A Big Fat Indian Delay

"This isn't what I planned for today.", mumbled Sonia under her breath. But the day had begun as usual. In the morning, she received a message from IndiSlow, "Hi Sonia, get ready for your trip! Your flight IndiSlow 3F 176 to Bengaluru departs today at 11:30 am. We look forward to welcoming you aboard. Safe travels, The IndiSlow Team." 

Though a colleague had warned her that the IndiSlow's schedule was completely haywire, she had no other choice but to go ahead. This trip was urgent. After all, her wedding reception was in Bengaluru the next day. How could she possibly cancel the flight and skip her own reception?

Since childhood, Sonia had dreamt of becoming a bride. She always wanted a big fat Indian wedding - the kind of wedding that Madhuri Dixit had in "Hum Aapke Hain Koun...!" and Kajol had in "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai". Then she grew up, finished her studies, got a job, met Siddharth and fell in love with him. Through it all, that little girl's dream stayed tucked in some quiet corner of her heart. When their marriage was finally fixed, it felt like her long-cherished dream was about to come true. 

Hers was a cross-cultural marriage. Sonia was a Bengali, while Siddharth hailed from Karnataka. The wedding was to take place in Kolkata and the reception was scheduled in Bengaluru. The wedding, in stark contrast to Sonia's expectations, was a tedious affair. The endless rituals, keeping a fast the whole day while watching others wolfing down delicacies, relatives coming out of the woodwork, the chanting of incomprehensible Sanskrit hymns while sitting in front of the fire - it was not fun in the least. At the height of despair, even the thought of divorcing Siddharth crossed her mind. Then realisation dawned that she couldn't possibly divorce him unless and until she married him. She was looking forward to the reception where she would have to do nothing except accepting gifts from the guests with a smiling face. 

She left for the airport in the morning, along with Siddharth, her parents and a handful of close friends and family members who were supposed to attend her reception. The information board displayed that the flight would go ahead as scheduled. But minutes before the scheduled time, a gentleman from IndiSlow informed the passengers that they didn't have a pilot to fly the plane. 

Passengers were furious. The rumour mill was abuzz that the flight might be cancelled. Sonia had no option left but to cancel the flight, her heart sinking.

No alternate travel arrangement was possible at this last hour. Sonia headed home with her entourage, called in the salon girl, decked up in fineries and appeared online for her wedding reception in Bengaluru. With folded hands, she and Siddharth apologised to the guests for not being able to attend their own reception in person and thanked them profusely for their gracious presence. Being a gourmet, Sonia sighed for missing the delectable spread of the reception buffet. 

Image source: Downloaded from Unsplash and edited by AI.

A Christmas Party in the Dictionary

"Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it."

~ J. K. Rowling, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

It was that magical time of the year. The soft glow of twinkling technicolour lights filled the lawn of the villa, while the soothing sound of carols drifted through the air. The unmistakable aroma of delectable dishes rendered the chilled December air fragrant. All the words from the dictionary had gathered to celebrate a Christmas party at the villa of the word 'Celebration'.

The guests gathered around the tables laden with delicious food and beverages. In the soft glow of the fairy lights, they looked happy. 

'Happiness' and 'Laughter' stood hand in hand. "The evening belongs to us.", they declared triumphantly.

'Celebration', the host of the party, gave them an indulgent smile and raised a toast to its fellow words.

"To words — the most powerful forces in human civilization."

'Speech', with its spectacles perched on the tip of its nose, cleared its throat and added in a sombre voice, "You're right. Every civilization was built on words — spoken promises, written laws, shared stories and passed-down beliefs. Words shape how we see ourselves, how we relate to others, and how we interpret the world."

Everybody concurred. "We are powerful, indeed.", they nodded in unison.

'Science' interrupted them. "What you're saying is true. But it's also true that for ages, people were punished for expressing ideas backed by me. Can you remember Michael Servetus, the physician from Spain? He was burned alive in 1553. His crime was not murder, treason, or any other act of violence. His crime was contained in his book 'Christianismi Restitutio' where he offered groundbreaking insights into blood circulation."

'Book' nodded in agreement. "Many of my offspring were banned, many were burned in public ceremonies for going against established norms. From banning 'De revolutionibus orbium coelestium' written by Nicolaus Copernicus in 1616 to the ban of 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' written by Harriet Beecher Stowe to the more recent ban of Salman Rushdie's novel 'The Satanic Verses', the list of banned books is endless."

'Power' laughed uproariously. "That's because of me — Power. All these acts were committed to demonstrate myself."

