Issue 18: Fall 2021
 |
Fiction |
|
J Is for Joker by Gargi Mehra
From the living room in Gurgaon, I leapt to the gambling dens of Pamposh Enclave and Tilak Nagar. There, in the seedy bellies of crumbling brick buildings, soaking in the stink of sweat and smoke and homegrown local beer, I played, I won, and I lost.
The Descent by Varadharajan Ramesh
For first timers, the descent into the looming valley beneath Suicide Point is a daunting task. Climbing down into the yawning void with its multiple rows of jagged rock teeth and crevasses that are not easy to spot has made many arpirants give up after half an hour.
|
Poetry |
|
Khair by Kartikay
The Urdu word that means “good”
and often used to say “well-being”,
is also used as an act of letting go
Kitchens Through Which I Have Traveled by Mehnaz Sahibzada
the haunted one in a crumbling haveli,
where I mistook my Dadi for a ghost,
the cube one in Taif where I fried peas
with cumin & ghee, listening to Arabic television,
the humid one in Tampa where we baked
a birthday cake for my toy donkey,
The last announcement in the metro before it was closed down by Harsh Anand
Owing to the pandemic,
we will be suspending our services
indefinitely.
We urge all of you
to look outside the windows
for the rest of your journey
before you forget what your
city looks like.
|
Essays & Interviews |
|
Chasing Crimson by Biaas Sanyal
The swoosh of crimson returned only for a moment when a young traffic policewoman, in a crisp blue uniform, slowed cars with deft waves of her hand. Pursed around her matching blue whistle, were a pair of crimson lips.
All That Remains by Revathi Suresh
Long buried memories hit me in waves everyday—at times I frolic in them, at others I go under. Sometimes it’s not even moments and scenes that I recall, but emotions and feelings that linger like a bad aftertaste.
|
Reviews |
|
Final Cut by Saleem Peeradina
Telling the stories of household objects!
Collegiality & Other Ballads, edited by Shamayita Sen
Reviewed by Ghada Ibrahim
Seeking solidarity for women.
After I Was Raped by Urmi Bhattacherrya
A corrective to media portrayals of rape!
Out of Print, edited by Indira Chandrashekhar
Able exploration of identities!
Selected Poems by Jayant Parmar
Dalit poetry at its best!
There’s No Good Time for Bad News by Aruni Kashyap
Reviewed by Sushumna Kannan
A sustained reflection upon violence in conflict-prone zones.
|
Visual Artists |
|
