Now and Then...

Crazy Valentine Heart - A Short Story

2012-02-14T01:15:00.004-08:00

Ashwin woke up with a start when he felt a sharp tug of his blanket. He noticed his wife Soundarya sitting right beside him on the bed, staring at him.

She smiled gently at him, and ruffled his hair affectionately as he lay on the bed. 'Know what day is it today?'

'It's a Monday, and that means Monday morning meeting,' sighed Ashwin. I hate Mondays. 'Let me sleep for 10 more minutes,' he pleaded, and pulled his blanket over his head.

'No. Wake up.' She pulled down the blanket covering his face, and pointed to the calendar on the side table. 'February 6th,' she blushed.

An irritated Ashwin fumed, 'So? It's not February 14th, is it?' What's it with girls and dates?

'Don't tell me you do not remember the first time you kissed me?,' she replied sharply.

Ashwin sat up groggily, and said with feigned interest, 'Oh, of course, I do remember.' I should keep a diary for such 'important' dates.

'Let me see if we can recreate that event now.' He leaned forward and tried to pull her towards him.

'You are pig, and your breath stinks,' she yelled angrily, and left the room.

---

As Ashwin parked his car in front of his house, he noticed the svelte figure of Soundarya opening the gate for him.

He walked into his home quietly, followed by his wife who closed and bolted the door after he entered the house. She moved closer and hugged him.

'Sorry, if I had seemed moody or irritated in the morning.'

Ashwin remained quiet. Let her apologize.

'Come on, talk to me. I apologized, right?' She looked into his eyes and smiled, hugging him tighter.

Okay, Dr. Jerkyll and Ms. Hyde. He replied, 'How is that if you are so irate and livid in the morning, then you are angelic in the evening. Why can't you be just angelic at all times?'

'I can't help it. I hate having to wake up early in this cold weather.'

Ashwin changed into his house clothes and switched on the TV as Soundarya made tea for him.

She gave him a steaming cup of tea and sat next to him on the sofa. 'So, tell me. What are you giving me for Valentine's Day?'

'Those are for lovers. We are married now,' Ashwin protested.

'So you don't love your wife?' Soundarya probed him. She grabbed the remote from his hand and turned off the TV.

'That's not what I mean,' Ashwin replied quickly in order to avoid another confrontation. You can never beat girls at talking. 'Tell me what you want.'

'No, I won't tell you what I want. And, I don't want you to buy me something like last time. Remember what I gave you last year?'

'You gave me a card.'

'No, I made you a card. I spent 2 full days making that card.'

'What's your point?' Why do girls never get to the point quickly?

'My point is that, this time, I want you to make something special for me. Don't tell me. Surprise me,' she said emphatically.

---

Ashwin changed into his house clothes and settled on the sofa, switching on the TV. Soundarya brought him a cup of tea and sat next to him.

'What do you want me to make for dinner?' she asked.

'Make anything, don't ask me.' He was more absorbed in the song that was playing on TV. Wish I had hair like Suriya.

'I don't want to cook tonight. Let's eat out.'

Ashwin was brought back to reality. 'Why? I don't want to eat out,' he protested.

'Okay, whatever you say. But do tell me you have not forgotten to make me something.'

Ashwin did not understand for a moment, and then suddenly it dawned on him. Today is February 14! SHIT!

He had not given much thought over the previous week as to what to present his wife for Valentine's day. There are still a few more days. All I need is a day to come up with something. And, over the weekend, he had been more preoccupied with the football matches and the movies, that he had not bothered to think of making something for his wife.

It took immense effort for him to keep a straight face and say, 'Of course, I have it ready. Tell you what? Let's go and eat outside today. North Indian, your favorite. I will give you my present then. Go on now, get ready.'

Soundarya was satisfied with his answer, and she went to get dressed.

Ashwin looked at the time. Ten past six. That gives me at least half an hour to do something. Come on, think fast.

He looked around. There was a photo frame on the shelf. I can insert a photo of us into the frame. But it's not something great.

He saw the pen-stand near the TV. I can draw something for her. If only I could draw as well as she does!

An Idea !

He powered his laptop and as it booted up, he took out an A4 sheet paper and a pen from his office bag. Why worry when there is Internet. And Google. He smiled.

He entered the password and clicked on the Firefox browser on the main screen. He typed on the Google toolbar...

"Poems for valentine love"

He waited for Google to process the search.

The connection has timed out. The server at www.google.com is taking too long to respond.

He looked at the Internet connection icon, and noticed that there was no connection. He looked at the wireless modem underneath the TV. The lights were blinking fine. Of all days, the net connection has to conk out now?

He looked at the clock. Twenty past six.

I have no other option. I have to write something myself.

He was never a one with words, but he was desperate.

Come on, I can do it. I just need some inspiration.

He thought of Soundarya, the first time they had met, their moments together, and all their love for each other. He took the pen and words flowed.

He read through what he had just written, and was satisfied.

-----

Ashwin and Soundarya were seated at the expensive Mughlai restaurant at the Taj. After giving the orders, Ashwin turned to his eager wife and gave her the piece of paper.

Soundarya opened it. Her eyes lit up as she read the poem.

My Valentine

Like a whirlwind, into my world you came
Little did I know my life would never be same

Your lovely smile and shy gaze captured my heart
So beautiful my dear you are, a work of art

The moments you blush, the color of your cheek
One look at you, in my knees, I go weak

You are my muse, sweetheart, and sunshine
Every minute I stay away from you, I go insane

When you ain't around, my senses numb
Tell me my angel, which planet you from

To the rhythm of your voice, my heart beats
Your calls and texts to me, my daily treats

Wanna bring you close, lose in your fragrance
Wrap you in my arms, fall into a trance

Be with you always, my only dream
You by my side, life will be supreme

Time spent in your company, my Princess, is magical
Pray to Almighty, our love remains lasting and eternal

Happy Valentine’s Day!

She read through the poem in silence. She smiled.

Nice, she likes it! 'Do you like it?' asked Ashwin.

Soundarya beamed at him, 'It's just....GREAT. AMAZING. Did not know you could write so well.' She reached for his hand on the table and squeezed it.

He smiled back at her, and said, 'Glad you like it. Never considered myself to be a writer. Maybe, I should start writing more.'

'Calm down, dear!' she laughed. 'So, what else have you got for me?'

Ashwin's smile faded from his face.

She studied his face and continued, 'Don't tell me you did not get me anything else.'

'You told me not to buy anything.'

She let rip at him, 'I will say it, but that doesn't mean you should not buy anything! For goodness sake, today is Valentine's Day!'

'But…but…' What do women want?

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Goal - A Short Story

2012-02-06T08:21:00.000-08:00

'Gooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaal', cried 11-year old Nandan, as he rolled the ball through his father's legs, burst forward with his pace, collected the ball from behind his father, and shot the ball between two cricket stumps placed two feet from each other, against the wall. The ball hit the wall and came swiftly back towards Nandan, who immediately brought it under control with an exquisite touch of his right leg.

Sathyan beamed at the improving skills of his kid.

'Try harder to stop me from scoring,' Nandan said haughtily, and wiped the sweat of his brow with the 'Messi' jersey he wore. The evening air was still humid, but the harshness and intensity of the sun's heat had reduced.

'You are improving Nandu,' beamed his dad. 'And, you know I am not young anymore.'

The dad and his kid had to stop playing after a few minutes. A Maruti Zen pulled inside the house compound and parked on their football pitch. Sathyan let Nandan join the other kids who were playing cricket on their street. He stood near the gate to watch his son.

Mr. Ramanujam, a 58-year old bank manager and the house owner, locked his Maruti Zen, and walked over to the gate to close it.

'Hello Sathyan, how are you doing? Did you see the cricket match today? Our guys must be brought back home and shot, don't you think? Atrocious performance. 4-0 whitewash. What a disastrous series!' He was hopping mad that India had lost the cricket test series against the Australians.

Sathyan replied, 'I heard India were all out for 61, chasing 230.' Boisterous noise emerged from the road, the kids playing cricket had been making a racket for quite a while, and now it seemed to increase after Nandan joined them.

'I am not going watch cricket ever again,' he muttered. 'I see Nandan is going to bat now.' He nodded in the direction of the kids.

Sathyan watched the first ball fly and land almost near the end of their street. He smiled. My son is a born sportsman.

'Your son is a born cricketer,' exclaimed Mr. Ramanujam, as he watched the bowler getting thrashed by Nandan. The bowler seemed like he was at least 15 years old. 'Nandan has a natural talent. Is he still going for cricket coaching?'

Sathyan replied, 'Yes, he is going for football coaching early in the morning, and then for cricket coaching at the MRF foundation.' His eyes were still following Nandan as he stroked the ball around effortlessly.

'Take it easy on the kid. Make him focus on his studies too. What class is he now in?'

'He will enter Class 7 in June.'

'What, Class 7?,' asked Mr. Ramanujam incredulously, 'You should have put him into IIT tuition by now. These days, kids start their IIT tuition when they enter Class 5.'

'But Nandu seems to be more interested in sports, particularly football.'

'Don't encourage your kid, especially in football.' Mr. Ramanujam lowered his voice, and added, 'Don't mistake me for saying this. I know you were a state football player, but look at where you are now. Do you want your kid also to live in a rented house when he grows up? Do you want him also to follow in your footsteps and work in the Railways or something?'

'I understand what you are saying, Mr. Ramanujam. But things are different now. My father raised me all by himself, and when he died suddenly, I had the responsibility to raise my brother and sister. I could not follow my dreams, and joined the Railways instead.'

'So, you want to live your dreams through your son?'

'No, I will let him follow his dreams.'

'But cricket is where the money is, remember that. My sons wanted to be the next Sachin too. But now, one went to IIT and the other went to BITS. Now, both are in the US, working for MNCs,' he reminded Sathyan proudly. The next moment, his face fell. He missed his sons.

Sathyan remained quiet, and continued to watch the street cricket. The opposition had still not managed to get Nandan out.

'Ohh, what's the time?' asked Mr. Ramanujam suddenly and looked at his watch. 'It's 6.30. I have to go and watch the cricket replay.' He rushed into his house.

---

Sathyan watched the replay of the previous night's football match between Manchester United and Arsenal on ESPN. Nandan was glued to the TV screen as he studied his heroes' movements on the football pitch. Captain Vidic was a beast in United's defence, while Rooney was the fulcrum of United's attacking play. United were up 2-1, with only ten more minutes remaining.

Parvati was catching up on her mega-serials on her own television in the kitchen as she cooked dinner for her husband and kid.

Sathyan's thoughts hovered over his conversation earlier with Mr. Ramanujam. Was he pushing his son too much? Is that what he wants or what his son wants. He held a white envelope in his hand, and had re-read the letter inside the envelope at least a dozen times since it was delivered that day. He knew he had to make a important decision, and do it soon.

Sathyan was proud that his son had been chosen for coaching at the MRF foundation. The coaches from the school and the foundation had given Sathyan glowing reports of his son's abilities. Nandan was already a U-13 player for Tamil Nadu, but an official from TNCA had told Sathyan that the association was considering Nandan for the U-15 squad. And, Sathyan knew that the last player who had such an honor in India had been the great Sachin Tendulkar. He is destined for greatness.

But Nandan is also exceptionally talented in football. He was even more talented than Sathyan was at his age. He was already the star striker of his school football team, playing with boys considerably older than him. And now, he had a letter in his hand from the Manchester United football academy school in Mumbai, inviting Nandan to be part of their academy. If he excelled, he would be called for a trial in Manchester. That was a big 'IF'.

Sathyan looked at the trophies he had won as a state football player displayed on the showcase behind the TV. He had captained his state to two Santosh trophies, and had been on the verge of being called up to the Indian team for the World Cup qualifiers, when he had to quit football and take up a job at the Railways. And, he had not made much money from football, but he had been happiest with a football at his feet.

There isn't much future in Indian football, at least not right now. Cricket is where all the money is. Even a dud like Mohammad Kaif played for India for so many years.

He decided to leave the decision to the 12-year old.

'Yesssss.' Nandan pumped his fists as the match concluded, the final score remained 2-1. Of course, Sathyan knew the result already. He had watched the match live the previous night.

Sathyan turned off the TV as Dhoni appeared in an ad selling underwear, and turned towards Nandan, and said, 'I have some good news for you. It seems a football scout saw you at the TVS Cup football matches. You have been invited to be part of the Manchester United football academy school in Mumbai.'

For a moment, Nandan thought his father was joking, but Sathyan's steely stare convinced him he wasn't. Nandan, in his excitement, jumped onto the sofa, and screamed, 'Are you serious? Oh my God! I cannot believe this.' His excitement began to subside when reality hit him.

'Does this mean I have to stay in Mumbai?'

'Yes. But if you do well there, there's a good possibility of being invited for trials at Manchester.'

'Is mother okay with it?'

'Your mother is okay with my decision. And I leave the decision to you. But I will put the cards on the table. If you stay here, there is a very good chance of getting into the TN state cricket team, and then if lucky, the Indian cricket team.' He smiled and added, 'Who am I kidding? You will definitely make it to the Indian cricket team. Just look at some of the jokers in the team today.'

'On the other hand, you know how difficult it is to make it in football. Indian football is almost dead. The top authorities ruined it.'

Nandan protested, 'But you were a great player. Captain of the state team. You won trophies.'

Sathyan smirked, 'No one remembers Santosh trophy winners. Look where I am now.' He winked at his son, and said, 'But this is about you. You have two options. Take up cricket, and you WILL be an Indian cricket player soon, and maybe then, you too will appear in the TV ads, earn crores of money and be very famous, albeit in India.'

'Take up football,' he raised the envelope in his hand, 'It is the world's most popular sport. And, you will have to work extremely hard, stay away from us, make a lot of sacrifices. Maybe, you will end up getting a trial in Manchester. I don't want to raise your hopes high, but the chance of making it as a footballer may be very slim. But I do know you are extremely talented, and I trust you won't waste that talent.'

He stared into the eyes of his son, and said, 'You choose.' Choose football.

Nandan said, 'I love playing cricket.'

Sathyan felt a pang of sadness but assured his son, 'I understand.'

'But then, I love watching, playing football. In fact, I am happiest with a football at my feet,' Nandan declared.

Sathyan's eyes welled up as he heard his son.

Nandan continued, 'I will miss you dad, but I want to take this opportunity to fulfill not just my dreams but yours too.' He picked the envelope out of his father's hand and hugged him, tears streaming down his cheeks.

---

Some years later...

Sathyan got a text from Nandan in the evening. Watch tonight's match, it said.

At midnight, Sathyan switched on ESPN, and waited eagerly for the Carling Cup match to start. His heart began to race when the team sheets appeared.

Tears filled his eyes. At the bottom of the list of names on Manchester United's team sheet, was Sathyan. 76-year old Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager, had handed 17-year old Indian player Nandan Sathyan his debut at the world famous Old Trafford stadium, the Theatre of Dreams.

He couldn't wait to see his son play for the world's biggest football club.

Absolut Desires - A Short Story

2011-12-09T20:18:00.000-08:00

Based on a true story...

'Arre yaar, kya maal hai...bilkul raapchik', Saurabh nudged Raghavendran, which almost made the latter drop his fruit platter.

Raghavendran had just joined New York University's Stern School of Business in their full-time MBA program, and had to sit through a number of sessions and classes as part of the induction program. At the MBA networking event dinner, as usual, he decided to stick with his two Indian classmates and roommates, Saurabh and Abhishek. He watched as the other full-time MBA students mixed with the part-time and executive MBA students.

All of a sudden, the buzzing died down, as a deft silence filled the hall. Raghavendran did not notice the group that slowly made their way into the hall, until Saurabh nudged him in their direction.

Raghavendran ogled at the bevy of beautiful, dark-haired females walking awkwardly around the food table and wondered who they were.

His question was immediately answered by Jason Baresi, the admissions director, who said, 'Friends, please welcome our exchange students from Italy. I am sure their presence will add zest to our networking event. Please feel free to mix and get to know them.'

'Wow, Italian babes look really hot,' said Abhishek who had already drowned a couple of glasses of wine. 'I am gonna go and talk to them,' he said cheerfully and left Raghavendran and Saurabh staring at each other.

'Wish I could go and talk to them,' said Raghavendran, eying the Italians with intense interest.

'Dude, you should go and do that,' said Saurabh. 'Stop drinking water, and have a glass of wine. It will give you courage.'

Raghavendran protested, 'I have never had alcohol.'

'You should start then,' suggested Saurabh and raised a glass of wine.

Raghavendran took the glass, closed his eyes and finished the wine bottoms-up. 'Tastes nice,' he said to Saurabh. In a few seconds, his head felt light as he walked over with a swagger and confidence of a footballer who could bury a penalty with his eyes closed.

'Hola,' he said to a slim, tall girl who couldn't look more out of place at the networking event. With a skimpy backless top and striking black leather pants, she had the air of a model straight out of a fashion catalog. She was filling up her plate with a wide assortment of food.

'Hi,' she smiled at him. 'I am Milica,' and held out her hand.

'I am Raghavendran,' he shook her hand.

'I am sorry...Ragg-what?' She looked at his name tag on his suit and tried to spell out his name in vain.

'Ra-ghav-endran Ra-ghu-ra-man,' he said slowly. 'You can just call me Rags.'

'Okay, Rags. So, what you do? You in full-time program?'

'Yes, I am. So, you are from Italy, is it?'

'No, I am actually from Montenegro. I study in Rome.'

'Oh, that's lovely. It must be such a beautiful country, with beautiful girls.' He really loved the way he felt, the wine had made all his inhibitions vanish. He added, 'You are so beautiful you could be a model.'

Milica let out a short giggle and blushed, 'So sweet of you, Rags. What you doing later tonight?' She picked something from her plate and started eating.

Raghavendran's heart began to pace. 'Nothing much, just hanging out with friends.' His appetite was completely gone.

'Some of us girls, going out tonight, you know, clubbing and dancing. You join us?'

'Oh sure, I can j-join you,' he stammered. 'Wow, this is so cool, this beautiful chick wants me to go out with her,' he thought. He asked her, 'So, how do you like New York?'

'Oh, I just dove it....sorry, I mean dove it...dove it...dddove.' Milica paused for a moment, and then exclaimed, 'Does any of the food have beenutsh? Beenutsh...' She let her tongue out. Raghavendran was taken aback. Her tongue was swollen and it seemed to get bigger every second.

'I dhig I go get a shod,' she cried, and beckoned a friend from her group, and rushed out of the hall with her.

Raghavendran stood transfixed at his spot.

'What happen to Milica?' A voice asked. He turned around a saw a beautiful girl, with dark and flowing hair.

'Mm..yea..she eat..ate something. She's not well,' he stammered. To his relief, a waiter walked close to him, carrying some glasses of wine. He picked up a glass and took a large swig of the drink. 'Ahh, I needed that,' he thought as he began to feel tipsy again.

'Hola, I am Rags. What's your name?' He held out his hand.

'Hi, I am Daniela,' She shook his hand.

'You are so beautiful, Daniela,' he said to her.

Daniela blushed, and said, 'Oh thank you. So nice.'

'So, where are you from, Daniela? In Italy.'

'You know Rome? I am from Rome.'

'Of course, I know Rome. Rome has Roma, the famous football club. And Totti is their great player.'

Daniela was genuinely thrilled, and said, 'Oh, you know Roma and Totti? I love Totti, he my favorite player.'

'Of course! I always support Italy during the World Cups. And I also follow European football.'

'That's nice.'

'So, how do you like New York, Daniela?'

'Oh, I love New York. Sex and City my favorite show.'

'That's great. That's supposed to be a great show, yes.'

A voice behind Raghavendran called out, 'Daniela, dovremmo andare.'

Daniela said, 'I go now to club for dance. You come? We have good time.'

'Hmm...sure. Can I get my friends too?'

'Okay. Meet us at Paddy's Pub at Phil's street.' She gave him a big hug. He was aroused by the fragrance of her hair.

He watched her leave with her friends, and went over to Saurabh and Abhishek, who giggled as he walked towards them.

Abhishek laughed aloud and said, 'Should we also call you Rags then?'

Raghavendran ignored his comment and said, 'Guys, I need your help. Daniela just called me out to a club. I don't want to go alone. Can you both come with me?'

'Rags, will you call us even for your first night?' Saurabh joked. He continued, 'Come on. Have a peg of whiskey. It'll help you loosen up a bit.'

'Come on guys, please. I cannot afford the taxi ride alone to the club,' he said, embarrassed.

It was close to nine o'clock when Raghavendran reached Paddy's Pub along with Saurabh and Abhishek. Daniela looked stunning in a one piece, a low-neck bright red frock that reached just to her mid thigh, exposing beautifully toned, smooth legs wearing a pair of matching bright-red high heels. She waved them over to her group. After mutual introductions between the two groups, the guys went over to order drinks.

'So, what are you gonna do?' asked Abhishek.

'I will take a glass of wine,' replied Raghavendran.

'That's not what I mean. You know what I mean,' he said with a sly smile.

'Nothing. I'll just take things as they come,' he said. They got their drinks and walked over to the girls. The DJ played a remix version of 'American Girl'.

'Any idea how Milica is doing?' Raghavendran asked Daniela.

'Milica better now. She taking rest,' replied Daniela. She was humming to the music. Soon she was on the dance floor, dancing with her friends.

The guys watched them starry-eyed from their table. Daniela and the other girls beckoned them over to dance.

'Come on, let's go and dance,' said Abhishek.

''I just cannot dance. I don't know how to,' said an embarrassed Raghavendran.

'We can't help you then.' Saurabh and Abhishek went and joined the girls. Raghavendran watched as the guys danced, shaking their legs and raising their hands over their heads, Punjabi style.

Raghavendran felt envious as he saw his friends dancing with the Italian girls. He wished he could dance, but knew he never could.

He banged his table with his fists in anger. Abhishek's glass shook and drops of vodka poured out of it on to his hand. He lifted up the glass of vodka and looked at the white colorless liquid. Looks just like water, he thought. He closed his nose and drank the whole glass in one big gulp.

He staggered toward the dance floor.

The next morning at around 11 o'clock...

Raghavendran woke up with a headache. He brushed his teeth and as he went to the kitchen to have some water, he ran into Saurabh and Abhishek in the living room.

'Someone had a good time last night,' commented Saurabh.

'Do you remember anything at all dude?' asked Abhishek.

