rituparnasandilya

Five whole months at home! When the first lockdown was announced for three weeks on March 22nd, it had seemed very long. And now, we have stayed indoors for more than twenty. The only time [...]

3 August 2020  "Sometimes, I worry... if she dies first, what will happen to me?" This fear is voiced not by a spouse or partner, but by a sister -- in Tanuja Chandra's latest film, [...]

29 July 2020 - I must confess that, when it comes to food, there’s nothing more visually appealing to me than a plate of steaming white rice – preferably on a white plate. Also, to [...]

12 July 2020 - Yesterday was not 'Mother's Day' or 'Women's Day', nor was it my Birthday or Ma's Birthday, or even her death anniversary - all the days on the calendar that I'm supposed [...]

27 June 2020 - Imagine this scenario: A son rushes to his home in Kolkata from the US to meet his dying mother, but misses her. After the period of mourning, he is about to head [...]

3 June 2020 - The electricity of the building was gone immediately after the storm hit Kolkata on 20th May. The balcony that serves as the entrance to their third floor apartment in Salt Lake [...]

29 May 2020 - She was about to leave after her interview, had already reached the door, when the Vice-Principal came in and announced that the Junior School Drawing teacher had left. Hearing that, the Principal [...]

6 May 2020 - “Kemon achho go, didi" (How are you), she asks me, with a smile, broom and bucket in hand, as I hand over the previous day’s garbage bag to her. I usually [...]

17 April 2020 - “Tell me a story”, Srishti says in her sweetest voice, late one night. She says so every night. I mostly oblige. She is usually all ears and full of questions. Also, [...]

3 April 2020 - There is only one word to sum up my experience of the last two weeks at home: exhausting! The official ‘lockdown’ in India started a week after our educational institutions closed [...]