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The Stalkers

THE STALKERS Based on a true story “Ajar Thoughts” Short Stories Collection (To be published) The alarm rang again. She had put it on snooze twice before it rang again determinedly, as if warning her that she was going to be late. It was the beginning of a gruelling six-day schedule, week after week, month after month, year after year. It seemed mindless but that according to her was the only good thing about it. It didn’t give her time to think. She went to the kitchen, set both the flames on the gas stove up. Lunch tiffin for herself and her seven-year-old daughter. She laid a big vessel of water on the other flame for the daughter’s bath. She looked at the time and went back to the bedroom. She half lifted, half dragged her child to the wash basin and propping her against it, reached up to the shelf above. She pushed the toothbrush to the sleepy kid and rushed back to the kitchen. She held the hot water container with a napkin and carried it to the bathroom, calli...
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The successful loser - memoirs

Woke up unnaturally early this morning to fulfil a very old fetish of depositing my cheques in the first clearing. The wife had begun waking me since 9.30 am and I gave up after three attempts and half an hour later. Skipping brushing my teeth after gargling a couple of times and quickly pulling on a pair of jeans, I ran out to reach the bank before 10.30. I reached the bus stop a couple of blocks away and saw a 345 cruising in empty to its first stop after departure. I walked in and thrust my wallet and knowingly he held it to its device without opening it and handed it back after nodding that it was valid. Thumbs up to digilife. I reached the bank and was out within a couple of minutes. I walked a few blocks ahead to the bank where the wife and daughter’s accounts were and passed by the Rock Enclave where we resided a decade back. Remembered a couple of memories passing by as I reached the destination I always looked forward too. An all women bank and that too filled with pretty ...
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A son is a son…

When life becomes routine and boring, I think of new devices. Once, in the middle of the night, I decided to hitch hike all the way home. Two walks and one hitchhike later, I was stranded along with a group of complete strangers who seemed to have missed their last mode of transport. I noticed a frail old man, bent by the burden of at least seventy to eighty years, waiting for a bus. I heard his cellphone ring and he answered his whereabouts, probably to a family member. Or maybe they just called to know whether he still existed or not. The phone disconnected while he had just begun to explain. I enquired and he told me that his wait was almost an hour long. We decided to share a rickshaw till home. He had retired from TCS and had three or four sons all well settled in affluent areas of Mumbai and Pune. He was sharp enough to trace my origin accurately through my accent, in spite of the fact that I was conversing in his native, quite fluently. He still worked for his living and ate onc...
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The Vultures and the Commission men

History tends to repeat itself. After fifteen years of rocking a place, it was time for a new innings. Now, it seems like déjà vu. When you venture on an unknown ground, all the vultures set in… Business has taught me two principles to follow and propound… 1. Have no EGO. Ego blocks your learning process. And learning is accessible through all forms of living strata. 2. Never take a COMMISSION for just introducing people on to a project or any business deal. I will never introduce a stranger to any project that I work on. He has to be either personally handpicked or has to be very strongly recommended. I have a lot of talented friends and I create opportunities for them. Create? For example, one of my friends is a photographer. Every time a conversation veers towards a photo op, I enquire and I pitch for him. And create a requirement most of the times. My photographer friend still does not know about it. No commission. Only goodwill. My real estate friend charges no brokerage for all m...
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Are appearances important?

Priorities shift in life. I remember being a compulsive spendthrift, splurging on new clothes, accessories and entertainment. The last splurge happened on the eve of my wedding. Now I revel in the pleasure of passing on small little gifts of happiness to my wife and the apple of my eye. While prospects of grooming me were discussed, a funny parody began weaving in my mind. Just imagine a meeting arranged by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to discuss an important agenda… Dressing up Gandhi. “ Bapu, it’s high time you started wearing something, at least. I know you have the balls to take on the British. But why should I be the one to be reminded of that every time I see you getting up from the charka? “Look at me. I have my all my stuff laundered at London. We are having a ball (ahem) too. Don’t you get bored with this loin stuff? “I’ll be the Prime Minister, soon, and I don’t want you hanging around (ahem) in this manner. Chalo, let’s go to old Bond Street and we can pick up a c...
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I hate to work on Sundays. But the assignment was wrapped on an invitation to visit the freshly renovated, one and only, authentic seafood restaurant in Chembur. We set on a bike on a lovely Sunday traffic, meandering on the highway and criss-crossing the suburbs on to the central and were on the last lap when a fellow bike rider pointed towards the rear tyre. By the time we realized it, the bike groaned loudly with the added pressure of the deflated tyre. We walked the rest of the few blocks and were waited upon till the owner arrived. A round of seafood entrees followed by the main course including a very unique bhatkal biryani and finally some caramel pudding ended a sumptuous Sunday afternoon. The owner dropped us to the bike and guided us to the nearest mechanic. Temples are a very lucrative site for beggars. We dragged the bike to the parking lot and a street urchin raced towards us wanting to lead us to the mechanic. Before we could decide, he was already off and my fr...
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