A Cage of Desires

‘There’s a kind of love that makes you go down on one knee, and there’s the kind that brings you down on both. You don’t need the latter, because no matter what you do, you cannot make anyone love you back.’

Renu had always craved love and security, and her boring marriage, mundane existence somehow leads her to believe that, maybe, this is what love is all about. Maya, on the other hand, is a successful author who is infamous for her bold, erotic books.

What do these two women have in common? How are their lives intertwined?

Renu’s thirst for love and longing takes her on a poignant journey of self-exploration. The answers come to her when she finds the courage to stand up for herself, to fight her inner demons and free herself from the cage of desires . . .

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I am Big. So What!?

Is it only in India where people don’t realize that starting a conversation with, “Oh, you’ve put on weight!” is incredibly rude?
Perhaps I should respond with “Oh, you’ve become uglier!”
so they get the point.

From stores that do not stock clothes my size to unsolicited advice from neighborhood aunties, my life—quite annoyingly—is ruled by the numbers on the scale.
What’s the big deal about being big? You may wonder.
Well, quite a lot, actually.

For starters, you get dumped by the only man you’ve ever loved, social situations go from awkward to embarrassing within seconds, and don’t even get me started on the family’s never-ending search for a suitable groom. They just don’t make men my size these days!
Nevertheless, here I am, about to meet Suitor No. 7. Begrudgingly, of course.
Ride along as I navigate the crazy arranged marriage market. And trust me; it’s crazier when you’re more than a little curvy.

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Done With Men

Travel journo, Kairavi Krishna (Kay) has had it with men. After a series of disasters (losers, philanderers, leeches, mama’s boys and possessive psychos), she is all too tempted to walk out on the prospect of ever finding love.

Accompanied by her best friend and flat-mate Baani, she sets off for Goa, hoping to get away from her miserable love life and vowing to stay clear of the male species.

Goa however, has a host of surprises in store for her. Ricky, her pesky ex-boyfriend, is busy painting the town red with his hot new girlfriend.

Now what is poor Kay to do, other than overdose on vodka, smoke pot, get an outrageous tattoo and fall off the hotel balcony? She wakes up in the hospital to the tender ministrations of Dr.Vivian D’Mello–young, suave and handsome as hell. Will Kay stick to her guns or will she fall for his ridiculously sexy charms? And what’s up with the mixed signals he’s giving out?

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Love across Borders

Love Across Borders is an anthology of short stories about human relationships across the border, conceived and published by Indireads as a literary and civic initiative.

My collaborative short story, ‘One Stupid Comment’, is part of this anthology. Set in 2130, the story is about Aryan and Jahaan, two young representatives of warring tribes that are struggling to eke out a survival in a wasteland that was once India and Pakistan. Young, passionate and free, the two are drawn together. But will they succeed in breaking the centuries-old cycle of war or will they too, fall prey to prejudices?

Download your free copy from Indireads’ website.