A House Full of Stories Ep. 21: The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe

 This episode is dedicated to my dear friend Antonio, whose birthday it was last week. This is what he requested as a birthday present. Enjoy mate, and happy birthday once again. Live long and prosper! 

The Bilge Master

A House Full of Stories Ep. 20: First Kill by Victoria Schwab

 This is a vampire story written by Victoria Schwab who is the author of the Shades of Magic trilogy and the NYT bestseller The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. It is also a birthday present for my friend and senior from college, Debjit Lahiri whose birthday it was last week! 

Enjoy! 

The Bilge Master

Taylor Swift: More Than a Musician- A Guest Post by Riddhi Seerat Gupta

 Riddhi is a friend of mine on Facebook and one day she uploaded a status that took me back to my high school days when Love Story had first released. I give you her thoughts on why Taylor Swift for her is more than a musician

The Bilge Master

I was 11 when I heard her for the first time. It was on Disney Channel. I started my journey with Love Story and then heard Teardrops on my Guitar. I ended up singing Love Story on stage.

I was 12 and in my Green Day is the best band ever phase and I want to see them live, though God only knows if that will ever happen.

I was 13 and my body was changing and I had pimples all over my face. I had my first period and once again Taylor came to the rescue with You Belong With Me. I related with nerdy Taylor as my Virat Kohli phase started and it has not ended yet. He’s still my favorite cricketer and always will be.

I was 15, dancing to 22. She had a song for every mood. I couldn’t explain how she explained what being 22 would be like to me then and guess what? She was so damn right.

I used to scream the lyrics of Mean because I thought everyone around me was being mean.

I never stopped listening to Taylor and then came my “so damn obsessed with Taylor” phase. I remember dancing to Shake It Off on Diwali. I do not know how many times I watched the video of Blank Space. I was 16.

I was 17 and tripping on Style and Wildest Dreams. Those were my songs. I still remember the lyrics to them. Style has its own vibe. The album was 1989 and I remember my father asking me if the song was from 1989 (the year). I told him that the singer was born in 1989.

Then came Out of the Woods and No Romantics. I WAS SO IN LOVE WITH THOSE SONGS. It was also fun to guess if these songs were about Harry Styles or not.

Then, new Taylor got back and once again had a song for me- Look What You Made Me Do. I was onstage, with a mic in my hands, telling jokes while listening to Delicate with my earphones on, thinking how she wrote all this for me.

As I listen to Happiness from Evermore, I once again realize she wrote this song for me.

Thank you, Taylor. I love you.

A House Full of Stories Ep. 19: No Comebacks by Frederick Forsyth

 This is one of the first short stories by Frederick Forsyth that I read. I have narrated it here for your enjoyment. Wait till the end!

Stay safe and vigilant!  

The Bilge Master

"Your Hands Are Cold, But Your Lips Are Warm"

Picture if you will a pre teen with a pronounced acne issue playing a computer game where Riders on the Storm plays in one segment. 

Go back a little earlier to a little boy listening to The Beatles on a turntable.

Somewhere in between these two times, two things happen. The boy is guided into the world of rock music by his (somewhat senior) friend and he hears Appetite for Destruction for the first time. He also hears Angie and Stairway to Heaven and falls in love with the '70s. 

Now, come forward to the present day, when the boy who is now a man gets a call from someone who says to him that Down to the Waterline gave her chills. Watch the boy turned man guffaw loudly and send her Hotel California.

"Your hands are cold

But your lips are warm"

The Bilge Master

Belonging to Shadow

We spend a long time looking for people we fit in with and yet we often don't think of our own shadow. Some of you will say it's an optical illusion. I would agree. But that illusion stays with us from the moment we are born and leaves an impression of itself after we die. 

Some people say shadows are bad, that they are the herald of darkness. But isn't darkness a very big shadow? Where would we be without it? Can light exist without something to pierce, something to sacrifice? The next time you see stars in the sky, make note that they're there in the morning too, just invisible due to the glare of the sun. 

A shadow is omnipresent. Every object in this world, living or dead has one. There's your life companion. There's the one thing that changes as you change, moulds itself and even sacrifices itself for you. And it always comes back. As long as you live, it is there with you- watching and waiting, supportive yet silent

We are born out of the shadow of our mother's womb. We see shadows everywhere. Let the shadows in. Let them guide you, give you a place to hide. Let them be the reason light exists in your life. Dance with them, make merry. When humans fail us, we turn to gods and when god's fail us we turn to shadow. Even the moon is cloaked in shadow on some days of the month. 

Do not fear the shadow. Do not fear the dark. Instead, cast a shadow and let the world remember what you were

The Bilge Master

A House Full of Stories Ep. 18: Thanda Gosht by Saadat Hasan Manto

 This story was suggested to me by my friend Moumita who felt I should narrate a tale closer to my home country. This was originally written in Urdu and has a bit of sexual content in it. I hope you enjoy it! 

The Bilge Master

Haiku

 From a house in New Orleans

Came a boy, ruined 

Riding on a horse with no name 

Towards the city of evil

He was known to have 

Sympathy for the devil

So when in dire straits 

The Sultans of swing came for him

And took him away

The Bilge Master