They matter,
the minor questions –
the smell of a new wardrobe,
the eternal bus ticket
in the bag’s second compartment, the leer
of the late shift security guard.
Yes, Draupadi’s sari is endless
and there’s no way to tame life’s wild unstoppable bureaucracy
but this:
Fill out the form. Do it in bloody triplicate. Enrol.

Published with permission from “When God is a Traveller”, HarperCollins India.

This selection is curated by Yamini Krishnan.