Idhar Udhar Ki Baat

  “Look, half left in the middle distance, on the ridge, you can see two slightly raised features, the left one is a little higher than the one on the right, call them tits.” Life of a fauji (soldier) is a mix of grit, adventure, and a lot of heart. Rugged boots, disciplined routines, and endless treks through tough terrain—these are their everyday companions. But in the middle of all that hardship, there’s a lighter side too. When faujis are surrounded by the vast wilderness, their imaginations run wild. And trust me, when you add a pinch of longing and a dollop of their humour, you get some truly unforgettable moments. Take a walk (or rather a breathless climb) through any army post, and you’ll see something unique. Those towering peaks and ridges? They aren’t just rocks or landmarks. They have names. Special names. “Sarla,” “Hema,” “Tanuja,” “Sharmila” or even “Benazir”—these could be someone’s childhood crush, a lost love, or even just a favourite Bollywood actress. F...

  The school staff room was buzzing with its usual mid-morning energy when Manju leaned across the table, her curiosity evident. “So, did he hold your hand?” she asked, her eyes gleaming mischievously. “No, he didn’t!” Pinky replied, her tone laced with irritation, clearly regretting bringing up the topic in the first place. “ Achha , so what would you have done if he had held your hand?” Radhika chimed in, smirking as she leaned back in her chair, ready to stir the pot. “I would have asked him to behave,” Pinky declared, raising a finger in a stern, school-teacherly way, as though reprimanding an errant student. “Oye, Madam PGT English!” Manju burst out, laughing so hard her chai almost spilled. “You were talking to your fiancé, not scolding one of your students! And, for heaven’s sake, stop pointing fingers like that until at least a year after your wedding.” “If he had held your hand, Pinky, I bet you’d start a lecture right there on ‘Appropriate Touch in Public Pl...

  As the dental doctor applied a little more pressure on my jaw, I silently cursed Richard Kiel . Yes, the same guy who played the villain with metallic teeth in James Bond's “The Spy Who Loved Me” . Back in my foolish, impressionable youth, I thought it was “cool” to mimic him. Why use bottle openers on Campa Cola bottles when you have perfectly good teeth? Years later, here I was—half a man and half a dental project—sitting in a chair that felt more like an interrogation device than a dental recliner. Last time, I’d gone to a lady dentist. She shuffled from side to side of the chair. With a lot of huffing, puffing, and twisting, she’d finally yanked the tooth out, victorious but visibly exhausted. That day, I promised myself: next time, a male dentist . I figured he’d have the muscle power for my "special case." Well, today was the day I learned how wrong I was. This tooth was as stubborn. After 10 minutes of wrestling, the male dentist started sweating. His...