Tales of Ipsa

Category: Real Life Anecdotes

  • Hair fall – the conspiracy theory

    But oblivious of the warning signs, totally wrapped in itself, the hair still relaxed, letting its hair down. Little did it know that its fall was near.

  • The naptini

    The naptini

    Within a day or two of our homecoming she would be at the door, looking as she always did. Unchanging and constant, holiday after holiday. Grey-haired, tall and straight-backed, with a dark weather-beaten face, paan-stained teeth, and intelligent, shrewd eyes.

  • Celebrating the Fool

    Celebrating the Fool

    For humankind lives not by bread alone, but by moments of shared fun and laughter. This was the fool’s life and his livelihood. His skills were manifold—acrobatic, juggling, wordplay, mimicry, magic, music and dance—he was the Jack-of-all-comical-trades!

  • A knotty piece of string

    A knotty piece of string

    Anyone who has ever knitted, crocheted, quilted, embroidered or otherwise worked with a length of yarn has witnessed this miracle. A perfectly innocuous, straightforward length of yarn mysteriously ties itself into a convoluted knot. As though tired of running in an endless track, it decides to curl up on itself for a cosy nap. Called…

  • Dangerous creatures—megafauna to microbes

    Our prehistoric ancestors were brave. Small bands of them stepped out of their caves into the wilderness to hunt, armed with only wooden spears, clubs, and roughly sharpened stones. They hunted no ordinary creatures—they stalked megafauna—menacing monsters several times their size and several hundred times their weight. Dangerous beasts which could kill with a sideways…

  • Planetary alignments

    Planetary alignments

    I wasn’t a believer. But the day dawned when the planetary alignments declared I had power to influence world peace. Had I but known earlier……As things were, my sphere of influence extended over the limited 1200 square feet of my own home. But I consoled myself—peace, like charity, must begin at home. Deeply impressed that…

  • The forgotten sole

    The forgotten sole

    Last night I came face-to face with my forgotten sole. Yes, I’ve spelt it right. S-O-L-E. The underside of our feet. Of course it was in a dream. I can barely look at my toes (on my more flexible days), so the sole is a virtual impossibility. It’s often left for dreams to make possible…

  • Murphy’s law

    Murphy’s law

    For the favoured few who have been untouched by Murphy’s law, I shall start by stating it. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong (and at the worst possible time). And never is the law enforced with greater certainty than when you have guests at home. Your car will have an inexplicable breakdown, the…

  • 🗣️ 👆 🤝 😃🌹🎉 | Say it with Emojis

    Never before in the history of the world have we tossed our hearts around so freely and indiscriminately. To family, friends, frenemies, school and college mates (whom we barely spoke to in college), even virtual strangers. Nor have we ever distributed roses, clinked champagne flutes, or bestowed smiles with such abandon. All in the full…

  • A lost tail

    A lost tail

    We take much for granted till we lose it. Friends and loved ones, good health, the hair on our heads and….. our tails. Tails? Yes, the self-same caudal appendage that most animals besides apes and humans are endowed with. And so begins the tale of the lost tail. I can see you rolling your eyeballs…