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The Land by the Chambal

The story is about Ajay, a boy who like most engineering aspirants goes to Kota but end up getting attached to the place.

Ajay entered the hotel room relieved that it was finally over. After all, it was two years of hard-work and determination and all for this day. The JEE did not go as smoothly as he had expected but it was nonetheless, satisfactory. After a quick look at his performance he started packing.

It had been almost 2 years since he was away from home. It was dusk and his train was scheduled well past midnight, at 2AM. He finished his packing well in time and rested for it had been a hectic day. As he laid down to rest, several thoughts of Howrah crossed his mind. His mind ran over the majestic bridge while another part of it was savouring the delicious roadside ‘puchkas’. As his mind was wandering over the banks of the mighty Ganges, he was finally going to feel at ‘home’.

Home? Was he ever going to feel at home in Howrah? No, for his heart was elsewhere. His heart could not leave Kota though he had physically left the place a week back. He was in Jaipur to give the JEE exam.

Two years back, Kota had seen a nervous boy of 16 alight its platform with his father. The child silently followed his father to the hostel chosen by him. On the way, he saw his coaching institute. Silently the thought crossed his mind, ‘This will be deciding my future.’ His father left after making the necessary arrangements. Ajay was alone in the new city which in no way resembled his home. He could sense competition everywhere from students to coaching institutes and from hostels to auto-rickshaw drivers. Life was going to be tough.

Ajay’s hostel was luxurious but the food there was awful. Adjustment was the key. He could not eat outside everyday however, delicious the food outside had been. The coaching institute, quite in contrast to its appearance, was a lovely place to learn just because of its teachers. Some teachers had left an indelible mark on his conscience. They taught him to be self-reliant and to accept failures gracefully. While some of them inspired the students by their sheer academic brilliance, some left the class giggling at their ‘honest’ recollections of their life.

These were not the things for which Ajay chose to remember Kota. He yearned to see his friend there, he thought he would never make. Ajay was an introvert, highly unlikely to make friend in those surroundings. Fate had something else in store for him. He had two friends from Howrah who were staying in the same hostel as him but it was not with them his friendship grew. Ajay’s heart constricted as he wandered down the memory lanes.

He remembered the walks to the nearby mall, after dinner accompanied with Prakhar and Ayush. The distance would be covered by any sane man in almost 5 minutes but we took almost half an hour. Despite, the busy schedule of each one of them they found time for each other just to gossip about their teachers, their classmates or their teachers. One person particularly talked about was Ajay’s roommate, Jatin. Jatin had created quite a bad name for himself owing to his moon-like temperament or his way of living.

He recalled how once on Prakhar’s birthday. They had searched the whole city in search of pink goggles and a pink hair band. The birthday was celebrated with full fervour and enthusiasm as result of which Prakhar’s room was left in a messy situation. It was then that Prakhar told them that his parents would be visiting him that very night. This blew the lights out of everybody present there and everyone joined in the work to clean his apartment. No sooner had his parents entered the room than we had finished the cleaning. We were all glad that the job was finally done. Ajay stared at the ceiling as if the whole scene was being enacted there.

He recalled their trips to ‘Tatva’, the best restaurant of the place on occasions, the sudden movie plans and the late-night elaborate discussions on inconsequential topics.

He missed the Dussehra of Kota which matched the Durga Puja of Bengal in its grandeur and crowd making Ajay feel at home in Kota.

He also had his share of hard times, when he had fights with Jatin, when he failed to meet his expectations in the monthly examinations, when he felt nostalgic, when he was disappointed by his friends. As Ajay saw now, these where the times which had made him the person he was.

His mind stopped by the Instrumentation Township. This place held a special meaning to Ajay with its open fields and a variety of birds. Whenever Ajay felt bored or aimless, he would go this place in search of answers. The place had nothing to offer but peace. It was quite in contrast to the hustle and bustle of Kota. The place became their football stadium in summers and the badminton ring in winters. The township was the ideal place to forget worries and embrace the freshness of nature.

Ajay now looked at the clock. It was almost time to leave. He called the cab and reached the station in no time. The train was standing on the platform. He stood on the platform as if deciding whether to board the train or not. He recalled the words of his elder brother,’ you will be in tears when your enter Kota or when you leave it.’ It had been a week since he had left Kota, but the feeling was now sinking in. He had no other option for he had to be practical.

The joys were only for two years and so was the independence. Now, he had to return. The whistle of the train blew, reminding the passengers to board the train and informing everyone of its departure. Unwillingly, Ajay entered the train compartment. Hardly did he enter when the train started. With tears in his eyes Ajay saw the receding platform of Jaipur, hoping someday that he might again visit the land by the Chambal.

December 17, 2016
A Shadow in the crowd (I)

In our day-to-day busy schedule, we get so involved that we often fail to notice the person sitting next to us in the metro. We have no idea of them- their life, their dreams, their nightmares. But there are several amazing people around us in the crowd. I prefer calling them “Shadows in the crowd”. This story is about one such shadow…..

Kolkata.

