Hues and Dews Poetry

      There is no doubt that books are magical; but the way some of them end up in our lives continue to astound me. And each of these occurrences are as unique as the stories they tell. It is a story wrapped in a story.  For me, the tale of "The Bad Muslim Discount" written by Syed M. Masood began many months ago. After work, I often end up spending a few hours at the public library. This particular branch was in need of renovation and they decided to raze it to the ground to build a state-of-the-art library building. Since they couldn't put all the books in storage, they were giving away many for free. The cover art and the title of this novel caught my attention and soon enough we were on our way home.  I have always had a soft spot for immigrant stories due to their sheer relatability. I think the reason why I resented reading books during school years was mainly due to them being unrelatable. I tried hard to draw parallels among these stories and my own lif...

     Kishkindha Kaandam (2024) in my opinion has really set a benchmark for the Malayalam thriller movies made in recent times. The premise of senile dementia itself is a relatively untouched topic and to weave an emotionally charged thriller out of this theme is nothing short of sheer talent.  The tagline of the film "A tale of three wise monkeys" had caught my attention and as I was snacking on a bag of Britannia Little Hearts biscuit, an old story with both a monkey and a bag of Little Hearts being the main characters came back to my memory. It was the year 2002; My grandparents, parents, siblings and I, along with my uncle and his family, aunt and hers all decided to go to Mysore, Karnataka for a little vacation. It was on a white Toyota Qualis. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that 15 people including the driver traveled in that SUV.  I can still feel the gusty wind and cool breeze hitting my face as we started ascending through the winding hair...

Truth is stranger than fiction. This is an unbelievable yet true story of a man who quite literally wore many hats, including that of a first officer/ Co- Pilot, Pediatric resident supervisor, lawyer, bank security guard etc, all before the age of 21. Certainly the security systems in the banking industry weren't advanced or sophisticated back in the '60s and '70s but it is unlikely that any crook could have the shrewdness and quite honestly, the brilliance to forge checks worth millions of dollars or fly over a million miles for free. It is apparent that from Frank W. Abagnale's early teenage years itself that he had a knack for conning others. From misusing his dad's Mobil Gas credit card, to writing fraud checks, to even escaping prison, this man had a certain skill. This skill along with his meticulous observation really helped him pull off all these elaborate schemes. But it is a little relief to know that he never “diddled” an individual. Sending actual cash...

January 2008 ; just a few months after my family and I moved to the United States.       Hailing from the Southern part of India, to us snow was an abstract concept; something we witnessed occasionally in film songs and music videos.  It was sometime after the 3rd period in 6th grade when a kid yelled out "Hey look, it's snowing!". Along with the whole class, I turned towards the window too. To the kids around me, these powdery white flurries meant a seasonal occurrence; a simple reminder of the winter wonders. But for me, it was a monumental moment. An event like no other! Something I have never witnessed or experienced before in my life. It continued to snow and during my bus ride home, I just stared out through the window, completely mesmerized. We all played in the snow at our bus stop and all along the way to our homes. I am quite certain that I might have even crunched down a few handfuls of snow. What made this experience even sweeter was the fact that we...

    As the year 2025 has dawned upon us, we are flooded with "Happy New Year" texts from our loved ones and New Year wishes from our acquaintances. In a few days it will slowly fade and soon disappear. And then like clockwork, around this same time next year, there will come the resurgence of these New Year wishes. The first day or maybe even the first week of a particular year is celebrated and then pretty much swept under the rug. People often go back to their old habits and many even fail to followup with their resolutions,  most of which they themselves might have forgotten by then. Each day will only come once and when it is over, there is no going back. As we are mortal beings, there clearly is a limit to the amount of days we will get to live through. In this unpredictable journey called life, tomorrow is only a hope and never a promise. It is of utmost importance that we celebrate each minute and each hour of the day. As this epiphany has dawned upon me, I'l...

  New Year’s Eve during my college years were all about partying, having fun, and just living the best moments of our young, energetic lives. Fast forward to the New Year's Eve today (12/31/24), here I am setting up my Toyota Financial Services App on my iPad I purchased recently with my humble earnings.                                                                                                                              This year has been that of change, evolution, and metamorphosis.  A chrysalis of sorts. It’s the year I grew up and completed my transformation from boyhood to manhood. From a carefree medical graduate to a working class man. It all began with m...

 2 years! That's how long I have been waiting, rather impatiently, to read this novel. And today I can proudly say that it was worth the wait! Even though it is quite evident from my past reviews, I admit that I mostly read fiction and is especially a sucker (like an octopus) for feel-good novels! For me, there is an impalpable joy that comes from within when I am floating (again, like an octopus) on the pages of a feel-good novel. And that is exactly the sensation I felt as I read this beautiful story. The author was very successful in weaving fantasy into the mundaneness and melancholy of daily life in such a subtle and nuanced manner that the story felt real and believable. The camaraderie demonstrated between a human being and a Giant Pacific octopus felt rather natural. It did not feel forced or exaggerated at all. In this novel, humans and other animals equally craved affection and the need to be part of a family. All the main characters, including Marcellus, were haunted by ...

Ever since the hues were washed away from my life, it has become nothing but a blur.  Mundane agony and constant worries  have ended up covering it fully like fur.  But at this moment right now,  all that have become a memory; As I  stumble upon an aura, so luminous, vivid, and shimmery.  Along with the sky,  it is painting my soul and along with the surroundings,  it is lighting up my life.  An experience like no other; Something I have craved to see.  There it is, the alluring aurora, right in front of me. As I am floating high with euphoria, basking in this kaleidoscopic experience, I find myself asking if this is what a thousand rainbows look like.  Rithin. (keep scrolling down for photos and a little write-up) October 10, 2024 10:00 PM EST  The Northern Lights/ Aurora Borealis has been a phenomenon I have always wanted to witness/ experience at least once in my life. And how incredibly fortunate was I on that phenomenal ni...

As I kept fighting dreary dreams in the middle of the night, a nocturnal fragrance woke me up from the depth of my slumber.  Wanting to find the source of this scent,  I embarked on an uncharted journey.  I kept fumbling in the dark haze until stumbling across a mesmerizing sight.  Even as the drapes of dusk covered the light, it was like twilight, this mystical sight. With it's radiance and enchanting allure, before me bloomed the Queen of the Night. As everything else stood still, stuck in time, my life felt like a riddle; perhaps a rhyme.  -Rithin. After planting the Queen of the Night in her indoor garden a few years ago,  my mother tended to it with the same love and care she gave her own children. It took immense patience as this type of flower only blooms one night a year. The fact that it wilts before dawn further signifies its rarity. Last night, I was fortunate enough to have woken up by the sweet fragrance of this blooming flower. I watched it da...