Raghavendran tried to remember but his memory was very hazy. 'I remember dancing. In fact, I was surprisingly good and moved quite well to the music. I remember dancing with Daniela. I think she quite liked it. And, did I do a solo dance too?'

Abhishek laughed and said, 'Yes, your performance proved quite popular yesterday, you showed some nice moves.'

Saurabh brought his camera and said, 'We took some pictures yesterday. You should see them.' He made Raghavendran sit on the couch and showed them the pictures.

It took a while for Raghavendran to recover from the shock of seeing himself - writhing like a snake on the floor, puking all over the DJ's music equipment, kissing the club bouncers, and smiling foolishly at the camera as he was being forced into a taxi.

I'm not gonna drink, ever again, he promised.

The following Saturday night...

Daniela, Milica, and the other girls were dancing again, at the club. Saurabh and Abhishek were also dancing with them.

Raghavendran looked at the glass of vodka at his table, and then at the girls. They both looked enticing.

'I'm not gonna drink, ever again,' he said and gulped down the vodka.

Shaadi Shy - A Short Story

2011-11-26T06:10:00.000-08:00

'Mama, kyon pareshan kar rahi ho,' yelled Anita at her mother, and refused to look at the photo of the prospective groom for her. She continued to re-edit her resume on her laptop.

Her mother said, 'Arre, what all the time on laptop? Hai hai...See how nice he looks,' she admired the boy once again and shoved the photo on to her face, 'He is taking care of his father's diamond jewelry business. He will be perfect match for you. Just go and meet him once.'

'You are willing to trade me off for diamonds?' said Anita, pushing the photo away, with a look of contempt. 'Anyway, I already told you. I don't want to marry some diamond trader. I want to work now.'

'Hey Ram,' cried Anita's mother as she trudged towards her husband, who was reading the Times of India. She grabbed the newspaper from his hands, and looked at it. 'What sort of a paper is this, showing pictures of girls who have forgotten to wear anything over their undergarments?' She cursed her husband, 'Shame on you! Remember you have a daughter who is at the right age to get married.'

Her husband lowered his head in shame as his wife continued, 'Were you even listening to your daughter? She says she wants to work. Do you remember my age when we got married?'

'I don't remember dear,' her husband said timidly.

She shouted '18!' and turned towards her daughter, 'And I had you before I turned 20. You are already 21. What will our relatives say? Mausi is already asking whether you are having any problem.'

'Tell mausi to mind her own business.'

'Wah-wah...she doesn't even respect her elders. What sort of devil has she turned into, hey Ram!' cried her mother. She suddenly lowered her voice and said, 'Don't tell me you fell in love with some ugly South Indian guy at college.'

'Maa, don't be such a racist!' shouted Anita and rushed towards her bedroom.

'We should left for Rajasthan before she grew up. Why did we ever stay in this goddamn city?,' rued her mother. Her husband just shook his head.

An hour passed by.

Knock, Knock. 'Come in.'

Anita's father knocked on her door and entered her room. Anita was arranging her wardrobe.

Her father sat on the bed, and beckoned her towards him. 'Anita, I understand how you feel. It's okay if you don't want to get married now. Just start applying for jobs.'

Relieved, Anita looked at him.

'Have you prepared your resume? I have a friend in G-Block whose son works at Infosys. Just go and give your resume to him. I have spoken with him already. He will help you out.'

Anita hugged her father and thanked him.

---

Anita went to the house on G-Block. A man in his mid-fifties opened the door.

'Anita, come on in,' he beckoned her inside his house and sat her on the sofa. 'Just spoke to your father. He has explained everything to me. Let me get my boy.' He went inside, leaving her in the living room.

She looked around the spacious room, which was adorned with wall paintings. DDLJ was running on the 42-inch TV.

'This is my son Aditya,' introduced the man. 'You guys talk, I will get some juice.'

Anita was pleasantly surprised, as she introduced herself to Aditya, who at 6 feet, looked extremely dashing and handsome.

'So, Anita. What do you do?' he asked in an Americanized accent.

'I just finished my BE from REC...'

'Trichy?'

'No, not from REC-Trichy. This is Rasiah Engineering College at Tanjore.' She turned pink.

'So, what do you want to do further?'

'I am looking to join an IT company here in Chennai. This is my resume.' She offered him her resume.

Aditya took a glance at it, and continued, 'What are your interests?' Anita felt he was slowly losing his accent.

'I like to sing. I watch movies. I browse the net. That's it.'

'Okay. I watch a lot of movies too. Mainly Hindi ones,' he said.

'Okay.'

She started to feel a bit weird as he continued asking her a lot of irrelevant questions.

'And I love my job,' he said. 'So you are ready for the next step then? This is what you want to do?'

'Yes, of course,' she replied. 'I have always dreamt of it.'

He took a small box out of his pocket, and said, 'Anita, I was not ready before, but seeing you in person, I have changed my mind.' She saw the name 'Khanna Jewelers' imprinted on the box as he took out a large diamond ring from it, and said, 'This is a special ring from my shop.'

The diamond glistened like a bright star. Anita's heart began to pace rapidly as she cursed her parents under her breath.

Mirage - A Short Story

2011-11-15T04:07:00.000-08:00

'Shut down the computer and come, help me in the kitchen,' ordered Divya.

'But I am playing,' protested Deepak.

'I am your wife now. You have to listen to me if you want to eat tonight. Turn off the stupid computer!'

Switching off the computer, Deepak trudged across towards Divya and stood beside her. 'Tell me what to do.'

'I shouldn't be telling you. You should take initiative and do things. Cut these carrots, I will make carrot rice,' said Divya and gave him a bowl of small bright orange colored carrots.

Deepak took the bowl. 'Where is the knife?'

'Oh, you do not know to handle a knife. I will cut them. You go and pay the electricity bill now.'

'Now?'

'Yes, now. I can't do all things by myself. I am also working. I am tired of doing everything.'

'But...'

'Forget it. I will do it. Can you feed the baby while I finish cooking? Ananya has been crying...I think she's hungry. Wait, let me get the baby for you.' Divya handed a small feeding bottle to Deepak. She went inside one of the rooms and emerged carrying in her arms a small figure entirely bundled up in a towel and blankets. 'Babyyyyyyyy...are you hungryyyyy? Appa will give you some milk now.' She cajoled Ananya as she walked towards Deepak.

'Here, take the baby,' said Divya, and as she handed Ananya over to him, the edge of the towel covering Ananya got stuck beneath her bangle and Ananya rolled down the blankets, out of Deepak's outstretched hands and landed on the tiled floor with a thud.

After a second of total silence, Divya cried in a loud voice, 'How can you drop the baby?' Deepak just stared and yelled back at her, 'YOU dropped the baby.'

As they shouted at each other, they did not hear a loud clicking noise and footsteps approaching them.

Usha and Shankar walked into the kitchen.

'What is going on here?' shouted a concerned Usha. Shankar glared at Divya and Deepak. 'What is Ananya doing on the kitchen floor, kids?' Usha grimaced as she picked up the plastic doll from the floor. Divya and Deepak stared timidly at their parents.

Deepa vali - A Short Story

2011-10-24T04:11:00.000-07:00

On an early Deepavali morning...

'Wake up...wake up, Lakshman,' hissed 13-year old Sreeram into his younger brother's ears, who refused to be woken up. Sreeram switched on the tube-light in the bedroom.

'It's Deepavali, you idiot...wake up fast...we have to be the first ones to burst crackers,' shouted Sreeram. The words 'Deepavali' and 'crackers' worked its magic, as Lakshman suddenly woke up with a start, straining his eyes to get adjusted to the sudden brightness of the room.

'What time is it?' asked a dazed Lakshman. He could hear faint sounds of bursting crackers.

'It's 3.45,' replied Sreeram as he dragged his brother into the bathroom. 'We have to be ready soon.' The brothers brushed their teeth and raced downstairs, which was already illuminated.

Sreeram was not surprised to see people already awake. He ran outside, with his brother at his heels. His mother had already washed the gate entrance and was now decorating it with some 'rangoli'.

'You guys are up so early,' exclaimed their mother. 'Go have milk now.'

Sreeram craned his neck outside, careful not to step on the colored decorative powders, and noticed that no one had still started bursting crackers on their street, but people were definitely up in other houses as well.

The brothers were relieved to see no one had started bursting crackers, yet. They were always the first ones to burst crackers on their street.

'We have to get ready fast,' advised Sreeram to his brother. 'I'll take bath first, you go and have milk. I'll then have milk while you take your bath.' This way, we'll both get ready on time.'

'Okay,' said Lakshman as he followed his brother back into the house, and into the kitchen where their aunt was cooking.

'Chitti, please give us horlicks,' said Sreeram and hurried over to the pooja room.

Grandma was seated in the pooja room, applying a pinch of sandal paste and kumkum to new dresses placed in a neat pile in front of the pictures of gods and goddesses.

'Paati, can you please apply oil to my head,' said Sreeram. Paati beckoned him to sit down on a small wooden stool that was decorated with rice powder.

She first applied sandal paste and kumkum on his forehead, pushed a piece of dark brown round jaggery-type dish down his throat, and sang,'Gowri kalyaanam vaibogame,' in her melodious voice, applying sesame oil on his head. She then gave him a cup of 'Shikakai', and said, 'Now go and have bath.'

Sreeram then rushed towards the smoky backyard, where his grandpa was frying dry sticks and leaves to heat water in a huge copper vessel. Grandpa was being helped by Sreeram's father and uncle.

'You are up so early? The water is not even hot yet. You have to wait for some more time,' he said.

'Aiyoo thatha. Please, that's okay. I don't need the water to be hot,' lied Sreeram, and filled up a bucket.

He shivered as he took his bath, and applied the Shikakai to his hair and washed away the oil. He dried himself using a towel, and wrapped himself in it, and went over to the pooja room where Grandma had just finished applying oil to Lakshman.

'Go, take bath soon,' ordered Sreeram, which sent his younger brother rushing to the backyard to take bath.

Sreeram sat on the wooden stool again. Grandma took his new shirt and trousers from the pile of new clothes, and handed them to Sreeram.

He changed into his new clothes and went to the kitchen and gulped down the milk. He could hear crackers bursting in the distance, and hoped they were not on his street. The clock in the living room showed half past four.

He started unpacking the crackers. He lit up an incense stick and carried a '56 wala' outside the house compound. He could hear the sound of bursting crackers from the next street but no one had still started bursting crackers on his street.

'Wait for us, wait for us,' shouted Lakshman, as he excitedly led grandma by his hand and brought her to the place where Sreeram had placed the cracker. Sreeram handed the incense stick over to grandma. She always burst the first cracker.

Grandma lit up the cracker using the incense stick and slowly marched inside the house. The brothers watched as loud shots pierced through the silent street, and shouted, 'Happy Deepavali.'

'And that's how we celebrated Deepavali each year,' reminisced Sreeram, and looked at his children.

Adithi, five, and Adhya, three, were still wide awake. It was Adithi who spoke first, 'Daddy, I also want to be the first one to burst crackers tomorrow morning.'

Adhya added, 'Yes daddy.'

Adhithi continued, 'Please tell mummy to keep oil and shikakai ready tomorrow.' Adhya added, 'Yes daddy.'

Sreeram replied, 'Sure kids, but only if you sleep now.'

After the kids went to sleep, Sreeram walked over to his bedroom and crept on to the bed where his wife lay, reading a book.

'Have the kids slept?' She closed her book.

'Yes, dear. They are eager to take oil bath and burst crackers tomorrow.' He smiled wryly, shaking his head. He picked up the phone and dialed.

He spoke into the phone, 'Happy Deepavali, amma. How are you? How is everyone? Hellooo...I can't hear you properly. Helloo...too much sound of crackers bursting,' he complained, 'I'll call you back.'

He placed his head on his wife's lap and closed his eyes. 'I miss India,' he muttered softly.

Melancholy - A Short Story

2011-10-13T05:53:00.001-07:00

Santosh sipped his beer in the lively London pub as he cast his lustful eyes on the one brunette girl among a bevy of voluptuous blondes, moving sensually to the tune of Adele's 'Rolling in the Deep.' His mind went back to the 'Bharatnatyam' dance he had been forced to watch a couple of days back in Chennai. Following his own failure to find himself a girlfriend and his parents' compulsion for him to get married, he had flown down to India the week before, and had been forced to meet two potential brides, one a classical dancer, and the other, a carnatic singer. He had said 'no' to both of them, and had flown back to London. He did not want to give up on the brunette. Not yet. He finished his beer and planned his move.

Harish was happy to hear that he was going to become an uncle. He missed his sister who was pregnant and on the other side of the world. He then said goodbye to his parents and cut the call. He decided not to talk to them for a while again, because every time he called them up, the issue of his marriage kept cropping up. He had let his parents know that he was totally averse to the idea of marriage since he was still not very sure about his job in Texas, given the second wave of economic recession that everyone expected to hit the Unites States sooner or later. But he knew that was just a lame reason. Could he ever tell his parents the real reason? He shuddered at that very thought.

Ilango sighed at the wedding invitation. He had just received the seventh wedding invitation in just over two months. Most of his friends from college were married, many with kids. Now, his best friend, who was younger to him by a few years was also getting married in two weeks, to a British girl he had met in a pub. At 30, Ilango was desperate to get married, and had been engaged to a girl for over 5 months, but apparently she suddenly developed a dislike for IT guys, and called off the engagement. He later learned that she had eloped with her lover just a month earlier. Ilango knew that the girl-to-boy ratio in their community was quite skewed, and that these days, many girls from his community preferred a love marriage. It was time, he realized, for some drastic action.

Thiagu missed home. He missed India. He loved working in Australia and Sydney was a beautiful city too. His work couldn't be better, and he enjoyed the weekends exploring the countryside with Harini. But he missed his family and his friends. And, when he heard from his mother that a prospective groom had visited his house to meet his sister but the alliance did not work out, he wished he had been in India to provide support to his family and his sister in particular. 'How can he not like my sister after watching her graceful dance?', he rued. Since Harini was pregnant and was advised not to travel long distances, Thiagu had told his parents he could not travel to India. He knew he could never go back to India, not even for his sister's potential wedding, but he wouldn't let his old parents know that.

Eashwar yawned, but continued to stay glued to his laptop. It was way past eleven, and his wife Akila was miffed with her husband whom she had eloped with and married only a month earlier, much against the wishes of her parents. Eashwar, a management consultant, was always on his laptop, either at work, or at home. An avid writer too, he had a huge following on his blog, but he had not written for the past 5 months. He had been racking his brains, but to no avail, he just couldn't come up with anything, until now. He had just gone to bed when an idea cropped up in his mind. He turned on the lights and opened his laptop and started to type.

I continued to think and formulate ideas in my mind. Maybe I can turn one of the five ideas in my mind into one short story. Or, all of them.

Bon Appetit - A Short Story

2011-07-22T22:44:00.000-07:00

Manoj's stomach grumbled. It was quarter to nine and he had had his lunch at around one, a cheese sandwich. And, he had been working through his hunger for the past six hours.

Manoj had been very excited, to be on his first trip abroad. As a management consultant, he had been hoping for a chance to travel, and he had finally gotten his chance. As a core team member on a European market study project, he had been asked to relocate to Germany for a month. He had been looking forward to the trip, until...

His stomach grumbled again.

First day in Europe and jet-lagged, he could not focus on work. He stared blankly at his laptop, as his team around him was engrossed in discussion.

Don't they ever get hungry?

He was relieved when he heard the words he was waiting to hear all evening...

"Anyone hungry yet?" said Oliver, his German manager.

"Not so much. I think we can go to dinner in an hour or so," Ashish suggested and buried himself into his laptop.

Manoj felt like slapping him, real hard.

George said, "I don't mind dinner now, I am actually hungry."

Thank God for George! Manoj added, "Yeah, I wouldn't mind eating."

"Alright then, let's go out for dinner," said Oliver. "Let's meet at the lobby in half an hour."

Half an hour! 30 minutes! Why don't we just go now? The talk of food made Manoj's stomach grumble even more.

At quarter past nine, Manoj found himself first to the lobby. He had to wait for a few more minutes for the other three to join him.

"So, let's take a walk around the city first and then we can go to a restaurant. You can see a bit of Munich too that way."

Oliver led the way as the four of them walked out of the hotel. Being summer, it still looked like six in the evening.

Ashish said, "Oliver, do you think we should set up a meeting with the client on Thursday?"

God, he doesn't stop for even a minute! Manoj tuned himself out, and continued to admire the beautiful city and its people, as they made their way into the main city centre.

Manoj noticed several young men and women drinking beer out on the street, sitting outside restaurants, on the pavement, every open space seemed occupied. He clicked some photos with his camera.

Finally, after walking for quite sometime, Oliver took them to a restaurant named "Schnitzelbank".

"This is a place I really like although I haven't been here in a long time," he said as they entered a dimly lit but trendy looking place, with a strong smell of alcohol.

"Tisch für vier Personen bitte," said Oliver to the waiter, who led them over to an empty table.

Manoj peered into the menu card provided by the waiter. His appetite increased as he read the items listed, even though he could not understand any German.

Sirloin...Goulash...Roughy...Schnitzel...Sauerbraten...Knackwurst...Bratwurst...Bockwurst...

"You guys would need my help," said Oliver studying the blank look on Manoj's face.

He continued, "This is beef, this is beef, this is fish, this is veal, which is a kind of fish, this is beef, this is beef, this is pork, this is pork."

Manoj's face fell. He was a strict vegetarian. "I am a vegetarian," he said to Oliver.

Oliver looked into the menu and said, "They have fish too."

"No, I do not eat any meat or fish."

"Oh okay. Let me see what I can get for you." He looked at the other two and asked, "What about you guys?"

"I'll take this roasted beef", "I'll take the fish."

Oliver beckoned the waiter over to the table.

"Ein Wiener Schnitzel, ein Schweine Schnitzel, ein Sauerbraten...etwas vorschlagen vegetarische für meinen Freund hier?"

"Brot mit Tomaten und Salat," replied the waiter.

Manoj nodded. He would eat just bread and salad. At least bring it fast please!

As the waiter walked away, Oliver looked at Manoj and said, "It should be difficult for you, being a vegetarian."

Manoj replied, "I can manage somehow. I managed it in the U.S. for two years when I was a student."

"Oh, you will struggle in the East. They eat some sick stuff out there."

George said, "I have heard the Chinese eat insects."

"And dogs," added Ashish.

"I thought the Koreans eat dogs," said Manoj.

"That's nothing," Oliver laughed. "Once we were taken by a client to a restaurant in Shanghai. I was promised I would get to taste some unique dish. And, believe me, unique it was - monkey brains."

"Yewwwww," cried out Manoj.

"Haha...let me finish," smiled Oliver, and continued, "They put a live monkey with a drum in a small container...the monkey keeps hitting the drum in fear, and that's how we know it is still alive. The container has a small hole at the top, and you can feed on the monkey brain as long as you hear the drum noise, and once the drumming stops, you know the monkey is dead, and you don't eat the brain anymore."

"Bon appetit, sirs." The waiter came over and placed their dishes on the table.

Manoj looked at the bright red tomato pieces on his salad. He did not feel hungry anymore.

A Stained Affair - A Short Story

2011-05-26T07:35:00.000-07:00

William flinched in his seat, as he placed the phone receiver down. His worried face made him look more aged than his fifty years. He had let things gone too far. It was time to end it.

A slight knock on the door was followed by a whiff of his favorite perfume. She had let herself in to his office.

She looked more beautiful that morning, than ever before. She looked younger than her 22 years. She was dressed elegantly in a black skirt suit and tights, and her hair neatly tied up into a bun.

He began "We have to talk."

"Can't it wait?" She swept aside some office files to one side and sat on the desk, facing him, and pulled him with the chair using her legs. She pulled a pin out of her hair and long locks of dark hair fell on her shoulders.

"I don't think we should do this anymore. I think...I think my wife knows about us. I am sorry."

"Leave your wife. Come with me."

"You know I can't do that. You are too young for me. I mean, you are just an intern."

She was hurt by his caustic remark. She gave him a look of contempt and rushed out of his office, banging the door behind her.

He was still feeling uneasy. The last six months with Monica had been amazing, but he had to end it, for his own future.

Now that he had ended things with her, he had to reveal the truth about his affair to his wife, who was on her way to his office.

The telephone on his desk rang, and a voice said, "Your wife is here to meet you, Mr. President."

"Send her in." Bill was ready to come clean with Hillary now.

The Girl in Denims - A Short Story

2011-04-25T22:45:00.000-07:00

Inspired by a true story...

Arun kept thinking about the girl in denims.

Arun had first seen Holly a few weeks back. He had stepped into the apartment elevator with his friend Karen, waiting for the elevator doors to close.

'Can you hold it, please?' A beautiful girl with long, flowing blonde hair had come running towards the elevator.

Arun had extended his arms and stopped the elevator doors from closing.

'Thank you,' the girl had said and had smiled at Arun and Karen.

The girl had winked at Arun as she got out of the elevator at floor number '43'.

Arun had since then run into Holly a few times, each time in the elevator. And she always wore t-shirt and denims. He had introduced himself to her, got to know her name, and what she did for a living. But each time, Karen was also with him, and he restrained himself from asking Holly out on a date.

Holly was very chatty and friendly, which was very unusual, considering that Arun was a desi guy, and Karen was a girl.

Karen was not his girlfriend, unfortunately. She was just a friend who liked to hang out with Arun, but Arun, being the typical desi guy that he was, had asked Karen out on a date on numerous occasions, but he found it almost impossible to make her see him as more than just a friend.

I need a girlfriend - that was Arun's constant thought, and I need to ask Holly out on a date.

And when he was alone, Arun would spend a significant amount of time going up and down the elevator in the hope that he would meet Holly.

The law of averages finally worked in his favor.

'Can you hold it, please?' It was Holly again, her long blonde hair bouncing up on her shoulders as she came running towards the elevator.

Arun held up the elevator as he noticed she was wearing her denims over a black t-shirt.

She looks hot!

'Hi Holly, how are you?'

'Hi Arun. I am doing good. How are you? And, how's Karen?'

'She's doing fine.'

The elevator doors closed. Arun realized that this was his best chance to ask Holly out on a date.

Holly pressed '43' on the panel, and Arun could feel the elevator moving up.

'Would you like to have coffee sometime?'

Arun was surprised to hear Holly ask him the same question he was just about to ask her.