Around 5pm of any busy working day. Buses, taxis, autos- honking, tires screeching, traffic light red-green-yellow-red. The city, she just breathes at this hour, tired of the day’s work. She doesn’t live, just exists; satisfied at the thought of having spent yet another day. Passengers in their seats, headphones on, probably a journey song is playing. The soft, lyrical song, you know, where the words are intentionally dragged at places, to tune it with the audiences’ mood; tired, a little sad, regrets surfacing, but all of it gives in to a smile saying life moves on. Hawkers on the road, walking back home with their earnings of the day in the pocket, leftover burden on shoulders, eyes lost in thoughts of how his life would have been, had the jute mill not closed down.

The lights turn red; car stops; two little Chotus and a Bani walk into the traffic, knocking on the windows of cars; requesting earnestly, “Ek ful le lo na dada”.

Even their voices lack the ding they had in the morning, just like the half-dead flowers; the day’s tiredness has got to them too. People here and there, walking from somewhere, to somewhere, monotonously. This hour, is a pretty lethargic time! Everyone just breathes, survives, exists…..

…..And in there somewhere, in one of those random bus stands, you will find Her. Not in the seats, but probably near the broken pillar beside the stand. A normal face, hair tied up in a pony, jeans, a casual top, slippers, a backpack on her shoulders, nothing fancy; in fact it is the perfect costume for blending in the crowd! The bag isn’t exactly dirty, it just has been to places! But what distinguishes her from the crowd is the strange look of hope in her eyes, staring blankly at the sky, catching a glimpse of the sunset maybe. Obviously she was on her way to go somewhere, just like the people around, tired, headphones on, playing the journey song! But the Rebel stopped near the pillar, paused the song, starred at the sky to say her little good-bye to the Sun. Oh wait! Our rebel needs a name. Umm……let’s name her Huna. In Mayori, it means ‘hidden’.

Huna studies a random subject in the random college in the city. You really won’t be interested in knowing about it because walking in the crowd, you probably won’t even notice her. She is just another shadow in the crowd, consuming the planet’s resources. Oh yes, there’s one way you might notice her; when she bumps into you! But I am sorry on her behalf. She didn’t do it intentionally, trust me! She gets lost often; lost in her thoughts, lost in her fantasies, lost in the what-ifs and the maybes. Or she was probably just walking while trying to guess what the girl in the poster above must be feeling wearing the lingerie. Did she feel guilty, did she complain…memories flashed. So basically, excuse her, she in no way intended to bump into you!

Huna is like us, the kid trapped in adult body, trying to mimic adulthood. Except that the kid in her, manages to overpower the adult in her, more often than not. She prefers walking. And if you find her in a lonely lane, you might catch her humming a song, shyly, a little afraid of what people might say. But the hop in her step, you can see that clearly. The black nail polish on her toes, she loves them; you can find minute remnants of it on her skin around the toe too! Excuse her carelessness.

She won’t smile at you, if she catches you looking at her. She will probably give you her get-off-my-lawn look, clear the clouds of her fantasy and walk away.

Obviously, you intruded in her me-time. She isn’t always like this. She is fun to be around, apparently. When she is with her people or she feels the need to socialize; she’ll talk, laugh weirdly, and crack the silliest jokes. You should look at her then, all bubbly, positive and Louisa Clark. But after that she needs to be alone; she needs to recharge. She is an ambivert. She can talk with you on and on and laugh like the world’s such a happy place; but don’t underestimate her. She can just pass you by on the road without saying a ‘hey’!

You must be thinking what it is that she is hiding. Some pain, some problem maybe just like those movie girls. But no she isn’t hiding anything. She has a perfect family, friends, above average grades, a good reputation everywhere she goes. Nothing abnormal going by the normal symptoms. It’s just that she has negotiated terms with life. She doesn’t have any big dreams to achieve. She doesn’t think out of the box, she doesn’t even know where the box is in the first place! She isn’t any one’s first choice, no one’s priority. She has accepted it. She has accepted defeat in this field. Hence isolated herself. But isolation has given her a whole new Huna! Her isolation has sharply amplified all tiny sensations that she would not have otherwise noticed.

She wants to travel. Because within that calm exterior she has an untamable soul. No materialistic thing can satisfy it. They just don’t interest her enough, to make her stay. She wants to blow like the wind, from one place to another, carrying stories, smiles and songs. You should see her smile when she visits the sea or the mountain. Only such grandeur can tame her. They probably whisper hopes in her ears; you, I, we can’t hear them. It’s for her ears only. You might be talking to her, assuming she is listening; but she probably is thinking of how it would feel, to sit in a cave by the shore and read a Stieg Larsson, by the fire while sipping rum. It’s not like she is unpredictable. She has her set of actions and replies. She doesn’t bother to expand her set.

So you see, she is a fighter. Not the one with guns and knives and all decked up. She fights a war within, trying to control the kid in her, without upsetting it. She wants to stand as close to the edge as she can, without going over; because some things are only visible from here, you cannot see them from the center. So, the next time you come across Huna in the crowd, don’t smile, she probably won’t smile back. Let her be. All that wanders are not lost. She knows where she is going. Hakuna Matata.

