The spell

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...
Here he comes
Formally dressed
A violin in the hand
And with a smile on the face.

Seats himself, as he does;
Amidst the loud applauses—
People cheer him up
He hears smiles but replies not.

As the show begins
The violin is played
Spirits are lifted, solaced
And silence abides the place.

Tunes, played one by one
A note comes after the other
Three hours pass thus
But the enchanted lot knows it not.

Hypnotized, as if they were
Lost in a deep trance,
Listened to the soulful music
Peacefully; by the time that passed.

He stopped at the end,
Woke up from his seat
Bowed his head
But no claps heard.

The unknown magic
Had killed them all.
                                            --Ruchi MishraThe Spell                                       


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Queeristan by Parmesh Sahani

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  Queeristan (Amazon Link) Thanks to Audible Free Trial I listened to this amazing non-fiction on LGBTQ inclusion in Indian workplaces. Author Parmesh Sahani identifies as gay Indian, working closely with Godrej higher management and employees for years to create an inclusive workplace, both legally and in spirit. This book is a result of those years of experience, research, collaboration with individuals from difference spectrum of the society and organizations who has successfully transitioned into a queer friendly one.   Indian history is inclusive. From the Khajuraho temple architectures, to Konark to the Rig Veda, there is existing proofs even 2000 years ago of Indian inclusiveness of queer. It’s the draconian British law that criminalised it, which was scraped in 2009, came into effect once again following a sad judgement in 2013 and eventually was scraped off for good in 2018. I am in awe of the lawyers who fought this legal battle- colleagues and partners – Arundh...
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