'Su..Sure, Haley. That would be great,' he stammered.

'That's so cool,' she smiled at him, and continued, 'So, let's all meet up at Starbuck's on Fifth Avenue.'

'All?' Arun was confused.

'Oh. I thought you would get Karen too. I really like her.'

'No, Karen's just a friend. She is not my girlfriend.'

Arun saw Holly's face lit up. The elevator stopped, and the doors opened.

I did not realize the elevator is this fast, cursed Arun in his mind.

Arun pressed his palm against the doors as she walked out on to her floor.

'So, you still wanna have coffee with me?' he asked eagerly.

Holly gave him a smug smile and replied, 'Sure, we can have coffee, as friends.'

Arun's heart was filled with hope again.

Holly continued, ' But I think you should understand. I REALLY like Karen.' and she walked away.

Arun was confused for a second, 'I am sorry...' and as the elevator doors closed, it dawned on him.

Being Cool - A Short Story

2011-04-21T05:06:00.000-07:00

Based on a real-life experience, or not...

'Just be cool. That's the key. Be cool.' Subbu was advising Rajiv, who was quite nervous for the first time in his life, and quite rightly so. Although he had received an interview call from just one IIM - Bangalore, just knowing that IIM was within his reach gave Rajiv a feeling of anxious pride.

Subbu was giving last minute encouragement to Rajiv before the latter's interview.

Subbu said to Rajiv as he helped tie a tie around Rajiv's neck,'Just make sure that before you answer any question, you keep your cool. Don't get nervous, but even if you do, act cool. The main thing is not just knowing all answers but making sure you show how cool you are when answering them.'

Rajiv was beginning to get irritated now, 'Subbu, please stop telling me to be cool. You are just making me more nervous.' Rajiv knew that he had to be cool, since even one slip could bring him down, given the intense competition to get into the IIMs.

Subbu retorted, 'Cool down, man.' Rajiv glared back at him.

As Subbu dropped Rajiv at his interview centre, he couldn't help but give him a last minute advice, 'Remember to be cool. Always be cool, you are Mr.Cool, and all will be cool.'

Rajiv cursed him through his teeth, and walked into his centre, and as he sat outside the interview hall, waiting for his turn, he kept re-thinking about typical questions and answers that he had been preparing the past few days.

'RAJIV!'

Rajiv's heart began to beat faster as he heard his name being called out.

The interview panel consisted of three men and a lady, who all seemed to be in their early-fifties.

Rajiv answered all the questions that were thrown at him quite confidently and he got the feeling that the interview panel liked him.

Wow, this is so cool.

'One last question,' asked the lady, 'What are your hobbies?'

Rajiv was confounded by the question since he had already used the answer he had prepared for the question on passion.

Should I just make up something? His mind was racing. How long have I been quiet? Seems like nearly half a minute now. Oh no, they are looking at me strangely.

'Be cool, be cool', he reminded himself.

And before he knew it, the words just popped out of his mouth, 'I like being cool.'

Rajiv could have killed himself at that moment had he brought a knife with him, as he saw the icy stares the interview panel gave him.

The Raagas of Mosquitoes - Part IV

2011-04-11T23:50:00.000-07:00

'Amma, you have to call it off.'

'How can I? It's not courteous to do that.'

Prem had flown down to Chennai for his cousin's wedding later that weekend. And, he made it clear to his mother that he was not willing to meet Sai Priya and her family from Bangalore.

Uma was disconcerted at his stand, but however continued, 'How can you tell them not to come, after they told us they would?'

'Alright. Let them come. You and father meet them, but I won't.'

'But they want to see you. What will they think of us, if you are not here?'

Prem was beginning to get irritated. 'Okay, I will meet them. But I will say no to them because I have already made up my mind about the Mumbai girl Anu.'

'Okay, just meet the Bangalore girl. Maybe, you will like her as much as you liked the other one.'

'No, I won't,' hollered Prem and stormed off.

-----

Anu still felt sad and distressed at her parents' decision. She came back from her clinic earlier than usual that day, and went to the Ganesh temple near her house.

And, she prayed. She prayed with all her heart.

-----

Prem wanted to meet Anu again before making a decision. And, he also realized he couldn't look at another girl while he knew that the Mumbai alliance was still not dead. He decided to take one last shot.

Prem went to his mother and said, 'I think you should call the Mumbai family up and invite them to Chennai.

'I already did that but...,' Uma retorted.

'Invite them for a formal ceremony where both families could meet and talk.'

Uma's cellphone rang but she ignored that and continued, 'But what about the Bangalore family? They too are coming.'

'Yes, you can meet them and say I am not interested.'

'It'll be rude if you do not meet them.'

'Okay, I will meet them but you invite the Mumbai family too.'

-----

Anu felt better when she came back from the temple, and the temple visit had filled her heart with some hope. Somewhere deep down in her heart, she knew she had to try and convince her parents, give her all one last time.

She went to her mother and said, 'I think you should call the Prem's mother up and talk to her.'

Jaya was taken aback. She felt for her daughter, looked into her eyes, and said, 'You still cannot forget that Prem?'

'I think his mother was just unhappy she was kept in the dark about everything. And maybe, that's why she was not very enthusiastic.'

'I don't know. Are you still sure you can adapt to their orthodox family setting?'

'Yes, I am. Please give her a call.'

Jaya reached for her phone and called up the number named 'Prem's Mother.' 'She is not picking up her phone, maybe she is avoiding us.'

'No, maybe she is busy now. Please try again after a while.'

Jaya's phone suddenly rang. Anu hoped fervently that it was Prem's mother and listened to her mother as she talked.

'Hmm...okay, sure...Glad to hear that...We'll fly down to Chennai....no problem...thanks.'

Jaya cut the call and then turned to her eager daughter and said, 'We are flying to Chennai to meet Shreyas and his family on Monday. Horoscopes have matched very well at their side. Now, they want a proper bride-viewing ceremony.'

Anu was speechless as her eyes welled up.

-----

Monday

'They say another marriage is fixed while one is in progress,' said Uma to her husband and her son as they traveled in the Maruti Swift to Anna Nagar where the Bangalore family was temporarily put up.

Prem looked bored, and asked his mom, 'I am telling you once again, I am going to say no to them.'

Uma smiled and said, 'I am sure you'll really like this Bangalore girl.'

Prem did not reply.

*

A solemn-looking Anu was being dressed up by her grandma.

Jaya came in to the dressing room, removed a 10-sovereign gold chain from her neck and put it around Anu's.

Anu's grandma smiled at her well-adorned granddaughter and said, 'You look so beautiful. No sane guy will say no to you.'

Anu spoke softly without looking at her mother, 'Can I say no if I do not like that Shreyas guy?'

Jaya replied, 'Don't talk like that. Go with an open mind.'

*

Prem and his parents got out of their car, and walked towards the address Uma read out from a piece of paper.

Uma knocked on the door, and an old man opened the door for them, 'Vaango, vaango...I am the bride's grandfather. This is my son and daughter-in-law, you talked to them before over the phone,' and introduced the bride's parents to the visiting family. Uma and her husband exchanged pleasantries with their counterparts, as Prem still tried to hide himself behind his parents.

Uma forced her son to the front and Prem looked at his prospective in-laws.

*

Loud noises in the living room let Anu know of the bridegroom family's arrival.

Anu's grandma came in hurriedly and said, 'It's time to meet the guy. He looks very handsome. You are a lucky girl.'

Anu tried to control her tears as she walked into the living room, staring at the ground.

She did not dare to look at anyone, even when she heard heard a faint 'Hi', which she assumed came from Shreyas.

Even his voice reminds me of Prem!

Anu's grandma said, 'She is not usually this shy.' She raised her voice a bit and sternly said, 'Anu!'

*

Anu slowly lifted up her face, and her heart skipped a beat as she saw a beaming Prem, seated a few feet in front of her.

Prem himself had not realized he had been played all along by his mother until he came face to face with Anu's parents just a few moments back. And his heart was pounding in his chest as Anu walked into the living room.

Prem noticed Anu's face brightened the moment she looked up at him, and couldn't stop smiling.

Anu became totally oblivious of the rest of the people who had stopped talking and started staring at her, and she continued to smile at Prem.

Prem felt butterflies in his stomach as he saw a heartfelt smile on her beautiful face, and did take his eyes off her. She is the one!

As Anu's watery eyes stared into Prem's, she felt as if his eyes spoke a thousand words, and time froze.

****************************Shubam****************************

The Raagas of Mosquitoes - Part III

2011-03-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

Saturday

'Doctor? Are you sure you want to marry a doctor? Doctors only marry doctors.'

'Amma, she is a dentist. There's a huge difference. And, she seems really good.'

'But how could you not tell your own mother you were going to see that girl.'

It was the day after Prem and Anu had met at the temple. Uma was still upset with the fact that the meeting between her son and the girl had gone ahead without her knowledge. Prem had managed to calm her down after a lot of talking over the phone, and said he had been forced to meet the girl by his father and grandfather.

'Good that at least you met her in a temple. Tell me one thing, does she believe in God. Does she go to temple?'

'She told me she does. Are you happy now?'

'But she is a dentist. She will have to force her hand inside people's mouths. Are you okay with it?'

'Amma, dentists wear gloves, and they also wash hands.'

Uma was still not convinced. 'Will she have time to cook? I know you. You cannot stand hunger, and you like to have food at the proper times.'

'Dentists usually do not work at odd times, unlike other doctors.'

'Don't tell me you have already said a yes to her. I will have to personally see her and talk to her parents before any approval.'

'I am sure you will like her and the family. They are very nice people.'

'I did talk to the girl's mother this morning. I told her how our family is very orthodox. She seemed nice over the phone, but then they have to visit Chennai and meet your father and me. That's the way it should be done.'

Prem hung up his phone, and thought about Anu and the conversation he had with her the previous evening. He had liked her instantaneously, and he had a sense she liked him too. But he felt guilty about not informing his mother about meeting up with the girl, and he really wanted her to meet Anu and her family.

*****

Anu felt really nice waking up the next morning. She really liked Prem and hoped this alliance would proceed further without any hitch. And, that was until she talked to her mom an hour later.

Jaya told her daughter, 'I spoke to the boy's mother earlier today. That maami says she is very orthodox and religious. I told her my daughter was brought up liberal but she can adapt well. But I am not really sure.' She looked at Anu.

Anu was taken aback when she heard her mom's words, and said, 'Amma, don't worry about me, I can adjust wherever I go. I can learn all those things.'

'I don't know Anu. You can hardly wake up at even 8 o' clock. And that maami talks about putting kolam early in the morning. What do you even know about 'madi' and 'aachaaram'?'

'I can learn those things, amma. Seriously. Believe me, I can wake up early in the mornings if needed,' Anu protested.

Jaya noticed the sudden change in her daughter. Only a few days back, Anu had objected to getting married. Jaya smiled and told her, 'I think someone likes that boy.'

Anu blushed and replied, 'I spoke to him for less than an hour! Yes, he is very nice. But I hardly even know him, amma. I have no problem if this alliance doesn't work out, but do not give up just because that maami is very orthodox.'

'You know what,' Jaya said, 'Whoever gets married to that boy is very lucky. He was talking so courteously to me and your father. He was so respectful.'

Anu really hoped she would be the lucky girl.

------

Monday

As soon as Prem came home after a tiring day at work, he got a call from his father.

His father said, 'I think you should call your mother and make her come to Mumbai, to talk to the girl and her family.'

'Why, all of a sudden? I am coming to Chennai in two days, let's talk about it then.'

'Your mother is talking about another alliance, while this Mumbai alliance is still going on. I personally like this Mumbai family. And, I would like to fix up your marriage soon.'

'Why are you in a hurry. Everything takes time. Amma will meet them, maybe week after next. I will ask her to come to Mumbai.'

Prem later made a call to his mother and spoke with her.

'Amma, why don't you come to Mumbai and meet this girl and her family?' Prem knew his mother would never leave Chennai, and she told him so.

She continued, 'There's one more alliance for you. I have checked the horoscopes and they match exceedingly well, according to our astrologer Krishnakumar mama. He gives a rating of 90 out of 100 and says the girl is very honest.'

Prem tried to interject but his mom kept talking. 'They belong to Bangalore, the girl Sai Priya works in Wipro.'

'But amma, you don't like girls in IT. You keep telling me they work long hours and hardly ever cook for their husbands.'

'Yeah, but the family is good.'

'So is this Mumbai girl's family. I don't want to hear anymore. I will talk to you in detail when I come to Chennai on Thursday.'

*****

Sitting in her bedroom, Anu was perturbed by the conversation her parents were having in the living room.

'They have not confirmed anything,' said her mother. Anu could sense her mother's uneasiness over the alliance.

'Maybe they are looking at another alliance,' her father said. 'I was speaking to the boy's father a few days back, and I felt he hinted that his wife was interested in one other alliance.'

'Are we just wasting our time on this? But then, Anu really likes the boy. And, you know how opposed she was to marriage before meeting him.'

'What are we supposed to do, sitting here in Mumbai. Do you want to visit them in Chennai? What if the alliance doesn't work out? It'll just be a complete waste of money and time.'

'My main concern is that maami is very orthodox. And when I spoke with her, I got the feeling she did not seem too enthused about this alliance. And anyway, I am not sure Anu can adjust, how much ever she thinks otherwise. I think we should call this alliance off.'

Anu cut a disconsolate figure when she heard her mom's last sentence.

-----

Tuesday

Prem received a call from his mother.

Uma told her son excitedly, 'The Bangalore girl Sai Priya's mother just called me. They would like to come and meet us this Sunday morning. God willing, we can fix up the alliance.'

*****

Jaya came over to Anu and said calmly, 'Your father and I think it's best to call this alliance off. You don't worry though. I have another potential suitor lined up for you. Kamala athai's distant relative. His name is Shreyas, runs his family business, and he is also from BITS-Pilani.'

--------to be concluded--------

The Raagas of Mosquitoes - Part II

2011-03-09T06:08:00.000-08:00

Prem looked at his cellphone as it kept vibrating. He did not want to speak to his father, or his grandfather, both of whom had been desperately trying to reach him.

Prem, was a typical Iyer boy from Chennai - quiet, introverted, studious, well-learned, respectful person who had reached an age when elders realize it's time to take out the horoscopes and photos and hand them out to strangers.

Prem had just returned from the United States, after completing his MBA and had been working at a consulting firm in Mumbai. He had been living alone, enjoying his work at his new firm, and spending weekends watching movies and TV shows on his laptop.

While he was not averse to the idea of marriage, he also knew it would mean his whole life would drastically change - a new person to take care of, no more movies when he wanted, and the unavoidable and meaningless conversations. He had noticed how his friends changed completely after marriage, their whole life and activities dictated by their spouse.

I will lose my freedom, he thought. And I will lose my friends.

He had seen a few prospective alliances come and go by. Either the horoscopes did not match, or his parents couldn't come to a mutual agreement. In one instance, when Prem had given his consent for a prospective alliance to proceed further, the horoscopes were matched and the parents talked with each other, however, the girl suddenly and inexplicably decided to pursue her higher studies.

Alarm bells were not ringing then. Now, they were.

His father and grandfather had colluded to organize a meeting with a girl who had done her BDS and was working in Mumbai at a Dental clinic. Her horoscope matched with his, and her parents had visited his father and talked about proceeding further.

Prem had initially suggested that his mother, brother, and sister-in-law be there when visiting the girl. But since each one was in a different place, it was decided that he initially meet her and her parents at a temple in Mumbai itself. If the alliance was to proceed further after the meeting, the two families would meet later.

He was not very keen on meeting them without his parents or relatives with him, and knew that this meeting was arranged in total secrecy, lest his mother would put her foot down to such a meeting.

So, his father and grandfather forced him to go and meet his potential life partner in two days.

Prem told his close friend Vijay of his predicament, when he caught the latter online. Vijay advised him to keep an open mind about it, and not think too much, "Let her do the talking. Be a good listener. That's what has worked for me in the US, while I picked up girls at bars. But I am not sure how it works over there in India."

His cousin Karthik advised him, "You gotta act cool man. Don't be all softy softy. Wear a nice T-shirt and Jeans, and a big, cool watch on your right hand. Show an attitude."

Prem laughed and replied he wouldn't put up an act, and that he would rather be himself.

He couldn't sleep well the night before, and the mosquitoes were just adding to his insomnia.

The next day at work progressed rather fast, and he hurried back home. He dressed up nicely in a formal shirt and pant, and wore his Tommy Hilfiger sweatshirt. He took an auto to the Meenakshi Temple at Kanti Nagar, feeling the chillness of the evening air.

He waited at the temple for sometime, trying to find a party of three. Then, he noticed them.

He went over to girl's parents and introduced himself to them and said a 'Hi' to her. He noticed she was rather shy. He talked to the parents for a while, while waiting for their cue to let him talk to the girl alone.

"So, how do you like Mumbai?" he asked her, noticing her awkwardness at not being involved in the conversation.

She replied, "Mmm..yeah, I don't have friends here, so I am bored during weekends".

Wow, I feel the same way too, he thought.

He then continued to talk to the girl's parents. After a few more minutes, her father turned to his daughter and said, "You can go ahead and talk to him. We will go and have a darshan."

His heart began to beat fast as they went over to a corner and started to talk. He checked her out. He could sense her shyness as she did not look at him directly for more than a couple of seconds.

He smiled at her, and asked "How was your day?"

She looked at his face and answered, "Day was okay, night was bad though."

Same here, he thought. He chucked and asked "Mosquitoes?"

"Yeah," she smiled.

"I know," he said. "I was also sleepless yesterday thanks to the constant buzzing of the mosquitoes in my ears. In fact, it got up to a certain point when I began to wonder what raaga they were buzzing in."

He noticed that she looked into his eyes for the first time, and she gave a hearty laugh. He noticed that her smile lit up her face and accentuated her beauty a hundred times over.

Back home after his meeting which lasted for an hour, Prem realized he really liked her.

Is she the one. Prem still wasn't very sure.

Little did he realize then that evening's meeting would set in motion a series of extraordinary events that would result in drama and emotional turmoil for all parties involved.

---------to be continued---------

The Raagas of Mosquitoes - Part I

2011-02-11T23:25:00.000-08:00

Anu could not sleep that night. A combination of mosquitoes and her parents' marriage plans for her made her restless, her mind wandered back to her college days at Bangalore when she had no worries and had the best times of her relatively short adult life - days and nights spent chatting with friends, hanging out at Blue Moon's Cafe, cutting classes and going to the movies, and so on. But now, fear possessed her. Can her life change the next day?

Anu was beautiful and charming, and a typical South Indian Iyer girl - god-fearing, carnatic music singer, well-educated with an interest to pursue her Masters. She had just graduated from college with a BDS degree, and shifted to Mumbai where her parents were working. She had landed up on a job as an assistant at a Dental clinic, to a dentist couple, nearby her house.

New to the place, and with no friends, she was disillusioned with her life that got worse on her 23rd birthday, when her mother, with the sole intention to get her elder-born daughter married before she saw her next birthday, had presented her with some matrimony profiles of 'nice South Indian Iyer boys'.

At her mother's insistence, she had agreed to talk to a IIM-B graduate called Krishnan, who was working with an IT firm in Chennai.

'What is your dependency level in a relationship?' he has asked her. His first question had put her off and he had followed it up with so many more questions that she began to feel that she was being interviewed.

'I feel like I am in an interview,' she had protested to her mom after her first conversation.

The next time she spoke with him, she had made her point to him, and he had asked her whether she had attended an interview before. She had replied that in her line of work, experience mattered most.

He would not agree to that and said, 'Life is an exam. You have to answer certain questions to know where your path lays. I want to make you more comfortable.' After innumerable questions that followed, she had ended the prospective alliance with a polite 'not interested', saying their wavelengths did not match.

A week later, her mother had come to Anu with yet another potential alliance, despite her daughter's complete disinterest in marriage.

'You should consider this profile, Anu. The boy has a BE degree from BITS-Pilani and an MBA degree from USA.'

Anu had been very hesitant after the 'Question' Krishnan debacle, but curiosity and her mother's constant badgering had gotten the better of her and she had given her the go-ahead signal.

A week later, her mother had told Anu that the horoscopes matched, and that the boy's father had suggested a meeting between the boy and the girl. She then read his matrimony profile and some words stood out - Caring, traditional yet modern, interest in music...assured...works in Mumbai! That's good. And, he looks okay, she thought, 'much better than 'Question' Krishnan!'

And so, there she was - tossing and turning on her bed, the night before the meeting, filled with nervous excitement and apprehension. And, the mosquitoes in her room did not help her either, constantly buzzing near her ear. As she lay wide awake, listening to the buzzing of the mosquitoes, she wondered whether the mosquitoes were singing. It seemed a bit melodious.

What raaga is that, she tried to make sense of the buzzing.

After a sleepless night, her nervousness exponentially increased as the day progressed. She excused herself early from the clinic the next day evening, and got dressed up. She was to travel to the Meenakshi Temple at Kanti Nagar with her parents, where she would meet the boy.

It was five past seven, when they entered the temple. Anu's roving eyes scanned the Friday crowd for the guy she had seen in the photograph on his matrimony profile.

She saw a guy approaching them, and then it hit her. That's him!

He introduced himself to her parents and said a quick 'Hi' to her. Feeling a bit shy, she took stolen glances at him as he continued to talk to her parents. He looks much more smart and handsome in person.

Her nervousness had given way to excitement, as she suddenly started to feel the chillness of the evening air.

'So, how do you like Mumbai?'

She stood transfixed to her spot for a moment, still coming to terms with the fact that he was addressing a question directly at her.

'Mmm..yeah, I don't have friends here, so I am bored during weekends,' she mumbled, and immediately realized she shouldn't have said that.

What if he thought I am a very boring person?

He then continued to talk to her parents. After a few more minutes, her father turned to her and said, 'You can go ahead and talk to him. We will go and have a darshan.'

Even though she badly wanted to check him out, she was still hesitant to raise her head as she walked alongside him to a corner of the temple.

He smiled at her, and asked her a question - 'how was your day?'

She looked at his face and answered truthfully, 'Day was okay, night was bad though.' Again, too quick to respond. Think and answer!

He chucked and asked 'Mosquitoes?'

'Yeah,' she smiled.

'I know,' came the reply. 'I was also sleepless yesterday thanks to the constant buzzing of the mosquitoes in my ears. In fact, it got up to a certain point when I began to wonder what raaga they were buzzing in.'

