d_demandasaurus

I have never really been one to celebrate small victories. A small win, a short stint, absolutely nothing. Even when I first started cycling, one solitary 50-kilometer ride only felt like a true achievement a feat a mere 5% of cyclists in the entire world have ever claimed in their lifetimes. And then came these spineless cockroaches, scurrying around to demand the resignation of a person who was right in the thick of things and didn't even try to curb the rot. Students died, parents cried, the crowd grew utterly disheartened, while the nation sat in deafening, spineless silence. The nation, by the way, only ever asks if Rhea killed Rajput; beyond that pathetic spectacle, the country just sits comfortably on its throne, surrounded by yes-men nodding along to the misery. I digress, but that is my writing, this is my raw story, and this is precisely the way I am going to tell it. #ThingsToLearnFromTheOdyssey We are the people who watched Rang De Basanti on the silver screen, felt the...

I met Aatmarama on a quiet stretch of beach, where the sea was patient to us all. While we struggled with surfboards and waves, he came and lay beside me a stray, perhaps, or perhaps simply free. At some point he rested his head on my arms and slept, as if trust were the most ordinary thing in the world. When we began to leave, I told him not to follow. But he did. Again. And again. I remember thinking then that affection was permission. That if someone chose your company, you could choose for them in return. So I lifted him and took him with me to my shelter, believing I was doing something kind. But kindness that assumes is often just another form of arrogance. My shelter was not safe for him. Something went wrong. He was hurt. Scars where there should have been none. And the anger came quietly,  sharp, deserved, and unforgiving. “You were trusted.” “You were family.” “You should have known better.” The words were not loud because of rage alone; they were loud because disapp...

Headlines talk in fire, I answer in code, Public scars flash, private fractures erode. Time loads the chamber, truth stays untold, This year doesn’t end it starts to unfold.  JANUARY The news says a blade learned a famous address, walls failed, security blinked, blood answered the door. I learned quieter violence  emails shaped like exits, praise wrapped around traps, being asked to kneel by people who once learned how to stand from me. No sirens. Just the sound of self-respect grinding its teeth. FEBRUARY A voice on a screen ignites the country, everyone shouting about limits, decency, law. I watched my own limits rot politely. Dreams packed away like winter clothes, hands busy with dust, water, repetition I clipped myself before anyone else could aim. MARCH A nation wins again, history replayed on loop, gold held high where doubt can’t reach. I won something too then distrusted the silence that followed. Chose the lower ground, because at least it felt solid, even if it brui...

I stand on an island surrounded by the sea, a place that never wanted itself to be  Where the Victorian Gothic facades rise like hymns of another century, and the stone animals perched upon them breathe a silence that outlives every monsoon, every riot, every crumbling of the present. Owls with carved feathers guard the library domes, their eyes wide as if they alone can read the secrets the city hides beneath its noise. Cats, slender and alert, arch above courthouse arches, watching justice arrive late, as it always does here. Reptiles coil around forgotten pillars, their stone tails wrapped in stories that no one remained to finish. Grotesques cling to cornices with teeth bared sentinels of vanished fears, echoes of an empire that carved its nightmares into the body of the city. And beneath them, Bombay rearranges itself. Streets widen; skylines rise; old doors vanish behind new glass; war offices turn into cafés where people speak of futures the past could never have imagined. S...

Tuesday, I wait for the train. I stare into the tunnel, expecting the light to curl in from the left. It never does.  Like most things lately, I get the direction wrong. Saturday felt right for five minutes. A decision dressed up as courage because someone clapped for it. I let myself believe that applause was truth. It wasn’t.  It was me begging for reassurance  and  calling it bravery so I could sleep. Closure  I pretend I want it. But the part of me that feeds on “what if”  keeps the door open, just enough for hope  or delusion  to slip through. My heart is full of unsent sentences. My throat is clogged with things I will never say out loud. My mind has replayed Sunday so many times,  it’s losing colour. Sunday told me,  clearly,  that I am not important. Monday repeated it,  as if I needed confirmation. Still, here I am,  waiting in this tunnel for a light that isn’t meant for me, even though everything outside is brig...

I was born in the amber-dark, a creature stitched from instincts and fractures, always mistaking survival for purpose. My heart has been a park running on failing generators  alarms muttering, fences flickering, order collapsing one tremor at a time. The kind of place where love becomes the first creature to escape containment. I’ve chased every warm silhouette through the ferns, never understanding that affection isn’t engineered, isn’t summoned with codes or coaxed with control. It is wild a ripple in a still pool that foretells something larger than me. Chaos theory keeps laughing in my ear: a breath, a blink, a misplaced fear  and everything changes. Not because fate is cruel but because I still try to cage what was never mine. I see it now in the ruins of my own making: I’ve been the malfunction, the cracked pipe, the quiet system failure that lets the beasts roam free. To love is not to electrify the fences, nor demand the jungle kneel. To love is...

