Artless & Ludibrious

        I stood there, the angry red and fading green leaves shielding my eyes from the merciless sun. There was a welcome chill in the air, the harbinger of the coming winter, bidding goodbye to vivid autumn. The concrete path through the woods seemed out of place, almost as if it were placed there just for me. I walked on, deeper into the woods while the tall trees stood by like disciplined guards. The dying leaves crunched under my heavy brown boots. I knew why I was there, and it would surprise many to hear that my stroll into the woods wasn’t for a relaxing day, but to attend my rendezvous with Thanatos. Yes, you heard me right. The very angel of death had called on me. I knew I was to die in exactly 25 hours and 38 minutes. That was the deal I had made with him. A deal I do not regret, not for a second. But as the breeze ushered the voices of the forgotten past into my ear, I wondered what Thanatos desired of me now. I reached the end of the paved path; beyond ...

  Whether it be the classic dialogues, dry humour, the vodka martinis or the tantalizing womanizer, every cinephile has had their rendezvous with the ravishing British spy created by Ian Fleming, and brought to life by numerous terrific actors over the years. From the dashing Timothy Dalton, to a ravishing Roger Moore, all the way to the classically handsome Pierce Brosnan, each of the actors has played the character brilliantly and brought to life the intelligent and seductive British spy. We’ve seen Bond jump roofs, romance the most beautiful of women and live the life every young boy dreams of. In contrast to these dashing heroes, we see the selection of Daniel Craig, who does not strike people as obviously handsome or as suave or even as athletic. But I feel the selection of Daniel Craig as Bond shows a growing maturity in the industry. The ancient mainstream action movie cliché was shrugged off with the introduction of a protagonist who isn’t as macho or as stereotypically...

Bleached The fairy lights glow dim, The air around them blushes yellow, Bleached. Nazim didn’t come to college today, He’s probably too tired from the fast. His face must look pale. Bleached. The floor of my house on Alipore Road Doesn’t seem to be expecting his footsteps any longer. The tiles lie, white and unblemished. Bleached. Our plates are no more stained with the yellow of the meat sent during this time from Nazim’s house. Mother says “Beef isn’t for us!” So, our plates lie laden with “our” food. So, our plates lie white and Bleached. I miss the taste of that biryani. The unrestricted laughter of Nazim’s unbridled voice haunts me still. He’s not welcome here anymore. I still meet him outside, not as often. But our footsteps do not echo together past my threshold. The times have left my humanity bleached. -            Surjo Siddhanta Ray

The definition of "political" seems to be rather elusive. The idea of being political in today’s tense climate projects a difficult position, as the varying opinions and their sensitivity, are increasingly creating a dangerous atmosphere. But if we think objectively, almost all acts, positions and thoughts are inherently political. There is an unspoken, yet vibrant, power play in every situation in life. I use the word vibrant deliberately, as powerplay tends to be often misconstrued in a negative fashion, whereas it is one of the most interesting and palpably exciting features of everyday life. For example, in a class of 10, if one student decides to sit on the table instead of the chair, he is making a very political move, wherein the power structure is inherently disturbed. There is visible tension. The student is consciously choosing to break the balance of power which has been previously established. Therefore, when something that trivial can be political, an emotion...

“I’m positive I’m dead.” That was the first thought that popped into Johnathan’s head when he woke to the sound of chirping somewhere in the distance. He found himself on the floor, and pushed himself off of the ground, and sat on what seemed to be damp earth, almost as if it had rained recently. It felt good under his palm. He looked around to find himself on a road, a rural, earthen road. It seemed that there was nothing and no one around for miles. He could only see acres and acres of land, seeming never to end. The last thing Johnathan remembered was the filthy cop bullet striking him straight in the middle of his chest. The heist hadn’t gone as planned and the quick arrival of the police put a swift end to Johnny’s 12 years of crime. He looked at his clothes. They were the only constant in this absurd reality as he still wore his faded blue jeans and his staple black tee-shirt. The ski mask seems to have disappeared though, as had his numerous tattoos. As he looked aro...

The piece just wasn’t working out! Vivek moved his chair back an inch and stretched out his legs under the table. Here, in his one-bedroom apartment in downtown London, the air smelt distinctly of poor bachelor. He moved his hands over the teak wood of the table and wondered what his mother would say if she saw the innumerable coffee rings which had morphed the once pale brown wood to a disheveled mess of stains. This was the result of the many sachets of Bru coffee which he would carry in bulk from his hometown of Pune. “Modern Art”, Vivek called it. A wry smile forced its way into his face. It felt warm. He too was an artist. Well, an author. Not established yet, but he dreamt of brushing shoulders with the “whos-who” of the literary world in the near future. If only he could get this stupid piece out, otherwise he would have to make do with the “who-the-hell-is-who”. He had recently been asked to write a piece for the local newspaper. It was a small gig, but this young wri...

He managed to slip past the few guards posted along the perimeter of the camp. It was past curfew and he knew that if his commanding officer caught scent of his midnight escapades, he would undoubtedly be made an example of, and that was not something to look forward to when one is in the German Blitzkrieg Division. But he needed these walks. They were his one release from the rather grey life of a soldier. Eat, sleep, kill, repeat; and if one managed to get himself killed between these activities, he was free. Death. The only freedom he could now look forward to. It was raining outside, light, refreshing. A few drops made their way along the back of his neck and continued down his spine. He sighed as the cool drops slid over his numerous wounds. Stab-wounds, gunshots, shrapnel. He’d seen his share of action, that was for sure. The rain fell around him, onto a broken Germany. Now, towards the tapering end of the Second World War, Germany had little to be proud of. A few terri...