Valuable Commenters Of Katha Sagar, INDIMag’s Short story writing contest of 2010

Rakesh was excited. It was very hot here in Bangalore and wondered how would it be in Pollachi. Fan at full speed and windows open, yet it was hot. He was lying on bed but unable to sleep thinking about his childhood days. The moonlight was enough to see fan rotating seemingly without gap between its four blades. Ha! four blades is outta fashion.

He moved the curtain a bit, just a little bit, and peeped put. Across the road, in the shadows of the lamp post, waited the watcher. He closed the curtain quickly, wondering if he had been spotted and stubbed out his cigarette in the overflowing ash tray. And to think that he had actually quit the cancer stick! God!

Miss Florentine walked on to the stage waving her hand and flashing a perfect set of whites.

Crowd cheered her with hoots and whistles, for the magician had not lied about her beauty.

The old man murmured to himself, “Golden dress. Lots of shimmer. The hemline barely reaches the thighs.
Good choice.
No one would take their eyes off her as long as she’s on stage. Perfect diversion.”

At this juncture, she probably was too numb to feel anything. Things happened in a whirlwind. She hoped hard that this would be just another dream, just another of her nightmarish whims. Nothing seemed changed apart from the heart that was now bleeding. It was just yesterday she was seeing herself with her grandchildren in the garden outside, telling them the stories of her young age, her school friends, and her own life and now it is just a deafening silence outside. Not a soul in vision. Last 5 minutes precisely and her world came crashing down.

There was not a single drop of water to drink at the house. Mangamma went to the nearby street tap and turned it open. As before, it hissed making empty sound. The water supply had turned erratic since a few months. Earlier, they would get some water once in 3 or 4 days, slowly it became worse and now they got water once in almost a month.

Announcement of Experts’ Panel for Katha Sagar — short story writing contest by INDImag..

“Madam, you are not buying lottery ticket today?” Gopal the lottery seller’s question brought her back to reality. As usual, Gopal was there at the bus stand with his board full of lottery tickets. Three days a week Veena allowed herself to spend money on buying them.

When Manu was born one of Latha’s demands was this “People say they never have time for their family. We shouldn’t be like that. On weekdays we’ll make it a point to have at least dinner together, and on weekends we will sit together for all meals. Family meals are important.”

Raksha. This one name is the sole reason I still find life worth living. Raksha. The very name lifts up spirits, from the insides. I’ve seen many girls during my college days, some with a beautiful face and some with a beautiful heart. Indeed, beauty is one virtue every adolescent wants to possess. Be it be with him or within him. The first time I saw Raksha, I wanted her beauty to be with me. Raksha, the one word equivalent for beauty, beauty from the eyes of God.

The argument continued, spoiling the mood of a much-awaited week end. Both, the Male and the Female were sitting in their dim lit hall room – their mood and the ambience, somehow concurred.

A Dream, A medal and some Tears

The girl and her parents reached the village late at night. The storm that had slowed down their bus had now cleared. While her parents talked to Ammavan and Ammayi, the girl’s eyes were searching for Chechi.

Mamata Banerjee’s heaven looked like hell. The platform was so crowded we were encumbered every time we tried to walk freely. It was almost 8 and we still had half hour to kill. For such dedicated Ornithologists like us, killing time was no difficult task. The grip we had on that beautiful subject called Ornithology was truly exceptional.

Hope is the hatrack I hang my dreams upon.Hope is what keeps me going. To constantly hope and let others around you see the charm in it is what I wish I could eternally do. Come what may. But what would I do , if I were confronted with a situation where I had to follow this and yet not really follow it , knowing that my hatrack may not be the panacea after all? Would I still hope against hope? and let the other see the same? How right would I be, indulging in an act so blatantly dangerous?

Today is a good day, thought Rajan. No, he corrected himself, a great day. Today he did not think of her as he always did the first thing in the morning. He smiled at himself in the rearview mirror and turned the car‘s ignition gladly.