Anu looked into his eyes for the first time, and gave a hearty laugh. And, that was the moment she knew he was the one.

----------

Two Lives - A Short Story

2011-01-31T07:47:00.000-08:00

It was a surprisingly cool Sunday evening in Chennai, being summer and all. Chandru looked upbeat as he drove his beatup Maruti 800 slowly along the Besant Nagar beach road. He had his windows rolled down as the air-conditioner in the car did not work. As he watched a group of young boys playing frisbee, his mind went back to his own college days in BITS - Pilani when he and his friends used to play frisbee.

Rajan used to be so good at frisbee. Maybe I will meet him today evening.

The thought of seeing his friend after almost 25 years brought warmth to his heart.

Rajan was struggling to accustom himself to the Chennai heat, and he did not blame his wife for refusing to accompany him to India. Although that particular day was not very hot by usual standards, Rajan was visiting Chennai after almost 25 years in USA, where temperatures over 30 degree celsius were termed 'heat-waves', at least in the North Eastern region where he lived. He cursed the weather for the 25th time that day, as he put on his expensive Ralph Lauren custom-design suit and Gucci shoes. He looked forward to leaving the country the next day, right after attending the global reunion his college alumni association that evening.

As he bid goodbye to the wrinkled and weary old woman across the room who was deep indulged in her evening prayers, he could not help wonder why his mother would not leave sweaty Chennai and join him for the comforts of an American lifestyle.

Chandru and Rajan studied together at BITS, and were at the same hostel, their rooms right next to each other. After graduating with a degree in Electronics Engineering, Rajan had got a scholarship to pursue his Masters in the United States. After his MS, he settled there with a high-paying job at a major multi-national financial corporation based out of New York. He got married in the US to an American-Indian and raised three kids.

Meanwhile, Chandru's own hopes of doing Masters were dashed when his father had fallen sick, and he had remained in Chennai to take care of him. After a few non-satistying jobs, Chandru had started his own business, dealing in real estate. He got married, and settled for a comfortable and peaceful life in the city, raising two kids.

Chandru parked his car in the parking lot, and walked over to the huge auditorium on the adjoining lot. He scanned the people entering the auditorium, trying to spot any of his batchmates.

As Rajan got out of his car at the auditorium's entrance, he instructed his driver to park the car in the parking lot and not let it out of his sight. As he marched up the stairs leading up to the auditorium, he noticed, among the swathe of people dressed in suits, a familiar person who wore a simple formal shirt and trousers.

Their eyes met just for a moment, and Chandru immediately recognized his good old friend. He pounced on Rajan and gave him a big hug. Rajan felt awkward and tried to wriggle free from Chandru's grip. He has not changed one bit, thought Rajan as he finally broke free - 'How have you been?'

'I have been great. Look at you, you speak like an American now and you have gone so bald' grinned Chandru and added 'You are sweating now! Let's go inside and talk more.'

Chandru forced Rajan to sit next to him, and continued to talk. Rajan's look of disinterest did not make Chandru stop for one moment as the latter continued with nostalgic stories from their time in college.

Sensing Rajan's disinterest after a while, he asked 'How are your parents?'

Rajan replied 'My dad passed away 2 years back.'

'Oh, I did not know that. So, you came to India then?'

'No, I had so many appointments at that time that I could not make it. My cousin performed the last rites.'

Chandru was not pleased to hear that. 'How is your mom? Is she happy in the US?'

'No, she refuses to come to the US. She is still here in Chennai, in our apartment.'

Chandru's face fell when he heard that, and he kept quiet for a while as the event kicked off with a devotional song. Meanwhile, Rajan realized that Chandru was still the same irritating person he was back in college. He remembered how Chandru wouldn't stop pestering him before exams to teach him.

A song and dance program was then followed by 'Educational Excellence Awards' handed out to deserving current and ex-professors from BITS.

A number of people associated with the institution came forward and delivered speeches.

Chandru, meanwhile, continued to ask Rajan more questions about his job and family.

'What does your wife do?' 'Why has she not come?' 'Your kids must be like proper Americans now?' 'Any plans to come back to India?'

Rajan's patience began to wear thin as he gave short and curt replies.

Now, we would like to invite Mr. Rajan to the stage to hand out the next award, boomed a voice.

Rajan was surprised a bit to hear his name but was eager to get away from Chandru, and walked over to the stage. The voice continued...

The 'BITS Global Citizen' award goes to Mr. R. Chandrashekar for his achievements in the Indian Real Estate and Construction Industry. From a small and humble beginning more than two decades back, Mr. Chandrashekar now heads a multi-billion dollar business across India. He employs more than 20 thousand people in his company and his 'Shekar's Foundation' is involved in numerous charities around the country. Mr. Chandrashekar has also recently made a donation of $25 million for a new, high-tech building named 'Shekar Hall' on campus. Put your hands together for Mr. Chandrashekar.'

Applause resounded through the auditorium as Chandru walked up to the stage, and an astounded Rajan was given a small silver salver to be presented to Chandru. Chandru gave Rajan a hug and received the salver from him, and as the applause died down, he started to speak...

'Thank you very much for this honour. It is a honour for me to receive this award from my best friend, without whose help before exams, I would not even have graduated from college. So thank you, first and foremost to Mr. Rajan Sundar.'

Rajan looked a bit flushed as Chandru, his voice breaking and eyes welling up, spoke...

'I wish my father had been alive to see this, but I know he is watching over me. Thanks dad for teaching the value of hardwork and respect. And, thanks to my mother without whose constant support and encouragement, I would not have been able to start my own venture. I wish she was here to see this in person, but she is old now and she can't walk much now.'

'To achieve success, you must analyze what you want to achieve through your career, why, and how. For me, I wanted to make my mother quit her job and look after her. I wanted to provide everything for her, as she did for me, when I was growing up. And when you combine hardwork with integrity, success will follow.'

As Chandru talked, Rajan could not help but wonder in amazement at how Chandru built his own empire in the real estate and construction business. While his own intelligence helped him succeed in a foreign land, he marvelled at how Chandru's extreme hardwork and single-minded devotion to improving his mother's life through the success of his business had helped Chandru achieve success.

'I am glad I stayed back in India when there was an opportunity for me to take up a job abroad, with an option of settling down there. I am glad I am now in a position where I am able to serve our country, doing the least I could - helping others achieve success. I am glad I am now able to take care of my mother, when she is old and ill, and I am glad I am able to keep her comfortable in the land of her birth.'

The audience stood up to their feet and applauded as Chandru finished his speech and stepped down from the podium. Rajan could not control his tears as he thought about his own mother.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PS: Just as I finished writing this story at the Munich airport, an Indian in his late-forties, settled in South Carolina, USA, was telling a fellow passenger in an American accent that he was taking a connecting flight to India for the funeral of his father who had died earlier that morning. A poignant moment, it was.

Kausalya - A Short Story

2011-01-11T07:47:00.000-08:00

I shifted up a gear as I raced my Pulsar along the Besant Nagar beach road, the fresh morning air blowing across my face. The road is rather empty for a Friday morning. I saw a lone stray dog looking for some food among the piled up garbage on the road corner. It stared at me for a moment and then continued its search for food.

I stopped at a green signal on one of the junctions on MG Road when I saw a young girl dressed in a bright red salwar, on a Honda Activa right next to me. I whistled a popular Tamil hit tune, and the girl turned and glared at me. She had covered most of her face using her dupatta as a scarf, and only beautiful eyes were visible.

'Where have I seen those eyes before?'

The moment the signal turned red, I stepped up the bike's throttle and zoomed in front but had to hit the brakes suddenly as an auto-rickshaw driver who had made a late turn from the right, too slammed the brakes of his auto, missing me and my bike by inches.

The auto driver leaned out and shouted, 'Dai pannada, vootla solligunnu vandhuya?' and sped along.

My heart was still beating fast, and as I attempted to gather my cool, I heard a girl's chuckle. The Activa girl sped past me.

Within the next few seconds, I had reached my office building. As I parked my bike, I noticed an Activa coming towards me.

The girl in the bright red salwar parked her Activa right next to my Pulsar.

I wanted to get a look at her face, and so I took out a handkerchief from my pocket and pretended to clean the speedometer and the top of the fuel tank, waiting with baited breath.

I did not dare look at her directly, but from the corner of my eye, I could sense she was removing the dupatta covering her face.

'Excuse me, what is the time please?', her sweet voice asked.

My heart leapt when I heard her voice. I turned around, and saw a beautiful face. She seemed vaguely familiar. I have seen that face before!

'Ohh, the time is 3:20.'

'Thank you' said the girl, turned and started to walk away.

I suddenly remembered, and said 'Kausalya?'

Kausalya supraja rama poorva sandhaya pravarthathe...

What was happening? She was gone. Noo.....

My alarm clock had gone off. I turned it off and looked at the time. It showed 7:00 am.

I lay in my bed, trying to go to sleep again, to remember the dream I just had, to get a glimpse of Kausalya.

With no success, I got up after a while, and got ready for work.

I sat down at the dining table for breakfast. The TV was blaring a popular Murali hit song in the living room - 'Oru mani adithaal kanne un gnyabagam...'

As I munched on some hot idlis, I asked my mom 'Mom, do you remember Kausalya?'

'Who? Kausalya?'

'She was our tenant around 15 years back. She left for Belgaum along with her family when her dad got transferred.'

'Oh, yes, I do remember. Your friend Kausalya. You used to hang around with her all the time. Why do you ask all of a sudden?'

'No, it's just that she came in my dream this morning.'

'Ohh, did you say hi to her?' laughed my mom, and continued, 'Do you remember how upset you were when she left? You didn't eat properly for a week.'

'Oh come on, I was never like that,' I protested. But I did remember.

I finished my breakfast and put on my shoes.

I waved goodbye to my mom as I started my Pulsar.

I shifted up a gear as I raced my Pulsar along the Besant Nagar beach road, the fresh morning air blowing across my face. The road is rather empty for a Friday morning. I saw a lone stray dog looking for some food among the piled up garbage on the road corner. It let out a small growl, and then continued its search for food.

I stopped at a red signal on one of the junctions on MG Road when I saw a young girl dressed in a bright red salwar, on a Honda Activa right next to me. I whistled a popular Tamil hit tune, and the girl turned and glared at me. She had covered most of her face using her dupatta as a scarf, and only beautiful eyes were visible.

'Where have I seen those eyes before?' Déjà vu?

The moment the signal turned green, I stepped up the bike's throttle and zoomed in front but had to hit the brakes suddenly as an auto-rickshaw driver who had made a late turn from the right, too slammed the brakes of his auto, missing me and my bike by inches.

The auto driver leaned out and shouted, 'Dai pannada, vootla solligunnu vandhuya?' and sped along.

My heart was still beating fast, and as I attempted to gather my cool, I heard a girl's chuckle. The Activa girl sped past me.

Within the next few seconds, I had reached my office building. As I parked my bike, I noticed an Activa coming towards me.

The girl in the bright red salwar parked her Activa right next to my Pulsar.

I wanted to get a look at her face, and so I took out a handkerchief from my pocket and pretended to clean the speedometer and the top of the fuel tank, waiting with baited breath.

I did not dare look at her directly, but from the corner of my eye, I could sense she was removing the dupatta covering her face.

'Excuse me, what is the time please?', her sweet voice asked.

My heart leapt when I heard her voice. I turned around, and saw a beautiful face. She seemed strangely familiar. I have seen that face before!

'Ohh, the time is 8:20.'

'Thank you' said the girl, turned and started to walk away.

I suddenly remembered, and said 'Kausalya?'

Mystery of the Lonan Murder - A Short Story

2010-11-14T00:25:00.001-08:00

Detective David Mills moved away from the dead body as people from the Special Crimes Unit started sweeping the place for vital evidence. It is definitely a murder, he thought as he took one last look at the pale face of Mr. Chris Lonan, one of the wealthiest and well-renowned persons in the small seaside town of Nechain.

Chris Lonan, a 73-year old man, had started his career as a waiter in the local Paddy's bar, and by the time he breathed his last, he owned a popular chain of restaurants, 2 large breweries and 8 bars in the town, and innumerable properties in the country. Lonan was known as a man of good faith and contributed heavily to the town's Church. He was well-respected in the community, and had few enemies. As Detective Mills walked across the living room, he reckoned the main suspects would be the old man's own family members, along with the family butler and the cook.

Lonan was survived by his wife Andrea, to whom he had been married to for 35 years. There had been no hint of any trouble between the couple, at least from their public appearances together. The Lonans had a son and a daughter, who were supposedly not on good terms with each other.

Charles Lonan was 31, and spent much of his time in the local bars, drinking in the company of local lads.

Kinna Lonan, 24, was an intelligent and beautiful young woman, who had chosen to come back to her hometown, much to the surprise of the town's inhabitants, after graduating from Oxford with a degree in biochemistry. She had been helping her father run his businesses during the past year.

'Detective Mills?' called out a voice from his behind.

Detective Mills turned around and saw a tall young man with high cheek bones and wavy blonde hair. He held his arm out to the detective and said, 'I am Sergeant Steve Richards. I was first on the crime scene.'

Detective Mills shook his hands with a grim look.

'So, what can you tell me, Sergeant?' asked Detective Mills.

Sergeant Richards briefed the Detective. 'I was on my beat, must have been around 10 pm or so, I heard a shot being fired from this house. I came inside and saw Mr. Lonan dead, and then immediately, I called for backup.'

'Okay. Come, let's take a look around.'

The two police officers checked out all the rooms in the house and then walked over to the garden in the backyard.

'Is that a dog?' asked Detective Mills and pointed to one of the rose bushes.

A small bull-dog lay motionless on a mud patch near a rose bush.

He crouched low and patted the dog, which seemed unresponsive. 'I think it is dead' he said gravely.

****

Two days later, at the Nechain police station...

'I think Charles committed the murder,' said Sergeant Richards in an affirmative tone. He continued, 'Our team found a Colt M1911 handgun hidden in his room.'

'Yes, they did, and the forensics team has confirmed it is the weapon that fired the fatal shot. But, no finger-prints. And, the post-mortem reports are very puzzling,' said Detective Mills.

'Is it?'

'Let me explain from the start,' said Detective Mills and continued, 'We just came to know from Mrs. Joyce, an old neighbour next door to the Lonans, that there was actually a shot at around 9 pm. Initially, she thought a car had backfired. But she got suspicious after the second shot, which happened almost an hour later, as you said, at around ten o'clock. She also claims she heard the Lonans' dog barking madly for quite sometime.'

'I don't understand why there should be a long gap between two gunshots.'

'Well, neither do I. And, we found just one bullet on Mr. Lonan's body! But the witness said she heard two shots in the space of an hour.'

'Are they all insistent they are innocent?'

'Yes. Mrs. Andrea Lonan says the butler had driven her to the city, and it was rather late when she came back home, and the butler confirms her story. The daughter's alibi is that she had been to a fund-raising gala. I inquired and people definitely saw her at the gala, which by the way, started at around 7 pm, and no one knows whether she was still there at 9 or had already left by then. And, Charles says he was at the Paddy's pub at nine, drinking. The barman has verified that.'

'Does the cook stick to her story?'

'Yes. She says she lost consciousness, goodness knows when, after drinking some water, sometime late in the evening. And, the last thing she remembers are the dog's barks. Anyway, we know she woke up at the hospital only at around 12 midnight. We checked her water bottle, and it contained traces of the drug 'Benzodiazepine'. Her blood sample too was positive. And, that's not the puzzling part.'

'What is it then?'

'The dog was poisoned with cyanide.'

'Why would someone want to kill the dog?'

'Or, Mr. Lonan, I don't know. And, there's more. I wanted to talk to Kinna Lonan's driver. But it turns out he stopped coming to work for the last one week. His house was locked, and it seems no one has seen him for sometime.'

'So, the driver's missing! Do you think the driver has something to do with the murder?'

'Maybe. We cannot rule out anything. The most intriguing thing is that Mr. Lonan was also poisoned, not with the cyanide, but with peanut butter.'

'What?' Sergeant Richards asked incredulously.

'Yes. He was extremely allergic to peanuts. And, somebody fed peanut butter sandwich to him right before his death.'

'So, what we can gather is somebody tried to poison him, and since that did not work, that somebody shot him.'

'Yes, the question is who did that,' wondered Detective Mills.

****

Detective Mills and Sergeant Richards went to Lonan's, a restaurant chain coincidentally owned by Mr. Lonan, for lunch.

Sergeant Richards said, 'We should have met up at that other chain called 'Riches'. It has much better food than Lonan's.'

'Where do you get your facts? Everyone knows Lonan's is much better,' said Detective Mills, and continued, 'So, let's get back to our case. What do you have?'

Sergeant Richards said, 'I think the old man was not shot at nine. He was shot an hour later. And, I am sure Charles did it. He might have been at the bar at nine, but had left the bar half hour later. So, he went home, picked up the old man's gun and shot him.'

'Yes, we cannot assume the first shot actually went off in the old man's house. Could have happened elsewhere too but nothing out of ordinary was reported from that area. But, is there a reason why Charles would kill his own father?'

'Maybe money issues. Charles was deep in debt due to the failure of some of his business ventures. Mr. Lonan decided not to give him any more money, and knew his son was turning into a drunkard. He might have had a disagreement with his son. His son was rather drunk that night, and could have gone home and finished his dad off,' said Sergeant Richards.

'What about Mrs. Lonan?'

The Sergeant replied, 'I heard rumours about an affair with the butler. They could have plotted something.'

'A neighbour said he saw the butler taking the car out at half past seven. And, I saw Mrs. Lonan getting down from the car right around the time I reached the house.'

Sergeant Richards interjected, 'However, we are still not sure whether Mrs. Lonan was actually inside the car when it left the house.' He continued, 'What about the daughter? I have been hearing rumours she was in love with her driver.' said Sergeant Richards.

'Hmmm...Kinna Lonan's alibi is the weakest here. Nobody at the gala remembers seeing her after nine. But then, what is the motive?'

'Maybe, her father disapproved of her relationship with the driver? And where the heck has that driver disappeared?'

'Well, I talked to her. She claims to be innocent, and says she came back from the gala at around half past nine, and went straight to bed. She adds she was woken up from her sleep when she heard the gun shot at around ten o'clock. I am certain she is hiding something, although she still seemed upset with the whole thing.'

'So, what do you think?'

'Let's assume the killer is Mr. Lonan's wife Andrea. What is her motive?'

'She hates her husband, and is secretly in love with the butler. And the insurance money certainly helps too.'

'Yes, that's a motive good enough to kill her husband. So, she orders the butler to take the car out so that it seems she is going out. But she stays in the house, poisons her husband with peanut butter, but somehow that doesn't kill him off, so takes out his own pistol from his cupboard, and shoots him. Then she hides the gun inside her son's room, and then goes out before the cops come into the scene.'

'Yes, but why poison the dog too?'

Detective Mills said, 'I don't know why. Now, let's assume Kinna Lonan is the killer. Like you said, she is in love with the driver, but her father disapproves of her relationship, and gets the driver killed. Kinna thinks her father is connected with the disappearance of her lover, poisons him with peanut butter, and tries to extract information from him.'

'Maybe the old man accepts he got the driver killed. So, she exacts revenge on him by murdering him, and then hides the weapon in her brother's room,' Sergeant Richards finished.

'Seems more plausible than the earlier one. But again, why kill the dog?'

'Maybe she wanted to threaten him with cyanide-laced food, but changed her mind at the last moment and threw it away, and the dog ended up eating it.'

Sergeant Richards nodded and said 'Quite possible. But I still think Charles might be the one. Let's assume he is the killer. He goes out to drink at the bar, because he is upset with his father and has been arguing with him that day. After getting drunk, he goes back home and shoots his father, after poisoning him with peanut butter. He kills the dog too in his drunken fury.'

'Well, the dog killing certainly makes sense here, because he was drunk out of his senses.'

Once their orders arrived, the two policemen finished their lunch, without speaking much, as they were both engrossed in their own thoughts. Detective Mills was more engrossed in the 'Daily Mail' newspaper.

Just as they were about to leave the restaurant, Detective Mills stopped in his tracks, his mind racing.

'I am going to the Paddy's bar where Charles was drinking that night. I need to confirm something. Do you want to come with me?'

'Uhh, Paddy's?' Sergeant Richards raised an eyebrow, and continued, 'No, you go ahead. I need to check something as well.'

Detective Mills waited until Sergeant Richards left in his car, and unfolded the newspaper in his hand and re-read the news article on the first page, and then proceeded to Paddy's.

****

It was later that night when Sergeant Richards received a call from Detective Mills requesting him to come to the detective's house immediately.

Detective Mills was on the phone when Sergeant Richards arrived. 'Thank you, Sergeant Andrew. You have a good night,' he ended his conversation, and hung up his phone.

He then showed Sergeant Richards into his study, and poured a drink into two glasses and offered one glass to him.

Sergeant Richards took a sip of the drink and said 'You said you wanted to talk about something important.'

Detective Mills said, 'Yes, I was thinking a lot about the dog. Why would anyone kill the dog, unless...'

'I think we discussed this earlier in the afternoon as well.'

'Yes, we did. But I was able to connect certain dots, and came up with something. Let me know what you think.'

'Shoot,' said Sergeant Richards.

'What if Mrs. Lonan, Charles Lonan and Kinna Lonan actually wanted to kill Mr. Lonan, each for their own reason?'

'I do not understand.'

Detective Mills took a sip from his glass and continued, 'Assume Mrs. Lonan actually loved the butler and wanted to get rid of her husband and claim his insurance money. She first drugs the cook, and then poisons Mr. Lonan's food with cyanide, and goes out in her car with the butler. The daughter throws out the food to the dog, without realizing it is laced with cyanide, and gives her father peanut butter sandwich, and learns that he was indeed responsible for the driver and her lover's disappearance, so watches him suffer until he becomes unconscious. After she goes away, Charles comes in, and shoots his father.'

'Hmmmm, seems a bit far-fetched but quite possible,' agreed Sergeant Richards.

'Unless someone wanted to see the entire family taken down.'

'I do not understand,' Sergeant Richards took a sip of his drink.

'Did you read today's newspaper? The restaurant chain 'Riches' has made an offer to takeover Lonan's chain.'

'Oh, I didn't know that.'

'Well, I am quite surprised you do not know that, considering your uncle is the owner of the 'Riches' restaurant chain,' Detective Mills said with a hint of sarcasm.

