Results
Category Winners | Season 6
Fireflies, Flaming Trees, and a Child
Author: Nikhil Kumar
Season 6
Editor's Choice | Season 6
Requiem for a Moon Goddess
Category: Fiction
Author: Rachvik Arora
Season 6
Patient Zero : The Dominic D’Souza story
Category: Non-Fiction
Author: Arun Ghosh
Season 6
THE CORSICAN IN KANCHIPURAM
Category: Fiction
Author: Prasanna TG
Season 6
Abundance- The Paradox of Plenty
Category: Poem
Author: Ridhi Praveen
Season 6
Elastic nature of human morality
Category: Article
Author: Nitin Kumar
Season 6
The Conjured Dreams of A Poet
Category: Poem
Author: Atharva Rewatkar
Season 6
Season 5 Bonus Winners
Diagnosing Our House—Examining the Body –Parul Tayenjam : Bonus Winner | Season 5
Diagnosing Our House—Examining the Body – Parul Tayenjam : Bonus Winner | Season 5 – Parul Tayenjam Our house looks good in Sepia. It has the afterglow of a well-lived house. Its corners are dipped in algae stains, and the underside of its sunshade is darkened and whitened with mildew.
Lullaby For A Warrior – Ananya Gomatam : Bonus Winner | Season 5
Lullaby For A Warrior : Bonus Winner | Season 5 – Ananya Gomatam They speak of blood and of bone.Fickle words of promise, seemingly set in stone.Line up the sacrifices that will surely come to pass.Every breath leads them closer to their last. Manipulations and deceitFriends turn into enemies that
You Break It, You Buy It – Nyla Kunal Bajaj : Bonus Winner | Season 5
You Break It, You Buy It : Bonus Winner | Season 5 – Nyla Kunal Bajaj I was never the brightest. I only learned how to read my first words when I was seven. Till then, the world was a blur of symbols, of printed letters with no meaning, at
The Perfect Flower – Karishma Udit Chhatrapati : Bonus Winner | Season 5
The Perfect Flower : Bonus Winner | Season 5 – Karishma Udit Chhatrapati In a lifetime, it only takes a single moment to find what you’ve been searching for. The irony lies in the fact that what you’ve sought so eagerly has always been with you. Sometimes, you may feel
White Powder – Shreyashi Biswas : Bonus Winner | Season 5
White Powder : Bonus Winner | Season 5 – Shreyashi Biswas I We set out in the morning Ready for school, like any other day, Our bags were full of things we needed.Half-empty bottles of slightly-milky, slightly-salty water That no rich child in the West would touch, Dusty clothes and
Perfectly Imperfect – Seshadri Sreenivasan : Bonus Winner | Season 5
Perfectly Imperfect : Bonus Winner | Season 5 – Seshadri Sreenivasan My job demanded frequent international travel, which was a mix of exhaustion and excitement. It offered chances to forge connections and engage in remarkable business ventures, with all expenses covered by the company. So, when the chairman requested I
A Cantankerous Symphony – Diya Prakash : Bonus Winner | Season 5
A Cantankerous Symphony : Bonus Winner | Season 5 – Diya Prakash A Cantankerous Symphony What are we, But the notes of a cantankerous symphony, The Symphony of the Mortals, Of humanity. The crescendo of life, that sweeps us up To the crest of consonance Among the mind and body
Love Under The World’s Tallest Building – Harshita Nanda : Bonus Winner | Season 5
Love Under The World’s Tallest Building : Bonus Winner | Season 5 – Harshita Nanda They sat on a bench, side by side, facing the most popular attraction in the city, the world’s tallest building. A balloon seller walked by, his bunch of balloons swaying in the sky. “People assume
Suitors, Samosas, and Dowry – Niha Khalid : Bonus Winner | Season 5
Suitors, Samosas, and Dowry : Bonus Winner | Season 5 – Niha Khalid Another day, another suitor arrives, witnessing the dramatic saga of my life. They shamelessly devour the piping-hot samosas and jalebis that I painstakingly prepared for their visit, only for them to leave without care, never returning my
Silenced Screams – Niharika : Bonus Winner | Season 5
Silenced Screams : Bonus Winner | Season 5 – Niharika I was no one but a mere teenager,Conscious while my chest started to grow,Newly being told that it would now need support. I was instructed not to change in front of anyone,Told to let go of my favourite clothes,No one
Season 4
Top 3
The Lost Treasure – Purna Chakrovarty : Grand Winner | Season 4
The Lost Treasure – Grand Winner Season 4 -Purna Chakrovarty Long, lustrous, black hair adorned my back throughout my girlhood years. I was prohibited to let loose my cascade lest it attracted the evil eye. That’s what Grandma would say as she sat oiling, combing, and braiding my hair every
