Tuesday Special from the Editor's Table.

 

Hey Folks!!! We present to you the Tuesday Special from the Editor's Table, dive into something beautiful, and soothe your soul with some of the best write-ups. We present to you this Tuesday, so what are you waiting for? 

So here we present in front of you some of the most amazing write-ups. 

Dr. Romila Chitturi - a corporate editor by day, literary editor by night and a storyteller in every other hour. Blogger, writer, coffee aficionado, and a mentor who makes creativity look effortless.

Email: romilachitturi@gmail.com

Instagram - @thenovemberschild 

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/romilachitturi/ 

Hyderabad, India 

Title - Celebrating Elif Shafak

   By Dr. Romila Chitturi

As a writer, poet, and storyteller, I often find myself diving into the works of authors whose words leave an indelible mark. One such author who has consistently amazed me is Elif Shafak. Her books, essays, and even her interviews are not just literary pieces; they are experiences that challenge, inspire, and resonate. Today, I want to celebrate not just her novels but her blog, which, much like her fiction, is a treasure trove of wisdom and insight.

For those unfamiliar with Shafak, let me set the stage. She is one of Turkey’s most celebrated writers, with a storytelling prowess that blends history, mysticism, and contemporary realities. Her works, like The Forty Rules of Love, The Bastard of Istanbul, and 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, are masterpieces that explore themes of love, identity, and belonging. But it’s her blog that offers a glimpse into her personal reflections, her process, and the way she sees the world beyond the pages of her novels.

In her blog, Shafak writes with the same lyrical grace that defines her books, but there’s something uniquely intimate about these pieces. Whether she’s talking about the complexities of storytelling, the weight of identity in a polarized world, or the quiet power of resilience, her posts feel like sitting across from her over tea, listening to her muse aloud.

What I admire most about her writing, both in her blog and her books, is her ability to bridge divides, be they cultural, emotional, or intellectual. As someone who straddles different identities, Shafak speaks with a voice that is at once universal and deeply personal. Reading her blog is like peering into the soul of a storyteller who sees humanity in all its messy, beautiful contradictions.

Personally, her reflections on writing have been a source of strength for me. Like Shafak, I believe in the power of words to connect, heal, and provoke thought. Her posts remind me that storytelling isn’t just about weaving tales, it’s about bearing witness to the world and finding meaning in its chaos.

Another reason I’m drawn to Shafak’s blog is her unapologetic honesty. Whether she’s critiquing societal norms or celebrating the quiet beauty of Istanbul’s streets, her writing is infused with authenticity. For me, as someone who juggles various hats - author, poet, professor- her authenticity is non-negotiable. Shafak’s blog is a masterclass in how to be true to oneself while engaging with the world with grace and empathy.

So, here’s my heartfelt shoutout to Elif Shafak and her incredible blog. If you haven’t already, dive into her world. Read her novels, yes, but don’t stop there - her blog is a doorway into the mind of a literary luminary. For every writer, dreamer, and seeker of stories, Shafak is a beacon of inspiration.

Thank you, Elif Shafak, for reminding us that words matter, stories heal, and that through it all, we are connected. Keep weaving your magic; the world needs it.

  Bhawana Sethi: Author, Educator, and Home Chef.

Bhawana Sethi is a compelling literary voice who seamlessly blends her two decades of experience in education with a profound creative passion. Following a long career in Delhi, she continues to nurture young minds by teaching phonics from her apartment in Bangalore, embodying a lifelong commitment to learning and development.

Literary & Creative Achievements.

Children's Fiction Debut: Bhawana Sethi makes her foray into children's literature with the delightful book, The Adventures of Dabba and Jalebi: Dabba and the Disappearing Dosas. The story introduces the curious girl Jalebi and her mischievous best friend, the orange tiffin box Dabba.

Poetry Collection: She has also debuted her poetry collection, Tapestry of Soulful Stanzas, a heartfelt exploration of devotion, nostalgia, love, and everyday reflections.

A gifted and versatile author, Bhawana actively participates in writing community challenges while conceptualizing further children's fiction projects.

Whether she is inspiring students, crafting captivating narratives, or finding creative joy in the kitchen as a Home Chef, turning everyday ingredients into culinary delights, her vibrant enthusiasm illuminates every endeavour.

Follow her creative journey on Instagram: soulful_articulation.

Title - A Deep Blue Friendship

Characters:

Turtley: A wise, old sea turtle.

Sparkle: A young, energetic whale shark.

A vibrant coral reef, now showing signs of damage.

 Turtley slowly swims around a bleached coral head. Sparkle swims up to him, looking concerned.

Sparkle: Turtley! You look sad. What is wrong?

Turtley: Oh, Sparkle, it is this reef. It is not like it used to be. The colours are fading, and it feels empty.

