Melody's Hub

When Mama steps into the light, I do not think twice about proper shoot etiquette. I drop my mic and run across the stage, and the next minute, my face is buried in her arms. She hugs me tightly, while I cry and cry and cry.  Maybe stupid COVID kept her away from me, while she was stuck in Jalandhar and Papa and I were in Mumbai, but I have something to say: not even a pandemic can break love. And the love I have for Mama and Papa and Sayra and everyone else—it has never broken apart and it never will. The reunions happening on the set this day is proof.  Mama holds me the way she does if I get hurt or I feel sad. I hug her the way I did when I saw her in the hospital holding Sayra.  “Mama,” I whisper.  “I’s okay,  beta , I’m here,” she says, smoothing my hair. Papa gets up from the parents’ seat and goes to Mama. He hugs her as well, and I realise that he has missed her more than I have.  Suddenly, Sanu Sir pulls out his mic and starts singing. I do not kn...

Hey there! Book 2 of the Jr. Pop Diaries - Year 2 is below. 1. Devil on my Tongue I don’t want to give any funny anecdotes this time. Not any hellos, either. But that day, I was too shocked to. Too mad to.  That time, I’d let me bite the devil on my tongue. 2. Tell Me,  Now! I bolted out of Mr. B’s office, not even bothering with the broken glass box and crumbled cookies. I knew Mr. Bowers with going to have his director’s talk with us JPKs. I reached the common room and stormed in before he could start. Everyone looked up in surprise.  “Trevor, what’s going on?” Mrs. Bowers asked. I glared at her husband. “You tell ‘em!” Mr. Bowers was silent but pale. I scoffed. “You’re not going to accept the fact and spill the beans about you moving  away  from New York?” Everyone else gasped. “You weren’t supposed to find out—“ Mr. B started. “But I did! I found out! No difference now, huh? You saw me, you saw my emotions, you  knew , you accepted them!” I wasn’t stopp...

Hey everyone! Yes, the above title isn’t kidding you. This blog has gotten more than  2000  overall views since it launched in August 2020! Thank you so much for all of the love you have given to the blog and for enjoying my stories every step of the way. I gotta say, this is  huge! So, like always, with a special post comes special stuff. Here it is: 1. New Look You  have  seen my blog change themes. Sometimes it’s for a festival, sometimes it’s just to break the monotony of the colour. And this time, it’s no different, of course. But I’m going to make this new theme special. So, there will be a complete colour scheme and layout change, all while keeping eye health in mind.  I’m also adding some new groups on the sidebar, especially a ‘Behind the Pages’ group, with some links and other new things to show you what was the inspiration behind my books, and you can explore further!  2. Open-Mic Stand I love getting new ideas from other people, and they ex...

“So,” Rithvik Sir starts, after Arshika’s scary performance was over, along with the judges’ comments. “Arshika did not only spook us here, but fellows Super Dancers as well. Let’s take a look.” We turn to the TV screens mounted above the seats. I’m having a feeling I know what this is about. Oh, and I know this is a nightmare. The screen turns on, and a shot of Arshika sitting with her friends in a dark room. There are dark circles underneath her eyes, and I know it is makeup.  “Look, there has been lots of  halla  after the ASP thing started,” she tells her friends. “Aman, Sankalp and Prithvi.” She straightens her back. “Girls, I think it is time we show them who’s boss.” “And how are we going to do that?” Anshita asks. She rubs her hands menacingly. And I know that means that she is going to give the most devious, most horrifying, most hilarious idea ever.  “Watch me, ladies.”  The screen shifts to inside the elevator. Aman gulps in the seat beside me. He kno...

It is fifteen minutes before the final auditions commence. Prithvi, Aman and I have been talking all of this time, about stuff. Dance. Our families. School. Normal stuff. But what we do—to other people it doesn’t seem normal. I guess. I just think that’s how the world works: you don’t know what’s next.  We are thinking of taking a peek at the choreographers. Aman swears on his best dancing shoes that he knows how we can do it. We wait for one of the adults to leave the door unattended, then spring upon our chance and dash to the stage door. Amidst the bright lights, I can see the thirteen Super Gurus. It was sad that Varangi Ma’am wasn’t there. I don't mind about being placed with another guru, but it still hurts. I say this to Aman and Prithvi. But they look at me incredulously. "What? Is it bad enough to wish?" I ask. "No. But the fact that you didn't even check properly is!" Aman says, gesturing to the right of the choreographers' seats.  I have to tu...

"We need everyone to be in on this," Sharav said. I looked at the class. No one seemed to have the class spirit I was looking for. I thought back to my FIS classmates, during the lockdown and online classes. I wasn't with them, but I kept in touch with them through Zoom chat. I remembered that time when the whole class was enraged with the math teacher, who never explained doubts and always went too fast while teaching. She also lectured  the kids when they asked doubts, telling them that interrupting the teacher was wrong, when it was actually her who was wrong. My friends stayed silent during her class, but ranted and raved about the situation ing the class group. Then, Om and Athira, who were part of that class, actually had their parents write the complaint. The complaint was taken, and the teacher never did anything wrong to my friends since then! And the best part? When the whole class heard about the news, the celebrated like kings, and virtually slapped each other...