All these cappuccinos are so generic in taste thought Shashi, with disappointment, as she waited at the visitors’ lounge of the international arrivals terminal of the DFW airport. Waiting was never Shashi’s forte. Her impatience showed in small gestures like crossing and uncrossing of her legs, her periodic investigation into her handbag contents and frequent pursing of her lips with a frown.

Cock-a-doodle-doo..Cock-a-doodle-doooo…cock-a-doodle-doooooo…”damn my alarm!!”Snrrr..Snrrr… now what’s wrong with it? Oh no! It’s not the alarm; it’s my brother snoring loudly! For a minute, I thought I was in a lion’s den.

The observer is a short story about a young girl who has no background of formal education but who seeks knowledge from everywhere. Her presence of mind and love for adventure takes us through the streets of the small Malwa town.

Yes, i killed the person whom I hated the most, it was a spur-of-the moment murder. I committed the unthinkable act but he left no other option for me. If i had not killed him then i would have lost my identity to his fiendish clutches.

A tale of a pious grandmother, her three grandsons and a black cat.

She was his first love. And, his strongest. He thought of all her struggles, her sacrifices. She deserved it, and he owed it to her. She had trusted him with this. He would do anything for her. Die for her, kill for her. All he lived for was her happiness and her wide sunshine smile. And he knew she would be proud of him. Very, very proud.

Sameer’s gushing manner hadn’t changed a whit. Anand didn’t even realize that the torrent of words had swept him out of the railway station to a nearby cafeteria. He had forgotten his appointment. Slowly the whirlpool of conversation settled. Most of the information regarding mutual friends exchanged, Anand almost reverentially asked the question that had been hovering in his mind.

“Where’s Tina?”

Although I hate to admit
That I like Josh even a little bit
I think he is a nice person
To share a class bench with

Mohini was the love of his life. He thought about how completely she had transformed his life as he gazed lovingly into her lovely little hazel colored eyes. He had read somewhere that if Cleopatra’s nose had been smaller; the course of history would have changed. He wondered if Cleopatra’s nose was longer than that of Mohini’s as he lovingly took her into his arms and caressed her gently feeling her silky smooth skin.

Hepsiba…a girl who felt pain in everybody’s pain, who cried when the world cried learnt a harsh reality of life. Call it her destiny or just another lesson of life, she would now never do one thing in her life again and that is……..

…on it were a few benches parked beside well grown trees; which acted as resting points to the walkers and joggers who thronged the place. Beside the well maintained lawn, within the circular pathway was a small clearing which served as the laughter club’s workout arena. Retired fathers and in service homemakers tried to laugh away their frowns every evening.

There was an eerie silence that was evident, to the extent that, even the sound of the clock’s ticking was audible. The rocking chair seemed to be perfectly in sync with the clock. Everything in the drawing room from furniture to fixtures was antique. The paintings that adorned the wall were old and beautiful. So was Martha.

Life can be very dull and lonely when one gets posted to the border outpost and facing an inactive enemy. Time passes by just going through the daily routine and taking turns for the sentry duty to observe the enemy in the distance and the no man’s land in between, where even the fauna hesitates to wander due to the intermittent firing by either side.

Short cropped hair, over-sized t-shirts, baggy trousers, geeky glasses, floaters,and a jhola.

I was 14 then.

Kitta was a classic example of the “village idiot”. The difference, however, was that Vidyanagar was no village. It was a small locality comprising of four to five streets perpendicular to two main streets. The residents were mainly families with nominal incomes with simple living standards and who had lived in Vidyanagar for generations.

The sun was blazing away in all its fury. The wind was trying to compete with the sun, blowing its top swirling dust all over. The rocks however just held their ground completely oblivious of the efforts of the sun and the wind. And like the rocks, was the lone man waiting at the bus stand – calm and unperturbed.

The mist had steadily grown denser and was now sweeping the entire look-out. The lone viewing tower at the top of Doddabetta had closed its telescopic viewing gallery, owing to bad weather. Nandan smiled at the board that was hung outside the gallery that blamed the bad weather outside for being out of business for the day.

A usual chat to some stranger in the public chat room turns into a nightmare. If only they were a little more careful…..