Non-Appétit – Leena N : 2nd Runners UP | Season 4
Non-Appétit – 2nd Runners UP | Season 4 – Leena N I wake up, and the battle begins.The world is on a carousel when I sit up. When the floor’s finally steady, I pull outthe weighing scale the unrelenting judge. My heart pounds as I step on it. Akeening noise
What i want to say before i fade – Maahi Sonpatki : 1st Runners Up | Season 4 |
What I want to say before I fade – Season 4 1st Runners Up -Maahi Sonpatki There is a person living in the notebook. An elusive creature, with snowy hair and glassy eyes. If youstare at her long enough, she shall say this- My skin is growing transparent. Your brows
Bonus Winners
Read Bonus Entries
Temptation – Hema Vaidyanathan : Bonus Winner | Season 4
Bonus Winner | Season 4 Temptation – Hema Vaidyanathan Temptation. It beckons. In the shared smile, the shared thought. I understand, itsays, and I’ll welcome you any way you are.Temptation. It waits. Sits at the table, and reaches out a hand. Scooch on over justa little, it says, join me
Hopes & Dreams’ – NITISH CHANDRA : Bonus Winner | Season 4
Bonus Winner | Season 4 ‘Hopes & Dreams’ -Nitish Chandra In the bustling metropolis of Delhi, a young lad named Ankur found himselfensconced within the confines of a corporate labyrinth. Diligently he toiled, hisdays interwoven with the ceaseless ebb and flow of mundane tasks. Yet, buriedbeneath the veneer of professional
Season 3
Top 3 Winners
Mourning – Manish, Srivastava – 3rd
Mourning – 3rd prize -Manish Srivastava How do you Mourn the Loss of a Friend? What do you do when you suddenly realize That your most trusted co-travellerWill never show up again? You were not related by bloodThere was no kinship obligation as such Yet a part of your heart
Dua – Priya Velayudhan – 2nd Winner
Dua – 2nd prize -Priya Velayudhan A birdsong filling the air with music where there had been noise. The constant clamour of my parents yelling at each other into the wee hours of the day, rising and falling like the background score of a blockbuster movie. I remembered I had
The Last Killing – Arfa Arshad – Grand Winner
The Last Killing – 1st Prize -Arfa Arshad Memory. It is something everybody prays for. I, too, pray for it, but mine never matchestheirs. While they pray for sharper memories, I cry for the everyday affairs that are etched inmy mind so deeply that no amount of time can obliterate
Bonus Winners
State Of Normality – Armaan Suhail – Season 3 Bonus
State Of Normality – Season 3 Bonus -Armaan Suhail “It’s normal.” A term we hear too often these days, in career discussions with family, in political discussions with peers or in cultural discussions online. We have become accustomed to accepting things that are “normal”. However, any individual with a sense
Misery of Past – Suhani Gupta – Season 3 Bonus
Misery of Past – Season 3 Bonus – Suhani Gupta When I was doing some research for writing this essay, I first went online and read some life-changing experiences that other people had shared. I wanted to know what it meant for others and what it did for them. Popular
India Conundrum – Shiladitya Sarkar – Season 3 Bonus
India Conundrum – Season 3 Bonus – Shiladitya Sarkar We are witnessing in the country, possibly the grimmest time in our reckoning. There is a template for success in every sphere. The one for political success is the ideal recipe for all that is baleful to superior evolution. A vortex,
A New Identity – Ujjwala Kakarla – Season 3 Bonus
A New Identity – Season 3 Bonus – Ujjwala Kakarla I felt the weather quite brumous Covered with a cloudy sky, Lightning and thundering, the pluviophile in me waited eagerly for those hidden drops, to feel that peaceful touch. The drops that poured down happen to drench the dry pond
The Nemesis – Amanda Rebello – Season 3 Bonus
The Nemesis -Season 3 Bonus – Amanda Rebello The overarching issue stems from The absolute inundation albeit obsession With technological marvels And information overloaded repercussions Sleep is lost over a stream of constant Slanderous allegations and dreadful news Ceaseless, a perpetual nightmare Poor coping mechanisms Inbuilt pressure systems failing Anger
Reaper Reaps – Ram Cobain – Season 3 Bonus
Reaper Reaps -Season 3 Bonus – Ram Cobain Death woke up different one day stared into the mirror in dismayfor like an insomniac who daily tries there were big bags under his eyes and then his cheeks began to shrink brittle blue from baby pinkhe fearfully touched his vanishing hair
Moonlight Wanes – Shaurya, Thakur – Season 3 Bonus
