Sahitya Chaprak Diwali Ank 2025

Savita felt Sameer standing near her. She felt him lean down, his hand gently stroking her hair. She sat up with a start. Darkness was everywhere. A thick, impenetrable darkness. Her voice, a tremor, called out, “Sameer…” And then, just as quickly, she realised she was in her own bed. And Sameer was nowhere. In fact, no one was. There was only silence. A stillness. A terrifying void. She got up and opened the window. A sliver of light from outside crept in, lingering at her

It was just past three in the afternoon. The sprawling hospital’s outpatient department was quiet during the mid-day break, and with visiting hours for inpatients not yet started, the corridors were nearly empty. It was a moment of calm for the hospital staff. Just then, a sprightly gentleman, who had crossed seventy but wore none of its weariness, walked in. Finding the reception desk empty, he looked around until a nurse, who had been sitting nearby, approached him. She as

Only a handful of villages host a fair for the festival of Ram Navami, and in our Shirur taluka, the grandest of them all is likely the one in Kendur. Village fairs, or , invariably feature a wrestling arena and a folk theatre performance. A select few also host bullock cart races. In Kendur, the cart races were paramount, for this was the home of the Patil family’s famed —a racing cart renowned throughout the Pune district. Its lead bull was a champion in his own right, a s

Madhuri and Sunita were out shopping for the summer’s supply of —the traditional sun-dried savories prepared annually in Maharashtra. An exhibition by women’s self-help groups was set up on a large ground. As they browsed the stalls, the sight and smell of the delicacies transported them back to their childhood. Before their eyes, the lane of their youth came alive, transformed into the bustling ‘Assistance Factory’ that it became every May. For that entire month, a medley o

If I were to keep a written account of how many people in my life I’ve complimented with the line, “Your shirt is nice, and it looks even better on you,” a hundred notebooks wouldn’t suffice. I’ve deployed this dialogue on countless occasions—sometimes casually, sometimes to suck up to my superiors, and sometimes when an argument was about to get physical. In most cases, it has worked to my advantage. The moment my boss wears a new shirt, you can be sure I’ll be in his cabin

He switches off the table lamp, lights a cigarette, and sits quietly in the chair. A dull ache lingers behind his eyes. He hopes the cigarette will lighten the heaviness in his head, and so he takes slow, deliberate drags, releasing plumes of smoke into the dark. The bedroom is shrouded in blackness, punctuated only by the glowing red ember of his cigarette. From his chair, he watches her. She is sprawled across the bed, a chaotic landscape of limbs. She has started to put

Every year, March 8th is celebrated globally as International Women's Day. It is a day to honor the myriad achievements women have secured through their long fight for their rights. Simultaneously, it serves as a day to raise awareness about the secondary status that women continue to hold in society and within the family. But what exactly is feminism? And why is Women's Day celebrated specifically on March 8th? Many of us do not know the answers to these questions. The femin

Travel was once a primal necessity for humankind. The same evolutionary instinct that drove early humans to wander in search of food still propels us today. While the quest for sustenance remains, our reasons for wandering have multiplied. Travel is etched into our very being. We are constantly on the move—sometimes by compulsion, sometimes for pleasure; sometimes for duty, and at other times with cherished company to a desired destination. We travel for our daily bread, and

Of worldly snares, O mind, beware, For Time, the devourer, is drawing near. When Time makes its leap, a fearsome sight, neither mother nor father can aid your flight. The king of the land, the village chief, nor kith and kin can bring relief. Says Tuka, no one can set you free, save for the one who holds the cosmic key. I never got entangled in the world's web. Why would I lie? The god above is watching! He keeps a record of everything. It was the world itself that wrapped i

While translating books on war and terrorism—such as , , , , , and —it has been a moment of immense joy to repeatedly sing the praises of the valiant soldiers who lay down their lives for the nation. Recounting their stories always filled my heart with pride. Yet, at the same time, the inexplicable and untimely ceasefires in those very wars left my spirit disheartened. It is our historical tradition to win on the battlefield only to lose at the negotiating table. We have witn