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music”

-Nietzsche

December 17, 2016
Seeing him online…

“Seeing him online she waves her hand, up in the air as if he really can see her and ignore at the same time as he always did.”

~ Garima Khera

December 17, 2016
5 Most Successful Entrepreneurs From Small Towns

Over the decades, big ideas and successful entrepreneurs have made a mark in small-towns in India. Let’s check out some of such stories today.

Vinod Khutal

Khutal grew up near Indore and studied architecture in B. Arch, before studying computer science engineering. An advertisement by game developer Gameloft on Naukri.com pursued him to a job in their Hyderabad sector, where he co-incidently became a game designer cum developer. In 2009, he founded Twist Mobile, with applications such as Age Effect. He partnered up with VServ to use their app-wrapper technology for ads embedded in applications. Success stories started after becoming the first Asian company with 10 million downloads on Noki’s Ovi market. “Today’s killer app is tomorrow’s delete,” says Khutal, who has now increased their branches into Android and ios apps market.

Image Source: yourstory.com

Sriram Subramanya

The man grew up in Pondicherry and started job in the remote ancillary business, in Chennai and Bangalore and training in Berlin. He later moved into the desktop making business, migrating from print media to digital content. Sriram’s wife had to sell her jewellery at one stage in their life to fund the growth of their firm, Integra. A tight focus on brand value, quality, precision and business ethics helped grow the industry into one of the world’s Top 5 in publishing BPO. Integra also won the Gender Inclusivity Award from NASSCOM.

Image Source: .pressideas.com

Rohit Bhatt

Bhatt grew up in Udupi, a small town in Karnataka, and studied computer science engineering. He went off with a Japanese company making Mac kind of products. Inspired by Japanese passion, determination, pride and quality inspired him also to strike out on his own era, in the area of Indian language computation. Rohit was also inspired by Taiwanese giants who started off with contract manufacturing then evaluated out with their own brands such as HTC and Acer. His startup, Robosoft, also combined product companies Global Delight (utility apps such as Camera Plus) and 99 Games (such as Wordsworth and ‘Dhoom 3’ game).

Image Source: thehindubusinessline.com

Sanjay Vijaykumar, Sijo Kuruvilla George, Pranav Suresh :

This trio was engineering students from Trivandrum, Kerala and started off their first business by selling SIM card packages for students of colleges. Their startup company MobME began with mobile content for movie and Television promotion. Investment also came from wealthy Keralians from India and throughout the world. But their biggest thought about the program was to amplify their success via Startup Village: to create an innovation hub like Combinatory and ultimately create a ‘Silicon Coast’, which eventually got support from the government as well as private sectors. As a result, Kerala has become the first state in India with an official student entrepreneurship cell policy, with the help of this trio.

Image source: intoday.in

Nand Kishore Chaudhary :

The idea behind the story of Jaipur rags grew up in Churu, a small township of Marwar and started off his carpet business with weavers from the ‘chamar’ tribes, called as untouchables. Today, Jaipur Rugs is India’s biggest exporter of hand-knotted carpets, with a very small span of time. The company imports woven products directly to global markets, and employs a part of weavers, including tribal women, this is an initiative taken by them to promote tribe women. A focus on local inclusion and global market led the company to be profiled as a matter study by the late great Prof. C.K. Prahalad.

Image source: outlookindia.com

Do not make synchronized just by passion alone, keep an eye on the reality of the business. Things are changing. Always be in the self-learning mode, and think global as well as local, which is the key to make project as your dream project. Be ready to learn as well as not learn. Look for inspiration in all that is happening around you with stories about the successful startups.

Do not underestimate the challenges of doing business in India locally, red-tapism, corruption, attitudes, non-paying corporate customers, slow and erratic government decision-making. But do not give in to corruption or something criminal offence, they will only waste your time, energy and reputation.

Every place in India has its ups and downs. You have to learn how to find the balance to maintain the system.

December 17, 2016
A Bond of Time

This is the story about mother and daughter’s relation over time.

Once there was a bubbly girl named Sophia. She enjoys with everyone not just of her own age but with elders and younger’s too. But she never had a best friend at her school so she made her mother her best friend. She used to tell each and everything about what happened at school and that too at one stroke. Her mother does a teaching job at a government school. Despite having a lot of work and tension of the job, the mother very keenly listens to each and every pronounced word of her daughter.

The two had an unbroken bond which was growing with every passing day. Days passed, years went by and the young girl finally has completed her high school and wanted to study further. She got admission in a college which was far from her home. Everyone wondered how these two lives will live without one another. The college was prestigious and it was Sophia’s dream to get admission. Her mother was very strong and she wanted that Sophia should pursue her dream and she herself don’t want to become the hurdle of her glowing path. Sophia went to study but with a promise that her mother would call twice a day and one time a video call irrespective of hectic schedule of both of them.

Years pass, time goes on, as everyone knows it never waits so this was also no exception. Sophia was enjoying in her new company and new environment. She no longer felt the hollowness of her mother’s love. She worked hard to get good grades but never forget to call her mother and to see her plain but beautiful face daily. As Sophia was growing younger and younger her mother started growing older and older.