Sparkle: I know, I have noticed it too. It is like the sun is gone, even when it is shining. What is happening?

Turtley: It is many things, little one. Some we can see, and some are harder to spot. The biggest problem is the water getting too warm.

Sparkle: Warm? I like it warm.

Turtley: Not this warm, Sparkle. Think of the reef as our home, like your favourite spot to zoom around. The coral likes things just right. When the water gets too hot, it gets sick. It loses its colour, and it cannot give us food and shelter like before. This is called bleaching.

Sparkle: Oh no! So, is all this pretty coral it is sick?

Turtley: Sadly, yes. And it is not just the heat. There is also all the stuff we find in the ocean now. Things that do not belong.

Sparkle: You mean like those floaty, clear bags? I tried to eat one once, but it tasted yucky.

Turtley: Exactly. Plastic. And other trash. It gets the water, and it is very bad for all of us. We can get tangled in it or eat it, and it makes us very sick.

Sparkle: Why is all that stuff here? Who put it here?

Turtley: It is the humans, Sparkle. They live on the land, and they make a lot of things. Sometimes, these things end up in our ocean. And there are so many of them now that it is a big problem.

Sparkle: Humans, I have seen them. They come in those big, noisy things that zoom on the top of the water. Some of them are nice, but some leave trash.

Turtley: Yes, some humans are trying to help, but many do not understand how their actions hurt our home. And it is not just trash. They also take too many fish from the ocean.

Sparkle: Take them? Where do they go?

Turtley: They eat them. And when they take too many, there are not enough left for us.

Sparkle: That is not fair. This is our home; we were here first.

Turtley: I know, little one. It is not fair. But we cannot give up. We must be strong, and we must find ways to stay safe.

Sparkle: But what can we do? We are just us.

Turtley: We can do a lot. First, we can be careful. We can stay away from places where there is a lot of trash. We can learn to find the clean, healthy parts of the ocean.

Sparkle: That makes sense. I do like the clean water best. It is easier to see my yummy plankton.

Turtley: Exactly, and we can also spread the word. We can tell other sea creatures about the dangers. The more of us that know, the better we can protect ourselves.

Sparkle: We can tell the dolphins that they are really good at talking to everyone. And the octopuses. They are super smart; they might have some ideas.

Turtley: That is a great idea, Sparkle. And remember, even though things look bad now, the ocean is strong. It can heal, if we give it a chance.

Sparkle: Really? How?

Turtley: The humans can change. They can learn to be more careful. Some of them are already working hard to clean up the ocean and protect our reefs. And we can help by being good stewards of our home. By being careful, by spreading the word, and by never giving up hope.

Sparkle: I like that. We can be ocean guardians. I am a fast swimmer, I can zoom all over and tell everyone!

Turtley: That is my Sparkle. Always full of energy and hope. Yes, little one, we can be ocean guardians. And together, we can make sure our home stays beautiful and healthy for a long, long time. We need to look after our home and each other.

Turtley and Sparkle swim off together, a renewed sense of purpose in their hearts. 

The ocean is in trouble, the reef is not so bright,

Creatures are suffering, it is not a good sight.

But we can be guardians, strong and so bold,

Protect our blue home, like stories of old.

Spread the word, let our voices ring true,

For a healthy ocean, for me and for you.

Poornima Sivaraman, a 75-year-old retired teacher now relaxing and enjoying my passion to write blogs, sing, and cook. Enjoy life as it comes. I am an Awareness Ambassador in the Spectrum Group. A storyteller and the Author of a children's book, My Collection of Stories for Children.

Title - A different thinking

Sita was an elderly retired teacher. She lost her husband a few months ago.

Her son with his family lived in London. 

After recouping and gathering courage, Sita thought of doing something different in life, being a teacher. She had a full-time helper woman who did not have a family. Rita was around thirty-five, but was a very kind and loving lady who took care of Sita. A good company for each other. Rita was not educated, as she lost her parents when she was very young. Her aunt brought her up, but she had three kids and was not well off, so Rita worked in some houses to help her aunt. She took care of her cousins.

Rita loved a boy when she was around twenty, but it did not work out as he turned out to be a drunkard, and so she left him. Since then, she has been with Sita, whom she met in the park one day.

While both were discussing the women in the nearby Basti and watching the home helpers in the society, working hard for their families, a sudden thought came into Sita's mind.

“ Why not educate these women to at least read and write the basics?”

Initiative steps 

Sita asked Rita to talk to those women and bring them to meet her. She had a big flat and she could teach them in their house freely.

Rita talked to the women, and two of them were ready to meet Sita. Sita welcomed them gladly and explained to them the value of education. There is no age to learn anything in life. If they can read and learn and sign their names, it would be a great help to them.

Sita bought a hanging Blackboard, chalk pieces.

Those two women adjusted their working hours and started coming to study. They spread the word to some more women.