Moonlight Wanes -Season 3 Bonus – Shaurya, Thakur The Waning of the Moonlight Far above, The moonlight wanes. My anguish deepens as I watch the skies above with a cutting reproach. Bothered by the screaming silence of the room, I’ve set my heart on distraction. I will conjure daydream material
Veterans Day Out – Johny Paul – Season 3 Bonus
Veterans Day Out – Season 3 Bonus – Johny Paul Martha loved the soft caress of the evening autumn wind as it weaved through the maze of her auburn hair. The rhythmic rumble of her Harley engine drained out the dull hum of the tyres on the tarmac. Still full
Filter Coffee – Charulatha, C- Season 3 Bonus
Filter Coffee – Season 3 Bonus – Charulatha, C It was 5:30 am. The smell of filter coffee wafted around the kitchen. Ramya sat at the dining table, sipping her coffee from a steel tumbler, cherishing every moment of the short-lived peace and solitude. Within some time, she would be
True Faith – Subhash, Giddaluri – Season 3 Bonus
True Faith – Season 3 Bonus – Subhash, Giddaluri The whole village had come together in a procession to watch her daughter drown. Doused in holy colors, wearing garlands, Parvati felt as though they were sacrificial lambs. It was all she could do not to tear up, but she couldn’t;
Season 2
Top 3 Winners
The Visitor – Ruthie Paul S2 3rd
The Visitor -Ruthie Paul Anyone home? Hello! She was met with silence. The gate was ajar and she could see the door wide open. She entered slowly, looking around. She knocked on the door frame again, peeking in. No one answered. She entered, reluctantly, and looked around. The place is a mess!
The Childhood – Pallavi Krishna Kasala S2 2nd
The Childhood -Pallavi Krishna Kasala The games we played when youngAngry neighbour aunty’s face when her doorbell rungSilly fights we picked on friendsThe innumerable toffee spendsMoney that got stolen from dad’s pocketsWhiskey bottles to send Diwali rocketsHolidays that got immense joyFallen grades only make you cryGrandparents who pampered youFear of
Thirteen – Sampurna Pal S2 1st
Thirteen -Sampurna Pal When I woke up, the sun was setting with a dark orange hue on the horizon. I don’t even remember when I had fallen asleep. I was in a somewhat familiar environment: I was back home. I shivered while getting out of the cozy blanket and looked
Bonus Winners
Why do we have Left-wing and Right-wing as the only two political choices?*** S2 Bonus
Why do we have Left-wing and Right-wing as the only two political choices? – S2 Bonus Winner -Abhishek Mittal One of the modern world’s most bitterly fought battles is the constant contestation between ‘Left-wing’ and ‘Right-wing’. Today, most of our political debates and economic discussions revolve around these broad ideologies
Gurutwakarshan S2 Bonus
Gurutwakarshan -Varsha Mudlapur Magua ki neend roz ki tarah apni ma ki daant sun kar tooti. Wo zameen pe kabhi ek taraf ko palte kabhidusri taraf ko or uski har palat ke saath Ma ki awaaz or tez hoti jaaye. Neend khulne pe Magua ka pet bhizor se gudgudaane lagta.
The Scar – Varsha Mudlapur S2 Bonus
The Scar -Varsha Mudlapur Akka is going to kill me today, thought Anjamma, as she hurried along the muddy path. Theafternoon sun was beating down on her like a ball of fire. She covered her head with her sareepallu, but it did little to protect her from the heat. She
New Girl – Mahalakshmi Iyer S2 Bonus
New Girl -Mahalakshmi Iyer She was the quintessential new girl. Starkly attractive, clear skin, crisp uniform, shined shoes –like she’d been sterilized and wrapped in Saran wrap; untouchable. Flawless.She even had a fancy name to match – Tara Kapoor.A star that shone brightest in the vast expanse of our assembly
Satisfaction Is Not Satisfying -Pallavi Krishna Kasala S2 Bonus
Satisfaction Is Not Satisfying -Pallavi Krishna Kasala If the book of life was all about being happy,and every page tasted like a vibrant candy.If every chapter read of success stories,and all its colors were a resemblance of myriad glories.If love was all that prevailed,and hatred none exhaled.If happiness knew no
A Basket Full Of Mangoes -Subhadeep Ghosal S2 Bonus
A Basket Full Of Mangoes -Subhadeep Ghosal The corridor of the surgical ward has only windowIts broken hinges rattle when the winds blow I walk to the window to put the clangs on latchI am hit by the dust of a stormy dispatch A mango tree sways as the wind
Routine -Charles Francis S2 Bonus