Sergeant Richards shot a look at the detective, and said grimly 'What is your point?'

Detective Mills replied nonchalantly, 'Well, I am not accusing anyone, not yet.'

'You have no proof,' the Sergeant raised his voice.

Detective Mills said confidently, 'I went to Paddy's, which I came to know only earlier today that it belongs to the 'Riches' chain. I paid a few bucks to the right people, and I got the information I needed.'

'You have nothing, Mills,' fumed Sergeant Richards.

'For a start, I know a tall blonde-haired man paid the barman to keep Charles drunk for a while that night.'

'You cannot prove it.'

'Well, I cannot. But, you did takeover Sergeant Andrew's beat route that night. He said you requested him so that you could visit an old aunt in that area. I have to hand it over to you, Steve. You are a great actor. Did you take drama classes at grad school?'

Sergeant Steve Richards remained silent.

'Well, you almost led me to believe that Mr. Lonan's own family members, for their own reason and in their own way, plotted the killing of Mr. Lonan.'

'I did lead you to believe that, didn't I?' said Sergeant Richards proudly.

'But the dog was the important clue here. Why would the dog keep barking, unless it detected an intruder in the house? You poisoned the dog, didn't you?' asked Detective Mills.

'Yes, I did,' Sergeant Richards replied haughtily. He continued 'Once I got into the house, it was way too easy. All I had to do was to feed the peanut butter sandwich I carried with me, to the old man. And I located his gun way too easily.'

'I still do not understand why there were two shots, Steve.'

Sergeant Richards laughed out loud and said, 'That neighbour was right. My car backfired right outside Mr. Lonan's house. So, I waited for some more time, just to make sure.'

'Ah, everything makes sense now.'

'Does it? What doesn't make sense to me is how you can live with what you make right now. I will give you 100 grand to keep your mouth shut.'

'Do you think I will take the money, Steve?'

'Everyone needs money. As a waiter, Chris Lonan stole money from my uncle's bar and started his business and soon became a millionaire. We wanted to acquire the Lonan's chain but Chris Lonan would never sell it to us. And, 'Riches' is my inheritance. I could not just stand and watch it overrun by Lonan's.'

'So, you decided to get rid of Chris Lonan? After you got rid of his driver, who I suppose, was your spy?'

'The fool came to me one day and said he was falling for Lonan's daughter. I could not let him jeopardize my plans. So, I had to get rid of him.'

'Where did you hide his body?'

'Well, let's just say it is sleeping with the fishes,' Sergeant Richards laughed. 'Now it's your turn.' He pointed the detective's gun right back at him. 'Didn't I say I locate guns easily?' he laughed.

'Anytime now, Steve. Anytime now,' said Detective Mills calmly.

'Stop calling me Steve. It's Sergeant Steve Richards,' shouted Sergeant Richards and took a gulp of his drink. He heard a siren somewhere in the distance, and began to feel alarmed, as his heart began to race faster. He said to the detective, 'You still don't have any proof. And, my offer still stands. What do you say?'

'Why do you think I don't have any proof?' said the detective in a very composed manner, and looked at the ceiling right above where he stood.

Sergeant Richards' eyes darted towards the ceiling and he started feeling dizzy as he noticed the small camera staring at him, with a tiny red light blinking.

'One last chance...I will give you three seconds to decide...one, two, thr...' The sound of glass shattering filled the room as Sergeant Richards fainted before he could complete his count.

Detective Mills walked over to the motionless body, careful not to step on pieces of glass, and said 'At least you will survive, unlike that poor dog.'

********************************************************

Three to Tango - A Short Story

2010-10-22T03:22:00.000-07:00

Not entirely based on true events...Dedicated to my best buds.

CHAPTER 1: FRIENDS

'Hi Machi!' Raja hugged Vijay as he welcomed the latter into his apartment.

'Thanks for having me da' Vijay said as he lugged his suitcases into the living room.

Raja and Vijay had worked together for many years at a company in India before they went their separate ways.

Raja worked as a program manager in a marketing firm called Wright & Pegg in Montreal. He lived alone in an apartment, was contended with his life, and in no hurry to get married. He liked to be alone, he said to his parents back in India who had almost given up on him on the marriage issue.

Vijay had just recently graduated with an MBA degree from the Alberta School of Management. He wanted to move to Montreal 'to look for a job and a girlfriend', as he put it. So, when Vijay requested his old friend for a temporary place to stay, Raja was more than happy to let him into his place.

'I cannot believe you are living alone. I would have got myself a girlfriend,' Vijay said as he made himself comfortable on the couch in living room.

'I have not seen many Indian girls in this area. And, there are hardly any Indians at work too,' Raja said.

'Who is talking about Indians? I don't like the Indian girls here. They are too snooty. I want to get a Canadian blonde as my girlfriend.' Vijay then talked about his experiences in Alberta where he tried unsuccessfully to hook up with Canadian girls.

'Did you study anything at all?' Raja asked.

'Of course, I did. But I also partied as much as I studied. No use though. These Canadian girls don't even give you a second look once they know you are Indian. You should know that having been here...how long have you been here?'

Raja replied 'I came here in 2007. So it's been more than 3 years now.'

'And you did not hook up with any Canadian girl in that time?'

'Nope,' Raja blushed.

'I have a question for you. Are you gay?' Vijay laughed.

'No, of course not, but I don't want to waste money and time on girls. And, I definitely do not want to sleep around.'

'So what is it that you do?' Vijay asked.

'Well, there are lots of interesting things here,' Raja replied. 'Let's go to the theatre tonight.'

'Will there be girls?' Vijay was not enthused when Raja shook his head.

CHAPTER 2: PLAY

'So what movie is this?' Vijay asked Raja as they took their seats in the theatre that night. Vijay looked crestfallen when he saw an old lady sitting in the seat next to his.

'It's not a movie. It's a play called 'The Salesman Monologues'. Supposed to be great according to critics,' Raja replied.

The curtains parted and the play started. Vijay fell asleep after the first 5 minutes. He was woken up by the thunderous applause. He was nudged by Raja, and he saw people getting up from their seats.

'Is the play over?'

'Of course not. This is just the interval. Let's go and get some fresh air.'

Raja and Vijay made their way through one of the exits and went to a coffee shop in the theatre premises. Vijay noticed a beautiful blonde girl smoking away a few yards from them.

'Machi, I will be back in a minute,' Vijay whispered to Raja and moved towards the girl.

Raja sipped his coffee as he saw Vijay talking to the girl. The girl was nodding her head as she took out something from her jeans pocket and handed it over to Vijay. Raja realized what it was. But Vijay never smoked, he thought.

He saw Vijay taking a puff and letting out a short cough as he let out the smoke. As they continued to talk, a middle-aged woman appeared and talked to the two. Moments later, he saw Vijay with a sullen face, walking back towards him.

'Wow, what was that? I didn't know you smoked,' Raja said.

'Well, I don't. But I had to initiate a conversation. So I asked her for a cigarette.'

'So, what did you talk to her?'

'Nothing much. Before I could ask her phone number, her mom appeared and accused me of selling cigarrettes to a minor.'

Raja burst into laughter.

Vijay did not sleep during the rest of the play.

CHAPTER 3: THEORY

Over the next few weeks, Raja showed Vijay around Montreal. He took Vijay to Montreal's famous art galleries, museums, operas, shopping malls, and theatres.

Vijay enjoyed the shopping malls more because he could ogle at the hot sales girls. However, he began to feel worried about the lack of progress in his job search and dating.

Vijay had a few interviews in some companies. Although he did really well at the interviews, the issue of work permit often cropped up, leaving Vijay frustrated.

Vijay had registered himself in the city's popular dating websites and had made some progress. He was chatting to a girl called Aaliyah who was of Canadian French-Algerian descent. Although he never liked to read books, he had stated reading numerous books that gave helpful tips on dating.

'Do you know girls do not like nice guys?' Vijay peered over the book that he was reading and continued 'This book says that girls like guys who act cool and carry an attitude.'

Raja retorted 'Try that with Aaliyah. By the way, how is that working out?'

'I added her on Facebook. Saw her photos. She looks awesome!'

'Did you check her age this time? Make sure she is not minor?' Raja chuckled.

'Yeah, yeah. Anyway, the dating site doesn't allow anyone below 18.'

'Any other interesting tip in the book?'

'Yeah, loads.' Vijay looked into the book and said,'Here's one. Always empty your load before you go out on a big date. Makes you more relaxed.'

'Oh yes. Good tip. I have seen what Ben Stiller does in that movie before he goes out on a date with Cameron Diaz. It's hilarious, that movie 'There's Something About Mary.'

'You are all theory da. No practicals.' Vijay laughed at Raja.

Raja snickered, 'I'll give you a tip - Stop buying stuff at shops just because the sales girls are hot. It will help you save money.'

'Here's a tip for you - Go to parties and pubs once in a while. You will see what GIRLS are like,' Vijay retorted.

'And one for you - The only girl you will ever make out with is the nice Tamil Iyer girl your parents fix for you!'

CHAPTER 4: STAR

Vijay was really excited. He had finally made a breakthrough both in his professional and personal life. He had a job offer from a marketing company in Montreal. And, he had finally asked Aaliyah out on a date.

'So, they have agreed to do your work permit?' Raja asked Vijay, as they watched 'Entourage' on HBO.

'I have not asked them yet. But they did not ask me about my work permit either. So, I guess they have no problems.'

'Great. Congrats once again. Now, you only have to find yourself a real girlfriend.'

'I have finally asked Aaliyah out on a date, machan. And she has agreed. We are meeting on Saturday for dinner. Ooooo! This chick is hot. What show is this again?'

'It's called Entourage. Great show. Remember I told you about the party at my friend Joshua's place on Saturday?'

'Oh, I forgot. Maybe, I will finish dinner and get her to the party as well.' Vijay was now hooked on to the TV. 'I gotta watch this show more often! Maybe, I'll learn a few pickup lines from these guys.'

'You are not happy with just Aaliyah?'

'Aaliyah is for Saturday. On Sunday, I am meeting a college friend at a bar in City Centre. He has promised to introduce me to his girlfriend's friends.'

He then gestured at the TV, 'See how easily that Vince guy picked up that hot waitress?'

Raja replied bemusedly, 'That's cos the guy's supposed to be a movie star, earning 20 mil. a movie, and he drives a freakin' Bentley.'

CHAPTER 5: PRACTICALS

'So, like, in the end, I was so hammered that I did not realize, like, that chick was, like, a drag queen! A dude!' Joshua finished his story.

Raja feigned an astonished look as he listened, he was more concerned about Vijay who had still not shown up with his girl.

'I need one more drink,' he said to Joshua and stumbled through the swathe of people who had shown up at the party. A small group of people huddled against each other were dancing to the beats of Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean'.

He was drunk enough already, but picked up another beer.

'Heyyyy Raja,' a familiar voice called out to him.

Raja saw Vijay, his arm over the shoulder of a beautiful girl with blonde hair. They both seemed drunk.

'This is Aaliyah, my girlfriend, and this is Raja, my friend,' he introduced them to each other. 'Let me get you a drink,' he strode off towards the table overflowing with alcoholic beverages.

Raja stared at the beautiful girl in front of her. She did not look like a typical French girl, and undeniably, her Algerian roots accentuated her beauty.

She was eyeing him with keen interest. 'Vijay tells me you like museums and art.'

'Ye, yeah..' he stammered. He was awe-struck by her voluptuous magnificence.

'I work part-time at the National Arts Museum. I can show you some interesting things, if you are interested.'

She is hitting on me, Raja thought. His anxiety brought about a strange sensation of his throat closing and stomach clenching.

'Oh, I would love to.' He saw Vijay approaching them and added 'And, you know who else likes art? My good friend Vijay.' He shoved Vijay against her, and then walked back towards the alcohol table.

He eyed them from distance. He saw Aaliyah whispering something into Vijay's ear, gesturing in Raja's direction, and then giggling. He could not read Vijay's expressions from where he was standing.

His heart began to beat faster when he noticed Vijay walking towards him. He finished his beer in one big gulp.

'Machan,' Vijay hesitated.

'What?' The sudden increase in blood alcohol content further increased his heart beat rate.

'She says she likes you.'

'What? Really? She said that?'

'Yeah da. You have to do me a favor. Or rather, do us a favor.'

'Nanben da' said Raja and embraced Vijay. 'Just ask. I am up for anything.' Raja did not realize he would regret that very statement, the next morning when he would be sore and sober.

----------------------------------THE END---------------------------------------

'Makeup, Machi!' - A Hilarious Experience

2010-10-13T22:48:00.000-07:00

I vividly remember this hilarious incident that happened in Vishwakarma Bhavan during my third year at BITS. That Tuesday morning, I had the choice of either watching Sachin play in India's live one-day cricket match against the Aussies or attending my PLCC CDC course. As usual, I skipped my PLCC CDC course and decided it was more interesting to watch Sachin play than listen to a lecture on a subject I neither understood much nor had an iota of interest in.

As I sat there watching the match, I noticed that the crowd in the common room was unusually thin. I inquired around and found that the Chemical students had a test that morning on a Chemical CDC course. Then I saw my wingie Prakash (aka Oors) watching the match rather excitedly, sitting directly below the TV.

"Hey Oors", I asked him, "Not going for the test today?"

"Makeup, machi" he replied coolly. BITSians are allowed to take makeup tests for tests missed, but only for valid reasons.

"Why did you not go for the PLCC class then?" I asked him. Oors was a Chemical guy but who preferred to attend Computer Science classes rather than Chemical classes. I had been hoping to take notes from him later.

"I don't want my Chemical prof to see me at the Insti, even by mistake. That's why," came the reply.

We sat there watching the match, cheering India and Sachin on. Suddenly, the common room became very quiet.

I saw a man in his early forties who had just walked inside the common room scanning the students gathered there.

"Is Prakash from Chemical group here?" he asked in a very serious tone.

Oors responded, "I am Prakash."

"Do you know who I am?"

"No, I do not. Who are you?"

"I am your Heat Teansfer Operations professor A.K.Ghoshal. I got your makeup letter from your friend. I came to see how your diarrhoea is. And, I can see now how really sick you are," he thundered.

"Sir, I am still very sick," he muttered and stroked his stomach.

"Oh yes, you are. No makeup test for you," Professor Ghoshal shouted and stormed out of the room, leaving Oors speechless.

Oors took only a couple of seconds to gather his composure and resumed watching the cricket match, as if nothing had happened. The rest of us howled in laughter once Professor Ghoshal was out of earshot.

An Angel at an Iyer Wedding - A Short Story

2010-09-29T02:26:00.000-07:00

Pramod went over to a corner and peered into the overcrowded wedding hall. Moments before, during the muhurtam, he had come across a really beautiful girl in a striking red silk saree. An angel at the wedding, he had thought. He had looked down. No metti (wedding ring) on her toes. He had been relieved. Then he lost her in the crowd.

His mind was already concocting a poem...

"An angel on earth, and one of a kind,
bringing happiness and peace to mind."

He was ready with a camera now. On the pretext of catching wedding moments on the camera, he started searching for the girl among the crowd, both in the seating arena and on the stage, where many had gathered to congratulate the just-married couple.

"Pramod, Pramod!" Although he could hear his name being called out, his mind was totally bent on seeing that girl again. He was worried whether she had left already.

Pramod had just returned from the USA after completing his MBA and had recently landed up on a job in Mumbai. With the joining date still a month away, he was really excited about attending his close cousin Vivek's wedding in Chennai, after having missed 3 family weddings over the past 2 years. He missed the family gatherings, the lavish feasts, and the celebrations. And, he certainly missed ogling at beautifully dressed-up girls at the weddings. What he did not miss was the close attention paid to him by relatives.

The last wedding he had attended, three years back, was his own brother's. It was the day when he realized things would never be the same again. The huge deluge of relatives and friends congratulating him rather than his just-married brother brought with it the realization that it would be his turn next. And, relatives are generally not very subtle when they say that they are 'eager to taste the next wedding feast'.

Pramod could not ignore the calls after a while and went over to the old woman who was so intent on talking with him. She was surrounded by a number of other ladies whom he hardly knew.

"Hello Athanga! How are you?"

"I am fine. I am fine. So, you are back from the USA. When is your wedding?"

"Pretty soon, Athanga. Once you have found me a good bride." The ladies laughed.

"So, do you want a girl who works or does not work?"

"I do not mind either."

"No, no. We will find you a nice bride who does not go to work and cooks you good food. See how thin you are." The ladies broke into guffaws of laughter.

Pramod turned red, quickly excused himself and walked up to the stage.

He sat down next to Vivek and leaned towards him and said, "I can't tolerate these oldies. Why do they bother about my wedding?"

"Now you know why I always sit in a corner at weddings," retorted Vivek as he continued to feign chanting mantras. "See anyone you like?"

"Yeah, there was this one beautiful girl in a red saree. Ask your soul-mate whether she knows."

Vivek turned to chat to the bride seated next to him.

Pramod could not stop thinking about that girl he had seen earlier.

"The glint in her eyes made my heart dance,
just one glimpse, and I am in a trance."

Pramod noticed his father trying to catch his attention from the midst of a large swathe of people. He walked over to his father who was talking to a man who must have been well into his fifties. His father introduced them to each other.

"This is my son Pramod. He just came back from the USA after his MBA and has now got a job in Mumbai. This is my aunt's cousin's grandson's cousin. It turns out that he is actually the bride's uncle."

"Hello uncle."

"Hello Pramod. Which company are you joining?"

"It's a company called Lucas Strategic Consulting."

"Oh good. Now, I guess it is time for you to get married next, huh?" he winked at Pramod. He looked at his father and said "Shiva, you should give me your son's horoscope. I have a friend who is looking out for his girl." He then switched his attention to Pramod and asked "I hope you don't mind a girl working in the IT industry?"

Pramod winced at the question and replied, "I don't mind that. I have to go now. Nice meeting you."

Pramod walked away as quickly as his legs could carry him, looking around, eager to catch sight of the girl, before his mother beckoned him from a distance. She was talking to a rather old man whom she introduced to Pramod as a leading astrologer.

The astrologer looked at Pramod and said "Foreign MBA, huh? I hope you did not bring a girlfriend back with you. I looked at your horoscope. It's very good. But make sure you get a good horoscope match, okay? I hope you do believe in horoscopes."

"Yes, of course."

"Good, good."

Before Pramod left their presence, his mother made him prostrate at the old astrologer's feet and get his blessings. His mother had a habit of making him fall at old people's feet and asking them to bless her son. And, Pramod did not mind doing that but not in public places, among roving eyes.

Pramod walked over to the huge dining hall on the next floor to continue his search. He could not see the girl there but he passed by a few gluttons who called out to him and said that they were eager to taste his wedding food next.

He went back to the main hall and noticed Vivek was trying to catch his attention. He guessed he had found out who that girl was. As he proceeded toward the dias, a whiff of reminiscent and distinctive scent drew his attention. He found himself directly in front of the girl.

And she spoke to him.

"Are you Vivek's relative? I saw you talking with him on the stage."

"Uh...umm...yes, I am his cousin."

She smiled, reached out and shook his hand.

"Oh, cool. I am..." The rest of her words were drowned in his heart's flutter.

"Her smile very gentle, her touch so warm,
Loving the way she is delightfully calm."

"Can you please pass this gift to the couple? I can't wait in this long queue and I am already late." He noticed a huge diamond ring on her index finger as she gave him a small gift-wrapped box.

"Sure, I can do that. Sorry, I did not get your name."

His dreams were shattered and his heart was broken when he heard her reply.

"Thanks a lot, My name is Angel Soosai." She nodded in the direction a little boy standing next to her, whom Pramod had not noticed until that moment, and said "And this is my son John Soosai."

The Movie - A Short Story

2010-08-11T06:07:00.000-07:00

Raju applauded enthusiastically as the movie ended. Although the English dialogues were quite difficult to keep up with, the subtitles really helped him understand the movie.

‘This director is brilliant’, he said to his friend Sundar who had also enjoyed the movie very much. Raju couldn’t stop praising the English movie on the way back home.

‘How come no one in Kollywood has such kind of imagination?’ Raju asked Sundar.

‘Hmm…maybe you should come up with a completely new and innovative story,’ Sundar replied.

Raju had come from a tiny village in Tirunelveli district in the Southern part of India to Chennai with dreams of becoming a movie director. He was working as an assistant director to one of the most successful directors in Tamil Cinema, Navin Kumar.

As Raju went to sleep that night, his excitement from having watched the movie combined with his forthcoming meeting with the famous actor Ravi Kanth for a story telling session the following week, made him realize he just had one chance to blow the actor’s mind with an compelling story. Only with the actor attached to the project, he could even approach a production house to make his movie.

For a few days, he sat at his house and came up with a few stories that would not only excite the actor but was also incredibly imaginative, creative, and mind-blowing. He discussed his stories with Sundar and finally decided on one.

On Monday, Raju waited in the verandah of the actor’s house. He noticed that he was one of at least ten other potential movie directors with a story in mind. He waited for at least a couple of hours before his turn came. Raju was led to the actor’s office room by an assistant.

Ravi Kanth was seated behind a huge table filled with trophies. Movie posters celebrating the golden and silver jubilees of his movies adorned the walls.

Raju felt a bit overwhelmed as he sat on a chair right opposite to the famous movie star. He felt the air conditioner blowing cool air directly into his face. After exchanging the customary pleasantries with the actor, he took a deep breath and started his story…

“Sir, I want to make a movie where the script is the hero. We start the movie with some thugs threatening some poor people; the hero enters to some blasting music as he thrashes the bad guys, breaking into a song at the same time…”

The Plant - A Short Story

2010-08-07T23:01:00.000-07:00

Hema peeped over the New York Times newspaper she feigned reading. She could only see Jennifer’s outstretched foot as the American girl prostrated in front of the Gods’ pictures in the prayer room.

Although Jennifer was kind and sweet, Hema despised her. Jennifer had no right to live with her only son. And, they were not even married yet. And, she definitely shouldn’t worship the Hindu Gods. And Hema hated it when Jennifer called her ‘Amma’.

Jennifer walked over to Hema and called out, ‘Amma’.

Hema’s ears turned deaf at that moment as she tried to focus hard on the news, without able to register anything.

‘Amma’ she persisted. ‘Please take this prasadam’.

Hema could not ignore her any more, and pretended to turn the newspaper.

