Whose wine is it, anyway?

After the first goat was slaughtered and the first fish was fished! The animals, sensed the severity of events and called for a meeting. The meeting was attended by one representative from every class and subclass of animal. All animals were angry. The goat was angriest. He said that his community had been wronged and severe action against humans must follow. The fish did not attend the meeting because they protested that the venue, being on land, was unsuitable for them. The Cat was unanimously elected as chairman of the meeting. He purred and presided over the matter. He concluded that if humans enjoyed the taste of goat, they would soon venture out to try eating other animals. And this, was naturally, a cause for alarm. The animals could not really come to a conclusion and there was disarray at the meeting. The meeting was adjourned and the crowd diapered. Mr. Cat went over to his community and addressed them saying "the meeting did not reach a conclusive end. We could...

(Based on true events)  The Story behind Shaniwar wada  (image Courtesy: Wikipedia) In order to maintain anonymity and yet give an unbiased account of what happened, I will refrain from giving names. Except of those who were directly involved.  It was a cold night, the moon was full and was witness to what happened. In fact so much blood was shed that night that the moon was defiled by stains as well. I've led armies into battles, blood is not new and not grotesque to me, and yet that night, the sight of blood stains across the galleries, the lawns and the porch were enough to render me sick.  We were all aware that Anandibai  was envious of the position held by the young Narayanrao.  We knew this because she was openly spiteful. She would demand to be given equal amount of excesses that were given to the him. She had to be told in plain words that he was the future Peshwa (provisional in charge) and that she and her children had no title or claim to the excesses, luxu...

King Alexander returned to Athens in 334BC after years of travel and exploring distant lands far from home.  His return was widely celebrated throughout the kingdom. An air of festive spirit and celebratory cheer loomed over the city.  In honour of his return, a fête was organized. Merchants displayed their wares and their young daughters. Cloth merchants showcased their collection of sequenced fabrics. Fruits sellers, bird sellers, hawkers, magicians all had something or the other to put up on display. Painters  thronged the streets too, offering to paint or sketch their customers in exchange for a fee.  Romano, a young painter, saw this as his chance to get noticed for his artistry. He displayed the best painting he had ever made, the portrait of his lover, Illeana.  He displayed the painting at the market square. A large crowd gathered around his painting to admire the empyrean beauty of the woman on the canvas. Her curly black hair fell over her sloping shoulders in the most gr...

1) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte On Diligence, humility, modesty and great courage Jane is a poor and plain woman. But she has the confidence and courage of an entire battalion. She is principled. She sets a high moral ground for herself and doesn't settle for less. The men in her life, can at no stage, coerce her into doing something against her will. She has a mind of her own and she is firm with her beliefs. She has a restless soul that loathes stagnation. She is constantly looking to challenge herself. Jane is forward and doesn't play the "coy woman" card. She expresses her love for a man far superior to her in social class, she expresses her hatred for her aunt who is her sole guardian. She doesn't mince words. She is not a greedy woman, despite being from modest means herself, she is charitable. Jane is not envious, exacting or insecure. She is compassionate and giving. Every woman can learn so much from Jane Eyre. The next time you are at crossroad...

I boarded the 10.25 pm Borivali slow train. In hindsight, it was a mistake to have got into an empty compartment. Anyway I wanted to lounge leisurely on the cushioned first class bench and watch an episode of modern family on my laptop. So I threw caution to the wind and got into the compartment. The train was an old model, with little to no ventilation. I threw open the train doors and took a seat. I scanned the compartment for rats, nothing prowled below the seats. I was completely alone. The train crawled towards Borivali. Till Andheri, thereabouts there were people on the station platform. After Andheri, the platforms were deserted. A few people slept below the bridge, but by and large, the stations were empty. I kept my laptop away and extracted my cell phone. I browsed through news feed. The first write up was about the elections, followed by Aalia Bhat's nutrition chart, then details of a recent rape case. I shut the chrome browser and called up my boyfriend. I told him I...

Do you know it causes a fit? Among my hormones When I see him with a racquet, Aggressive on the court, Sighing and grunting, Back and forth sprinting, His back hand tilting, Not a sign of wilting, Like he's courting the sport! His eyes oscillating, While he watches the ball, His stance invigorating, Ready to attack and maul! His eyes smouldered, The opponent: cold shouldered, His spine elevating, He’s ready to serve, Twist and swerve, With athletic gyrating, He'll unsettle and unnerve. And While at play, This king of clay, Will scratch his nose, In a decided way, He will arrange his bottles, Before he throttles, His opponent Murray, Or let it be Djokovic, Or some other chap, Because to think of it, they’ll all face mishap, at the hands of the bull, until he’s had his full. Come Federer, Ferrer, Or any new play-er, He will disarm and defeat, And use his chiseled feet, to run to and fro, and build up his score, and what is more, he...

When you're old, weary, forgetful and dreary, your grandchild will sit on your lap, And insists you narrate your story, before he goes for a nap, Perch that kid atop your knee, and tell him your delightful story. Tell him how you studied biology, And the science of the body, And the wonders of economics, And how to make accounts tally, Bore him silly with math rules, And crap you picked up in schools, how algebra helped you land a job, And physics helped you convince a mob, On your first date, You dined with your certificate , And all those sums in calculus, Helped you during your first kiss, How law helped you win your wife, And grammar stopped you from taking your life, Tell him when down on your knees, You were uplifted by degrees, When overcome with emotions, You narrated equations, Tell him when nights got colder, Geography gave you its shoulder, Tell him medicine cures all aches Including the vacuum of heartbreaks, And when you're dead in you...