The phone vibrates, and its screen lights up.
As usual, news headlines are pretty strong.

Hurricane hitting New York, flooding in Nagpur,
Wildfires near Hobart, a landslide in Hong Kong.

But I’m reminded of yet another tragedy,
Sitting with my black coffee today morn.

Don’t know why, but there is…

It is now illegal to conduct any voluntary community activity. The government thinks this only results in widespread anarchy, creates sub-national identities, and subverts the political economy that they feed off of. Much street art does still exist, sure. But it is sponsored. …

I am visiting college before leaving for my hometown— just to breathe in the atmosphere for the last few times. Sticky notes and a pencil with me, churning out some terrible poetry, to be edited on a computer later.

Grownups looking worried, asking me if their ward shall be in…

‘User experience’ in the industry can tend to have this unfortunately narrow view of always catering to what the consumer subliminally wants or is vociferously asking for, with scant regard for the larger picture.

They seem to prefer human desires rather than humane values.

Shaadi.com may have removed its skin tone filter due to all the pressure generated in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, but I wonder when will Communitymatrimony.com remove caste and sub-caste filters from their apps and websites.

Things like these are easily dismissed by businessfolk and ordinary citizens alike as ‘exercising free choice’ and ‘having a personal preference’, without sparing a thought for how ancient systems of prejudice are not only capitalized on, but perpetuated through such portals.

You are at a relatively comfortable position in life. It could be this blanket, air-conditioning and these pillows, for all you know. You are bored, or just fed up with routine work and are taking a break. …

A finger in every pie, within me is a greedy boy;
He bites off more than one can chew.

Plenty on my plate, and this I truly hate;
Folks call me lucky, those with a problem of few.

There is this song I need to write, gotta rush to catch…

These couplets are deliberately written in Hindi so that first-time internet users from India (most of whom are zealous Modi lovers) realize how they have been misled. I cannot help if the reader’s sensibilities are provoked due to my humorous (and serious) political satire, all I can say is that…