Tales of Ipsa

Category: Slice of life

  • Sounds of the Night

    Sounds of the Night

    For the night is not all calmness and tranquility. While humans sleep, the night awakes—not just to hushed whispers and muted murmurs; but to chirps, yowls, and screeches! Sounds buried in the din of day ring clear and true. Its a journey of rediscovery as my ears acquaint me with the passing sounds of the…

  • 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!

  • The Circle of Life—a Balcony View.

    Its February. The bare branches of the Indian cork trees stretch heavenwards pleading for fresh garments to cover their nakedness. Beyond them, usually shielded by their thick foliage, the grey and white tower block too stands exposed to curious eyes. Life is astir behind the concrete facade—a blur of images on a TV screen where…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Household hints

    Household hints

    I was always a sucker for household hints. Or hacks, as they call them now. A shower of crumbling neem leaves in an old tome took me back to the summer afternoons of long ago when it all began. To a battered blue cardboard file bulging with newspaper and magazine clippings which I had discovered…