Cruellest

The cruellest month? “April”—comes the pet reply, too frequently, from the ones who obviously try to impress with their knowledge of Eliot. Without any clue of the context of The Waste Land, however, for many of us—for years—April was the cruellest month. For if you fail to reproduce your knowledge on some 20-odd plain sheets within 3 hours, all your vanities will be buried outside your home and all your demands will be overlooked at your home.

Anyway, we get used to the cruelties of April. For, exams come and go. But what after it is over? Sometimes everything seems to be over with it. Some sweet sounds that seem jingle to your ears, occasional glances that shake your nerves and haunt for days, the breathless anticipation of the moments when you get chance to sit by someone special………..May, June become the cruellest months.

Funny it may appear but still, standing at the wrong side of twenties, I feel more pain crawling through these two months. And no, not the Delhi loo is solely responsible for that. CP Surendran was kind enough to offer the much-required balm.


He meets her at the coach station.
A small, pretty woman
Who has decided early on
Not to want anything.
When he meets her,
He hears a camera go click.
She smiles. Click.
He offers her his seat.
Thank you, she says. Click.
The other day, they had tea together. Click.
All his moments with her were in snapshots,
Just for his wallet.
Never to be taken out.

(Click/CP Surendran)