'Faith' bristled in anger. "Many of my fellow words have hurt my sentiments on many occasions. Don't forget that."

'Blind' chimed in. "Please 'Faith', don't be like me. You have the power to move mountains. Please focus on that. Remember that your true job is to reconnect the hearts of human beings to the God and draw them back into the harmony of His way of life."

Everybody agreed with 'Blind'.

'Truth' was perhaps a little drunk. Too exhausted, he was no longer interested in arguing. In a tired voice, he said, "No matter what happened, the complete destruction of Truth always proved impossible. I, Truth, have a way of surviving."

With brows furrowed, 'Power' looked sternly at 'Truth'.

"But you were always afraid of me. Isn't it? Do you remember how, in 1844, when Charles Darwin had finished working on his essay outlining his theory of "natural selection", he was terrified to publish it?"

'Fear' whispered, "That was because of me. He was mortally afraid."

'Courage' entered the party just at that time. He was late. He addressed 'Fear', "Why are you whispering? Man up and speak aloud! What good have you served till date by cowering in defeat, instead of speaking up?"

'Fear' retreated in the darkness when named by 'Courage.'

An uneasy silence fell on the party. The clinking of glasses stopped. 'Silence' who was never invited to any party, stood in an empty corner, yet it was very powerful. It spoke the loudest when emotions were high.

'Celebration' felt uneasy. It never imagined the grand Christmas party to go haywire. The lights flickered. It was unsure about what to do to salvage the party.

Then 'Warning' came forward and addressed everyone, "Friends! Enjoy the party! It won't last forever."

'Love' looked resplendent in its party costume. "I also exist.", it fluttered its eyelids.

"And me too.", 'Hope' chimed in. "Together we will make the world a beautiful place."

Everybody clapped in unison.

References:

1. "The Book That Broke An Empire: When Words Became Weapons" by Adam Langweiler.

2. "The Power of Words" by Kenneth Onuegbu.

Image source: Unsplash

Catch me live on Storyscrapers

On 19th December, 2025, catch me live on the page of Storyscrapers. On the occasion of their 5th Anniversary, this creative writing platform is conducting a series of Anniversary Special Live Shows. Marking the beginning of this memorable journey is their very first event, the Storytelling Evening - "Story Circle."

I'm a regular contributor to this platform. So it gives me immense joy to share with you all that I'll be a part of their magical Storytelling Evening where I'll share about my writing journey, read a short-story written by me and another story written by one of my favourite authors. So, please join us to make the evening a joyous and memorable one!

Blogchatter Wrap Party: Chapter 5

 

Here goes the teaser for 2026. 

In 2026, I want to experiment with a genre previously unexplored by me. It may be science-fiction, may be horror, may be historical fiction or anything else.

Drop your suggestions in the comments section.

Would love to hear from you.

#BlogchatterWrapParty

Blogchatter Wrap Party: Chapter 4

Blogchatter Wrap Party: Chapter 4

This is a shoutout to those friends who supported me throughout my year as a creator. Since it's not possible to list everyone in a single post, I'm going to name 3 people who truly stand apart from the rest because of their constant support and encouragement.

Marilyn Evans: We became friends in 2025 itself and I'm deeply thankful to the Universe for making our paths cross. A gentle, loving soul, she is my tag buddy. Whenever there's a writing contest, she never forgets to tag me. Thank you, Marilyn.

Fatima S Hassanali: She is also someone I became friends with in 2025. Her knowledge of the English language and literature is something I admire from the bottom of my heart. For someone like me, who often struggles with imposter syndrome, her gentle words of appreciation and detailed story reviews work as a balm on the soul. Thank you so much, Ma'am.

Mahiti Kamdar: She is an old friend who I haven't met for a long time. She is not a writer herself, but an avid reader. But she always takes her time out to review in detail my write-ups and offer thoughtful suggestions. She has also been encouraging me to publish my own book. Thank you for everything, Mahiti.

Apart from these three friends, I'm grateful to many others who have helped me in their own ways on my writing journey. Above all, I'm grateful to the Universe for crossing my path with such amazing and talented people.

#BlogchatterWrapParty

Blogchatter Wrap Party: Chapter 3

Blogchatter Wrap Party: Chapter 3

Here's my checklist of what I did as a creator in 2025, summarised in the form of a Bingo Card.

#BlogchatterWrapParty

Blogchatter Wrap Party 2025: Chapter 2

Blogchatter Wrap Party: Chapter 2

The biggest plot twist of 2025 has been the launch of my own website. What makes it special is the fact that I built it all by myself. A long-cherished dream has finally come true.

#BlogchatterWrapParty