Vijay Sutar

Being a solo traveller, I preferred Rapido as my mode of transportation during my Gujarat trip. On my return journey, a thin, wheatish-complexioned man dropped me at Ahmedabad railway station. It was a 10-minute ride with him on his Activa. When I told him that I was from Mumbai, he exclaimed, “Are! Tumhi Mumbaiche ahat!” (“Oh! You are from Mumbai!”)

On my air journey to Hyderabad, there was a couple sitting beside me. From their conversation, it was their first flight experience, just like me. Initially, they were enjoying it. They had their veg snacks provided by Air India. As my phone was on flight mode, I had nothing to do but read. I pretended to be engrossed in reading, but my attention was caught by their conversation, though I understood nothing. I guessed it must be Telugu, as it was a flight to Hyderabad. Otherwise, I perceive all South Indian languages as the same! Well, I was reading the text in the book and their love language simultaneously. It wasn't a distraction, though. Suddenly, the man started rubbing his ears. The change in air pressure caused pain in my ears as well. That man initially tried to be calm and thought it would subside, but it didn't. So he rested his head on his wife's shoulder. She patted him affectionately. I rested my head on the window, as I had neither my wife nor my girlfriend sitting beside me, since they don't exist yet!

A co-passenger hurriedly picked up the call and told the person on the other side that he had boarded the AC local. From his conversation, it seemed that Borivali was his destination. He hung up the call and called someone else who might have been trying to contact him. This time, he told the person on the other side that a person of his age had died of cardiac arrest and that he was going to attend the funeral. The sentence "that person was of my age" buzzed in my mind. There was a sense of realization of mortality in his words. After hanging up the phone, he started checking his WhatsApp messages. There must be something important office stuff that he must pay attention to even while on the way to the funeral. That's life: one must eat something first before mourning the loss of a loved one.

When I see books on the footpath and shoes in air-conditioned showrooms, I don’t feel offended. Because if it were the other way around, poor people would be unable to access invaluable knowledge.

The first day of 2026 is gone. Just like this, the whole year will also pass, and we will be left awestruck by how time flies. Use every second to love, to learn, and to enjoy life. For if time snatches away our life, we won’t regret the life we lived.

I'm a feminist because of my mother and sisters. Otherwise, the girl I loved made me a misogynist long time ago!

An exhausted mind, after rigorous study such as scientific invention or research; or creative endeavors like music, poetry, and painting, is the cutest creature on this planet, one that we can’t see with our eyes.

A word is like light, and an author is like raindrops in the air. When the word passes through the mind of an author, a rainbow of meaning is revealed.

A good poem is like a Dairy Milk chocolate — break it anywhere, and every piece is just as sweet as the rest.

Every time the living have hurt me, the dead have healed me through their books.

When you look around in an overcrowded Mumbai local, you don’t see faces — you see hands. Hands gripping the grab handles that hang above the aisle. These hands are the power of Mumbai. They wear wristwatches and conquer fleeting time. They symbolize human ambition, hard work, resilience, and hope. You can tell the age of the commuters just by looking at those hands — from the slender yet strong hands of college-going youth to the slightly wrinkled but responsible hands of senior citizens. May God bless these beautiful hands! 🙏

There should have been a direct connection between a person’s heart and their appearance. People with good hearts would look beautiful, and those with bad hearts would look ugly.

Never envy the birds for their freedom, for they have to pay the price of that freedom. Their homes are not as secure as ours. They must go out every day to find food, as they have no reserves. The sky grants freedom, but not security.

It is often said that one should forget the past and live in the present. However, writers cling to the past. They dig deeper and discover diamonds of thought. By recalling past traumatic experiences, they write about the lessons learned from them. This practice heals them. Indeed, writers are unique human beings.

We say 'I love you' to each other all the time—not because we have to, but because we can’t stop ourselves from saying those beautiful words. Otherwise, we could simply see the love in each other’s eyes.

Sexual pleasure may last only a few minutes, but love can last a lifetime. Sex, at its most meaningful, becomes a way to express deep affection. When we share that intimate moment with someone we truly love, those few minutes turn into an unforgettable memory of love. Perhaps that's why sex is also called "lovemaking."