Take a look.

20180512_103046Miles to ogle before I walk 😉

20180512_103121“It is with the intention of losing my way that I have descended on this path” Rabindranath Tagore

20180512_103215A dazzling and enchanting sight one that is quite difficult to tear ones eyes away from despite the blazing Sun.

20180512_102916I could look at this for hours and hours – from an air conditioned room of course 😉

Bane1The amaltas are perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea. This man wages a losing battle against the raining petals.

Bane2Show off 😉

20180509_174225While in school I used to draw the Sun rising from between the mountain peaks – this reminds me of that 😀

By the way, this is the view from my porch – now I’m showing off 😉 Just a couple of years more before we shift so may as well make the most of it!

Also linking to Becca’s Sunday Trees

Hope you enjoyed your stroll through my world – have a wonderful week 🙂

#QOGUIN Series

Hello and welcome to my new venture – #QOGUIN Series.

Puzzled? Curious? Interested? Intrigued? Well I hope so! Anyway here’s the thing, while shifting houses I seem have to misplaced my muse. Probably off on a vacation which I deserve – but then there’s no rest for the wicked. And since I cannot seem to stay away from blogging either so I hit upon a compromise. I can finally hatch an idea that I have been incubating for quite some time – share some Quirky Odd Good Ugly Intriguing News from all over the world. Perhaps some stuff thrown in from around my tiny world as well.

So, are you game?

I’m not sure if it is going to be a weekly, monthly or even a regular feature. Ahh well we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it right? Hey, here’s an idea? Why don’t you join in? Surely you have something non-fictional to share? Just make a post and drop your link here whenever you’re ready – no rush, no rules. And to prove that I would like to make an earlier post A Salute to the Wall as the first in the series 😀 And all the other positive news that I may have posted earlier, will hunt them out and list them in a dedicated Page.

Today’s article for this series is on underage driving which, as most of us are aware more often than not lead to disastrous consequences. Children, especially in certain Indian Metros are notorious for going off on jaunts, motor racing and stunts late at night and are a danger not only to themselves but also the others. Fed up with repeated unfortunate and countless such incidents, in 2015 the traffic police in Bengaluru threatened to imprison and confiscate driving licenses of parents of underage children caught driving. In fact, scores of parents were booked. But they got off after paying a fine. Finally last month, the Hyderabad police cracked down on errant parents and arrested 69 such irresponsible parents of these daredevil (I’m willing to bet) boys.

This bit of news gave me a lot of cheer and hope. I now wait for the day when parents of daughters who commit suicide and are forced to suffer atrocities at their in-laws are also arrested.

If you wonder at my extreme reaction, perhaps you might like to read my article on Bride Burning, a call to action and my long running fictional piece (most of which is drawn from real-life) – Moonshine.

Thank you for visiting, I am happy to play hostess after a long time 🙂 Do let me know your thoughts and look forward to reading anything interesting – the good the bad the ugly – that you may have to share.

Have a wonderful weekend.

You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete. -R. Buckminster Fuller