The sea’s running a fever again Clouds gossip above the costal hue deciding who’ll cry first. I try to clear the grey, Thunder turns blunder Another looming cloud awaits Then, out of nowhere, the sky does a soft reset. Wave crashing like memories old the traffic sighs back to life. Smog around, no clouds around Even in sunlight, I’m half-drenched Bombay doesn’t do closure, just drizzle all the way

They said I don’t need sleep  Just grind till I fade, Smiling through the noise, Like it’s part of the trade. Every word’s a blade dressed up as praise, Cutting deep inside, But I laugh it away. You don’t see the nights I stayed, The dreams I sold, the dues I paid, For one small win, one breath of air, And a navy blue well-fitted pair. It’s not the cloth, it’s what it bears, Years of waiting, quiet stares, Pride stitched tight, with threads of care, A navy blue well-fitted pair. You wore it like it wasn’t mine, And I smiled to keep in line, But something cracked inside that glare, When you took my navy blue well-fitted pair. Walls too thin, hearts too loud, Every knock feels like a crowd. It’s not the door, it’s what it means  Another test in the same old dream. Trying to stand, trying to breathe, But anger’s easier to believe. You don’t see the nights I stayed, The dreams I sold, the dues I paid, For one small win, one breath of air, And a navy blue...

It always starts the same Calendar creeps up Friendship Day The day everyone posts filters and friendship bands Inside jokes and perfect group shots Tagging the world Except me And I tell myself I knew I always knew this day was coming And yet it still sucker punches my ribs like those "harmless jokes" they made in law school the ones that drew laughs from crowds and bruises I couldn't explain They applauded my pain called it banter And I stayed like a fool Because passion had a price And I paid it in silence and sarcasm We made a club once remember Built on dreams sweat And a stupid little fire I carried like it could warm us all Till they told me "Leave" Because it was easier ofcourse it was a easy shutter  But I digress I've got a tectonic friend now she shifts the earth for others shares, seeks and askholes  with me And I’ve helped Hell I've listened But I never do the opposite  Because I don't want another me  Then there’s the new one The maybe ...

A lot has been spoken about the death of originality in the Indian film industry. Sequel after sequel. Remake after remake. Universe after universe. The cries are familiar: Where are the new stories? Where are the fresh voices? But if we look closely, the problem isn’t just the industry. The real culprit is much bigger. Much subtler. Much more addictive. We are slaves to the algorithm. Let me explain. There was a time when social media was social in the truest sense. You saw what your friends posted. You liked pictures, shared thoughts, and yes, even sent those relentless FarmVille requests. There was spontaneity. Chaos, even. But it was damn real. Then came the age of engineered engagement. Platforms discovered that our attention was valuable and they began to control what we saw. Suddenly, content wasn’t being shown because it was honest or human. It was shown because it performed. It answered questions we didn’t ask. It triggered emotions we didn’t plan to feel. And we click...

Asked for cool from fire, for warmth from ice  burned by both, I learned nothing twice. I knew you’d say no. You did. Still, I stood where our shadows used to meet, just for two minutes, just in case the sky changed its mind. No music plays here  no rock, no roll  just my foolish heart still tapping its feet to a beat long gone I've stopped expecting the unexpected, given up the hope that hope might surprise me. But habit is a stubborn dancer  it twirls in circles while I stand still. So once more, I’ll wait at that old bend with nothing in hand and a world in my chest, asking fire to cool me, ice to hold me warm  knowing both will leave me just as they did before. But for two minutes, I’ll still believe Only because I see you In a BBY me 

This… This is another Panipat. Not fought for kings or crowns But for water, for breath, for survival. The war that came before the world ran dry. And now, that war bleeds across borders, like old wounds reopening with fresh salt. We will remember... A meadow murdered A valley that never surrendered Question stripped before bullets A convoy turned coffin. their silence louder than any anthem. Soldiers burned in their own base, in their own sleep,  in their own land. Where uniforms bled while the airbase echoed with gunshots meant to unmake our resolve All turned into battlegrounds. Ten men held a city hostage while the world watched and wept. You call these “incidents”? These are not incidents. These are scars. National wounds with names and dates, Carved into our memory with bullets. And yet We forget to blame the ones who drew the lines. The architects of division, mapmakers of misery. Lines that slice through hearts, homes, history. For them it’s still Mission Accomplished. They...

Maybe in another universe... we were Romeo and Juliet. But not the poison-sipping, dagger-falling kind. No, we were the kind who tried to exchange rings in Dubai and got hit by a sandstorm — literal and emotional. Our date was August 8, 2018. It wasn’t picked by pundits or family trees. It was ours. Because that was the day she said yes. Not to marriage. To us. To love. But then — A next of kin, booked his  Ring ceremony prior to mine Which meant we got preponed. Quick detour. Flight to Dubai — 23rd December. Engagement on the 28th. Simple. Right? Wrong. Our flight didn’t land in Dubai. It crash-landed into chaos. Ras. Al. Khaimah. No staff. No lights. No clue. Dad panicked. Sandstorm outside, storm inside. Her dad drove through it to come pick us up. That should’ve been the story. That should’ve been the fight we remembered. But no. Because on the 28th — at lunch — my father announced: “500 log aayenge.” Five. Hundred. Her parents heard: thirty. Maybe forty. That’s the kind of mat...

