FranKophone

At forty-nine, this could not have happened. It was a different matter if she had been eighteen or even twenty-nine. She could not believe it. Nobody would. But that grotesque touch lingered. She let that pass and got off the bus.Maybe scarred and scared for the rest of her life.

                         The mere mention of armed forces evokes the image of courage, bravery and discipline in India. However, in north-east India and Jammu and Kashmir, the picture is vastly altered. Military force is synonymous with fear, brutality and suspicion. The main reason behind this contradictory public image is the “draconian” law, Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. It has vested the armed forces with absolute power mainly to aid fight against terrorism and insurgency. Several unprovoked arrests, tortures, rapes and deaths go unnoticed under the wraps of AFSPA.Unmarked graves have been found in the valley. Fake encounters and disappearances make headlines.  At times, it is a case of mistaken identity. Violence in Jammu and Kashmir has increased since implementation of AFSPA in 1990. Similar incidents are reported from the north-eastern states.  Jeevan Reddy Commission (2005) had recommende...

Yes, I killed my husband. To the world he was an awfully rich man. To me he was a demon. He tried to outrage my child’s modesty. I could not do anything else then. The kitchen knife was at hand. Just four inches into his body and he was gone. To me he was a habitual sexual offender, nothing else.

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet." I strongly disagree. “Anewsha”, "Anusuya”,"Aneysaa”, "Amrisha”(!!!!!) and “Amisha”(:P) are the names which I had to deal with. Its so damn disgusting. My parents took so much pain to name me and the greatest fools on earth couldn’t even roll their tongues to it. Damn irritating ! Once a teacher remarked-“ Bahut hi thedha naam he aapka ”(“Your name is too twisted”). To which I involuntarily replied, " Tedha he par mera he ”(No, Kurkure hadn’t banked on this line then). Usually it’s the oldies who can’t pronounce my name.(No offence meant to the elders). I wish people call my name as it is actually. Else what is the purpose of having such a nice name ? ************* Year : 2007 Place : Some coaching centre, Bhubaneswar Time : 2 PM Batches of students were leaving the centre after a test. The elevator was full. The stairs were overcrowded. Miss X took the stairs. The tes...