Anirudh Bhardwaj - The official blog | Poems | Short Stories | Articles

As the day bleeds into nightfall and the moon starts to shine A woman sits by the creek in a forest full of pines Surrounded by the ravenous wolves yearning for her flesh She stares at the beast who keeps her chained for the pack Hoping that one day she would take back her dignity She offers herself every night to the monsters who sold their morality When the night is dark and the wolves all asleep She looks down in the water and laughs at her grief Wondering how the beauty turned out to be her enemy Almost as if it was the curse of Persephonie As in the box of Pandora, there's one thing that forever lives  Hidden deep inside her box-like heart is the hope to change her destiny  Clinging to this hidden gem, she can still endure countless miseries  But how beautiful the world is outside, she keeps having reveries And as long as she lives, she will hold on To the dreams of her past that still keep her strong And on a sto...

Away from the maddening crowd where the human noise ends Lies a winding stairway that no one ever descends Visible to all, yet hard to spot It leads to a place that demons sought Deep into the woods, away from sight There lives a woman who dances in the night And on the moonlit nights, she dances with a ghost Her shamanism entices spirits from the coast No one knows her origin and the cause Neither she's a witch nor she's an ogre And listening to her soulful melodies Countless men have given in to the felonies Every single man who comes in her sight Turning into a vicious sod, he either kills or he dies - Anirudh Bhardwaj

The drive till Lonavala was quite smooth but as we took the Amby Valley route towards the Lion’s Point, the visibility suddenly dropped to merely 15-20 meters. It was a foggy trail and the mist covered mountains and valleys were barely visible. For the next 10 kilometers, I had to drive in third gear at less than 40 kmph. And it took us almost an hour to reach that place, a journey that should have been covered in less than 30 minutes.  As we stepped down at Lion’s Point, we were greeted by a misty weather and cool breeze sloshing our bodies with piffling drizzles. The ground was a bit muddy due to incessant rains but the climate absolutely stunning. Our voices were barely audible amidst the sounds of the bustling wind which struck our ears in the most amazing way. The view, however, was hindered by the fog and mist. The fog was so dense that we could see nothing down the hill except for the tiny traces of verdant valleys straight ahead. “I told you, visiting Lonavala...

By the time we reached Purushwadi, it was all dark except for the tiny traces of light in the sky. It looked like the entire village had very limited electricity. Most of the houses were lit with oil lamps. They were not even houses, they were thatched huts that looked centuries old. More or less, it looked like backward region of Maharashtra that remains untouched by the urban population. I wondered that’s probably what most Indian villages looked like before independance or years before that.  There was nothing to admire except for the greenery which of course was because of the monsoons. During this period, every village in Maharashtra will offer this kind of verdancy, perhaps even better. The whole village was surrounded by agricultural lands. As we moved further, we were greeted by several local villagers. Most of the men were wearing Kurtas and a white colored Nehru cap. Several women were seated at the front porch of their houses. They wore traditional sarees cov...

As I take the last sip of my coffee, I look at my watch one more time. It’s been 10 minutes already, and yet no sign of her. Apparently, she’s still busy on the phone. Trying to sort out the mess that’s been created in her absence. In this male-dominant society, it’s rare to see a woman running a company. But that’s what I like about her, that’s what makes her different from everyone else. She’s a strong, independent woman who can give any man a complex when it comes to business. But for me, sometimes, it’s more of a curse than a blessing. Especially on days like these, when her work commitments ruin our holiday. I forgot to mention that I’m talking about my wife, Vartika here. She’s a wedding planner, the founder of ‘Dream Wedding,’ a startup based in New Delhi that is run by a team of 23 uber talented lunatics including myself. Well, honestly speaking, I’m not that much into the matters of Dream Wedding. I have a decent job after all. But being the COO of the company, and t...

Read the first part here . There is a complete silence for a little too long. Neither of them speaks until Viraj finally breaks the silence. “I’m really sorry mate,” he says.” I shouldn’t have brought this up.” Ritwik says nothing. Viraj heads to Ritwik’s car and returns with a bottle of mineral water. “Here, have some water pal,” Viraj offers the water bottle. “What do you want from me man,” Ritwik says. I ain’t got no money. You can take the car if you want, that’s all I have to give you. Viraj looks at the empty bottles of scotch and whisky lying on the gravel footpath. And the stench of booze was enough to know that Ritwik was dead drunk. “You know mate what you’re problem is,” he says. You’re a coward. That’s what you are man. You don’t have courage to face to odds, courage to stand strong, courage to fight. And you’re giving up at a time when your family needs you the most. “I don’t have a fuckin’ FAMILY,” Ritwik shouts. And who the hell ...

He stands there at the edge of the cliff. Reminiscing the moments he had with his wife. Going through all the memories that still seem so vivid to him as if it all happened yesterday. It’s been four years since he married Yashika. The love of his life. And this is where he proposed to her on Valentine’s Day. In front of the summer hill. There is this place in Shimla at the Kufri-Chail road from where one can see the exquisite view of summer hill. It’s a popular tourist spot where people on their way to Kufri, often stop by to take photographs. February 14, 2011 It was a beautiful day and after spending the night in Shimla, the two were leaving for Kufri, hoping to see some snowfall there. It was Valentine’s Day and Ritwik had planned a candle light dinner at their hotel in Shimla. So, they were going to return before it gets dark. After passing a few kilometers, Ritwik brought the car to a halt. (It was the same place where he is standing right now.) Yashika look...

I saw her from the corner of my eyes, making sure she won’t spot me staring at her. I was standing just a few inches away from her at the Iffco Chowk bus stop, waiting for the bus to arrive. I never really admire strangers like this. But this girl was different. Yes, I knew her. She used to be my crush in high school. Yeah, from the very beginning, I knew it's never gonna work out. She used to be one of the most popular girls in school and I was such a nerd that hardly anyone ever noticed me. Supriya Vaidya, the mention of her name was enough to spark the fire that almost had me burn to ashes two years ago. And there she was! Still so beautiful, gorgeous and divine. Perfection dripping all over her body. Perfectly styled hair, pale white complexion, mesmerizing dark brown eyes, light pink glossy lips, perfectly manicured fingers. Just…perfect! This word alone is enough to describe her. She was still oblivious of the fact that a guy is continuously staring at her...