Short Story: For the One-ness of Us All by Raj Shekhar Sen

In a world where dissent is silenced and conformity is prized, this story by Shekhar Sen tries to look into how such a world might impact its inhabitants.

As the sun receded behind heavy, rain-laden clouds, a hushed evening started to embrace the city coyly, a symphony of subdued grays and soft, watery light enveloped the living room of Ramesh and Rameshwati. The celestial spotlight behind clouds had given way to a gentle, diffused glow, casting a tranquil ambiance.

Traditional-modern aesthetics adorned this house with many windows. Just like many other homes in the country, people loved windows, and the more windows you had, the prettier the home. Windows were a sign of transparency and in a society of uniform equanimity, the windows in your home were a sign of the honesty in your heart. Inside this rain-drenched home, an icon of the divine framed on one wall, its intricate details a testament to a bygone era’s artisanship, and an opulent vase gracing the center of the coffee table, its design speaking of the new age of traditional pride. The air carried the soothing scent of moist earth, a prelude to the impending rain that promised to quench the thirsty land again very soon.