One day Sophia worked till 6 in noon and suddenly realized that her mother had not called. She was worried and negative thoughts started overpowering her. She ringed her mother’s cell but no one answered. She called about 4-5 times every time with the same result. At last she was annoyed and splashed her phone on the floor. Then she quickly finished her work and went to her room for rest. But internally she was restless that physical rest helped a little.

Next day she rang again but still in vain. Then she took a vow to herself in anger that she from now onward will never call her mother again. She completed her work early and at noon received a call from unknown number.

Initially she thought it to be company’s call and didn’t answer. It rang again and then she replied. After listening a single word she was out of senses and in tears. It was her mother’s call. As she was annoyed she bitterly conveyed her feelings and soon ended the call. Listening to those harsh words was no easy for a woman who was recently discharged from the hospital. Yes, she was in the hospital which was the reason she didn’t attend the phone and video calls. The mother was admitted to the hospital few days ago when she suffered from lower abdominal pain. The doctors checked and reported as nothing serious. As Sophia was attached to her mother very closely everyone planned not to tell anything to her else she might leave her studies in between. This was the biggest lie and secret between Sophia and her mother.

Calls became less as days pass by. The bond of love was affected by hatred and anger. Sophia’s temper became worse and eventually she became impatient. Time ruined everything. Time affected the bond which was once never ending. Being a pampered girl she used to give surprises as well. She got vacations and planned to surprise everyone by a sudden visit. But she had a little idea that it would be she who will be startled seeing the locked door. Pushing the heavy bag aside she called her mother and with outraged voice asked, “Where are you?” Her mother very calmly lied, “We all came to watch a movie. How are you my little ……. “.

She immediately cut off the phone and started doubting her mother’s love. She kept the gift at one side of the door and booked her tickets and went back to her college. This time the doctors said that her infection has been spread and she’s not having much time. After coming back home mother saw the gift and was overwhelmed and immediately called her daughter. Daughter in her bad mood answered to the point and turned the phone down saying, “I am busy maa. Call me later.”

The bond of years was getting weak by time, by space and lies between them. The misunderstanding between these two came out to be far more powerful than the passionate relationship they had many years back.

Just after Sophia’s finals were over she got a phone call from unknown number urging her to come back home soon. She hastily replied, “I am having a party and I am quite busy. I will come home after 5-6 days with an offer letter in my hand.”

Mother was taking her last breath. Her last wish was to see her daughter and eliminate all the misunderstandings between them. But that never happened. After 2 days doctors gave the word. Mother was no more. Sophia had been called. She sprang from the bed and immediately took her things and booked tickets. She reached home and saw the last ritual was going on. She was definitely grief stricken but above all she regretted the most. The love, though was weaken over time, but these two souls were never separated. Sophia cried hard, as hard as she could. She was in deep pain, an irremovable pain. Everyone try to console her. She herself tries to get out from this unbearable pain but all in vain. The guilt would never leave her.

After 2 days, she found a letter while cleaning her mother’s wardrobe. The letter read as:

“My little girl, I might be not with you when you will receive this. This is a not a piece of paper but a token of my love. This paper contains my emotions and feelings which never changed in past years. The situations changed my dear, but the love grows even deeper. We both reacted differently to the same situations but my love and affection has been the same. I know my child that you too love me the same.

It was just your deep concern about me that made you panic and you dealt differently with the going circumstances. And yes! Your worry was in the right direction. No one told you but I was admitted in the hospital for the past few years – nearly when you left for your college. I got a heart stroke and unbearable abdominal pain. I was in the hospital when I lied to you about the movie. Now, my little girl has grown young and smart and a responsible person, so you have to take care of some of my left over duties. I am always with you.

Never think yourself as alone. Find me where you can and feel me in the air. I have always loved you my girl and don’t carry guilt with you. You did nothing wrong. It was just the circumstances which made you reacted in unusual way. I know you admire me and that your affection was never less. Hope you cry little after reading this.

You lovable

MOTHER “

Sophia was fully disturbed after reading this. She cried hard and just uttered one word sobbingly “mom”. She can’t believe what she has just read. It gave her a shocking as well as a learning experience. But now her guilt was no more with her. She was relieved from the heavy burden she has been carrying of guilt. She then realized the importance of love and time. Her train of thoughts ran and she discovered that it was neither the time nor the space which ruined everything. It was her reaction to the simple situations which ultimately lead to the complex consequences.

Thereafter, Sophia enjoyed each and every moment ignoring the hollowness and loving the air. She took a job and started supporting her family. Her tempered was changed and she became even more patient. She was aware of the importance of love and being lost of it as she has experienced both. From that time onwards she neither never criticized time nor space but changed her reactions to solve a problem in efficient manner. It has been rightly said that “time heals wound”, and it lessen the pain as well.

December 17, 2016
Virus

Boyfriend asked his girlfriend to tell her Facebook password.

Husband demanded his wife to undress on her periods.

Son strictly instructed his mother not to come in front of his friends.

Father commanded his daughter to reach home latest by 6 pm.