Pet ownership in India is undergoing a transformative phase, with over 70% of urban couples now choosing pets over childbirth. This societal shift underscores the growing recognition of pets as integral family members, making it essential to have a robust legal framework that outlines the responsibilities of pet owners while safeguarding animal welfare. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, along with related byelaws, forms the cornerstone of India’s animal protection laws. Additionally, the Constitution of India addresses animal welfare under its Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles of State Policy. Article 21 of the Constitution extends the right to life to all living beings, including animals, emphasizing their essential role in human survival. Article 48A mandates the state to protect the environment, forests, and wildlife, while Article 51A(g) highlights every citizen’s duty to show compassion towards living creatures. Although these provisions are not directly en...

“The law opens all subjects for study. If you are studying a murder case, you will probably have to delve into the science behind poisoning or the physics of the force of a blow to the chest. If you are trying to prove the facts of a matter involving a ticketing service, you might need to study how the programming of a website like MakeMyTrip works. Moreover, law itself often requires the analysis of transactions, thereby bringing in elements of commerce. This interdisciplinary nature of law, which places a lawyer in the shoes of every subject humanly possible, is the reason I chose to pursue it.” This was my response to the professor at ILS Law College when she asked me why I had chosen law. While my peers gave flamboyant answers that seemed to impress her, mine left her in a deep state of shock. Though rehearsed to sound dramatic and appealing, I was well aware that the question would not determine my admission—it was a stereotypical query, after all. From the outset, my decision to ...

A road is needed, not a mere path to traverse,   Why require a song if a voice can converse?   When will hearts be reached without knocking on chests,   Do you not recognize the seekers' quests?   Must I wield a needle to pierce the abyss,   The shallow darkness where fierceness exists?   For my cause is neither love nor war,   But silence, science, and the pursuit of the afar.   As you leave Mother Earth helpless and torn,   Father Time shifts the tectonics, clouds are reborn.   And I await the end of this cycle’s demise,   So that a new era may finally arise.   When we grasp the need for preservation,   And understand the call for conservation.   Yet why should I care if there’s no path to tread,   It seems all my strikes have faltered instead.   I long to be part of something profound,   To find a place where I am tr...

When confronted with the notion of being blessed with a hundred years of life upon being remembered, the immediate reaction may not always be one of celebration. For me, the idea of prolonged existence brings forth concerns about dependency and the potential limitations that come with old age. The desire to escape the constraints of mortal life and merge with something greater, such as the singularity in human conscience or the eternal presence of a Jedi with the Force seems like a rather persuasive option. In the realm of science fiction, the concept of singularity offers an intriguing possibility where consciousness transcends the boundaries of the human form. Here, one's awareness merges with artificial intelligence, potentially granting eternal existence. The allure lies in the prospect of shedding the limitations of mortal existence and embracing a timeless state where individuality intertwines with the vast expanse of technology. Like, imagine becoming a stone but an aware st...

18 October 2023 – the day following the pronouncement of the judgement the front page of a newspaper had the news of the recent violent revival of the Israel – Palestine conflict, another news with a new inauguration of some infrastructure project, news about the honour killing about a couple who dared to have an inter-caste marriage and somewhere pressed in was the disappointment of the queer community on the same sex judgement that too in pointers.    Never did I ever think in this lifetime that I would be affected by a decision of the Hon’ble Supreme Court. The Court since 2014, played a pivotal role in modern Indian jurisprudence giving and widening the rights of Transsexuals, challenging the constitutionality of Section 377, upholding individual privacy rights in the Hadiya Marriage Case, declaring the Sabarimala Temple's practices unconstitutional and emphasising bail rights and further extended to various areas, including human rights, gender justice, and freedom of spe...

Space            ... has always fascinated me! I must have been 8-9 years old when I first read the encyclopedia and these graphic informative books about the Apollo Missions and NASA, at that age I was unaware of ISRO programs or the ones that were attempted by the Soviet Union.  I was 12 when I first saw E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, I still remember observing the weird shape of the spaceship that ET departs before which ET holds up a finger on Elliot's head and says I'll be right here... Damn 20 years !!!,  and that scene still makes me tear up. And then came Koi Mil Gaya which in hindsight was a different movie than E.T. but more on that later... What blew my mind was it took us merely 54 years from taking a flight in our atmosphere to putting a satellite in space. Of course, the American and Soviet space race stopped about 10 years later once Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin supported by the unsung Michael Collins landed on the lunar surface. Tal...

This is part 2 of an ongoing rant series - Part 1 is here. Disclaimer: This might get real so buckle up. Might have examples from popular science fiction movies, novels or fan theories which fyi is a new religion and you better be ready. The producers or studios may be releasing them for the money but there is appeal in it, there is art in it and there is science in it.  I moved to Delhi in the 9th standard, which apparently is a make-or-break year for an Indian kid and for his parents because it will or will not shape their child's future. After recovering from the cultural shock, the class dilemma and the need for extra-curricular exposure, with three other classmates I became a part of the team that would compete in the National Science Exhibition. We created a theme park that would self-sustain energy, to be specific there was a train that would run on solar power and would also have a turbine that would convert the energy of the wind into electricity. A seesaw would double up ...