Within a month, around 20 women came to learn. 

Some were smart enough to understand and learned faster.

Seeing their satisfied face, Sita was very satisfied.

Rita also studied with them. 

Sita helped them open a Bank account. The Government was giving them some amount monthly.

It was a great help.

The women could handle the Bank work and keep track of the amount.

Sita had to take two batches as more women joined them.

Sita taught them to be empowered and stay strong, and face life boldly. Now they handled their drunkard husbands themselves. Their children grew up well.

They gained confidence.

Sita got connected with an NGO friend, and they arranged for some bigger place near her house to accommodate more women. Sita could appoint two more teachers.

What a way to spend her time purposefully and be content in life.

She thanked God and prayed to give her good health.

The women were happy. Some women from her society offered to teach them tailoring making handicrafts.

And teach them different dishes. The women can pick up anything of their interests and make that their way of income.

A good initiative with a purpose in life. Everyone appreciated Sita. She was happy to have started such wonderful work.

Dr. Arwa Saifi has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Literature. 

She is a Career Writer with an experience of more than 20 years and an Amazon #1 Bestselling Author. She has worked with Education Times, A supplement of India’s leading newspaper, "The Times Of India". She has also been the editor of various school and college magazines in Mumbai and has authored 12 books to date. She is the co-author of more than 50 anthologies. 

She has received the "Bhartiya Sahitya Ratna Award" for Best Career Writer & Author. She has also received one of the highest honours in the field of literature - "The Rabindranath Tagore Literature Award."

Title - A Love Story Like Never Before.

There are love stories that begin with glances, some with letters, and a few with silence. But this one began through a glowing screen, in the middle of a pandemic that forced the world indoors.

In 2020, a mother was searching for an online Maths teacher for her young son. The world outside had come to a standstill, and classrooms had turned into virtual grids. After much searching, her son finally discovered one of India’s leading edtech platforms - a space where teachers connected with thousands of students across the country.

One evening, as her son attended his very first class with a Master Teacher, the mother sat nearby, curious to see how online learning worked. The teacher appeared on screen - composed, radiant, and confident. Her explanations were so clear that even the mother found herself drawn in. The boy listened intently.

When the class ended, the boy typed a small thank-you message to express his gratitude. The teacher smiled warmly and said,

> “I’m here only for you.”

It was a simple sentence - just five words - yet they struck a chord deep within the mother’s heart. From that day onward, something within her shifted. She didn’t quite understand it, but she found herself waiting eagerly for her son’s next class.

Every day, she watched the teacher teach with quiet brilliance and effortless grace. She taught not just formulas, but with feeling - as though every student mattered. The more the mother saw her, the more she wanted to know her.

But on an edtech platform, there were rules.

A Master Teacher could not see her students unless she chose to unmute them, which was rare. The students, however, could see her. She taught thousands of children across the country, her voice echoing through countless homes - yet to one family, she felt like the centre of their small universe.

Slowly, admiration turned into affection.

And affection, into something deeper - something timeless and undefinable.

The mother was a writer who found beauty in words. She began to write about the teacher-verses that captured her calmness, her dedication, her quiet strength. Each poem felt like a confession written in disguise.

Months passed, and she discovered that behind the teacher’s calm and disciplined exterior was an introvert of the highest order - a woman who spoke little but felt deeply, who loved literature and art, and who carried a world of silence within her.

Their shared love for words became a bridge.

Through poetry and appreciation, the mother slowly won her way into the teacher’s guarded world.

What began as admiration for a teacher became a connection of souls.

Over time, the invisible walls between them began to fade. Three years passed before trust found its home. The teacher, who had never shared her personal details with anyone from the platform, finally gave her number - a small act that carried the weight of faith and affection.

It was then that both realised - they were never strangers. They were two souls who had been searching for each other unknowingly, separated by 37 long years of life.

But like every bond written by destiny, theirs too was tested. There were misunderstandings, arguments, unfulfilled promises, and hearts broken, yet the connection refused to fade. In every silence, they still heard each other. At every distance, they still felt close. What could have ended many times only grew stronger with every storm.

This year marks five years since that very first meeting - five years of laughter and tears, of poetry and pain, of forgiveness and faith. Five years of loving, losing, and finding each other all over again.

Well, the mother in this story is me, and the teacher who changed our lives forever is none other than Geetika Pallan (My Soul Friend).

This is a story not of fleeting romance, but of a bond made in heaven - a connection that defied time, space, and circumstance.

A love that began in a virtual classroom, grew through words, survived through faith -

and will live on, for I have promised to love her till eternity.

I hope you will enjoy today's blog reading session.

Because it is filled with stories and wonderful words coming out of every writer's pen.

A blog by Palak Chauhan

Founder and Editor in Chief, Thought Lantern.