December 17, 2016
I won but I lost

The story begins with a girl of 17 years named Kavya. Reading was her hobby. Though her dreams were too big but the hard work was small.

She lived with her mother in a small rented house. Her father died when was she was only 5 years old. Kavya’s mother worked as maid in houses of city nearby their village. They could hardly earn a living but her mother left no stone unturned to give her beloved daughter the best education she could afford.

Kavya’s dream was to become a writer and build a house of her own. She wanted her mother to get rid of all the hard work she has to go through because of her. Books were her best friend. For hours she used to sit with her books. But was this enough to become a writer? Probably no. She hated going to school which gave her ample of opportunities to enhance her talent.

“You should go to school, dear. It will help you.” Said her mother.

“Oh how will that boring school help me? They can’t make a writer out of me.” She said with her eyes busy in the words of her book.

“Your wish I cannot force you to do something that you don’t like.”

“Don’t worry mother, one day I’ll be a writer and earn so much that you will not even have to get up from your bed for drinking water.” She said hugging her mother.

“We’ll see dear, after all future is so uncertain.”

The next day, her only friend in the village came to her house and informed Kavya about the writing competition that was going to be held in their school.

“You should come. If you win they will publish your work in the most popular book. It’s a great opportunity for you. You can submit your work any time after that and the best part is- you will be paid for it. What else do you want?” insisted her friend.

“Go away. You know I just hate that school. I will not come. Thank you.” She said bluntly.

Few days later she received a call informing her that her mother became unconscious while working in the kitchen and have been admitted in the city hospital. She ran to the hospital.

When she reached, the doctors informed her that her mother’s situation was critical and they had to conduct some test whose report will come soon in the later part of the day.

“Oh god, please save my mother” she prayed.

Soon the report came and tears rolled down her cheek like rain from cloud. Her mother had blood cancer and required a total sum of 5 lakh for treatment.

“You need to submit the money so that we can start the treatment” said the doctor.

“Please start the treatment doctor I will arrange the amount” Kavya begged.

“We are sorry. We can’t go against hospital rules.”

Kavya did not know what she should do. From where she could get help, there was no one….

She suddenly remembered about the writing competition in school and called her friend.

“That writing competition? Sorry dear but it’s over and one of the girls about higher class won. And you know she got 5 lakh as gift!” said kavya’s friend.

She cut the call cursing her for what she missed. Though she was able to arrange some amount of money, it was not enough.

Unfortunately, her mother died, an NGO adopted her. She went into depression and decided to work hard and fulfill her dream. She worked hard and emerged as a beautiful and inspiring writer.

She soon wrote a book on her mother’s struggle.

She wrote-“TODAY I WON BUT I LOST….”

December 17, 2016
Mother’s Feelings

“Mothers may not speak or express about how they feel but they feel the deepest and purest. The unconditional love that they give cannot be measured.”

This is a story of a mother who loves her daughter deeply but is very much practical so she doesn’t express her feelings easily. Manju is a working woman so she cannot stay at home with her daughter. Despite of managing the school she does keep a motto of giving her daughter the best she can in every possible way.
Manju just had a baby girl. All she wants is her daughter to get the best in her life.

She is 6 months old and she remains sick, everything that I have to do for her is an extra effort. Even if she needs to drink water I have to boil it and then give her at a bearable temperature. I can’t breast fee her, she is too weak to digest that and i do not have plenty of milk in me. We handle her with extra care. I am lucky to have a caring husband who understands me so well and takes care of her as well. She is worried for her as she cannot afford to lose her that too after two miscarriages.

After losing two children she got her. How can I forget the pains she have bearded to climb up the hills just to reach that temple to ask god for a child and how can she forget the pain of labor.

That pain vanished when she held her for the first time. She is light as cotton as beautiful as an angel. Soft hands and warm body, makes Manju forget the labor pain she had since 5 hours.
One day while she was boiling the milk for rose she said to her hubby, ”honey give me some I wanna taste it. ” his hubby pored few drops of milk in her palm and Manju tasted it. As soon as her lips touch the milk, tears roll down her eyes. Virat says “honey what is wrong? Why are you crying?” Manju starts sobbing and looks at rose and cries virat holds Manju and asked her “Manju what is wrong dear? What is it?” she said, ‘‘the milk is tasteless. ” He holds her and says,” it’s okay honey, our daughter will he healthy. ”

She is 6 years old now and goes to school. She is bright as the sun and cheerful as the birds. Yes she makes some mistakes the usual and silly ones, i want her to be perfect, after all she is a girl and one day she will be judged at every action she does. Manju is teacher in a school and spends her day in school and comes in the evening. Tired but still has to manage rose and the household. She doesn’t avoid rose as the child needs love and care especially when they are small. Manju sits with rose for her studies and sometimes she falls asleep while teaching rose and when rose notices her mother sleeping quietly keeps her books down and runs in the garden to play.

Today rose is college. Its 7:30 am rose is getting ready for college. Manju comes to her room, “dear what should I pack for you?”

Rose replies, “nothing mom. I don’t want any Tiffin I’ll eat in the canteen. ”

Manjusays, “Why dear, I’ll pack something for you.”