It was evening. The state transport bus, having dropped off its last passenger in Aundha village, disappeared in a cloud of dust. It would have been a surprise if the men gathered on the village , the communal platform, weren't curious about the lone man who had alighted. His gait seemed familiar, so Shankar Mathe called out to him. “O Dhanaji… come here!” Dhanaji climbed the embankment from the side of the road and came towards Shankar, sitting down on the . He washed his

I had come home to the village for my weekly leave. From the main road junction, I looked towards my village, and my heart filled with joy. But then my gaze drifted eastward, and the very water in my heart seemed to melt away. My mouth went dry. It felt as though the sand were slipping from beneath my feet. I had to steady myself. Ganpatrao Nagargoje’s farm was no longer a verdant green. Why did his perennially lush fields now look like they did in the peak of summer? A thou

The discourse surrounding India's electoral process is perpetually fraught with controversy. On one side, there are allegations of vote theft and accusations against EVMs; on the other, opposition members are welcomed with open arms into the ruling fold and sanctified. In this climate, the rural storyteller B. G. Keskar offers a sharp, clear-eyed commentary on the reforms needed to bring our electoral process in tune with the times. In Summary: Eliminate the influence of bla

Water pollution, air pollution, and noise pollution—all forms are unequivocally harmful. They are an assault on the very existence of humanity and, indeed, all life. They deplete our biological and geological resources. For sentient beings capable of emotion, particularly fear, the long-term psychological consequences of such pollution are profound. In humans, the most evolved species with a sophisticated brain and a rich tapestry of emotions, the adverse physical and psychol

A man was spending his day begging. Sitting on the street, he held out his hand for money. Passersby would drop loose change into the bowl he held. He looked at each person with immense hope. If someone gave him five rupees, he was delighted. Even if someone gave him a single rupee, his face would light up with happiness and contentment. If just one rupee could bring such satisfaction, one might wonder how much happier those with millions must be. But are they truly happy? An

Part 1 Lokmanya Tilak was the one who established the city of Pune as the political capital of Hindustan. Until India achieved independence, Pune remained at the epicentre of the freedom struggle. The role of the extremist revolutionaries in the Indian independence movement was exceptionally significant and inspiring. To dismantle the formidable power of the British, these revolutionaries orchestrated numerous armed uprisings, uniting the people and igniting the blazing flame

I never had the ambition to become a writer, so the fact that I began writing owes a great deal to serendipity. My journey into film criticism started when the evening daily Aapla Mahanagar unexpectedly gave me an opportunity to write. From 1997, for the next four or five years, I wrote reviews of foreign films for them. In those days, "foreign" primarily meant "English," as reviews were typically written for films released in theatres, and most of our imports were in that la

I was on my way home from my morning swim. As I passed under the railway bridge, I saw the same two transgender individuals begging. A little further on, the same tea stalls stood in a row, with the same men sitting at the counters, selling the same tea from dawn till night. The same daily routine. Don't they ever get bored? Not them, nor most other people, it seems. Sometimes I think they are the ones who have understood life. They have realized that a large part of it is bo

The Moment Expression Becomes a Necessity Waves surge toward the shore, carrying secrets hidden in the ocean’s heart. Occasionally, they leave a thing or two on the sand and recede, holding the rest within their depths. The roar of aching sorrow and pain resounds ceaselessly in their minds. A similar roar constantly echoes within our own minds. No matter which shore we sit upon, that sound and its attendant unease never leave us. It hums like background music through our dail

To the editor's question, "Why do I write poetry...?", I could have given the simple and elegant answer, "Because I can write poetry..." Or, had I wished to be mischievous, I might have said, "I write poetry because I can do nothing else...!" But the true answer is one I heard countless times from my mother's lips, and I believe it to be the fundamental definition of true literature. Every mother often says, "What the heart cannot contain, the lips reveal!" What a genuine and