Shon Mehta

Ever since the day we are born, most of us are conditioned to behave as the society dictates. Men are conditioned that being aggressive and angry is normal, but crying is not. Similarly, women are conditioned that crying is normal, but being assertive and angry is not. Men are conditioned that grooming themselves is not normal, it is unmanly. Similarly, women are conditioned that not grooming themselves, not trying to look attractive, is manly. Women are conditioned to dress, walk, talk carefully so that men don't get 'the wrong idea', and being told that it is the woman’s fault when a man harms her. Men are conditioned that they should be the breadwinners, staying at home taking care of family is unmanly. Women are conditioned that unless they get married and have children, they are not true women. Such conditioning gets engraved in our minds because of social pressure,  we care more about  "what other people will say!” than our own happiness. It is time we break out...

Completed my second novel today. When I wrote my first novel, it was to prove that I can write a novel -- not just short stories. When I started on my second novel, I pondered on what I am trying to prove this time? For whom? I realised that it does not matter! So, I wrote this one for my love of telling stories. This story narrates how adversity can affect different people differently. From kings to monks, and warlords to destitutes -- how some crumble under pressure, while others attain heights of greatness while fighting the same circumstances. With an array of complex characters, and a fast-paced storyline, I am sure you will have as much fun reading the novel as I had in writing it.

In Shon Mehta’s “Unrequited Love,” a poet decides to engineer his own tragedy in the name of art. After all, what is a masterpiece without a broken heart? Byron knew that he was destined for literary greatness. Named Brian at birth, he had changed his name to remind the world of his destiny. "They will come around," he told John, his literary advisor. John owned the bookshop around the corner, where Byron spent most of his afternoons. So far, nobody had bought even a single copy of the collection of Byron's finest poems. Byron was a little disheartened -- the low intelligence of the current generation of readers was delaying his fame and riches. "I don’t know what else I can do," Byron continued. "Look at all the publicity I have invested in, all the literary events I have attended. They will come around, John, they have to!" "Poetry collections are hard to sell," said John. He knew the suffering. As the selector, he had read the poems in the...

“ Soulmate is not who always brings you flowers. Soulmate is who gets rid of the flowers because they know you are allergic to flowers.” —— Shon Mehta

You count my mistakes, and believe I lack any will. You tell me, how badly my life has gone downhill. By calling me worthless, you get a vicious thrill. Your words hurt, cause even though a failure, I am a human still. —— by Shon Mehta The Uncharted Mind : Hurt Poem by Shon Mehta Shon Mehta is an author and philosopher, creator of the Jivavarta Universe —a grounded sociopolitical world exploring human resilience, social dynamics, and moral philosophy through systems thinking. Her novels (The Timingila, Lair of the Monster), poems, aphorisms, parables, and stories are used in academic curricula internationally and featured by Oxford University Press.

  Full moon above, I was sitting in a desolate cremation site deep in the valley, waiting for midnight. A bunch of dogs were howling at a distance, occasionally joined by shrieks of owls from the banyan trees above. I was cold, and a little scared. I am not afraid of living souls, but ghosts scare me -- they say that at full moon, ghosts can possess the living. I was carrying Sarvabhu's talisman in my hand. I was sure that it would protect me. Sarvabhu is the supreme god of all living, dead, and in-betweeners. I clutched hard at the talisman as I reached for the three pots I had brought with me. They were still warm. Sarvabhu would be pleased. You must be wondering what I was doing here, all alone in the dark, if I am so afraid of ghosts. This all started late one night almost two months back, when Rakha came looking for me. This was surprising, for he had never even talked to me earlier. I work as an executioner for the city and, like everybody else, Rakha considered me an outcast...

Illustration for  The Scholar and the King  by Shon Mehta Once there lived a great scholar. In the course of his travels, he chanced to visit a distant kingdom. Seeing the respect the scholar commanded, the king was impressed. He thought that if the scholar stays in his kingdom, it will increase its prestige in the lands. So he invited the scholar to his palace, and asked whether he would like to stay. “I only stay at places where freedom is valued,” the scholar replied.“Of course,” said the king. “Come with me for a tour of the capital, and see for yourself how much we value freedom.” As they left the palace, they came across a group of people. On seeing their king, they started dancing vigorously. “See,” the king exclaimed, “See how happy the people are in my kingdom! They are celebrating their freedom by dancing.” “What tune are they dancing to?” the scholar asked. “I can’t hear any music.” “Oh, I don’t like music.” the king informed. “As long as you don’t play music, you w...