Rose says, “No mom I dnt want anything thank you I will manage.”

Manju replies, “Fine suit yourself.”

Days pass on and distances emerge between rose and mary. Manju wants her daughter to be perfect in her way and rose cannot bare this dominance in her life.

One evening rose is cooking in kitchen and Manju comes to inspect her and she sees the gas is too high she just sims the burner and scolds rose, “your burner should be always slow when you cook for long.”

Rose gets irritated and leaves the kitchen saying, “like I dnt kniw how to cook. I’m done cooking now.”

Manju calls her again n again but she refuses to come back. Manju turns off the gas.

Today is rose’s wedding. Rose is getting married to the love of her life. Manju is very happy as her daughter is happy and entering a new phase of life. Seeing her daughter getting the best Manju is overjoyed. Packing the things her and showing it to the relatives Manju says, “see this is the bathroom robe set for both of them, this is the dinner set for rose, this big box has all her clothes made from a designer store just the way she likes, this is the Gucci handbag her favorite. And this is the jimmy choo shoes all latest edition. The diamond bracelet she liked when she was 18. The solitaire she saw in the shop. I haven’t told her about this will give her a surprise when she comes home after marriage.” Manju is running here and there for making all the arrangements so does virat.

The wedding ceremony takes place and just as she takes the final ‘phera’ manju cries and hides her tears.

She wipes her tears and greets all the relatives, looks forward to the arrangements that needs to be done. Being a mother she has many formal duties to do. She got busy in those and hid her tears.

When the time came for badai rose bursted out, hugging her daughter tight she said, “don’t worry my child everything will be fine.” Then she took rose till the ‘doli’ made her sit and watched her go. She controlled her tears while rose was in front of her. But as soon as she went Manju stood near the door, staring at her ‘doli’ and tears rolling down her eyes. Standing still and analyzing something. Virat came sobbing and asked Manju, “what are you analyzing now? She has gone…”

To this Manju replied, “time. Analyzing time, it moves so fast. It seems like just yesterday when I held her in my arms for the first time.”

December 17, 2016
Chronicle of a Woman

A short story about a woman, married at Seventeen, and her course of life.

The marbles in her hand scattered on the dusty ground as her mother screamed at her to get inside the house. She, unwillingly yet hastily, dusted her knee-length dress and ran inside. She was welcomed by the regular rant of the elderly women about her unacceptable behaviour. A girl of seventeen years of age, she broke the established norms left and right. Playing the fool with the locality friends, stealing money from her baba’s trousers to treat her friends, and an addict of the song Disco Dancer: she was a nightmare to the orthodox, joint family of an Eighties village in India. That day, she could guess, there was an undercurrent of urgency in her mother’s voice. Curiously, she was asked to freshen up and quickly get dressed in a saree. Now, she loved to dress up and despite being suspicious of why she was being asked to do so, she got herself dressed with enthusiasm. As she gave the final touches to her saree in front of the mirror in the living room, she saw her father carry packets of sweets inside the house. Her grandpa followed him with hurried instructions for everyone around- something about arranging the chairs, and removing the cycle lying beside the doorway. She could no longer control her curiosity and asked her mother, who came in from the kitchen to scrutinise her dress and make-up.

While putting a bindi on her forehead, her mother told her that a man from a respectable family is coming to see her today.

His family was known to her grandpa, and above everything he had a good job. How could they let go off such a match?! She numbly shook her head. Too dumbstruck to react, she went and sat beside her granny she loved dearly. Her granny gently stroked her braided her, and made her see their logic behind all these. She was seventeen, she was followed by two younger sisters and a brother, they had found a good match, and above all, she was not even good in studies and was always a part of some prank or the other. She nodded her head to her granny’s words, as she could not provide any resistance to those. She mutely remained a spectator to the rest of the events of the day.

~~~~~~

The entire house was lit up with yellow lights, and decorated with flowers of every kind. The speakers blared out a music played with shehnai. The house was teeming with people draped in elaborate clothing. The inviting smell of food- bathed in oil and spice- wafted through the house. The bridegroom was yet to arrive, with a hundred other guests. Young women were still applying a second coat of nail paint or lip colour, and young men tucking their shirts properly to appear prim and proper. But the bride, the bride was as far away from all these as possible. Dressed up in the bridal wear, she sat with her best friend and giggled away. For her, it was like the tons of other wedding ceremonies she had been to. Only this time, she was dressed in the bride’s attire. The intensity of the event was still to sink in. After her wedding was finalised by the elders of the house, she was drowned into the preparations leading to the big day, before she could even panic. Her siblings were having the time of their lives, what with all the wedding shopping and trips to a nearby town.

She had no role to play in deciding either her wedding dress, or her groom. Her fears were at bay due to the commotion taking place every day.

She was mesmerised with the new hair clips, silver anklets, golden necklaces, bangles-of glass and gold, ear rings, and sarees of myriad colours. New furniture was brought for her to take to her new home. It seemed like a festival to her, she the goddess, and yet she had no sword in her hands to fight the forces. She checked whether the mehendi on her hands had reached its full colour. She asked her best friend to ask someone to play some foot-tapping music instead of the shehnai one. She was smirking at her siblings for their gaudy make-up. She kept looking at all the guests impassively, and wondered how many more were more to come to gobble the food up. There was a great ruckus around the house, and everybody seemed to be happily moving outside at the arrival of some vehicles. Her aunt rushed to her at that moment and took her to her bridal seat.

The bridegroom had arrived. The rest is a blur to her even now. She was ushered through the rituals one after the other. She did not get to speak so much as a word to the groom. The next morning the car arrived to take her to her new home. Sitting on the backseat with her husband, it dawned on her for the first time in weeks that her future was decided. She tried hard to remember who had asked her for her consent or otherwise, and then she realised she was not allowed to have either one. The car started with a jolt, and so did her new life.

