There is this one person I have come to admire the most. In the beginning, it was quite a challenge to understand her, since we basically spoke different languages. She spoke from the adult world, and I spoke from the short naive life that I lived. However, in the process of getting to know each […]

“Major or minor?” asked the man at the counter. “Uhh … uh … minor.  Oh, sorry, major. Now,”  I replied hesitantly, with an answer that left me fumbling with the identification papers in my hand. Left in shock, I could not comprehend the papers in my hand as I started handing out random sheets to […]

Breathe in, breathe out. Forcing myself to regulate my air, I put pressure on all of the muscles in my diaphragm, forcing it to contract. I cry out in pain because of the lack of oxygen. Once more, I force myself to breathe properly. I sit in the crowd, letting the words of my homeroom […]

Everything froze for a minute. No movement. No sound. My mother had already gone inside the house, while I was still wandering around, looking at the balcony. She was there a couple of seconds ago, talking to me, but now it was just me crossing the road with my brother on the other side, waiting. […]

When the 1971 Liberation War was going on in Bangladesh, thousands of young and hot-headed men walked out of their homes. Rising up to fight for the sake of their motherland and their freedom, they were selfless. Amongst the rabble of those men, stood a person who never chased any glory or personal gain, just […]

I always thought that I was able to differentiate “true friends” from “just friends.” Yet, an uncomfortable truth dawned upon me in grade eight, which made me realized that I was not able to. Making new friends has always been one of my favourite things, despite the fact that I have struggled so far to identify “true […]

I was stranded out at sea, the shore was barely visible, My nine-year-old self stared out, mouth agape. I couldn’t believe what was happening. When I went with my family for a holiday to Orissa, a state on India’s western coast, I didn’t expect my life to be in danger. It was just supposed to […]

Right, left, one, two, swish! And an uproar of glee. It was entirely my world, with my glory, with my trophies. When I first joined my old school, I was a mediocre basketball player. Though I made it on the team (barely), I was clearly the worst in the squad. I couldn’t cross-over, my shots […]

Four years ago, in my hometown, I was good friends with a guy, let’s call him Jim. We would do everything together, from playing basketball to biking in the hills. But, we would never agree with each other. A simple misunderstanding would often almost turn into an all-out brawl. However, in the end, we would […]