‘Oh! Sorry, I did not notice you. You know old people. I can hardly hear these days’.

Jennifer smiled and offered her a few cashew nuts and almonds. She was careful not to touch Hema’s hands.

Hema had thrown a tantrum the last time Jennifer had touched her by mistake. One morning, Hema had just come to the prayer room draped in a new sari, after a bath. Jennifer had noticed a sticker that had not been peeled off and tried to take it off. Hema got angry that Jennifer had touched her without taking bath, and shouted angrily at her, and rushed to take bath once again.

As Hema went to bed that night, she was convinced Jennifer was not the girl for her son. She vowed to make her son forget Jennifer.

Hema met an Indian ascetic who claimed he could wean a person off anything. Hema was intrigued as she witnessed the ascetic helping a man get over his addiction to coke.

Hema mixed the powder the ascetic had given her into the milk meant for her son. She handed the glass of milk to her son. She watched as Arvind gulped down the milk and gave her a weird look.

“Arvind, Jennifer is cheating on you. I saw her kissing your friend Christopher yesterday. You now hate her. You will leave her now.”

She watched her son’s face, his expressions changing from confused to angry, and then to misery. She watched as Arvind marched over to Jennifer and shouted at her. Jennifer rejected his accusations and cried. Moments later, she was pleading with him but Arvind would have none of it. She went to her bedroom, packed up a suitcase and left the house. Hema saw Arvind’s anger had turned to misery again, and that he could not stop crying.

‘Amma, I loved her. I was going to marry her. Now, she is gone. I have no reason to live.’ Hema looked at his tear-filled eyes.

‘You will meet another woman. You will love her,’ she protested.

‘No. I will never marry again. You can forget grandkids.’ He bolted himself inside his bedroom.

She went to sleep with a heavy heart that night.

She woke up with tears rolling down her eyes. She sensed she had been wrong all the way. Having seen how deeply Arvind loved Jennifer, Hema realized Jennifer was indeed the right girl for Arvind.

---

Hema peeped over the New York Times newspaper she feigned reading. She could only see Jennifer’s outstretched foot as the American girl prostrated in front of the Gods’ pictures in the prayer room.

Jennifer walked over to Hema and called out, ‘Amma, please take the prasadam’.

Hema smiled at Jennifer and took the prasadam from Jennifer’s outstretched hands.

Arvind watched his mom smile. He took a small die from his pocket and spun it on the coffee table. As watched the die stop spinning, he made the call to his friend and said, ‘The plant worked wonderfully well. Thank you Cobb.’

********************************************

It Happened One Night - A Short Story

2010-08-04T00:27:00.000-07:00

Cough Cough!

Sitting in the passenger seat, Charlie could hardly breathe as cigarette smoke filled the Mini Cooper. But Tommy, who was driving, continued to smoke his third consecutive cigarette.

“These cigarettes are gonna kill you one day, Tommy.” Charlie continued to cough and jutted his head out of the car window as he yearned for fresh air. If there was one thing Charlie could not tolerate, it was the smoking.

Tommy looked at Charlie who had gone purple in his face from the incessant coughing. He took a look at his cigarette. It was still a couple of minutes from its end.

“Such a waste”, sighed Tommy. He slowed down the car and threw away the cigarette.

***********

Javier got dressed for work. He looked at the mirror and saw a grey haired guy staring back at him. At 32, he was too young to have grey hairs. And a paunch. “I need to cut down on the doughnuts.”

As he walked across the living room, he heard his wife talking loudly to someone over the phone. A few seconds later, she kept down the phone and said “I am going over Mrs. Perry’s place tonight.”

Javier nodded and walked out of the apartment. His eyes fell upon the huge pile of dry leaves heaped up in front of the apartment. As his eyes hovered on the pile for just for a couple of seconds, a flicker of flame appeared and the next moment, the whole pile was on fire. Javier rushed towards the fire.

***********

“Is that Maria?” asked Richard.

Martha kept the phone down and replied “Yes. She said she can’t babysit tonight. An emergency, she says.”

“You know what that means,” sighed Richard.

A few minutes later, little James was packed into the backseat of the Honda Pilot as the family proceeded to have dinner at a local restaurant.

“I want candy,” wailed James, just moments into their journey. His crying stopped only after his mother promised to stop by a convenience store to buy him some.

Richard stopped the car in front of the store but kept the engine running. He stepped out of the car and entered the store. As he was about to pay for the candy he picked up, he realized he had left his wallet in the car. He called his wife on her mobile phone.

***********

“You know Ma’am, I used to be an investment banker,” grumbled Chris. The old lady who sat two seats away from him on the bus shot a look at him, and repulsed from the stink of the very drunk man, turned away.

“For heaven’s sake, I had a house, a Ferrari, and a girlfriend!” he cried.

The bus came to a halt at the Columbus Boulevard stop. Chris stumbled out of the bus, still very intoxicated by the heavy drinking at the Irish pub earlier that evening.

His nose caught a whiff of the smell of a cheese steak from a McDonald’s nearby. His walk faltered. He needed to get something to eat.

He saw a SUV with its engine running. He walked to the car, stooped down and peered through the car window.

“You got some change, Sir?” asked Chris. He realized there was no one in the car. He turned the car door knob and quietly opened the door. He looked around nervously, and the next second, he got inside the car and stepped on the accelerator.

***********

Officer John munched on the doughnut as he drove his car around the city that night. He felt lonely. He missed his partner that evening.

He turned on the car stereo and listened to Jay-Z rapping about New York, with Alicia Keys crooning with him. He drove past a couple getting into a Honda SUV along with their little kid. His thoughts went to his pregnant wife.

He saw a Mini Cooper speed past him but well within the allowed speed limit. That’s a nice small car.

He had to be more alert this evening since he was alone. He needed coffee. He used the GPS on his car to find the closest 7-Eleven.

He drove past a dirty looking man who stumbled unsteadily on the road side pavement.

“You have reached your destination,” remarked the soft voice on the GPS. He shot a look at the drunken man once again, parked his car in front of the 7-Eleven store, right next to a familiar SUV and went inside.

***********

“The boss is gonna be pleased,” chuckled Charlie as he drove.

Tommy nodded his head firmly. He once again looked inside the small brown bag in his hands. The contents made him shiver a little. And, he could hear a cop siren somewhere in the distance.

“It’s time for a smoke.”

“Ah, C’mon man. Just another ten minutes. We’ll reach Frankie’s place. Don’t smoke now.”

Tommy pulled out a cigarette from his jacket and put it to his mouth. He lit the cigarette, took a deep puff, and let out a puff of smoke that immediately filled the small car.

Cough! Cough!

***********

The car was quiet now. The wailing kid in the rear seat was dealt with. However, Chris was still inebriated and his vision distorted. The car continued to swerve dangerously on the road as he stepped on the accelerator and sped past other cars, missing them by inches. He could hear a cop siren faintly in the distance.

“My Ferrari was faster than this junk,” he complained.

Seconds later, he realized a cop car was directly behind him. The siren grew louder.

He stepped on the accelerator with full force. This time, he did not miss the small car in front of him, and rammed the SUV directly into the rear of that car at high speed.

***********

Officer John pursued the SUV at high speed. The SUV, he presumed, still had a kid inside. And backup had still not arrived.

As other cars on the road gave way for him, he was beginning to catch up with the SUV, and caught sight of what seemed like a small bag being thrown out of one of the cars into the bushes. As he raced past that spot, the darkness meant he could not make out what exactly was there in the bushes.

A few seconds later, he was directly behind the SUV.

Crash!

He stepped on the brake with force as he saw that the SUV had rammed directly into another car. His car swerved a bit to his right as it came to a halt and missed the wreckage by inches.

Quickly, he called for backup again and an ambulance and ran to the SUV that was on lying on its side. He peered into the SUV and looked for the kid but could not find him. He pulled out the driver from his seat and checked his pulse. He was dead.

He then ran towards the small car in front which had overturned completely.

The smell of petrol filled the air around. He bent down on his knees and saw there were two men inside the crushed car, still tied to their seats but with little movement. They might still be alive, he thought.

But his eyes had already wandered over to the small brown bag that jutted out of the car’s broken window. He took one look at the contents and began to feel nervous.

He felt glad his partner Javier was not there with him that night. He shot a nervous look around and pocketed the bag into his jacket.

As he did that, he missed the moment the petrol that had been seeping from the car into the ground touched a half-burnt yet alive cigarette on the ground.

It was all over in a flash.

*************************************************

A Minor Scandal - A Short Story

2010-07-23T12:39:00.000-07:00

It was a typically hot Tuesday evening. The man in the black dress had been glued to the television in his small apartment for more than a couple of hours. He flipped through various TV news channels and every channel carried the same story - "Swami Nithyananda in Sex-Scandal". He smiled with glee and gave a satisfied laugh when he saw the Swami's sex video being flashed on screen on different news channels every few minutes. He glanced at the clock directly above the television. It was nine o'clock. He had had enough for the evening. He snickered as he turned off the TV.

"Serves that impostor right", muttered the man as he pulled out a couple of chocolate bars out of the small refrigerator next to the bed. He reached for the bottle of wine on top of the refrigerator and poured some wine into a couple of glasses. He set the items on the small table next to his bed and lay on his bed. Moments later, the room was filled with a loud snore.

Knock Knock! The snoring broke off abruptly as the man woke up with a start. He walked across and opened the door.

"Hello Johnny. Right on time! Ready to play a new game tonight?” grinned the man as he beckoned the small boy into the room and closed the door behind.

Little Johnny's eyes glinted at the sight of the chocolate bars on the table and he replied "Yes, Father Paul."

Disturbia - A Short Story

2009-06-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

“Out the door just in time
Head down the 405
Gotta meet the new boss by 8 a.m.
The phone rings in the car
The wife is workin' hard
She's running late tonight again

Well
I know what I've been told,
You got to work to feed the soul
But I can't do this all on my own
No, I know, I'm no…”

TAP!

Turning off the radio alarm clock, I woke up with a searing pain in my head. Nice start to my 21^st birthday. I stumbled out of my bed. I glanced once again at the clock before I put on my glasses. I strained my eye and noticed that the time was eight past seven.

I entered the bathroom and turned on the light. For a brief moment, I was blinded by the sudden bright light that engulfed the small bathroom. I removed my glasses and splashed my face with the ice cold water from the tap. I washed my eyes and looked up at the mirror. A long, thin face with unruly black hair and dark brown eyes stared back.

My mind went back to the weird dream I had the previous night. I was floating in the sky in a circular motion until I saw a huge spaceship hurtle through above me. Enthralled by the magnificent yellow glow it emitted, I rushed toward the spaceship. I reached for its door and opened it with eager anticipation, my heart beating so fast I could hear it. A small floating piece of yellow-colored stone lighted up a small room and as soon as I touched it, my head started to spin, and I plunged helplessly towards the earth in terminal velocity. Cold air was ramming into my lungs, making me hard to breathe. Just as I was about to hit the ground, I started to glide smoothly and landed on the soft, green earth.

KI-KI-KI-KI…

I was brought back to the present by the distinct sound of an alarm clock going off at my neighbor’s. Strange! I had never before heard any sound coming from next door. I quickly brushed my teeth and took a shower, dressed up and got ready.

Today is going to be special.

I had convinced myself that I would gather courage and finally ask Elaine out on a date. Little did I know my life would change forever by the end of the night.

I felt a tickle in the pit of my stomach and my head lightened as I thought about Elaine. Elaine was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She was my classmate and also my lab partner in chemistry class. She had the most beautiful, kind eyes…

I did not feel hungry that morning. Maybe it’s the headache. I gulped down a glass of milk and had a banana. I felt energetic enough. I glanced through the newspaper headlines. Same story, different day. “Two civilians murdered in shootout. Three Cops killed,” screamed the front page, which was replete with pictures of the cops and wanted suspects.

This city will never improve.

I rushed out of my apartment, eager to get my school, eager to talk to Elaine. In my eagerness, I forgot to take my winter coat. It was yet another harsh winter morning in February but I surprisingly I did not feel a bit cold. Rather, I felt warm, wearing only a t-shirt and jeans. Strange!

Thoughts about Elaine made me shiver.

Will she come out with me? Why wouldn’t she?

Am I doing the right thing? Yes, you are!

As I made my way through the noisy crowded streets, the pain in my head intensified. If only people did not talk so loudly in the mornings.

I reached my school and saw Elaine going up the stairs leading to the main lecture hall.

“Elaine!”

She turned around and looked. She looked gorgeous as ever, in her black full sleeve t-shirt and jeans. She had her black hair pulled up in a pony tail and wore minimal makeup. I ran up the stairs to her and became a bit disoriented as I wrapped myself in her sensual fragrance.

“Happy Birthday”, she held out her hand.

“Uh, oh, thanks”, I stammered as I shook her hand. She remembers my birthday!

“You are six years old, aren’t you?”

“What, no”.

“Just kidding. Not often do I come across someone born on the 29^thof February.”

I giggled in amusement. We entered the classroom. Two hours of Economics class.

Should I tell her now? Nah, there’s still time.

Even Professor Shuster’s class seemed tolerable, although his writing on the board was getting illegible. It was then I realized I had forgotten my glasses. But I could still see the words on the board, sitting right at the back of the class. Weird!

Chemistry lab next. Perfect time to ask her out.

“Students, please settle down. Today, we will be analyzing the effects of this new chemical element on…” Professor Siegel’s voice was drowned out by the sound of my heart beat, which was gathering in pace as I waited for the opportune moment to ask Elaine.

“Elaine, do you like to come?”

“What?”

“I am sorry. I meant…I wanted to know whether you like movies. No, I mean would you like to come to a movie with me…at The Bridge…today evening. I have an extra ticket.”

“Sure. See you at 7?” she flashed a smile.

The butterflies in my stomach shifted to my heart as I controlled my jubilation. However, my headache worsened. I was tempted to sink back into my chair and sleep for a while. I suddenly found myself floating in the sky toward the spaceship. Its door was ajar and I could see the glowing yellow-colored stone. My heart beat fast with excitement…I stretched out my hand…if only I could take it…but, as soon as I touched it…

“Mr. Kent!”

I woke up instantly, my head throbbing with pain.

Professor Siegel was peering over the top of his glasses, “Mr. Sleeping Beauty, care to take a guess what this element is?”

"Uhh…kryptonite?” I muttered.

“Hmm…it is better you go back to sleep.” The class roared with laughter.

I spent the rest of the lab analyzing the chemical element or whatever it was with Elaine. I felt a bit nauseous as I thought about taking Elaine out for the first time. Now I understand why they say love makes one sick.

After the lab, I bid her goodbye with a sad heart but with a comforting feeling that I would see her again in a few hours. I came back to my empty apartment, surprisingly not hungry. And I was in a good mood too, not often associated with my empty stomach.

I love to eat, buy never put on any weight. I remember the time when I once went into a gym to work out. I saw those ridiculously big guys with huge muscles and well proportioned bodies. I looked like Tom Hanks in ‘Cast Away’ standing among Greek gods. That was the last time I entered a gym.

I took a quick shower. Stepping out of the shower, I noticed my glasses near the wash basin. I put them on and my head started to spin. I removed them and placed it back.

I quickly dressed up and left for ‘The Bridge’. My headache was finally gone. I couldn’t wait to meet Elaine again.

There she came, stunning as ever, her long dark flowing down her back. She was a great example of how to look spectacular without much effort.

The movie was exactly the opposite. It looked like the director had put in maximum effort to make the movie pretty unspectacular. The first two Spiderman movies were way better than the third one.

Aunt May was reminding Peter Parker aka Spidey about great power and great responsibilities.

There I was, unaware of what was happening to the Sandman or Spidey, my eyes fixed upon her, lost in her overpowering fragrance, watching her face glow in the reflection of the light from the screen changed in intensity and color as the scenes changed.

The movie was over in a flash.

“I will walk with you until the subway.”

I escorted her out of the movie hall through the dark alley leading up to the subway, with a heavy heart; although happy it turned out to be a great day, spending so much time with her.

Then it happened.

Two burly, sullen-looking guys appeared out of nowhere, one of them holding what seemed to be a Colt automatic. A voice with an inimitable southern accent boomed –

“Ya take the pretty lass, Luthor. I’ll handle this one.”

A powerful hand grabbed me by my coat. The man smelled repugnant.

“Take whatever you want. Leave her alone.”

The man called Luthor said, “Oh, I am gonna leave her, after me is done with her. You sure are real pretty.”

I felt a sudden, swift blow to my head. As I fell down clutching my head in pain, I heard Elaine’s screams ripping through the silent cold night, begging Luthor to leave her. Pain seared through my head and neck as I lay writhing on the ground. From the corner of my eyes, I saw the silhouette of Elaine wriggling and squirming, trying in vain to get out of the man’s powerful arms.

“Quit howlin’dear. Or, I will blow your brains…”

Swishhh. “You little…!”

Somehow, Elaine had got out of Luthor’s hold, and she came running towards me.

BANG.

She fell down with a thud a few feet away from me.

A sudden wave of fury overcame me and my pain. Writhing with anger, I jumped on to the man who had knocked me out, and punched him in the chest with all my might. He gave a squeal of pain, as he was lifted off his feet and slammed into the wall. As he fell down, I could see blood squirming all over his nose and mouth.

I did not care the other man held a gun at me. BANG. Just as he pulled the trigger, I jumped over him in a flash, feeling the force of the bullet hitting my chest. I did not feel any pain for I was seething with anger. I punched him a few times on his face and left him only after I saw his face was flattened and I felt the coldness of his blood on my hand.

Neither my hand nor my head pained as much as my heart did as I stumbled through the bodies to the crumbled figure of Elaine, tiny droplets of blood seeping through a small hole made by the bullet that had pierced right through her heart, my heart. But she is still as fragrant as she was in the lab earlier. God, Let this all be a dream!

“Elaine, please. It’s all over,” I cried. She was heavily breathing. Still breathing.

“Are you hurt?” she murmured.

“No, I am not.”

“You were hit.” I looked at my chest. It was not bleeding. I looked at her. Her light green eyes were watery, but her face still looked calm and beautiful as ever.

“I am alright. Please don’t talk. Let me call 911.”

“I will not last long. I feel cold.”

“No, don’t say that,” I cried as I held her in my arms, trying to keep her warm. A sudden wave of nausea and excruciating pain ripped through my whole body as embraced her out of fear that I will lose her the moment I let go. Tears were pouring out of my eyes as we clung together in the silent, cold night.

“I love you Elaine.”

She took her last breath and whispered “I love you too Clark.”

And There She Stood!

2009-06-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

(from the archives...posted July 2005)

A few weeks back, I had an absolutely amazing experience...I had never experienced that sort of feeling before...I have often heard people talk about that feeling but I guess a person does not comprehend unless he goes through it.

It was during one of those summer evening that I met her for the first time. A sudden shower forced me and my cousin to take refuge near the doorway of a shop. It was then my eyes fell upon her for the first time. She was standing inside the shop and her voluptuous magnificence caused a flutter in my heart. I nudged my cousin in her direction.

"I wish I could get someone like her!"

"Haha...good one da! How come you say that an awful lot these days? Anyway, you know your mom would never approve of it."

"Ughh...why did you have to remind me of my mom at this moment?" I just could not take my eyes off her. "Dei, isn't she the popular model that appears in the television ads?"

"I think so. You know, she looks so red-hot in person. Her looks, her body, her back..."

"Dei! will you just lay off her!", I remarked threateningly, as he stopped short of entering the shop.

A pang of jealously seared through my heart as I noticed a few others too were throwing curious glances at her.

"Maybe, the Gods wanted me to meet her. Otherwise, why would it rain in summer and that too in Chennai?"

"Maybe, God decided it is time you took a bath!", he smirked.

I ignored his wise-crack remark and entered the shop.

She had her head turned away from me as I neared her. Yet, I felt deeply attracted to her quiet effervescence. I could not help notice her well-shaped and silky body. I was eager to touch her, feel her and love her and take care of her as no other man can. Whatever it takes, how much ever opposition I would face, she would be my lifetime companion, I decided. I trembled slightly at the thought of introducing her to my parents and relatives and their eventual reaction to it.

But then, she was worth risking my parents' wrath. I had made up my mind. I turned her head so that she would come face to face with me. A smile came across my face as I felt my hand over her sleek, warm body. I was going to get her. From the bottom of my heart, I thanked Bajaj for launching the new Discover bike with DTS-i technology.

Six Feet Under

2008-05-07T01:46:00.000-07:00

I look around and wonder why
Great changes in earth and sky
Sound of bombs and hot napalm
Killing all with deadly calm.

Greed is good, the rich often say
They don't mind the poor will pay
Droughts and floods, and more disease
Will there be a day when these will cease?

No food, no trees, no more green
Futile wishing for some magic bean
A world awash hunger and in pain
Thirst for dignity continue in vain.

Impure water and unclean air
Why is it that we no more care
All these wars, my heart just twirled
Make me yearn for a peaceful world.

Signs of tranquil, no more than a speck of dust
Lost to a barrage of avarice and lust
All this greed, all this malice, makes me wonder
Why bother, all anyway ends up six feet under.

My Love

2007-10-15T21:14:00.000-07:00

(Written about 10 years back)

She was waiting at the door
As I came home tired
She glanced at me with eager eyes
Her loving looks felt so nice.

Gathering her in my arms
And giving her a loving kiss
I entered my humble house
She followed me, the one whom she loves.

Sitting together, we ate our food
With her on my lap, it felt so good
Sharing my bed, we slept at night
Drawing my blanket, I put off the light.

She woke me at dawn by nuzzling my nose
She was to me like fragrance to a rose
Caressing her as we walked in the lawn
She felt warmer and softer than a fawn.

I left for work, kissing her without fail
Her reply was as usual, a little wag of her tail.

Cricket, Our Religion?

2007-10-06T23:18:00.000-07:00

India has finally reached the pinnacle of glory this week and I am not talking about the Sensex crossing the 17,000 mark for the first time. I am of course talking about India’s greatest-ever achievement in the sports arena - beating Pakistan in the Final to become World Champions in Twenty20 Cricket.

For all their toil and subsequent humiliation in this year’s ODI World Cup, the Indian players have redeemed themselves by their triumph in the Twenty20 format, a moment of crowing glory for a sport par excellence. We cursed the players, hit their homes with stones, promised we would never watch cricket again, after the ODI World Cup debacle but we will forever sing this team’s praises, at least until we win our next World Cup. I am sure a Ten10 World Cup is just around the corner.