It’s more than a month she is back……… But we barely talk to each other for ten minutes in this interval. Even she didn’t come to visit me, may be she is busy enough………….

There was hope, there was despair, there was light, there was darkness, there was happiness, there was melancholy, there was laughter, there were tears, there were dreams, there were realities, there were children, there were schools, there were movies, there were film stars, there were forests, there were poachers, it was 1973, and there was Baala.

Among the innumerable days, lonely rains and the glare of orange lozenge that I am obliged to contemplate, I submit to September 13, 1999. I spent the fateful day at British Council Library beside the vertiginous (and voluptuous) pillars of Connaught Place, New Delhi. This is how it all began

I don’t know how I came here. This place is very different from all others I have seen in my life. The place is so green. The essence of the air is so pure, that makes me feel that I have been inhaling impure air till now. But I can’t see any people living here, but this place is so beautiful. If I return to my home, I will come here along with my mom and dad. But where am I?

A sound…someone approached, the darkness and him, hanging with one arm. No scope of moving and escape, the weapon that he held by his right hand being useless. In the streak of lightening, their eyes met.

That cruelty ,that upheaval,that catastrophe
They say,the truth lies behind all
What is that ,you ,term ‘’truth’’?
But truth is portrayed ,,only when there are lies.’’

It seemed like a regular day in office, things were progressing at their usual speed, and then suddenly, I was jolted out of my Friday-post-lunch stupor! There was a strong, lingering smell of Dolce & Gabbana Eau De Toilette perfume. D&G, here in this office? On our bland floor in Electronic City? This was like finding a desert rose! A phenomenon! I had to find this D&G man!

Am I born to be FAITHFUL? Is being in love wishful? Ah Ha! I need to be careful The whole world hates the UNFAITHFUL!!! Does “I love u” mean LOYAL? Yeh karta hai hamesha dil kho gayal People use “it” like disposable foil But hey, the whole world hates the DISLOYAL!!! If you are in [...]

It was a desperate ploy, I admit. My interest in the supreme power was not to utilize it or harness it. I never dreamt I would one day wield it. I never knew the ultimate power could be tamed by anyone, lest only me. I judged that I had grown up with a massive power of will myself. I had survived so far, I bet on my own willpower to survive, which I am good at.

After the results of Class X Boards were declared, he turned out to be the second boy in our tuition group, and also one of the ten boys in the district to get Letter marks in Physics that year. We all knew that he had a bright future ahead.

The streets of Rajura were empty except for the occasional coal miner scurrying for shelter before it poured. I ducked into the nearest Wine Bar and occupied the first empty table. In our area all bars are named ‘xyz Wine Bar’ even though they never keep any wine. All forms of liquor are called wine..

In the village of Holudpukur, five miles from the closest haat at Burrabazaar and ten times that distance from the town of Purulia lived Shri Haragobind Tripathy. Tripathy remained the most unyielding custodian of the village; the first man to seek out if there was any trouble and the last man to return home after having dealt with the crisis at hand and putting it firmly to rest ..

Immigrant GALL A true incident.  Names changed to protect identity. She was 8-weeks postpartum; happy with her little one in her arms, rocking him to sleep.  She had conquered her first battle as a new mother; low milk supply.  She had won the battle with Mother Nature and her bosom was filled with nature’s blessing; [...]

She peeped from her window and saw downcast skies and sudden flash of sunlight as if the sun had decided to play hide and seek with the clouds.The bay area winter was at its best.Sunny skies but coolest temperature. It was a picture prefect day.

One growl and I would have pissed my pants but now I could stand so close, so fearlessly, for I knew it could do no harm to me. The Tiger was not behind the bars of a zoo but was free and yet it could do nothing for it stood there lifeless, dead, just another stuffed effigy, yet another specimen on display!

Her eyes desperately wanted to tell me something, something that I couldn’t get… she melted into pure water. I reached for the water, to feel her, but my fingers could only feel the hard cement surface. I closed my eyes, to think what it was that was actually happening. But, how can all that happen. May be I was hallucinating.