~~~~~~~

She browsed through her daughter’s class one books, and wondered if she comprehended them correctly. Every Sunday morning, it was her duty to check on her child’s homework, while her husband went to the morning bazaar. Her daughter impatiently tapped her feet and scribbled the spelling on a worksheet, as she was wanted to join the other apartment kids to play with. Her daughter was yet to get the spelling of buffalo right. She herself checked the spelling so many times to make sure it was double f and a single l. After a good ten minutes, she let her daughter go out to play, even though the number of l and f in a buffalo was yet to be mastered. She arranged her daughter’s books in place. She loved those books, revered them.

She was not a great fan of them when at school herself, but she now realised their liberating power. She loved to see her child give shape to the alphabet on the pages. She loved to hear her child mumble the words from a book while reading it. Her child, on returning from school, would find a new comic book, or a set of books on folk tales with beautiful illustrations. Who would have ever guessed she was in her early twenties going by the way she managed her child and the house?

~~~~~~~

She stuffed a fresh towel inside the trolley bag. Her daughter was home for vacation, and was leaving for her new semester. She had to make sure of all the arrangements, as her husband was posted to a different city for his work. She accompanied her daughter till the airport. She returned home, cleaned the rooms, locked her daughter’s room, and went over to a neighbour’s place for a little tête-à-tête. She was 40 years old now. She managed the entire household alone, as her husband was out of station most days.

Despite knowing little of the professional ways of the educated world, she managed to pay the bills alone, meet the requirements of the house, fulfil the demands of her daughter living in another city, and every other nitty-gritty. She lived with her husband’s and daughter’s account of their everyday successes and failures. She took pride in her daughter and husband. She would see her daughter throw tantrums as a child sometimes, and behave as a grown-up woman at other times. Her daughter would remain preoccupied with her friends, studies, and gadgets when home for vacations. She loved her daughter asserting her opinion for anything and everything. Her daughter, as a woman, was almost a version of her mother- just a more vocal one, born at quite the right era.

~~~~~~~~

It was a cold, December morning. The otherwise empty house breathed with life. December was the family’s favourite month. The house had all its inhabitants in place in this month. She put on a warm cardigan, unlocked the main gate of the house, and picked the packet of milk. The maid was already sweeping the doorway. She asked the maid not to come in the evening as she had to take her daughter shopping. She switched the kitchen lights on. While pouring the milk into a vessel, she went through all the things that were to be done. She then stirred the milk, watched it boil, and felt her questions boiling on the surface too.

Her life was decided at the age of Seventeen. The wind in the kites of her desires and wishes were sucked out; the strings were cut by firmer strings of right and wrong.

The vivacious kites went awry, and were never really seen again. She breathed life into a daughter. Never let the firmer strings to start spinning her daughter’s life; her daughter lived a life; a life with emotions in bold, in extreme. She lived her independence through her daughter. But, deep down she wondered why she was not blessed with such a life- a life to make mistakes: a life which tastes success and failures. A life to decide where to pack bags and leave to study; a life to go euphoric with your gang! A life to dance till the feet hurt, and more when it did. A life where decisions were her own, her very own. A voice called her back to the present. She looked at the boiled milk, and wondered if she could stir her life and relive it her way. She was not of the opinion that being a homemaker was anything lesser; it is just that she wanted something more out of life. She poured the hot milk into a glass, and put a lid on it and her thoughts.

***

December 17, 2016
Where You Belong

Ayisha is a well known spokesperson and she is chosen to speak in one of the most renowned colleges. But things weren’t this happy for her seven years ago. She has been through rough patch but she has made out of it and now she speaks about it.

It was 11:00 P.M., Friday, when Ayisha got an e-mail from one of the renowned colleges of India. She was asked to be a spokesperson in one of their events and the topic she was asked to deliver the speech on, was what she was now known for, ‘Career Dilemmas’. She had experienced this in her life like any other teenager but what made her stand out was what she learnt out of it and how encouragingly she went on to impart her knowledge to others, with a hope that there would be at least one student today who would be saved from doing the mistake as hers.

It was 7 years back when Ayisha’s life had a setback. She passed out of school with 89% and was almost happy with herself. She wished she could score more but consoled herself saying that in her choice of career, her 12^th result held no significance. Weeks after her result declaration she entered the college phase but that did not seem to make any difference in her life as for then she had already begun her journey on a major career path that she had to choose even before her 12^thboard exams and her college played absolutely no role any more than an institute that would be giving her a bachelor’s degree, which she couldn’t care any less about.

