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.

The Poor Copy

"We have been waiting for you all day," Shilpa said with wide-eyed wonder seeing her nephew at the door. Raj was looking dapper in his grey suit, white shirt and red tie. His cropped hair highlighted the leanness of his face, his sharp jawline a proof of his efficiency and focus.

He smiled sparingly and walked in past his aunt with a nod. "There was cocktail and dinner after the full-day seminar, but I couldn't refuse your persistent invitation," he said, smartly weaving in the fact that he was giving up something better for having dinner with them.

A Veil of Waves

They rose and fell, night and day, without respite. Sometimes in the middle of a hot day, they lay down dull awaiting the next breeze to rouse them again. Sometimes, in that dull moment, they sank to the bottom, pulled down by undercurrents. They rose this way and that, they were pulled this way and that. When the sun and the moon shone, when the the bright light brought them under the spotlight, they rose to capture the glory and imprison it forever. But when the orbs were covered and darkness fell, they touched new lows, grumbling and complaining.

Awaiting Inspiration

Not inspired by Mother's Day
Not inspired by any other tale
Staring blankly at the white page
I wonder what I can write today

Discarded and Refused

You throw me after use
Sometimes on the road
Sometimes in the woods

The Summer Heat

Ankita, her husband Satish and their son Bhavesh entered Nikita's cool abode with a sigh of relief. "It's so hot outside," Ankita complained and wiped Bhavesh's face. The 7-year-old pulled away, embarrassed at this molly coddling in front of others.

Yug, Nikita's husband, joined them with a warm smile. After the usual exchange of greetings and enquiries, Ankita asked about their son Aditya. "Where is he?"

Give Her the Sword, Give Her the Gun

A face and limbs,
Just like any other
A curve here, a curve there
Too young even for that

Dead and Buried - Part IV

Start reading this short series here:
For Part I, click here
For Part II, click here
For Part III, click here

"When will you reveal the true secret?" Ila asked eagerly.

Shekhar grinned sheepishly. "In good time."

"You said there is a murder in the film too? Who is going to die?" she probed.

"You," he said. Her startled look made him smile. "Don't worry, you are not just a corpse... You are also the one who is going to be romancing - not one but two men."

"Don't make it sound like an incentive!"

Dead and Buried - Part III

For Part I, click here
For Part II, click here

Continue to Part III -
"I will stop you," the voice screamed in his head as he fell back.

He snapped his eyes open and found himself surrounded by white. The only thing that told him he was alive still was the pain that shot through his body. He felt needles poking him all over. Not needles, shards, he corrected himself. He tried moving but a gentle hand restrained his desperate efforts. "Please calm down." He looked at the woman speaking to him and for a minute, the white she was dressed in made her look like an angel. But instantly he identified her as a nurse.

Dead and Buried - Part II

Start with Part I. Click here If you have already read it, then read on...



The show must go on.

"Shabir's death is shocking," Shekhar told the reporters when they accosted him at the condolence meeting. "Right at my doorstep, right in front of my eyes, in the most unexpected manner!" he said. "He was so excited about the role I had in mind for him! We were just shaking hands on it when it happened..." he tweaked the truth a bit to add spice.

"Can you tell us about the role, sir? What are you going to do about it?"

Dead and Buried - Part I

"Wow! That's a fascinating story," Shekhar Bajaj exclaimed when the villager, Manoj, completed narrating the incident. Shekhar got up and looked around the haveli that was now in shambles. Manoj looked uncomfortable as he stood, shifting his weight from one leg to the other.

"I think it will make for a wonderful movie," Shekhar muttered to himself.

Thoughts on Women's Day

Frankly, I have none
For I don't feel like one
I am a free spirit
Taking one body now
And changing it next minute

Limericks by Ashwath Srikant

When rushing to school, he paused to rattle off a couple of limericks that he had made up. That night, I asked him to pen some and here is the fruit of his effort:

I saw a boy
Whose name was Roy
He was drinking water
Sitting near a potter
And then he bought a clay toy

I saw a cat
Running on a mat
It slipped there
And lost some hair
And now it looked less fat

Musings on Death

What is the formula
To measure our lifespan?
What is too young?
When is the right time to be gone?

Brand Love

Lavanya sensed something brewing when she picked up her pre-teen son and teenaged daughter. "How was your day?" she asked as they got into the car.

"Mom, you have to get me an Adidas shoes," son Shail said in a stern tone.

Lavanya pursed her lips. "Haven't we gone through this several times?" she asked as she started the car.

"All my friends have branded shoes. In fact, Jose has shoes in all the brands, he has branded pens..."

Why Me - Part II

For the first part of this story, click here

The world became black, and then suddenly too bright. Someone was jostling him. And then all went quiet.

"Please behave yourself when you are with uncle, Bharat," Shyama said, the attractive smile that had so bewitched him turned into a thin line of disapproval.

Amit felt Bharat reasserting himself as he turned all his attention on his wife. "You are there to keep me in line," he said with an edge to his voice. She placed her hand on his arm and Amit felt a rush of tenderness. "Please don't make it difficult for me," she pleaded.

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.