Have you ever heard of Engineer’s Block?An engineer saying, “I can’t think of what to code.” Or Doctor’s Block?A surgeon saying, “I’m stuck, I can’t decide what to tell my patient.” Or Plumber’s Block? Electrician’s Block? No one’s ever heard of them. And yet, “Writer’s Block” is spoken of as if it’s a real thing … Read more
There’s a little tea stall at the corner of our street. It is an old one. The paint is peeling, the wooden benches are wobbly, and the tea is always a little too sweet. But no one seems to mind. Every morning, the place fills up with people — strangers, neighbors, and regulars – all … Read more
The radio was playing an old song I hadn’t heard in years. Suddenly, it wasn’t just music anymore. It was the soft lilting of the song, the sound of melody drifting from the next room, and a presence I hadn’t felt in a long, long time. For a moment, I wasn’t sitting in my present. … Read more
Last weekend, when we met for coffee, Swami’s phone buzzed like a swarm of angry bees. Notifications flashed. Emails piled up. Deadlines closed in like storm clouds. Across the table, next to me, Jigneshbhai stirred his coffee slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. Swami, on the other hand, clearly didn’t. … Read more
I was not in a particular hurry, but closed lifts seem to do it to us. I tapped my foot as the lift doors finally closed, waiting to reach the ground floor. A few of us were crammed inside — strangers sharing a tiny metal box for a few seconds. Most of us stared at … Read more
When I turned writer, I never told anyone that I was just a writer. In my corporate years, the dreaded question — “What do you do?” — had a simple answer: “I work for …” The company name changed over two decades, but the conversation stopped there. No one asked more, no one expected more. … Read more
Swami had been fidgeting with his phone for the last ten minutes, his face tightening with every swipe. Jigneshbhai, on the other hand, sat back comfortably in his chair, sipping his coffee as if he were in no hurry at all. “The markets are going to tank, Jigneshbhai!” Swami finally blurted out, his voice loud … Read more
Essentially a reflective travelogue by Stephen Alter, a writer raised in Mussoorie by missionary parents, ‘Becoming a Mountain: Himalayan Journeys in Search of the Sacred and the Sublime’ is a different type of mountain climbing travelogue. Most trekking or climbing experiences are full of action and excitement, an account written by adrenaline pumped adventurers providing … Read more
Once I decide to write a story based on a character, I have realised that I must see the world the way he or she sees it. I can’t see it from my viewpoint. I can’t come in the way. Otherwise, I run the risk of I and my worldview entering the character’s story. If … Read more