Ishani's Pen

It has been a long time.... Six months to be precise Cannot be reversed by a dime Said somebody very wise "Time and tide waits for none What isn't yours is forever gone". Yet, hope and belief lingers Like the sand between fingers When someone wants to leave Dont clutch and let him go If he comes back, he's yours If he doesn't, he never was! Once I tried too much To keep you in my clutch But you didn't utter a thing, kept mum Shaking my very core, making me numb I left things behind and looked for change Let my thoughts wander beyond range When... You suddenly returned That wasnt expected... You say significant nothing The year ends without any pact Is it a simple matter of fact? That... Despite everything We aren't able to part. We cannot see but bother An invisible thread continues To binds us together!!

  At the very beginning, I want to state that this piece is not directed to any particular community or group, nor it is meant to offend anyone. It is just an amalgamation of different experiences and observations that I had made over the years. The legal age of marriage in India was 18 years, which has been recently raised to 21 years. But in India, we had a heinous practice of “Child Marriage” in the past – something which is still practiced in many remote areas of the country. If we ask our grandmothers to recount their tales of marriage, a lot of them would say that they had got married at the age of 6 or 7 years – even before attaining puberty! And after that, they had raised 8-10 children while living in giant families. But has it ever crossed our minds why were girls married so early to men thrice their age? The answer is simple – girls are always considered a “burden” or if put in hindi, they are considered “ bhojh ”. It is not the concept of raising girls which was diffi...

  There was once a lad With a mouth little twisted Remained his family with him, sad A search spree they had started That even two years hence didn’t finish!   Many maidens he met, not one chosen His desire probably himself he forgotten His predecessor unwell, his mother rushing to see him wed. The next they approached in the same city grand… Their enthusiasm saw no bound Finally, the perfect maiden for their lad They had found.   Initially unwilling the virgin lass Agreed to give this proposal a chance Mature she was, two meetings hence Told her mother – this man wasn’t for nuptial dance With the rules of patriarchy in mind Her mother said “You may be wrong; he is one of a kind….”   Highly educated  though  she was, never kept a tinge of pride Gave this relationship a fair chance to ride Her emotions her love were always extreme Wholeheartedly made the lad feel special Accepted him as the “man of her drea...

“Wanted a fair, WELL-EDUCATED, good-looking girl for a so and so boy….” – This is one of the most common sentences that we come across in the matrimony advertisements under the heading “Bride Wanted”. Every potential groom and their family express their want/desire for a bride who is educated/qualified. But the definition of education or qualification in the case of brides are highly customizable –there is no clear-cut definition of what or how much educated should a bride be in order to be termed as a “suitable” bride. A Ph.D./researcher/psychiatrist/ENT surgeon and many other qualified women who have huge respect in their respective workplaces as well as the society are somehow considered in the lower strata when it comes to choosing brides or in other words daughters-in-law. Recently, there was a comment on a researcher bride by a family for a prospect alliance for their son, which goes as, “She will be always busy with her work and studies – will she even give us a cup of tea if we...

 There was a time When you stole a glance Only to look at me There was a time When rain reminded me of you There was a time When you laughed at my words And amazed at my skills There was a time When we planned a future together Of the addresses to each other Now there is a time When those moments are mere memories The exchanges..... stories There is a time When I became 'someone' to 'no one' The contact name gone There is a time When I scroll up To your first ever 'hi' The date and time asking "Why?" Still I continue to hope In my foolish mind Will there be a time Somewhere soon? When you return and mop That you're my right kind!! Will there be a time Somewhere soon....

                                                                                                                          She leaned on his shoulder And gazed out towards the vast horizon Both dressed in the color of the night sky The one she had saved for this occasion.   Fingers wrapped against each other Their hands symbolizing unison…. “U are the ONE created to complete me” – she thought Gently kissing her forehead, he brushed his lips against her “Thank you Creator” in her mind she uttered ‘Coz for long she awaited - this union!   Somebody shook her, calling out her name This horizon now didn’t seem the same No longer was she dressed in his same...