Harshali

Life without emotions... it sounds strange, almost robotic, doesn’t it? Emotions are something we experience every single day — they shape our reactions, our thoughts, our memories.  According to psychologists, humans have five basic emotions: joy, anger, fear, disgust, and sadness. That's what sir Paul Ekman says but for me, emotions are much more than that. In a world increasingly run by machines and artificial intelligence, it is these raw, messy, beautiful emotions that truly make us human. It is the beautiful Chaos that remind us the beauty of life. They are like a divine gift — something we’re all blessed with and should cherish deeply. And I don’t just mean the positive ones. Even the so-called “negative” emotions like anger, guilt, and sadness have their own importance. Life without emotions would be like a blank canvas with no paint — technically complete, but empty, dull, and lifeless. Imagine waking up one morning and not feeling that tiny spark of hope, the weight of dr...

I hadn’t really slept in days. You know the kind of sleep where your eyes close but your heart stays wide awake? That was me — too tired to move, too restless to rest. It had been long since I had a peaceful sleep... The morning light was barely a whisper through the curtains when the phone rang. The landline. Who even calls the landline anymore? I answered it.  " Hello?"  A pause. Then a voice I didn’t recognize. It was rough yet... very gentle... " Are you okay?"  Just three words but it they hit like a wave. It had been ages since anyone had asked me that...  I stayed silent. Then came something deep down inside I didn't want to listen...  " Manjiri... Are you okay?"  Manjiri. Those words shattered something within me. Of course those weren't for me.  I cleared my throat. " No I think you've the wrong number... It's Harshali... Harshali Joshi..."  The stranger hesitated. "Oh—I’m sorry. I thought… you just sounded...