Winning Entries That Won Our Heart And Will Win Yours Too!

 A bottle of wine

This bottle of wine that we shared opened a Pandora’s Box. We questioned our feelings for our friends and relatives, the stand that we took on an issue, argued over our differences. From 'it’s all your fault' to ‘maybe you are not all wrong’ - it was a precious moment nonetheless. Now whenever there is something to resolve, I take out a bottle of wine. - Rajika Malhotra 

About the contestant:

Rajika Malhotra is passionate about reading and movies, dabbles a bit in writing and poetry, in sher-o-shayri. She believes in living life king-size.

The roads

The roads have been evenly paved...It has been repaired. But my heart still bears those crooked edges And they perforate whenever I pass through his roads... - Kay

About the contestant:

Kay is a 14- year old teenager, who loves reading, writing, and photography and desires to join the Indian Army. She also works as a social representative for an NGO named Helping Hand. 

The lake will wait with its stories

My father and many generations of my family including me grew up on the banks of Lake Vembanad. Manygenerations have passed on, but the lake still holds all their stories, a silent biographer. Today, married, I go in peace, knowing the lake will wait, with its stories, for my children. - Manjula Sidhan 

About the author:

Manjula Sidhan is an aspiring writer, blogger and a dog mom. She is passionate about nature, animals and women’s rights.  

Reminiscence

I found myself here again Where we last met And I do believe, the trees whisper to each other, And gossip about my secret; About my betrayal. Is it my guilt over leaving you That makes these trees tower over me Like the dark, dead weight of my conscience? - Chinki Divako

About the contestant:

When not curled up under a blanket with a cup of tea and a thick book, Chinki Divako likes to play with her own words. What started off as a coping mechanism after frequently changing schools all over the country, writing became an addictive habit. Chinki now resides in Bangalore.

How can anyone deny this awesome proposal?

9:00 PM. Table ready, decorated with less flowers and more love. A gift. And beneath it I found her piece of heart. Her simple proposal and I felt "on cloud nine." She entered the room and it was a look of an angel straight from paradise. Her eyes expecting my answer and I surrendered all my love to her. She is the star-crossed love of my life and I’ll love her forever and ever…- Ankit Chhatbar

About the contestant:

Ankit Chhatbar is a freelance web developer and a postgraduate from the Department of Computer Science from Saurashtra University.

You are my chandelier

Dearest hubby,

You are the light of my life... my chandelier... the sugar free of my chai. Kabhi hamari aur bhi dekho. The nuances of my face would be more interesting than our dear Arnab Goswami. Itne years beet gaye. But our pyar has not dimmed in spite of thoda cataract. You will always remain the sun and moon of my life depending on AM or PM.

About the contestant:

Smart Babe is a counsellor and a writer.

The journey called life

This journey that I take with you,

A journey of life, where we have so much and yearn for so much, is beautiful with you, is beautiful because it has you. There are moments of darkness, but there is also sunshine, If there are stones cast in our way, there are roads leading us too, We have the gift of completing each other, my weaknesses are helped by your strength, and your weaknesses by mine. Together, we take this journey called life. - Archana Sharma

About the contestant:

Archana Sharma is an interior designer by profession, currently living in Europe. She loves to travel, read and write and being an expat’s wife, she gets ample opportunities to pursue these interests. India remains her first love but she is also passionate about the fine arts and performing arts. 

Amma's cotton sari

This sari is 50 years old - it was my amma’s night dress. My amma and papa would sleep on two swings, opposite to each other. My papa’s swing had a thick string attached to it. While sleeping, amma used to pull that string so that papa’s swing would move and, in turn, amma’s swing would move too. That was love to me. - Vrunda P Thakkar

About the contestant:

Vrunda  P Thakkar is an astrologer and tarot card reader. She also writes for Gujarati magazine “Abhiyan” and an English magazine by “Club O7”.

Waves can be a metaphor for the unpredictability of love

The dancing waves created music. Your whisper narrated the lyrics, as you touched my soul with your song of love. I was so absorbed in you that I missed the dark clouds that slowly moved in. In a flash it was over, I now stay with the remnants of what we once called ‘love.’ - Abhilasha Agarwal

About the contestant: 

Abhilasha Agarwal is a soft skills trainer with TCS, Kolkata. She is a certified IELTS trainer with the British Council. Her literary pursuits include writing for the Chicken Soup for Indian Series and she has co-authored the book Rendezvous with God. She is also published with The Tribune.

When the waves tell a story

Over the bubbles and its roaring echoes, We sashayed along the white sands of this beach…Our salted memories left to drown, While each splashing waves whisper our story… Spreading ripples over the shore as the tide turns away, He left me all alone and broken, forgetting our beginnings here… - Meera

About the contestant:

Meera is a blogger at A Rat’s Nibble.  She writes short stories and poems and takes cue from her dreams and everyday events as her eyes and mind constantly search for things that tell tales. She is also a food lover and a movie buff and enjoys reading. She has also won many blogging awards.

Hope, love and unspoken words

We met after ages. We walked into the church and prayed for a long time. It was an extremely emotional moment. A lot remained unspoken. We wait for another moment and time hoping for a better tomorrow. - Mahesh Ramani

About the contestant:

Mahesh Ramani is based out of Chennai and is a poet, dreamer, editor, cook, movie-buff and photographer.

Sweet like honey

Life is like a honeycomb made up of little moments, we toil like bees to fill it with honey, savour the sweetness. What’s left behind is a prayer, a memory on our lips and a sweet reminder- we need to make more honey, no matter how much time it takes. - Bhaskar Pitla

About the contestant:

Bhaskar Pitla works as a marketing consultant based in Mumbai. He writes poetry incessantly, and also dabbles in song writing and photography.

Sunshine to the dark clouds

You are the ray to those dark clouds, And a bright light to the misty shrouds, My ideas, thoughts and writing is true, Most of what I am I owe to you, My friend, my family, with me all the way through. - Jaibala Rao

About the contestant:  

Jaibala Rao is a web columnist for popular magazines and websites, writer and a blogger. Words define her and writing and reading compete to be the love of her life. Jaibala’s biggest belief is that there is something good in everything and she always looks to highlight the best in things. Creative writing is her forte. She blogs at http://jaibalarao.com