Archana Pai Kulkarni

All new season of echoes & originals, a short-story-writing program - four consecutive Sundays, March 23 onwards. Details and show of interest here: forms.gle/ujF2WWmKMg3wUL…

For #Pune folks! A fun *Creative Writing Workshop* with writer and creativity coach, *Raju Tai* that will feel liberating, cathartic and restore your friendship with words and expression. Register here: forms.gle/ZBcqLEUfquRGLH…

Join us for fun, creative writing session at @Pagdandiworld #Pune Sunday, 25 August 2024 11am - 1:30pm pagdandi.org/2024/08/ochres…

@sahaysmita @SumanaSiliguri Received my copy the day before. So looking forward to reading it.

It's a beautiful book. Playful, subversive, lyrical❤️ Also written by one of my favourite people and one of my favourite authors, @SumanaSiliguri 💖 Read it!

A dying leaf embeds itself in concrete leaving a lasting imprint. Ants stop to chat with each other as sunlight casts plant shadows on the brick-red walking track. Hidden on the foliage are a dancing fantail and a talkative squirrel. A lone trumpet flower brightens the morning.

You never know who is watcing whom. A rodent was puckering its mouth watching a sunbird flit about. The brown kitty had its ears perked up to catch the movement on the other side of the low wall. Watching silently was this garden lizard, as crows cawed and flew close to its head.

Grey skies. Puddles everywhere. The freshly bathed pipal chats with its neighbours. A lovely yellow bloom stands out among its spindly bud siblings. Kitty sits quietly on the low wall thinking about the recent turn of events. A black ant sizes up a stray leaf before going its way

After the 15-min downpour, the fierce sun. The fruitfly seeks refuge on the cool skin of the mayalu leaf. The snakeweed flaunts spry purple blooms & oscillates in the wind like a pendulum. A doggo naps on the cool earth. A crow dries its wings on an overhead wire. #Thursdayvibes

Through the complex webwork of trees, the sun penetrates the still green lawn. The fragrance of the nagchampa permeates the air as the coral-coloured blooms hang from the tree like pretty baubles. A crow sits to cool down by spreading its wings as a doggo relaxes in the shade.

Despite its anger, the sun looks stunning as it gilds the sky. Defying the heat is a vibrant clothesline. A bulbul calls out to its mate from a well-chosen lookout. Dry leaves & flowers make a soft fall on the hard concrete. The sun dries up the evil absorbed by the nazar battu.

A tomcat dares you to disturb it, a doggo eats sunlight, a pair of bulbuls hops about on slender branches, a bearded chameleon blends into its perch, its eyes alert and unblinking, as the koel coos away from a treetop. The swish of the broom gathering dried leaves 🍃 🍂 #Saturday

Baked and roasted crimson- copper leaves form stunning foliage. A cat lazes on the track, then settles in a shaded nook to play with the dappled sunlight. A few feet away, kittens suckle as mither cat opens & closes her eyes as she feels the tug. The trees have become squirrels.

The loud metallic tuk-tuk-tuk call of the coppersmith barbet. Sapping humidity. The sun scorching everything in sight. Splashes of red bougainvillea & powder puff blooms cheer up the landscape. Thirsty crows hop around the sprinkler and dig their beaks into the wet lawn. #Friday

A morning of unusual visitors. Spent some time watching a coppersmith barbet hunting for a suitable spot to build its nest on the tree outside my window. Four monkeys arrived as if from nowhere & feasted on the kairi tree. Blue trumpet flowers make the summer bearable. #Thursday

It was such a pleasure to interview @rochellepotkar for @SheThePeople on her new book, 'Coins in Rivers'. Watch here: youtu.be/bKLc2gj-veg?si… #womenwritersfest

Just finished reading this highly engrossing, charming story of a woman banished to the ocean by a curse, her capture, her effort to adapt to life on land, the chaos her arrival creates, the challenges of a relationship between a mermaid & a human. #amreading #books

Soothing pink jaambs huddled on a bed of green leaves are inviting. Tucked inside the roots of the banyan a weathered image of Lakshmi-Visnu & Hanuman. The stunning magenta of bougainvillea mitigates the excessive heat. Fluffy white clouds descend to form a canopy with treetops.

A tree buzzes with bird chatter. A magpie robin calls for attention with the sweetest melody. Two plant shadows are engaged in silent communion. Across the road, kitty rests on a mat outside a photocopier's shop. The azure of the sky is ubiquitous. The sun is angry. #MondayMood

There's something about shadows dancing on the walls, carrying on a conversation of their own. A big splash of magenta, the sun so close yet so far, nests snugly ensconced in the mesh of branches, the fragrance of sandalwood from a nearby temple, the tailor bird's sweet melody!

A tiny green shoot that has emerged from the soil melts my heart. The paths are still freckled with the colours of Holi. A doggo wears a sun-scarf as it relaxes on a leaf-shadow carpet. A warbler regales me with its insistent song. The scent of fafda from an eatery. #FridayVibes