The Elusive Future

"Madam," the agent, Vikram, smiled. "Your investment in one of our products is maturing madam..."

"Yes, that's right," 43-year-old Bindu smiled and responded.

"We will process it and make sure it reaches your account within 10 days. But meanwhile ma'am, we have this scheme which has been doing very well in the market. If you put in, let's say, about 2 lakhs annually for five years, it will start giving you returns from the 8th year for the next 15 years. So if you see..." And he quickly did a back-of-the-envelope calculation to tell her how she could earn an annual income of x amount, draw a loan against the amount and the final maturity amount with the bonus.

The Puppet

Shankar grinned hopefully at his colleague Sadhana as she walked in and placed her bag under her seat. She smiled and waved, making his heart somersault. He waited for her to finish her morning ritual of drinking water before turning to him and narrating some adventure or incident - she found spice and thrill in even the most ordinary, and managed to make it sound exciting enough for Shankar also to want to be a part of it.