In the midst of all the celebrations comes the dampener that Indian hockey players (it seems they won the Asia Cup a few weeks back) are protesting against the ’step-motherly’ treatment’ meted out by the various state governments who decided to award lakhs of money to the victorious cricketers from their respective states, but ignored the hockey players.

There are similar accusations against the Punjab, Jharkhand and Haryana governments, and Air India, and the Sahara Group, a sponsor for both the cricket and hockey teams.

Some of us might wrongly mistake Vikram Kanth, Raghunath, Sunil and Tirkey for Kollywood heroes but it seems they are some of our national hockey players who feel irked that the Karnataka government has announced a cash reward of Rs.5 lakh each to the members of the victorious Indian cricket team. If the government succumb to these players’ demands, before long all other sportspersons in India would go on a hunger-strike.

I don’t understand this entire hullabaloo about cash rewards. Agreed that some cricketers make millions from endorsements but what about a couple of lesser players earning much less compared to the crores earned by some senior players. After all, they cheered their team on from the dug-out and helped tie the shoe-laces of the players going out to bat. Tell me, who has enough money? After all, money is worthless unless some people have it and others do not.

Cricket is more than a religion (as any fan would reiterate!) in India and that is because we won the World Cup about 25 years ago and in spite of years of under-achievement, countless humiliations, and match-fixing scandals, Indians love their sports, which is not just restricted to cricket. We do cheer for Sania sometimes.

Just 11 countries from all over Asia took part in the Asia Cup. On the other hand, 12 countries (not including Namibia, Bermuda, Canada, Ethiopia) from all over the world participated in the World Twenty20 Championships. The Indians scored 57 goals and conceded just 5 in the Asia Cup but then Yuvraj scored 6 sixers in an over! We all know which is front-page news. And, Yuvraj will kick Tirkey’s ass right out of the ground.

Also, Shahrukh might have portrayed the role of a hockey coach in Chak De India…but we all noticed that the star of Indian Cinema preferred to cheer the Indian Cricket team in the Twenty20 final in South Africa than cheer the Indian hockey team at home.

The hockey players are envious of the cricketers just because the Sahara Group has decided to award a house each for the cricketers but gave the finger to the victorious hockey team. These hockey players should be satisfied with the commendation letters they received from the President of India. They can sell the letters on e-bay and if they are lucky, they might even manage to get the same amount of money that our cricketers spend on their hair-cuts. Those losers.

We have not won any medal in our national sport hockey (after 1980) be it in the Olympics or the World Cup. But in cricket, after years of ignominy, we have won the greatest of them all…the World Twenty20 Championships. With a feeling of smugness, we showered the victorious cricket team with flowers during their victory parade. Perhaps, it is time to make Cricket the national game. We do not care even if India wins medals in the Olympics and the World Cup. We will watch only Cricket. Who gives a damn about medals in other sports? We have won the Twenty20 World Cup and that’s all matters, this is enough to keep us happy…at least for another 25 years.

Reveling In Our Mediocrity

2007-01-16T21:57:00.000-08:00

Ask any child what India's national game is and the immediate reply will be cricket. I am sure that the same response would come from many older persons too. For starters, I would like to remind everyone that India's national game is hockey, and yes, that's the sport where 11 players are in each of the 2 teams just as in cricket but the similarity ends there. While Indians claim that cricket is a passion irrespective of the national team's underachievements for more than 2 decades, hockey has become a neglected sport and one wouldn't even realize that India did not make it to the last 4 of the recent Asian Games for the first time.

It was hilarious to see politicians in the Lok Sabha fighting it out and debating about India's poor performances in cricket and venting their anger at coach Greg Chappell for his constant experimentations with the team. On the other hand, Suresh Kalmadi and KPS Gill have been at the helm of the Indian Olympic Committee and the Indian Hockey Federation respectively for more than a decade now but there has never been even a whisper about them following the poor showing of Indian athletes in the Olympics and various other competitions over the years. These shameless people continue to head their federations to this day without opposition.

Just after the Indian team returned home after the series defeat at South Africa, the Indian team and Coach Greg Chappell in particular were mobbed by various news channels at the airport, trying to get their viewpoints about yet another failed performance. If that was disgusting, one news channel flayed Chappell for being too aggressive and smacking their video camera that got too close for his comfort. Well, how about doing the same to either Kalmadi or Gill?

I like cricket just as I like any other sport but what I have begun to loathe is the preferential treatment that politicians and the media give to cricket, a sport that is played by less than 10 major nations and where India haven't won a test series abroad in decades. And I am almost sure India will never win the World Cup until Australia has some serious problems. Until then, we will continue to rejoice in our mediocrity and cringe at our regular failings in the international arena with equal measure.

I'm Back!

2006-12-26T02:38:00.000-08:00

I had taken a long sabbatical....Expect more regular posts from now on.

Are We Cowards?

2006-07-14T09:50:00.000-07:00

As one of the nations worst-hit by terrorists, India still doesn't seem to learn its lesson. The Mumbai blasts on July 11th has rocked the country once more and the Indian government, as ever puts the blame on Pak-based terror outfits such as Lashkar. However, is the Indian government taking some proactive measures? I don't think so.

Consider this. Israel sends its troops to attack Palestine territories to retrieve a single soldier. Meanwhile, India continues to have futile peace process talks with Pakistan, completely aware of the fact that the terrorist group responsible for the Mumbai blasts are not only based in Pakistan but also have the state's backing. Having endured terrorist attacks for a number of years on national monuments and temples to transport systems, that India still chooses to remain timid shows that India lacks a strong leader in the mould of say, an Indira Gandhi.

A few years back, India rejoiced at winning the Kargil war but then did we take the opportunity to wipe out the terrorist camps in PoK. We failed to do that and as a result we still have to endure regular attacks on the military and civilians in Kashmir.

What is the use of the peace talks with such a two-faced and deceitful country such as Pakistan? A country with utter disregard for democracy or secularism, Pakistan should be classified as a terrorist state. How ironic that Pakistan is an ally for the United States in the latter's fight against terror when the former still harbors USA's most-wanted terrorist - Osama.

These heinous acts of terror are however not possible without some sort of local support. Communal riots too act as fodder to local fundamentalists who view riots as opportunites to gain support and sympathy of other people of their own community.

Can the Indian government ever have a strong-willed and brave leader who can wield authority and force to strike against the perpetrators of peace? The Congress and the previous NDA government have done nothing to make us feel secure in this country where at least one terrorist strike happens every single day. Leaders such as Manmohan Singh, Advani, and Sonia take no decisive actions and the common people have lost faith in their mere rhetoric.

What is the use of being a nuclear nation and an emerging superpower if we are still cowards who think twice against using force to fight terrorists who have killed thousands of innocent civilians? In India, a citizen's life has never considered valuable and a passive government has done no help in this regard. Will these politicians ever respect and understand the value of a human life?

The World is Watching!

2006-06-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

The biggest sports spectacle - the Football World Cup stared on June 9th in Germany. There has been some great action till now, and the quarterfinals matches start from today. The World is watching, including India! Move over, Cricket!

TN Elections: A Guide to the Major Parties

2006-04-05T06:12:00.000-07:00

Assembly elections are around the corner in Tamil Nadu. Here's a common man's guide to the major parties.

AIADMK - The ruling party whose ministers are more prominent for shamelessly prostrating at the feet of Chief Minister 'Amma' J.Jayalalitha than anything else.

Why you should vote for AIADMK:
You were a MGR fan nearly 30 years back

Why you should not vote for AIADMK:
Because Sun TV says so!

DMK - The opposition party headed by ex-chief minister M.Karunanidhi, whose bizarre election promises include providing a kg rice at Rs.2 and color TV to every house.

Why you should vote for DMK:
You do not have a color TV to watch Sun TV's cry-fest serials

Why you should not vote for DMK:
You do not want to see Karunanidhi's son M.K.Stalin as Chief Minister

PMK - The group that calls itself the savior of Dalits but mostly active in cinema politics.

Why you should vote for PMK:
You are out of your mind

Why you should not vote for PMK:
You realize it's more of a group of thugs

DPI - A group similar to PMK.

Why you should vote for DPI:
See PMK above

Why you should not vote for DPI:
See PMK above

Congress - A motley crowd of bald men and loud women sucking up to Sonia.

Why you should vote for Congress:
You are too impressed by Sonia's non-existent oratorical skills

Why you should not vote for Congress:
You realize BJP is much more secular

BJP - Another crowd of only bald men known for staging walk-outs in the Lok Sabha and uttering the word 'Ayodhya' more than anything else.

Why you should vote for BJP:
To ensure that they at least do not lose their deposit

Why you should not vote for BJP:
You are not sure they are contesting (or) You forgot their election symbol

DMDK - The new Dravidian party formed by ridiculously frightening cine star Vijaykant and touted to be an alternative to the DMK and AIADMK.

Why you should vote for DMDK:
You wouldn't have to undergo the torture of seeing his movies anymore!

Why you should not vote for DMDK:
You have already been badly scarred for life watching him in the movies!

Good luck choosing whom you are gonna vote for!

Oscar Fever

2006-03-07T04:40:00.000-08:00

Being quite a movie buff, I follow the Oscar Awards every year with great ardor. There is always a feeling of excitement to see your favorite stars walking down the red carpet in designer wear and their attire is often a talking-point. But once the award ceremony starts, the nominees hold out in hope that they win an Oscar for such is the power of the little golden statuette, that winning the trophy is often the defining moment in the person's career.

I have been hugely disappointed in recent years about certain movies, actors and directors getting ignored by the academy. What does a legend like Martin Scorcese has to do to get a best director award? Why does the Academy totally ignore performances in comic roles and obesessed with actors playing real-life characters?

I was disappointed when 'The Shawshank Redemption' lost out to 'Forrest Gump' in the best movie category in 1994, when 'The Hours' (one of the worst I have seen) was among the best movie nominations 2 years back. I feel Nicole Kidman (an actress I admire) was best actress winner for that movie just because she wore a false nose and did not crack a smile in that movie. Although he was nominated, I was extremely disappointed when my favorite actor Johnny Depp did not get the coveted trophy for his ingenious role as Captain Jack Sparrow in 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. Jim Carey has given some fabulous performances in movies such as 'The Truman Show' and 'Me, Myself and Irene' but I think he has not even been nominated so far.

I am yet to watch any of the movies nominated in the best picture category this year but after all the hoopla about 'Brokeback Mountain' projected as a firm favorite to win, 'Crash' pulled off a major surprise and got the top award. A realistic film about racism set in LA beat other contenders including 'Brokeback Mountain', 'Capote', Spielberg's 'Munich' and George Clooney's 'Good Night and Good Luck'. I was happy to see my other favorite actor George Clooney scooping up the award for best supporting actor for his role as a CIA officer in 'Syriana'. This year's debutant Oscar show host Jon Stewart deserves a mention as he lighted up the show with his typical humorous comments.

George Clooney in his acceptance speech -
"It's the funny thing about winning an Academy Award, it will always be synonymous with your name from here on in. It will be Oscar winner, George Clooney, Sexiest Man Alive, 1997, Batman, died today in a freak accident at a..."

In spite of all the lobbying and politics involved, winning the Oscar is a distinguished achievement and it's a pity that no Indian movie has achieved that distinction in the foreign films category. 'Lagaan' came close a few years back but deservedly lost out to 'No Man's Land'. India is where the maximum number of movies are made in the world and it's ridiculous to hear many people like Mahesh Bhatt say that we do not need Western attention. I can imagine why he says that for he's a director who blatantly copies western movies, adds some sleazy stuff and packages it in a way that the movie is something novel in its entirety.

The Academy likes to award realistic films and some of the movies that we have sent to the Oscars - Jeans, Devdas, Paheli in recent times, to name a few, were absolute crap and no person in realistic mind would ever vote for that. But there is so much politics involved in selection of the appropriate movie that the choosing committee finally sends such movies that in no way depicts reality in India.

Major Winners:

BEST FILM - Crash
BEST DIRECTOR - Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain)
BEST ACTOR - Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)
BEST ACTRESS - Reese Witherspoon (Walk The Line)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - George Clooney (Syriana)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener)
BEST WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY) - Brokeback Mountain
BEST WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY) - Crash
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM - Tsotsi (from South Africa)

VALENTINE!

2006-02-13T22:33:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day - the day that brings hope to lovers, prospective Romeos and regarded with antipathy by the Devdases. So, what do you do to make sure your girl happy but all the while, you don't spend much cash at all? Here are some tips...

Dress: The dress you wear on the day is very important as it determines how you view your relationship with your beloved. Wearing a yellow shirt shows you are single and ready to mingle, a green one shows you are involved with someone and a red one indicates you are settled. So, do wear a red shirt and in case, you don't have much fashion sense, check out movies of our great Captain Vijaykanth who has a terrific sense of fashion. Captain would advise you to wear a yellow pant to go with the red shirt.

Cards: Again, you can't afford the cards...what to do? It's simple...make your card! All you need is a pen, a paper and a some imagination. Assuming you don't have any of the latter, you can always find something on the net. Make sure you use cute words (I don't understand why girls find certain things cute that guys hardly do). If you want to do something more creative, check out some T.Rajendar movies...you can get some great lines about love there. Memorize them and recite it to your beloved, with the same vigor as our hero.

Chocolates: Girls love chocolate and buying them chocolates is a sure way to reach their heart. Of course, you can't afford expensive chocolates, but do check out your trash bin. You can probably collect the left-over chocolate from the New Year Party, but buy one or two new chocolates to go along with them and make sure that you use new wrapping papers. Insist on feeding her with the chocolate and make sure you feed her the new one. (Girls don't eat more than one...of course, they diet!) The rest of the chocolates would in all probability end up in her trash-bin.

Movie: A romantic movie is what girls like. Tell her that the best romantic movie ever is being shown on HBO that night and that it is way better than the crap that is running in the theatres. Make sure that your parents are away or else, use your buddy's empty apartment. Just buy a packet of pop-corn and diet coke (both for her). This way, you not only save money but you also enjoy the privacy. In case, you want to spoil her appetite so that she may not eat much during dinner, you may want to take her to any new Vijay movie.

Dinner: Take your girl out to a good restaurant. In all probabilityshe would just have a salad (she diets!) or she has no appetite (good...you took her to a Vijay movie!)

Gift: Women love parting gifts. Either steal (hell, you are no Gandhi!) one of your sis or mom's necklace or you can follow the 'Chandler' way. Present her with a pre-recorded CD of the all-time greatest love songs that your ex-girl friend presented you. But make sure you hear every song in that before to make sure your ex-gf has not recorded her own love-notes in the middle of a song.

Disclaimer: These tips are intended to help you get through Valentine's day with least amount of money spent. The author claims no responsibility in case you don't achieve your ultimate aim of getting laid or in case your lover dies because you heeded my advice and took her to the latest Vijay movie!

Foul Play

2006-01-23T06:36:00.000-08:00

I do not understand this bug fuss about the Indian cricket tour to Pakistan. Why is that people talk about cross-border friendship just during this time? On one hand, the conniving President General Musharaff extends an invitation to the Indian PM Manmohan Singh in January and a few months later, he sends militants and ISI agents across the border to create instability in India. All this talk about cricket healing the wounds of the people and developing friendship between the nations, is absolute crap according to me. Who can forget the Indo-Pak bus journey and the Kargil war thereafter?

India and Pakistan clash in other sports as well including hockey and football. While cricket occupies nearly 2 sports pages in any Indian newspaper, coverage of most of the clashes in other sports are restricted to a lone column in the obscure part of the sports page.

BCCI has become one of the richest sports bodies in the world. It' a pity that cricket still garners huge support among corporates and when sportspersons in various other fields are struggling for money, Nike signs on as kit sponsor for the Indian cricket team for a staggering amount of $66 million.

Some section of the media have raised a sensible demand that the BCCI allocate a part of the funds to develop other sports. But I do not see this happening as the BCCI has been acting as a bully and refusing to even participate in the ICC Champions Trophies just because they could lose out on potential revenues from other series.

Btw, people who miss Navjot Sidhu's commentary on ESPN-StarSports can tune into NDTV and hear some of the ludicrous comments made by him. Panel discussions involving Sidhu have become as preposterous as Dada's shot-making, and by the way, he still maintains Dada should be included in the playing XI when it is acknowledged by most followers of the game that it is time for him to retire.

More than the Kohinoor!

2005-11-12T23:39:00.000-08:00

My friend has just returned from a trip to the UK and he was telling me and a group of friends about his visit to various places around London. He happened to mention his visit to a museum in London where he saw the famous Kohinoor diamonds. Of course, he had to shell out 10 pounds to see something that rightly belongs to India.

It was then one other friend pointed out that much more valuable stuff were looted by the British when they were ruling India. Our history books just give a passing mention about the Kohinoor and the peacock throne that the British supposedly took away from India. The much more valuable stuff, my friend told me, are the Vedic scriptures.

One might wonder what is so exceptional with the Vedic scriptures that make it seem much more valuable than the Kohinoor. But not many know the "Atharva Veda" contains so much scientific information and this has been majorly responsible for the so many great British inventions.

Apparently, many ancient Vedic scriptures contains information on science, medicine, mathematics and other different subjects. It is said that the British used this information given in these scriptures and used them in their quest to invent many great items.

I have always wondered if it's the lack of profundity among Indians that was chiefly responsible for not being able to match the British in terms of intellectual ability, that as a nation we are way too far behind them in terms of development in every sense. Maybe, Indian history would have been different had Indians been prudent enough to realize our ancient scriptures are much more than religious and sacred work of God, a treasure trove of valuable information.

The Chick on the Road

2005-10-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

We have all read all the various manifestation of the joke "Why the chick crossed the road"....
Here are some of my own additions to that.

Why did Ganguly cross the road?
He doesn't get the chance to cross the cricket pitch!

Why did Greg Chappell cross the road?
To prove to the BCCI that Ganguly was never fit and couldn't have possibly crossed the road.

Why did Warne cross the road?
He mistook the chick crossing the road for a real 'chick'!

Why did Sonia Gandhi cross the road?
It was mentioned in the speech written for her.

Why did Manmohan Singh cross the road?
Because Sonia just crossed the road.

Why did Laloo cross the road?
Well, he didn't because there are no roads in Bihar!

Why did Mallika Sherawat cross the road?
All her clothes were on her side of the road.

Why did Karunanidhi cross the road?
He can't even walk...forget crossing the road. But Sun TV will claim he crossed the road.

Why did Jayalalitha cross the road?
Hmm...did she? Wonder why Sun TV never showed that!

Why did the Pope cross the road?
Well, he crosses everything!

Survey the Crap!

2005-10-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

According to a recent survey conducted, India is supposed to be the fourth happiest nation in the world. Well, if India is one of the happiest countries around, then Ganguly is one of the best batsmen around. Both are virtually impossible!

These surveys are nothing but crap. Going by what 30,000 people say around the world, to suggest that India, where still millions of people are still below poverty line and dying from hunger, is a happier nation than England or Canada is just speculative knowledge.

By the way, happiness is something very difficult to determine. People have their own reasons to be unhappy. While Indians might be unhappy with their living standards and the government that does absolutely nothing for them, the English might be unhappy because for all the hype, their national football team still seem to suffer when it comes performing at the big stage like the World Cup.

Recently, India Today carried a survey about sex in India and what men and women want in their sex life. Just another attempt at improving its own sales. Is that in anyway going to improve my own abject sex life? Nope, I don't think so. So then, add me to the endless number of unhappy people in India!

Casteing Couch!

2005-10-03T15:30:00.000-07:00

Where would you find a Yadav, a Brahmin, a Muslim, a Bania, a Pasi, a Chamar together? In the poll list of nominees put up by Congress!The oldest and supposedly most secular party in India, the Congress was caught indulging in casteism when a copy of its nominees for the upcoming Bihar polls made its way into the hands of the media. The nominees were split according to their caste and creed. Shame on the party which claims to base itself on secularism!

Bihar is already one of the most backward state in India thanks to Laloo's undisputed rule for over a decade. Well, with people with criminal records as MLAs what else can we expect? Adding to these woes, there was a hung assembly after the last polls a few months back.

With a significant number of MLAs in his party, LJP leader Paswan was opposed to Laloo's rule and insisted that he wouldn't support the BJP-JD(U) combine as well because according to him, BJP is not a secular party. And this, coming from a man who wanted to install a Muslim as a chief minister just to get patronage from the Muslims.

In Andhra Pradesh, the Chief Minister (Congress again) wants to allocate separate reservation for Muslims in government posts even though reservation already exists for the economically and socially deprived castes. If this isn't religious and caste politics, then what is? If BJP makes a statement that it wants to ameliorate the living standards of the Hindus, that is enough to caste a non-secular label on the party, although I can understand the ire of some of the fundamentalists.

In Tamil Nadu, caste politics is reaching outrageous levels. Appeasement of minority communities seem to be the norm of the day even though if not fully justified. Parties formed to protect the interests of the Dalits are almost completely engaged as the moral police of the Tamil film industry Kollywood. I had mentioned in one of my early posts that politics and cinema go hand in hand in the state but parties like DPI, PMK make a mockery of politics by engaging in vandalism and hooliganism (for anything and everything, they have the interests of Tamilians at heart, it seems!) and any issue in the cinema industry is like a feast for them, a chance to show they are also political parties and of course, they make most out of the media coverage.

It's because of such malicious people and parties that India still has a long way to go before achieving true secularism. And by true secularism, I mean, appeasement of all people and working for the common upliftment of the masses regardless of their religion.

Down the Drain!

2005-09-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

The recent spat between Indian cricket captain Saurav Ganguly and Coach Greg Chappell shows the sad state of Indian cricket. Here is a captain, terribly out of form but clinging onto his captaincy and there is this coach who wants to instill discipline and work ethics into his team but has a captain who gives a damn about that.

As a captain, Saurav did well, taking India to the Finals of the World Cup where they lost to the Aussies, beat Aussies at their home and tied a test series, and won a series in Pakistan. But these cover up the losses in so many tournament finals in the last 5 years. Saurav's form has been very patchy and he has been able to maintain his average only by a few centuries against minnows such as Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

Apparently, Chappell has emailed the BCCI president about Dada's inefficiencies as a captain, who often fakes injuries and creates insecurity among fellow teammates. Bhajji has come out in support of his captain. Of course he would, he was supported by Saurav in his early days and now, under Chappell's strict regime, he has to improve his work ethics, be disciplined and perform regularly if he is to get into the team.