All this while, Ayisha thought she had everything figured out. From what she wanted to study to what she wanted to become. The bits and pieces seemed to complete the major puzzle of life ‘Where you want to be 10 years from now’. But thinking this was her second mistake. What was her first one? Well, planning everything without exploring everything.

She often thought to herself how absurd it was to decide on one thing before stepping out of school and pursuing it for the rest of her life, or at least that is what it seemed like initially.

She was aware of people who changed their fields, people who ended up doing something extremely different to what they studied in college and people who followed their passion either since the beginning or whenever they got the opportunity to. But it wasn’t all so simple for everyone. She felt the people who could do such things were actually blessed in life, that they were the people who did good deeds in some past life and now are getting it all back.

TING-TONG!
The door bell made her come out of her thoughts. It was her younger brother. She had mixed emotions for him. She was happy for all of his achievements and envied him for the same. He had everything planned out in his life just like her but it was all working out for him unlike hers’. She remembered the time when he was so supportive to her. Even though her depression phase lasted for not more than 6 months, he was always there for her every day, every minute. He stood up with her every time she said she wanted to do something else in her life and every time she said she will run away, he asked her to take him along.
“Do you’ve any plans for next week? I was thinking of going on a trip.” He said.
“Sorry, I have to attend this event next week. I mean, I haven’t RSVP’d it yet but I’m sure I’m going to go. It is HUGE!”
“That is nice. Where is it?”
“IIM Bangalore” She said with pride.
He couldn’t believe what he just heard; but she would never lie about this. Delivering a speech in IIM was a big deal. People who had an experience of 15-20 years and huge celebrities were seen there. He hugged her and she disappeared in his arms. Even though he was the younger one, it never seemed like he was, since he was almost a foot taller than her. He was proud of her tiny sister. After having the brunch with her he left for his college.

She sat back in front of her laptop reading the e-mail again; even she herself couldn’t believe it. She felt blessed today. She remembered those days when she was constantly questioned about her future plans, about what she would do in her life, if not what she had already begun with. She never had any answers, how could she assure her parents when she couldn’t even assure herself. Everything was vague, uncertain and gloomy back then. It did not make sense to her; her life. She knew where she wanted to end up, she knew what she wanted her life to be 10 years down the line, but she did not know how to get there and she couldn’t risk it again. She was scared. She was allowed to make a decision once, which she did but she failed in it. What took some people half of their lives; it took her just a year and a half to realize. It is not about fitting in, it is about belonging. Now she was scared of making another mistake, taking a road which would again lead her to a place she did not belong to.

Greetings,

I’m delighted to confirm that I would be attending your college’s event next week.
Looking forward to discuss further details about the same.

Thanking You
Ayisha Shroff

Ayisha had spoken in many colleges before. She even wrote a book talking about her experience. But this was different. The call with the managing team made her realize that this time she would be speaking in front of thousands of people which would be a mix of students and different professionals. Her earlier audience ranged from a hundred (or less) to six-seven hundred but never ever even near to a thousand and these people assured her this time it will be more than a thousand. More than a thousand, she tried imaging how big the crowd was going to be. Chills went down her spine. She was anxious but not scared.

Her event was scheduled in the evening. She was waiting back stage with other team members, watching them coordinate to put a flawless show. This made her zone out to that night when she gathered all the courage and told her mother that she was done! She wanted to do something else. That she was drained and there was nothing left in her to be drained out anymore. That she was unhappy. Her mother, not unlike any other typical Indian parent did not understand what she meant.

She was doing a well respected professional course; she even cleared the second level. What possibly could make her unhappy in this? Her mother failed to see. That was one night and this is one. 7 years from it, now she was going to help those thousands of people sitting out there, clear things in their heads, motivating them to gather up the courage to go and to stand for what they believed in and do it.

“I’ve read your book. I have even attended one of your events before” A girl wearing nerdy spectacles spoke sitting next to her. She looked older than Ayisha, a year or two may be.
“You may not know but you’ve helped me a lot. After reading your book I realized that I wanted to do MBA in marketing and not finance. I was in same delusion as you were. I thought finance would get me everything but 6 months into it and I wanted to quit the whole idea of MBA altogether.” She added.
“So, how did you change?” Ayisha asked looking at the girl. Sadness and happiness crossed her face at the same time.
“I went up to the dean and asked him to transfer me in the marketing section. He knew me well, my scores were good but he said I’ll have to wait for the session to get over and only next year could I join into the marketing section. I agreed. The rest of the 6 months were the worst and best 6 months of my life.” She said smiling.
“Thank you so much. You saved my career. You helped me see that there isn’t just one road for us all. That all I need is to look for the other one and travel there. Travel and walk on the road which would take me to the place I not only fit into but even belong to.” She hugged Ayisha thanking her and left.

It was time for her to impart the same to the people awaiting her outside. She went up the stage; all the other lights went dim and the spotlight was on her one more time.

December 17, 2016