Pothiz - July 2010 (Inaugural Issue)

From the Publisher's Desk - Inaugural Issue

It goes without saying that we take immense pleasure in presenting to you the inaugural issue of Pothiz – Pothi.com’s online magazine. We see Pothiz as a natural extension to our efforts of providing the young and unheard voices a platform where they could engage, be heard, get valuable feedback directly from their readers and flourish into wonderful wordsmiths. (Read more).

Story (Featured Entry) - The Soul is a Battery by Vivek Ramakrishnan

‘Do you believe in evil spirits?’

It was Neha. Always the first one to get scared. It must have been the story, thought Arjun.

They were sitting around a campfire on the banks of the Ganges near Rishikesh. Their bodies were aching after a day of rafting and kayaking. It was one at night. (Read more).

Poetry - Goodbye Mrs. Boa by Nazrul Haque

Goodbye, Mrs. Boa!
We shall miss you.
The last of a tribe,
a lost language,
and those memories
You carried,
for the last 65,000 years.
Alone.
(Read more).

Story - The Matrimonial Clock by Shweta Ganesh Kumar

Tara took off her jacket and hung it on the peg behind the main door of the apartment. It was slightly cold this time of the year in Bangalore. She rubbed her hands together for warmth and took out her wallet. This went into the first drawer of the wooden chest of drawers she had in the sitting room. (Read more).

Humour - Barberic Times by Abhijeet Deogirikar

The dentist’s chair has been famed to be the scariest of all chairs. Ogden Nash has even written an eloquent poem about its horrors.

I’m pretty sure Ogden Nash never went for a haircut. For me, the barber’s chair is right up there with the worst of them. If you want a haircut in a foreign land, that is.(Read more).

Experimental - Oops! I made you a Daddy. by Techknowbaby

*Blink Blink*
Hmmm, this uterus is starting to push into me now... I'm getting cramped.
Wonder what the date is? Hey Mom! Mooooooommm!!! mommyyyyyyy!!! What date is today?
(Read more).

Story - Thirteen Hours of Fame by Jatin Pathak

Sitting on a chair, spinal cord straight as a cricket pitch, the eyes of Panditji were scrolling fast on the kundli of nine-year old Manav Sharma. With the right hand he adjusted his spectacles, giving the impression that he has found something of great importance. Manav’s mother pulled her chair closer to Panditji. (Read more).

Book Review - Inverting the Pyramid (Jonathan Wilson) by Sriyansa Das

... Yet, no one remembers football this way; it is always about the Peles, the Maradonas, the Rooneys and the Messis and never about a team or how eleven players played. The beauty and appeal of the football lies in the fact that it is both exceedingly simple in the conception, and yet allows for enormous complexity in the game-play. There is thus a history to be told of this complex game-play, and Jonathan Wilson tries in this book to trace the tactical evolution of football from the early days to the modern form. (Read more).

Story - Practical Lessons by Sree

‘Want a condom?’ he asked.
‘Excuse me?’
‘I mean to say do you need condoms?’
‘No thanks! And why are you asking me?’ she became irritated. (Read more).

Humour - God Promise by Vibha Batra

God: Earthlings lie way too much, tch tch! I want to make an example of a liar so that people are scared to lie.
Yamaraj: Why don’t we kill them all?
Chitragupta: Then there will be no one left on earth.
Narad muni: Yeah, it’s that bad! (Read more).

Story - The Idiot by Abhishek Sahaya

‘What the hell! Why do they always do this?’ It would be an understatement if I say Mr. OLD BALLS was furious.

Yes, Mr. OLD BALLS is the name I have given to my HOD. He is not aware obviously for otherwise it wouldn’t have taken him long to chop my head off. I don’t really blame him for his state of mind. (Read more).

Poetry - City's Seasons by Babitha Marina Justin

marriages are like migrations to
cities, the unfamiliarity and
the task of getting used to them;
my weathered feathers in new city,
combating heat and cold

(Read more).

Poetry - Elegy by Ananya S Guha

a poem
symmetry
line, curve
dash, comma
ambience

(Read more).

Poetry (Hindi) - बेटी होने का दर्द by प्रियंका गुप्ता

अक्सर
अपने घर की छत पर
खडी हो कर
जब नीले चंदोबे से तने
आकाश की ओर देखती हूँ
(Read more).

Poetry (Hindi) - सूना बचपन by Mohit Sharma

वो किसी की गोद मे चढ़ता,
अपनों के कपड़े गंदे करता,
पहले सहारे से.... और फ़िर एक दिन
ख़ुद चलता
(Read more).

Poetry -Divine Sisterhood by Sonia Sarkar

I.
At October’s full moon
Her effigy rises like jagged cliffs
Gulps lesser gods whole
The city she saved paints her a killer
Ruby red demon-slayer, stained savior
Rage like a drought-ravaged tigress

(Read more).

*****

We hope you will enjoy this issue of Pothiz. Do give feedback to the authors using the comment form on the entries. Also, entries are invited for August 2010 issue of Pothiz. The deadline is July 16, 2010.