Routine -Charles Francis I’m special because,You don’t seek my permission.I’m special because,I don’t need your submission.I’m special because,I don’t judge or ask.I’m special because,Loving me is not your task.I’m special because,I am ordinary, I am mild.You can be random,You can be a child.But often I ask,This person that I’ve been.Will
The Appointment Letter… -Bhalachandra Patwardhan S2 Bonus
The Appointment Letter… -Bhalachandra Patwardhan Date: 01st June 2022 Dear Sharayu S Patwardhan, Congratulations!! We are delighted to inform you that you have been successfullypromoted to a new position in your life, to your second innings. We are pleased to inform you that, your efforts all these years
Can I…One Last Time? – Savita S S2 Bonus
Can I…One Last Time? -Savita S I stood afar, dumbstruck with tears of joy –You were just out of your mother’s womb.Your hands and legs were so little, and your tiny finger pointing at me looked like you passed me an order tocome closer.I couldn’t resist. Shaking like a leaf,
Season 1
Top 3 Winners
The Town Bus – Manasa Mahalakshmi A
The Town Bus – Manasa Mahalakshmi A Register For Season 2 Being called an inspiration is quite different from being one. Little did Maanvi know that her reputation as an “inspiration” would be put to the test, even before the flush of success faded from her cheeks. It was a
Shanti – Nandini Khanna
Shanti – Nandini Khanna Register For Season 2 The thunderous boom shattered his eardrums. One moment the ground was steady under his feet, and the next it was not. A flash of red, blood flooding his vision, voices calling out in despair, everything spinning, spinning, spinning… The plaque on the
UNWISE – Farah P Jiandani
UNWISE – Farah P Jiandani Register For Season 2 Unsettled, unnerved, uncertain, The anxiety, like a lump In my throat. Not knowing where to start, Not knowing where it’ll end, Not knowing if this Is what i want, Not knowing how life will make me bend. We’re supposed to be
Bonus Winners
Wake Me Up When It’s Over – Animesh Rath
Wake Me Up When It’s Over -Animesh Rath “Hey. Will have to stay back. Another shift. Much Love. M.”“Hey. Had Dinner. Will sleep. Come back soon. Sanitize your coat and clothes in the otherroom. Have kept the geyser on. Stay safe. Love ya. P”. “Read 02/05/2021, 19:30” He could see
The Sphinx – Gargi Sengupta
The Sphinx -Gargi sengupta “The Sphinx is the riddle, not the riddler.”― George R.R. Martin, A Feast for Crows She took a languorous sip of tea from the large mug. The hot fluid burnt the tip of her tongue.She paid no attention. A smile played on her lips. The last
Unhindered, Unaltered, Unapologetic me – Geetika Dubey
Unhindered, Unaltered, Unapologetic me -Geetika Dubey It starts when we’re younger, this question is usually “who you wanna be?”. It comes from the “grown ups”, daily questioning their own identity. Here I present a picture of my hallucinated canopy, A dark place no doubt still marinated in light and ivory.
Lift Agya – Shiori
Lift Agya1 -Shiori Chan At someone’s shegu2, a few of us had gathered around making small talk. In the most nonsequitur manner, the small talk ended up resulting in a story-telling session. Our topic- Death.It seemed uncomfortably ungracious but strangely fitting to be talking about death at a shegu;and we
An Evening Tea Ritual – Anish Sah
An Evening Tea Ritual – Anish Sah The Wild Side There is a wild side to the downing sun, best viewed over a sip of rich, aromatic, mud-shaded tea, served in a ceramic cup. This is a brief, rapid phase: the azure blue sky of dawn, after taking an extensive
ROSSA – Diya Shah
ROSSA -Diya Shah Red. The color of passionate love, seduction, violence & anger. The color that shows up inone’s flushed cheeks. The color that oozes out of a wound. The color tastes metallic whencomes in contact with the tip of the tongue. Oh, the tingles you feel, make you crave
Forming Belief Systems in Contemporary World: Seeking Wisdom in Contradictions – Farhan Shaikh
Forming Belief Systems in Contemporary World: Seeking Wisdom in Contradictions – Farhan Shaikh Nestled somewhere in high altitude terrains of several thousand feet, the unbearable hydrothermal environment of volcanic lakes provides stirring clues to the eternal question of how life began on Earth. The synergistic possibilities of fire and water
Battlefield – Tanaya Singh
Battlefield -Tanaya Singh When I finally had something to write an open letter about, I was told that thepractice is cliché now.That such letters – embracing sarcasm, anger, love, and intentions, don’t go viralanymore.Especially if you have a letter addressed to the makers and advertisers of skinwhitening and fairness products.
