Shon Mehta's Blog, page 8

Stories of Jivavarta: The Cracked Coin

It was almost noon, and the worker who I had hired for cleaning my tavern hadn't turned up. I cursed aloud. My back was sore and I was looking forward to rest a little, but now I will have to work more than usual.
"Do you need help, sir?" said a voice.

It was an elderly woman with a wrinkly face. It is tough to guess the age of poor people, they tend to look older than they are, due to all the hardship they face. She had a hunched back and sunburned skin, common among the workers in the paddy fiel...

The Uncharted Mind: The Future Must be Bright

Poem: The Future Must be Bright

Color of my skin, they will forever malign,
Bullets are theirs, but the body is mine.

No matter how hard I try, no matter how good my intent,
Everyday is an ambush, against which I can never fend.

So many years have passed, there is no end to my plight,
Yet I keep telling myself, don't worry the future must be bright.   

The Uncharted Mind: The Dare

The DareThere was a girl named Claire.For her, life was lonely, it was so unfair.She longed for happiness, but found it nowhere.And felt that when she is gone, no one will care.
Then, one day, she decided, and took the dare.
Years gone by, her family still lives their nightmare.Her mother's eyes, they are never without a tear.Cause, death without grief is rather rare.Someone, somewhere will always care.

Stories of Jivavarta: Thoughts and Prayers

In a monastery, there were many student monks. Sojuk was the most pious of them all. Every day, he would get up early, and meditate. Whenever he saw or heard someone in trouble, he prayed for them. Everybody respected him for his compassion. All the students joined Sojuk in his prayers, except one -- Brima. Many times, students asked Brima to join in the prayers for troubled people, but he would refuse and go away.
One year, the head monk decided to declare the name of the "most...

Thinking Out Loud: Anxiety

The world is going through an upheaval due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Most of us have never faced this kind of situation in our lifetimes. Nobody knows how things will turn out. This is leading to anxiety about our health, well-being of our loved-ones, our financial situation, our future, and so on.
Here are a few things which are helping me cope with my anxieties:
1) The Rule of One
Each day, prioritize and handle one problem at a time.
Some of us could already be suffering from an illness, or...

The Uncharted Mind: Acceptance

AcceptanceA poem by Shon Mehta

For some, it is a belovedthey are eager to meet.
For some, it is an enemythey are anxious to face.
For some, it is a strangerthey are trying to ignore.
In truth, it is a destinythat nobody can escape.
So, for me, when death comes there will only be acceptance.

Almost - By Shon Mehta - Short story audiobook

"Almost" is a short story by author Shon Mehta. Read By Shon Mehta.

The Girl Who Asked Why.

    






This story happened really long time back, but it is still very relevant. 
Girls were taught to cook, to take care of the family, and then married off. Studying was off-limits to girls. 

In those times, there lived a girl. She was a little different. She always had  lots of questions in her mind. 
When she was little, her mother wanted her to learn cooking.

The girl asked her mother, “Why should I learn to cook?”

Mother said, “So...

Thinking Out Loud: Religious Scriptures

Recently, I came across several social media posts saying that religion is the root cause of violence in the society. I do not agree.

Everyone who is following religion is not supporting violence. For most people, prayer acts as a coping mechanism, a means for finding peace and spiritual growth.

While researching for my novel "The Timingila", I did a comparative study of many scriptures. It was fascinating. I came across several beautiful and enlightening thoughts, some of which appear at the...

Short Story: The Sleep

Pedro had been wide awake the entire night. All the coconut oil on his head couldn't help him calm down. Even the sleeping pill he had taken could make him sleep for long. His anxiety about his impending homelessness had triumphed over all.

He kept imagining himself sleeping on a footpath near a gutter, with filth all around him. The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became.

He had not felt this anxious ever, not even when fed up of his father's abuse, he had run away from a small...