The Indian team always likes to dwell on past glory. This can be seen from the fact that Ganguly is still retained the captain in spite of his miserable form over the past two years. But then, he has survived just because he has the blessings of the BCCI President who sucks up to Jagmohan Dalmiya, also from Bengal.

I rejoice seeing the sorry state of cricket in India. These players do deserve it. Paid huge amounts of money, these underperforming stars are a desecration to Indian sports.

Chappell's dressing room talk with his captain was revealed to the media by Ganguly and then an email sent by the coach to the BCCI President has been leaked to the media. If Chappell is as intelligent as I think he is, he'd better take the next flight out of the country to Australia. For me, nothing is more satisfying than to see Indian cricket go down the drain.

Ashes and Cricket Mania!

2005-09-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

Why I Loved The Ashes...

It was a pulsating contest between two excellent teams

The World Champions Aussies were being genuinely challenged after a very long time

England won the Ashes after excelling the Aussies in every department - batting, bowling and fielding

England played with such heart and passion

Aussies never gave up and always fought till the end

World's best bowler Warne bagged 40 wickets in the series and still ended up on the losing side

Warne's last test series in England

'Freddie' Flintoff and Pieterson's awesome hitting throughout the series

England lived up to the hype and beat the Aussies to regain 'The Ashes' after 16 years

Some 'Food for Thought' to the Indian Cricket Team...

Levelling a series away against the World Champions doesn't make you a winner. You never win until you have won.

Scoring centuries against a third grade West Indies and Zimbabwe team doesn't make you a good player.

If you think thumping your chest after scoring a 100 against Zimbabwe shows your passion, you are sadly mistaken.

Try to 'boost' the Indian team by actually scoring some runs.

Start winning tournaments against the minnows before claiming to be the team that can beat the World Champions.

Most of you are better off washing clothes in the washing machine brand that you endorse.

Don't be just a bunch of overpaid losers.

It's not always about money from commercial endorsements!

Geoffrey Boycott's mom would play better. Get her into the team.

As a captain be a role model. Just quit!

Sania - A New Reason to Cheer!

2005-09-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

After years of supporting a mediocre Indian cricket team, I am one among millions looking forward to see Sania Mirza do India proud. The teen sensation has had a great run this year, winning her maiden WTA tournament and then breaking into the top 50 and reaching the fourth round of her first U.S. Open only to lose to another teenage sensation and former Wimbledon Champion Maria Sharapova.

Sania has improved her game by leaps and bounds, her shots powerful as anyone on the tour. Only a weak serve seems to restrict her, which she has attributed to her abdomen injury. Also, she needs to reduce the number of unforced errors by a great deal but then she always goes for winners and that is her strong point.

Sania has captured the attention of the country's youth and more people have started to watch tennis. It's heartening to see people appreciate there is more to sports than cricket. I hope this leads to more number of people to take up tennis.

The corporates too have realized the immense potential in Sania and are queuing up after her for endorsements. Tata, HP are prominent brands she endorses and the list is sure to grow with supposed talks with Hyundai and a top beverages company doing the rounds.

At a time when it is not an uncommon sight to see cricketers like Yuvraj Singh thumping his chest after scoring a century against a third grade Zimbabwe team, Sania comes as a whiff of fresh air and with the just the right attitude and a good serve, she can go a long way in establishing herself as an icon in Indian sports.

Fwd: Fwd: Call Against Racism! Please See...Must See! Fwd This!

2005-09-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

Tommy Hilfiger agreed on the Oprah show that he had indeed made these comments - "If I'd known African-Americans, Hispanics, Jewish and Asians would buy my clothes, I WOULD NOT have made them so nice. I wish these people would *NOT* buy my clothes, as they are made for upper class white people."

Suggestion? Don't buy your next shirt or perfume from Tommy Hilfiger.

Let's give him what he asked for. Let's not buy his clothes, let's put him in a financial state where he himself will not be able to afford the ridiculous prices he puts on his clothes.

If we are small, then send it to the whole community that's not white people and see the result. We have to see the result of unity.

Let's find out if Asian, Jews and Non-white really plays such a small part in the world. Stop buying all range of Hilfiger products, perfume, cosmetics, clothes, bags, etc.

Today, I got this as a forward urging me to boycott Tommy Hilfiger's products. My blood boils every time I read this. How could Tommy make such comments? As soon as I get home, am gonna burn all my clothes (you see, I wear only Tommy Hifiger brand) and be naked until other I buy a new set of clothes. Well, I am wearing Tommy now and I am gonna take it off, I want the gals in my office to swoon all over me seeing my lean but 6-pack muscular frame! Just kidding...I would never betray my girl-friend!

It's a pity that people are so gullible that they do not understand that such mails are just hoaxes (so is my lean muscular frame and girl-friend, sadly!) with malicious intent and meant to slander the Tommy Hilfiger brand.

Tommy has come out and said that he never even had a chance to meet Oprah, let alone make such comments and I guess he is not that stupid enough to sully his own image by making such adverse remarks.

It's preposterous to see that this mail has been around for about 5 years and it's a pity that people forwarding this mail play their part in continuing the denigration of a person and damage of his reputation without knowing the verity of the alleged comments. Pathetic!

So, Let us all unite - Asian, Jews, Blacks, Red Indians, Aborigines and other non-Caucasians, please mail people my blog address and ask them to come and read this post. Let them know the truth from this post.

You can play a small part in letting people know about my blog and the truth from it. You are welcome to post your comments and let me see the number of comments increase manifold. Let's find out if my site counter sees an increase! You never know...You can make a difference!

Bringing Down the Aussies!

2005-08-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

It is becoming an increasingly common sight to see the World Champions Australia struggling in the Ashes cricket series against England this summer and the hosts took a deserving 2-1 lead over the Aussies after a nail-biting finish, when they almost made a mess of chasing a target of 129.

The highlight of the Ashes this summer has been the England fightback led by 'Freddie' Flintoff after losing the first test. The following three tests has been nothing but spectacular, each of them ending with a pulsating and exciting climax. I suppose this has to be one of the most tightly contested test series ever in the history of cricket.

The England cricket team has been a revelation this time and have consistently performed better than the Aussies. After the first test, they came back strongly but had to endure a nail-biting climax, eventually winning the test by 2 runs. England were once again close to beating the Aussies in the 3rd test but rain played spoilsport and the game ended in a draw when England needed to take just a wicket.

The Aussies, though were playing badly, put up a good fight in almost all matches but eventually, the failure of some main players like Hayden, Martyn, Ponting and Gilchrist let them down. The bowlers too weren't performing consistently and it is notable that the Aussies lost both the tests when McGrath was unavailable due to injury.

With just the final test match to go, Aussies have to level the test series if they have to retain the Ashes but England would be pretty satisfied with a draw and I am sure for the first time in the series, the English fans would be hoping it rains and the match ends in a draw so that they don't have to endure another nerve-wracking climax.

Soccer Pages!

2005-08-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

I am writing after a long time. Well, I have been busy with work but then that's no excuse 'cos I have been writing almost daily for my sports blog, which I have decided to convert to a blog dedicated to soccer, my favourite sport.

To all the soccer fans out there, check out the Soccer Pages.

The Shawshank Redemption!

2005-08-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

A few days back, I saw the movie "The Shawshank Redemption" for the nth time. This Oscar-nominated movie stars Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman and the scenes unfold in the form of a narrative by Morgan Freeman. Though the movie lost out to Forrest Gump for the best movie Oscar that year, I feel no other movie has shown the triumph of human spirit and hope in a way The Shawshank Redemption does.

A definite must-watch for movie buffs and easily, the best movie I have ever seen.

Wannabe!

2005-08-12T18:30:00.000-07:00

Are you a person...?
with no good looks
with absolutely no acting talents on screen
with great acting talent off screen
who can pin the blame on other persons with ease
who easily forgets promises
with no moral and ethical values
who can badmouth rivals
who isn't afraid of scams
who believes a trip to jail is a matter of honor
who gives a damn about the people

If you have answered yes for atleast two questions, CONGRATS and GOOD LUCK! You have a good chance of becoming a chief minister some day.

Of Floods and Fools!

2005-08-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

Isn't it ironic that with all the floods in Mumbai, there is severe dearth of drinking water! The city that never sleeps is now one that weeps for the loss that is paramount, both in terms of the lives lost and the financial losses. It is really perplexing that Bombay high was burning when it was literally raining cats and dogs.

And, it was literally a field day for the media too. They took a break from the usual coverage of the lastest case of rape in the capital and the over-hyped David Dhawan release that is destined to be a dud. The flash of "BREAKING NEWS" is seemingly used by almost all news channels these days for news ranging from the floods and fire to another duck by Saurav Ganguly though the latter happens often, as does derailment of trains in India. And to think, Laloo is our Railway minister!!!!

Of course, not all ministers are like Laloo...some of them have brains! But seriously, Laloo is a mastermind for such is his charm that people in Bihar still vote for him. But who could be more intelligent than our esteemed behind-the-scenes prime minister! Everyone knows she could never talk without the speech-writer beside her. So then, when she decides to forgo the post, she is praised for her sacrifice but then, she would be relieved that she would never have to face flak from the opposition for any mistakes made although she is the one behind all the decisions made.

But I don't understand why our nation's foremost political party has to suck up that family anyway. Is the party so weak that it always has to look up to 'the family' to show direction?

Anyway, I came across this interesting quote...

Be calm in arguing; for fierceness makes Error a fault, and truth discourtesy.

Thou shall enjoy a calm week!

Just Don't Do It!

2005-07-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

It is such a disgrace that Bank of Baroda, which was sponsoring India's upcoming chess genius Koneru Humpy, has cancelled the contract and has signed on Indian batting maestro Rahul Dravid instead. Rahul already appears in half a dozen ads and I am sure none will even notice his appearance for BoB.

If this is going to be the treatment meted out to India's young upcoming sportspersons, I can imagine what will happen in a few years from now. People will be celebrating when the Indian cricket team qualifies for the World Cup 2007 final and none will even spare a thought to the hard work our other sportspersons would be putting to win that eluding gold medal at the Olympics and as always all other sports will be neglected to ruins!

A Makeover!

2005-07-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

I am planning a complete makeover to my blog...I am gonna start writing on what I have always wanted to comment upon - politics and religion. I intend to expose some of the nefarious schemes of our politicians and how the religion card is used to the greatest possible degree by these conniving villains.

I realize I may hurt the sentiments of a few people but I would just ask the fainthearted to stay away from my blog. The opinions will be my own unless stated otherwise.

ThrAshes And The Mad English Media!

2005-07-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

From my sports blog...

The Aussies thrashed England by about 250 runs in the first test. The English batsmen always seem to struggle against McGrath and Warne even the two bowlers are past their prime. I'll have to eat my words on what I said about Pieterson in my previous post. In his debut test match, he did not seem to show much nerves and was the only player who seemed to stand up to the challenge and scored half centuries in both innings. Whatever happened to all the talk about the challenge the strong English side would pose?

Well, the English media is always known to glorify their team and players but equally ruthless when it comes to burying them. It happens almost every year during Wimbledon when they hope for an implausible miracle from Tim Henman.

Tim Henman is undoubtedly not as talented as the English media project him to be. They expect him to salvage the British pride by becoming the first British player in almost 70 years to win the Wimbledon. Every year, there is lot of hope when the Championships begin but questions about his retirement pops up as soon as he fails.

This is the era of Roger Federer, who has already won Wimbledon thrice in as many years and it'll be nothing short of a miracle to beat him. Age too is not on the side of Henman and at 29 (I guess), he better bid farewell to his hopes of raising aloft the Wimbledon trophy lest he faces the media which would question him his passion for the game and hunger for success, after every failure.

It's a pity that the English football team with all the talent has only to show a World Cup success achieved some 40 years back and still pride themselves to be the very best among European leagues. Come World Cup or the Euro Championships, the media just sings paeans about their formidable team and how this year would be 'the year'! Somehow, they always seem to lose and an attack by the media follows, who would quite often find a scapegoat to blame.

In World Cup '98, it was Beckham's irrefutable red card against Argentina, in 2002 it was the costly error by ageing goalkeeper David Seaman and in Euro 2004, the referee who disallowed a goal that should have stood. The media has already started hailing the mid-field pair of Lampard and Gerrard as the best in the world and with the self-proclaimed world's best defender Rio Ferdinand in the team and teenage wonder-kid Rooney at the front with goal-scoring machine Owen, the media has identified the next year's World Cup as their best chance to end their drought of trophies. It would be difficult for the team to escape unscathed from the media, should they fail!

Meanwhile, Alonso now has a firm grip on the F1 Championships after winning the German Grand Prix yesterday. His challenger Raikkonen retired due to his car's mechanical failure and Schumi only managed a fifth position. Narain Karthikeyan finished 16th. Montoya came 2nd and Jenson Button managed to be on the podium after a very long time with a 3rd placed finish. Button, being British, too came under the media spotlight during the previous race at Britain. He did not perform well and the media again came on to him.

Maybe, it's the fear generated by the media in the hearts of these sportspersons the reason for lack of success. Although, the lack of any success of great significance in recent years has the media craving for a champion in some sport!

Theories for Harry Potter Book 7!

2005-07-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

The Half-Blood Prince was more about the emergence of Lord Voldemort and answered some of the questions that had been lingering on my mind since Book 2 (The Chamber of Secrets). Also, it was more of a prelude to the final book and has raised a few questions...

Will Harry return to Hogwarts for his final year?
I am sure he will! I guess, atleast one of the horcruxes should be in Hogwarts.

Will Ron and Hermione get together?
Hmm...that's a toughie 'cos I have a feeling Ron might die!

Is Snape a villain?
I still believe Snape did what he was supposed to do...on Dumbledore's orders!

Who is R.A.B?
An ex-death eater...perhaps, Regulus A Black??

Will Harry survive?
No.

Who else might die?
Hagrid, Ron, Volde...

Let me put forth my theory. When Volde tried to kill one-year old Harry, he transferred some of his powers to him...presuming he also transferred a part of his soul to Harry and that would be a horcrux! So I guess, after killing Volde and 3 other horcruxes, Harry might kill himself to destroy that last horcrux!!

I guess we'll know what happens only after about 2 years when the final book comes out. I hope JKR comes up with a good ending!

And There She Stood!

2005-07-18T18:30:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back, I had an absolutely amazing experience...I had never experienced that sort of feeling before...I have often heard people talk about that feeling but I guess a person does not comprehend unless he goes through it.

It was during one of those summer evening that I met her for the first time. A sudden shower forced me and my cousin to take refuge near the doorway of a shop. It was then my eyes fell upon her for the first time. She was standing inside the shop and her voluptuous magnificience caused a flutter in my heart. I nudged my cousin in her direction.

"I wish I could get someone like her!"

"Haha...good one da! How come you say that an awful lot these days? Anyway, you know your mom would never approve of it."

"Ughh...why did you have to remind me of my mom at this moment?" I just could not take my eyes off her. "Dei, isn't she the popular model that appears in the television ads?"

"I think so. You know, she looks so red-hot in person. Her looks, her body, her back..."

"Dei! will you just lay off her!", I remarked threateningly, as he stopped short of entering the shop.

A pang of jealously seared through my heart as I noticed a few others too were throwing curious glances at her.

"Maybe, the Gods wanted me to meet her. Otherwise, why would it rain in summer and that too in Chennai?"

"Maybe, God decided it is time you took a bath!", he smirked.

I ignored his wise-crack remark and entered the shop.

She had her head turned away from me as I neared her. Yet, I felt deeply attracted to her quiet effervescence. I could not help notice her well-shaped and silky body. I was eager to touch her, feel her and love her and take care of her as no other man can. Whatever it takes, how much ever opposition I would face, she would be my lifetime companion, I decided. I trembled slightly at the thought of introducing her to my parents and relatives and their eventual reaction to it.

But then, she was worth risking my parents' wrath. I had made up my mind. I turned her head so that she would come face to face with me. A smile came across my face as I felt my hand over her sleek, warm body. I was going to get her. From the bottom of my heart, I thanked Bajaj for launching the new Discover with DTS-i technology.

Be Happy and ...!

2005-07-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

Too lazy to write something now. Got a meeting at 7 in the evening! Guess, it'll take a while to get home and finish the rest of the latest Harry Potter book today.Need a few laughs?? Read this joke that's been passing around lately!

Four friends at a reunion...
Four friends, who hadn't seen each other in 30 years, reunited at a party. After several drinks, one of the men had to use the restroom. Those who remained talked about their kids.

The first guy said, "My son is my pride and joy. He started working at a successful company at the bottom of the barrel. He studied Economics and Business Administration and soon began to climb the corporate ladder and now he's the president of the company. He became so rich that he gave his best friend a top of the line Mercedes for his birthday."

The second guy said, "Darn, that's terrific! My son is also my pride and joy. He started working for a big airline, and then went to flight school to become a pilot. Eventually he became a partner in the company, where he owns the majority of its assets . He's so rich that he gave his best friend a brand new jet for his birthday."

The third man said: "Well, that's terrific!? My son studied in the bestuniversities and became an engineer. Then he started his own construction company and is now a multimillionaire. He also gave away something very nice and expensive to his best friend for his birthday: A 30,000 square foot mansion."

The three friends congratulated each other just as the fourth returned from the restroom and asked: "What are all the congratulations for?" One of the three said: "We were talking about the pride we feel for the successes of our sons. ...What about your son?"

The fourth man replied: "My son is gay and makes a living dancing as a stripper at a nightclub." The three friends said: "What a shame...what a disappointment."

The fourth man replied: "No, I'm not ashamed.? He's my son and I love him. And he hasn't done too bad either. His birthday was two weeks ago, and he received a beautiful 30,000 square foot mansion, a brand new jet and a top of the line Mercedes from his three boyfriends."

Book n Bike!

2005-07-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

I am very excited today...there are 2 reasons!Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is officially out and finally I should get my new bike today if everything goes well (read, day, time - hour, minute, second, is auspicious!)

Right now, am just sitting at my office...well, doing nothing! Not exactly nothing 'cos am writing this post and wondering when the clock will strike 5.The new 125cc Bajaj Discover DTS-i(whatever it means, it sounds cool!) comes with an electric start. I have not gone for the alloy wheels or disc-brakes, having been told cracks might develop later in the alloy wheels, so spokes are better. The bike looks good and has a sleek design that is any day better than Bajaj'stop-selling bike Pulsar (Pulsar's major flaw is in the petrol-tank design, I hear).

One sore point about Discover is the ad. After the over-exposure of all cricket and cinema stars, Bajaj roped in Jackie Chan to be the brand ambassador for Discover and the ad has not come out good, i feel. Chan is supposed to be a monk and well, I don't like to see a monk riding a Discover! Chan is better off doing those kung-fu action movies.

Anyway, I suppose Discover is not turning out be a hotseller like Pulsar(Pulsar is 150cc though) but it is being a tough competitor to Hero Honda's Splendor+.Maybe, a change in the ad will improve its fortunes!
Ha! Just a few more hours...

The Half-Blood Prince Has Arrived!

2005-07-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

All Arise...The Wizard of Hogwarts Arrives!

2005-07-15T17:50:00.000-07:00

As the clock strikes 12 tonight...
the new Harry Potter book will be officially unveiled in London by its author Joanne Kathleen Rowling. The made frenzy to lay hands on a copy is set to start in just a few more hours.
Harry Potter not only uses his magic powers to fight evil Volde but also wields his magic charm over ordinary muggles like me! Yes! I am a Harry Potter fan and am all excited to get my copy. I have already booked my copy last month but laying my lands on that will take some more time since I have got work tomorrow:(

I read the first book only after seeing the first movie. But once I started reading it, I felt a feeling of wonder and excitement that a magical world far beyond our world is all set to be explored through Harry's seven years at Hogwarts School of Withcraft and Wizardry! JKR is an amazing storyteller and even for a moment I never felt that I was reading a children's book. Well, it's not only for children...millions of adults too are fans of the books!

The story goes like this...Harry's wizard parents are killed by the evil dark wizard Lord Voldemort and Harry is left in the care of his aunt and uncle. In his eleventh birthday, he comes to know he too is a wizard like his parents and becomes a student of Hogwarts. Slowly, he learns the truth about how his parents were killed and he overcomes many adversities and finally learns he is the only one who can put an end to the resurgent dark lord but at his own
life's expense.

An overwhelming majority of fans would vote for the third book - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as their favorite among the current five books. Well, I too would vote for it! JKR has knitted various sub-plots superbly together and no wonder, people often get back to book one and two to clarify a few things. For all those who say Harry Potter is just for kids, please...please do read atleast one book before you can really comment.

As the time of arrival of the Half-Blood Prince looms near, people will have their own hopes of the development of the plot. As for me, I have not given much thought about what is going to happen but I am sure it'll be another exciting journey into the land of the wizards!

Here are some interesting news...
The first five books in the series have sold more than 17 million copies in the UK alone, with a value of over £100m.
Harry Potter creator JK Rowling has been the UK's best-selling fiction author between 1998 and 2005.
The fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, sold 1.8 million copies in the UK within 24 hours of publication in June 2003, making it Britain's fastest-selling book.
More than 265 million Harry Potter books have been sold in 200 countries, written in 62 languages.
In France the English version of Order of the Phoenix became the only English-language book to top the country's best-seller list.
JK Rowling won Spain's Prince of Asturias Concord Prize "for having helped children of all races and cultures to discover the joys of reading".
More than 1.1 million cassette and CD recordings of the Harry Potter series of novels have been sold.

The three Harry Potter movies have taken a combined income of £1.35bn at the worldwide box office.
Movie versions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets and the Prisoner of Azkaban broke all UK box office records.
Released in May 2004, The Prisoner of Azkaban movie made more than £408.2m at the global box office.
The Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire movie is due to hit UK cinemas in November, with plans already in place for the fifth and sixth films.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was the UK's fastest-selling DVD, selling more than one million copies in two days.

Harry Potter tales have inspired a vast number of merchandising spin-offs, from computer games to board games, sweets, toys and clothing.
Harry Potter merchandise worth an estimated £1bn has been sold to date.
JK Rowling has become the world's richest author and the richest woman in the UK.
The 2005 Sunday Times Rich List estimated her fortune at £500m.