Yash Soni

1 AM Arijit is crooning ‘Bedard thi, zindagi, bedard hai..’ as I take a drag and smile at the irony of Kamil’s lyrics. "Rahman and Kamil are the perfect combos, Yash, and they always get me high!" You used to tell me, and I often wondered how you’d feel if I said to you that I was high on you. 2 AM I realize it’s been eight months since we last talked. Honestly, the passing time hasn’t been that difficult. Most days are perfectly normal. Good, even. But every once in a while, comes a day that is the exact opposite. The day I miss you like maybe Rahman misses his Piano or Tendulkar misses his bat. Perhaps this is nostalgia. Or perhaps I am just lonely. I don’t know what this is. I just know that maybe I still love you. 3 AM I am reading our old chats. I sometimes wonder who this guy was. How is he so happy! Goofy pictures, poor jokes, cheesy songs, intense poetry, and, most importantly, that warm feeling of home. Maybe that’s what you were. Home! 4 AM And vulnerability is neve...

Baksha gunaho ko Sun ke duwao ko Rabba pyaar hai Tune sab ko hi de diya… ...writes lyricist Irshad Kamil. And that is truly the premise from where all the strength, all the rebellion in this song stems from – just a simple belief that no matter what, love is for everyone, that it exists for everybody. The heart, naive, gives into this at once acceding to its own confirmation bias. So when it is wronged, all hell breaks loose. And "Aaj Din Chadheya" carries the baggage of that. Of all the times a prayer wasn’t heard. That is why the plea that sounds insistent at best turns defiant at once. It speaks to God directly asking for some accountability, a fair justification? The challenge in its voice – almost battle ready – doesn’t worry about how it sounds. Yet, I am certain "Aaj Din Chadheya" is a conversation in private, probably in the dark of the night too but most likely on paper. For it is impressively potent. Its protest is so powerful, it ropes you in. Its purpose...

"Call me foolish, but I still believe in happy endings and fairy tales," I smiled. "Happy endings, fairy tales. It's so ironic, isn't it?" she mocked. "Life taught me to look at the brighter side of things," I countered. "Let's not get into an argument," she stood up to leave. "You're leaving?" I inquire. "My local is at 7:45. It's 7:37 already," she hurried. 7:43 PM; Overcrowded platform I looked around, but couldn't find her amongst the heavy crowd. *Announcement regarding the train* I could hear the faint honking of the local from a distance, people around me became more alert now. The train slowly arrived and halted. Commuters got on and off the train. I kept searching, but in vain. The train starts to move, it picks up speed gradually, and it's gone. Pin drop silence for the next few minutes. "And I woke up," I tell the psychiatrist. "I am sure you can narrate better thrillers,...