Minakhi Misra

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  • The wrong lesson from the Boy Who Cried Wolf

     

    Mrs. Malik was 71 when she learned how to recognise the signs and symptoms of a stroke. She learned this from a series of pictures on a local hospital’s information leaflet. On the top banner, in blazing red ink, was the hospital’s emergency number that could be called if one were convinced that they were having a stroke. “Don’t hesitate,” it said. “Just call. We’ll be there in 10 minutes.”

    Mrs. Malik carefully folded the paper till it showed just the emergency number and taped this to the landline phone set she used. She further wrote the number down in her personal phone diary, and made a mental note to ask someone to save the number in her cell phone.

    Two days later, the ambulance was at her doorstep.

    (more…)
    January 12, 2017
    Between Strides, Opinions
  • Stuck on the wrong escalator?

     

    stuck-on-the-wrong-escalator_minakhimisra

    A few months ago, a video went viral in India. It showed a man trying, very patiently, to climb an escalator that was actually coming down. The video runs for about twenty seconds and for the whole duration that man is just putting one step in front of another, comfortably unaware of what is happening.

    Here, watch it yourself: (more…)

    January 11, 2017
    Between Strides
  • How I learned to read stories. On a rickshaw.

    Nine-year-old Zeenat likes sitting with her father on the driver’s seat of their battery-operated rickshaw. Every evening from four to six, she is a companion to her Abba, who plies his vehicle between Bada Chauraha and Phoolbagh in Kanpur.

    Abba is happy that he gets these precious two hours to spend with his noorain — the light of his eyes — as he hardly gets time after work to talk with any of his children.

    One Friday, when I was the only passenger they could find for the trip, Zeenat asked me if I was a student.

    “I am a writer,” I said. “I write stories.”

    “Really?” she turned towards me beaming. “Then you must know how to write.”

    “Haha, yes and no. I can write, but I am still learning how to write better.”

    “Then why did you lie?” she frowned.

    (more…)
    January 5, 2017
    Stories

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