Rajesh Muthuraj
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A Pause at the Doorway
– a Talesmith Short by Rajesh Muthuraj It was an ordinary evening, the kind that feels longer. Rohit returned home, tired and distracted, when the doorbell rang. A delivery boy stood outside, handed over the package, and should have left like they all do. But he didn’t. “Anything else?” Rohit asked. The boy hesitated, then… Read more
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The Quiet Power of the Drumstick
– a Talesmith short by Rajesh Muthuraj In a busy South Indian kitchen, a fresh pot of sambar was coming to life. Tomatoes jumped in first. Onions followed. Carrots rolled in cheerfully. However, in the corner of the chopping board lay a few long, green drumsticks. Silent, unnoticed. The cook picked them up last. The… Read more
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Lost in IKEA, Found in Conversation
– a Talesmith short by Rajesh Muthuraj Last weekend, my family and I went to IKEA with a very specific mission: Buy one thing and come back peacefully. Do not buy random storage boxes just because they do not exist at home. Naturally, within fifteen minutes, I had forgotten my mission and was walking through… Read more
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What Do You Want to Hear First? Good News or Bad News?
– a Talesmith Short by Rajesh Muthuraj Ravi stared at the cracked screen of his phone while sitting on the edge of his bed. It was 6:12 a.m. The alarm hadn’t gone off yet, but sleep had left him anyway. Three rejection emails waited in his inbox. He didn’t open them. He didn’t need to.… Read more
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The Ingredients Are Already in Your Kitchen
– a Talesmith Short by Rajesh Muthuraj Everyone in Kaveripatti knew Meera as the woman who watched dreams instead of chasing them. She sat outside her tiny tea stall every evening, stirring sugar into boiling milk, watching buses go past the crossroads heading to cities where people wore sharper clothes, spoke faster English, and probably… Read more
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The Day the Keyboard Forgave Our Handwriting
– a Talesmith short by Rajesh Muthuraj In school, handwriting was not just a skill. It was a character certificate. Good handwriting meant you were sincere, obedient, probably drank milk on time, and would “go very far in life.” Bad handwriting meant you were careless, the most dangerous category known to teachers. Every exam paper… Read more
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Learn the Art of Being Useful – From Sugarcane
– a Talesmith short by Rajesh Muthuraj In a sugarcane field somewhere in India, stood Ramu the Cane; tall, green, and extremely proud of himself. Ramu believed height was personality. He often looked down (literally) on shorter plants and said, “Look at me. Six feet of pure potential.” The grass rolled its eyes. The tomatoes… Read more
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अपनी गली में कुत्ता भी शेर होता है
भोंदू की अकड़ रसगुल्लापुर में भोंदू कुत्ता रहता था, मुँह में हमेशा एक टूटी चप्पल, और आत्मविश्वास पूरा फिल्मी! वो अपनी गली का सिकंदर था। पोस्टमैन आते ही गुर्राता, बिल्ली गुज़रती तो भौंकता, और कोई नया कुत्ता दिखे तो बोलता, “अबे हट! ये मेरी गली है, GPS से कन्फर्म कर लो!” गली के सारे जानवर… Read more
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“बंदर क्या जाने अदरक का स्वाद”
रसगुल्लापुर जंगल में एक पुरानी कहावत मशहूर थी: “बंदर क्या जाने अदरक का स्वाद!” ये कहावत हर बात में फिट कर दी जाती थी। हाथी कहता, “अरे मोर क्या समझे बारिश का मज़ा!” तोता जोड़ देता, “जैसे बंदर क्या जाने अदरक का स्वाद!” जब भी कोई जानवर किसी चीज़ की कीमत न समझे, बस सब… Read more
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कहाँ गया बचपन?
– Talesmith की कविता ढूँढता रहता हूँ आज कल उन पलों को,जो फिर कभी न लौटने वाली हैं।भर तो दिया है घर को चीज़ों से,मगर कुछ तो अब भी खाली-खाली है। वो शरारती पैर जो सारे मोहल्ले में दौड़ा करते थे,अब बस कुछ ही फर्शों को पहचानते हैं।घर से ऑफिस और ऑफिस से घर,इन्हीं रास्तों… Read more
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गुब्बारे वाला
– Talesmith की कविता नज़र हट नहीं रही थी उसकी सड़क पर से,न जाने किस सोच में डूबा था बेचारा।‘एक रोटी का इंतेज़ाम हो जाए औलाद के लिए,गर ख़रीद ले जाए कोई मुझसे ये गुब्बारा।’ ‘कीमत इसकी ज़्यादा नहीं है मालिक,और नीयत मेरी एकदम साफ है।पीछे पड़ जाऊँ बेचने के लिए तो बक्श देना साहब,ये… Read more
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A Cup That Understands Winter
– a Talesmith Short by Rajesh Muthuraj Winter in our childhood never arrived with weather forecasts.It arrived when getting out of bed felt like an insult. There was fog on the playground, nearly frozen school shoes, and a blanket that suddenly weighed more than our weight. And somewhere in the kitchen, tea was already awake;… Read more
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The Corporate ‘Award Anshuman’
– A Talesmith Short by Rajesh Muthuraj Every office has that one person who contributes very little but talks with the confidence of a man running NASA. In our corporate universe, that person is always named either officially or otherwise ‘Anshuman.‘ He is the hero of visibility, the king of perception, the emperor of unnecessary… Read more
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The Great IndiGo Shutdown Festival 2025
– A Sarcastic Talesmith Short Attention passengers!Indigo welcomes you to another exciting episode of: “Guess What We Cancelled Today?” Spoiler: Everything. Not just flights; no, no. That would be too easy. This week Indigo cancelled: Indigo’s New Motto: Fly… Eventually The airline has reportedly adopted a bold new philosophy: “Why take flights when you can… Read more
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The Mouth That Broke the Fitness Plan
– a Talesmith short by Rajesh Muthuraj Ramesh had made the Big Decision. Not marriage.Not buying a house.Not switching careers. Bigger than all of that. He decided to get fit. He even announced it to his family with a serious speech. “From tomorrow,” he declared, chest out, chin up, “I start my fitness journey.” Everyone… Read more
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Autobiography of a ‘Bay Leaf’
– a Talesmith short by Rajesh Muthuraj Hello, humans.Yes, I’m that mysterious brown leaf you throw out of biryani like it’s a parking ticket. Let me introduce myself properly:I am Tejpatta. Aroma specialist. Flavour consultant. And the most disrespected celebrity in the kitchen. My life begins with glory, plucked from a tall handsome tree.Chefs whisper,… Read more
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The Pocket Hero
– a Talesmith Short by Rajesh Muthuraj If there is one object in the world that deserves a national award but will never get one, it is the humble handkerchief. Let’s be honest:No one has ever said, “Wow, what a beautiful handkerchief you have!”Nobody proudly displays their hanky on Instagram.And absolutely no one has created… Read more
