Aryaman Kakkar's Archive

It began when he tapped my shoulder with the subtlety of a war hammer. It was the first day of semester after COVID still rampaged, but we were immunised. All of us were called back to campus, no restrictions, no precautions. Meaning, we'd get to enjoy the pleasures of having a roommate (yay). Thankfully I had arrived early at the gates, said a speedy goodbye to Mom and Dad who had the dropping off routine far too many times in my life as a boarder. Efficient and single-minded, I got my room key and the four pieces of luggage I carried and rode the elevator, tapping my foot to a beat called 'awkward in social situations, so I need to get the energy out somehow'. I opened the door to my room, still as small as the ones I'd been in before, though living alone in such a spacious 12x12 for so many of the preceding semesters had spoiled me a bit. 9 t-shirts in one pile. 4 polos for formal occasions in the corner. 4 trousers hung. Shorts galore, print, cotton, workout (they a...

This is for the nocturnals. Those who wish they would have gardens and cityscapes to walk into and wander instead of gathering the energy of removing the duvet, putting on their slippers, walking all the way to the kitchen, opening the fridge, look at it and then shut it because of how the boxes and piles of veggies are added layers on your retinas. Decide on a bottle of cold water, the iciness charges these arteries and shivers power up the brainstem. Enjoy the cold, and then walk all the way back. All the way back. Wishing they would have the energy to walk out the door and breathe.   You're back in bed. The weight of the night settles in. We can always tell what time it should be, seeing the gravity of the darkness that settles in the fairy-lit bedroom. It feels like it's 1:30 but it's only 12:45, wow so much extra time to do nothing! This is the winter when the night is our friend and a jester as it draws the sunrise farther and farther away, snatching the chance fo...