Author: Rudya

  • Morning Walk: A Photo Essay

  • Smoking with The Devil

    “I must inhale some nicotine into my lungs right now or I’ll turn into a homicidal maniac,” I apologized to Mrs. Goldman, the hostess. She dismissed the statement as just another self-effacing joke but if she had bothered to read even one of my books, she would know that the homicidal tendencies ran deep within…

    Smoking with the Devil Short Story Cover
  • Morning Sun

    I like the sunrays in the morning, peeking out from behind the buildings. It’s soft now, but soon it will turn harsh. Enjoy it while you can.

    Morning Sun in Dahisar, Mumbai
  • Loneliness

    The high pitched ringing in the earsof someone who has tinnitus Damp bedsheets hung out to dryon a cloudy day Cold stale rice from the day before A cold steel knife pressed against my neck A dusty chair,sitting against the wall of an unfinished house

    Lonely chair
  • Why Philosophers Philosophize

    Dear Reader, It’s late morning and I am sitting at my desk. I’ve had to turn on the light because it’s cloudy today and my room doesn’t get much light because the only window in my room faces North. No sunlight ever enters my room from this window. If I leave the door open, I…

  • The Death of Four Young Trees

    Dear Reader, My father cut down four trees today. He had planted these trees, 10 to 11 years ago and three of the four were mature fruit-bearing trees. One was a pomegranate tree and it hadn’t grown too big because when my father was planting trees, he did not leave enough room for them and…

  • Republic Day Nostalgia

    Dear Reader, Today is India’s Republic Day and also a Sunday. When we were kids, we always hated when a national holiday fell on a Sunday. We felt like we were being robbed of a holiday. But that doesn’t bother me anymore, especially as I’ve not grown into the normal adult world of weekdays and…

  • My Velvet Wings

    I was once a butterfly,born in reverse.My velvet wingsa burning orange and yellowwith two white eyessurrounded by black circles,on a constant leaden lookoutfor thoughts dull and pragmatic;what the grown-ups called “growing up”. Then I went into a slimy cocoon,slipped right in with a slush,as if someone had sucked me in.But who? Why? How?Maybe my ghost…

  • Ksenia

    As I was walking down the road, the snow fell gloomily all around me and I ran into Ksenia. “Hey Ksenia!” I said, “What are you doing here?“ “Who are you?” she asked and scanned me from head to toe. “Oh, I’m a big fan of yours. I follow you on Twitter.“ She wore a…

  • Moving with Purpose

    Dear Reader, I’m back in Himachal and experiencing real cold again. My trip to Ahmedabad ended with a short but fun holiday in Udaipur. After more than a month of dawdling about in Ahmedabad, it felt exciting to move with purpose, from the time we left for Udaipur to the time we got back and…