Why Me - Part I

Amit stood smoking in the open area behind the confectionary he had opened in a busy mall in the city. From there, he could see his neighbouring restaurant, and felt a twinge of jealousy yet again. It was, as always, busy serving visitors while his team was still getting things ready. He went in and shouted, "Lazy fools! Be sharp!"

He entered his small kitchen behind the serving counter and found his chef and the cleaning lady giggling about something. "Is the food ready?" he asked sternly.

The chef, knowing how indispensible he was, asked him sharply, "What do your diners want?"

Ephemeral Life

Even exhilerating joy
Does not forever last
So also sorrows deepest
Soon from us they part

Diamonds That Became Shards

"If He resides within,
Why do I seek Him
In the wilderness without?"

He abandoned that poem, unable to proceed. That's how the saints seemed to have sung of God. He wished to, too, but could not find himself inspired enough. He decided there was nothing to be inspired about, that it was all a sham. Otherwise, wouldn't he have experienced it himself?

The Perfect Revenge - Part II

Continued from Part I

Giri's head reeled as Kala finished narrating the story of how Radhakrishnan and she got married. While his story differed in a few minor points, it was almost as if he had seen their lives playing out in front of him. The most intriguing was when Kala mentioned a stranger. "My brothers were intent on killing Radha and me for daring to cross the caste barrier and getting married. They caught us by the waterfall, meeting clandestinely. That day, they would have killed him and got me married to someone else..."

"But there was another man who happened to be there, who saw the atrocity and intervened..." Giri said with glazed eyes. It was the very nightmare he saw, the very nightmare he wrote about.

The Perfect Revenge - Part I

Giri woke up with a start, the nightmare too real for comfort. The dream had chased him through his childhood, making him run to his mother every night. When he became a teenager, he learnt to deal with his fears, but that didn't make the nightmare any less...nightmarish.

Slowly, the fear of going to bed and see this sight made him delay his bedtime. Even as an adult, he found the nightmare disturbing, and the predictable repetitive imagery compounded the problem, making him feel stressed even during the day. He worked out, not so much to keep fit as to tire himself so that he could get dreamless sleep. He found only limited success in that.

The Dis-chord - Part II

Click here for Part I

Sharada felt heart-broken. Caught up in her own misery, she remained inure to the eyes turning towards her. She was puzzled at Harish's abrupt departure. She was hurt that he had not said a word about her performance. And to think that she had kept her eager parents away for today's debut, pretending she was nervous, all the while hoping to make it special for Harish and her. What a fool, oh, what a fool! She looked up with eyes flashing, and came to her senses as she realised she was still in the dining room. Prying eyes turned towards her, making her realise that she was being melodramatic.

The Dis-chord - Part I

Sharada hummed as she walked down the street. A note jarred. She paused mid-stride and tried to get the right note, unsuccessfully. She shut her eyes to recollect how her music teacher had reached that note when someone crashed into her. Her eyes flew open and took in the young man who apologised profusely. Clearly, he had been looking at his phone when walking.

"Please watch where you are going," she snapped and walked on. Her thought flow was cut as she silently cursed the stupid people who could not take their eyes off their phones even when walking down busy streets.

The Drop

It was vain and proud
As from Heaven it dropped
Unique and blessed
It swaggered and showed off

The Other Side

Rekha glowed as the family gathered around her to celebrate her baby shower. Rekha's mother-in-law, Parul, sang the loudest and the most, urging others to join in enthusiastically. Rekha dimpled as the relatives swarmed around her to smear her arms and face with sandal and turmeric paste, decked her with flowers and gave her their blessings along with gifts. Her eyes often flew to where her husband Dharmesh stood, watching the proceedings with a benevolent smile.

Asha went up to her and whispered, "Aunt Parul is so caring. You are so lucky!"

The Unchanging Times

While returning from school, my second one started narrating a never-ending story about his friend's short temper. It started as a single episode - the friend refused to accept the verdict given by the toss (after my son refused to do so first, by the way) and how he shouted and how my son calmly ordered him to be quiet, etc.

The Dilemma

"Guess what! Today Anu called to say there is a program on Dec 15. And there will be some payment too," Vinita told her husband Saket with excitement evident in her voice.

"Oh that's good. By the way, you remember the theater workshop we wanted to do so badly? That's coming to town on Dec 5th. Shall I sign us up?"

From Several Million Square Feet Above

I waited in my car,
stuck in a traffic jam,
thoughts about life flowing
more freely than the cars.

On a Bad Note

Lokesh heard the unmistakable alert of a message in Whatsapp just as he finished his meeting, he checked his phone out of habit. It was from his wife Sulabha. He opened it and saw the message, "I found this awesome song... Listen to me sing..." And a popular song. He frowned and clicked the link. It took him to a different app. He wondered if it was a virus and quickly exited. But by then, he had another message from her. "Did you listen?" Now a request was a command.

He did, and felt even more scared. He paused it and stared at it for a few moments. Then he lowered the volume and played it again. Technically, he could say he had listened to his wife sing without lying though he couldn't hear much. What he heard did not inspire him to hear any more.

"How long? I am waiting for your comments" and there was a love symbol.

"I am at work, darling... Listened in low volume... Good effort..." he replied cautiously.

"How disappointing. You have to put in more effort to listen closely! Never mind, after you return, we can listen together!"

He stared at the phone miserably. "OK," he replied without enthusiasm.

However much he delayed, he would have to go home. With a heavy heart he left the office and headed home. He stopped on the way to buy some sweets and savouries, hoping the pleasure of this unexpected treat would make her forget her song. There was no chance of that, but no harm in trying.

There she was, all smiles, waiting eagerly for him to arrive. She couldn't wait for him to get ready, but the treat kept her busy for sometime as she placed everything neatly. "So sweet of you! Did you really love it so much!" she said and hugged him as he took in the dim lights and the placement of the snacks in the side table. She sat on the sofa and smiled at him invitingly. He did, feeling like a sacrificial lamb. They had been married long enough for her to know his emotions and body language. He had to brace himself but without it showing in any way. Thankfully, today she was so engrossed in her own singing that she barely noticed his stiffness or the pain flickering in his eyes.