Story 26

"So this is the reason you are giving me?" Jacob was fuming. He could not believe what was happening and he hoped, just like the other days things will fall into place. "What were you expecting? I would go through that pain all over again? Am I a robot?" Sarah shot back. Pouring some water into the glass and spilling the most, she gulped it at one go. As she kept the glass with a thud, she turned to Jacob "Don't you think that I want it too?" Don't you think that I also had the same dream as your's? Just like any other girl....." "Yes. I know that. Probably that is the reason I am telling you to give it another shot. I have a feeling, things will fall into place this time" interrupted Jacob. Sarah banged the table, "Every single time you tell me this. Your intuitions are nothing but your desires! You now that very well. And if it is not so, forgive me. I am not believing your intuitions again." Stifling a cry, Sarah sat down on the chair.

Jacob knew that this was not going to end well. It's not that he never considered the pain Sarah went through but he had hoped things would be different. As he took a chair and sat down Sarah muffled "I am not a baby producing machine Jacob. I had given birth to two dead babies and every single time I think about them, I feel like I am a murderer. I am cursed and I know that I will never get to hold a baby in my arm and hear the word 'mommy'. I don't want to kill another a child Jacob."

The two shattered souls broke down crying.

Story 25

Suzanne was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate on her office work today. With every passing second she was freaking out about the task on hand. Like any other day, the pressure was tremendous in her office and she knew that she had to get her assignments done by the end of the day. But what about Richard? What must he be thinking? She couldn't bear to see his sad face again. She remembered how last year, Richard was waiting for his gift and it never turned up. When Suzanne called the concerned company, they made a lame excuse of miscommunication which made her furious. As the memories of past haunted her, she nervously picked up the phone and called Max. "Yes Madame! Don't you worry. I will make sure that the parcel reaches on time. Suzanne heaved a sigh of relief.

Max whisked past the signal. He didn't have much time on hand. Plus, the upcoming Halloween night ensured that traffic snarl was at it's best. He had to deliver two other packages before going to Richard's. Time was running out and Max knew that something special could only help his cause.

He turned his car and zoomed past the narrow alleys. Managing his way through the crowd, he zoomed past the Fast and Furious hoarding of Vin Diesel standing between the two cars in his trademark stunt. Max smiled to himself. He felt a Disesel himself.

As the doorbell rang, Richard jumped out of his sofa and ran to open the door. "Richard?"asked Max. As little Richard profusely nodded his head, Max brought out the package and said,"Richard this is a gift from your mom. Though she is 300 miles away from you, she loves you. Here is your birthday gift, the Koala styled gummy bears." As Richard jumped in joy, Max smiled and said, "Thank You for your time Richard. We are DHL- the world on time."

Story 24

It was just one of those days which Allen always dreaded about. It has been raining for the past few hours and with every hour the intensity of the rain seemed to be increasing. As the heat and humidity reached a new high in the last few days, the advent of such a rain was just a matter of time. Fortunately for the millions of living beings rain has been very kind today. Rather then losing out it's fizz it has strengthened from time to time thus giving them a chance to beat the heat.

The trees seemed to be having a field day today. Among the millions of living beings present in this world probably they were the only one who never got the due respect of their existence. A certain A.J.C.Bose had proved long back that they too had  a life. And life without emotions is highly impracticable. As they swayed to and fro getting washed down by the rain, it's new leaves breathed a sigh of relief. Those kids were really having a tough time!

Among all these fortunate souls it was only Allen who was cursing the rain. Why won't he? He had a date today at seven and he had promised her to reach on time but in vain. As a sudden lightening made Allen jump out of his skin, the slippery leaves and muddy fields were making it more difficult for him, In addition to all this he had to carefully make his way through for the fear of being tripped or in a worst case scenario, be gravely injured by these human beings who became more careless during such downpours. 

The incessant rain could not stop Allen as he finally reached his destination, a mushroom behind the bush, where Anna was patiently waiting for him. As she saw him, her eyes gleamed. These two caterpillars fell in love for the first time in their life.

Story 23

"How long does it take?" Sarika asked Zeeshan as he started rowing. "Not much. Around 3 hours or so" replied Zeeshan. "Can't this time be cut down a little bit?" asked Fatima, the tension evident in her voice. Zeeshan smirked "Only if you can lend me a hand" "Stop crying Begum! Will you? You are getting on my nerves now!" Fatima shouted at her younger sister. "If we lose hope like this, do you think we can ever make it to the other side?" Zeeshan had already started rowing by then. "Can I have the other oar?" Sarika asked as Zeeshan handed her one. "Are you sure about this?" Zeeshan's query was put to rest by a strong "Yes!".

Sarika was the eldest of the three sisters. All her life she had struggled to support her family which was left shattered by the early demise of her parents. Though her decision to 'leave studies early and join a job' was met with few raised eyebrows, she knew there was no other option. Fatima and Begum were very young and she didn't want them to end up in an orphanage. She wanted them to study and to make it big someday. "Give it to me. I will row now" Fatima told Sarika, who looked at her and smiled. As she handed over the oars and sat down beside Begum, whose tear soaked red eyes looked tired, she noticed how beautiful has Fatima grown up to be. That little girl was now a doctor and she knew one day her Fatima will make her proud in the field of medicine.


Since yesterday things have looked different for Sarika and her family. The crisis surrounding the refugees was given a fresh lease of life as Britain opened their gates for them. The European powerhouses who were playing it tough, citing various socio-economic-political  factors as reasons for not allowing the refugees any access to their country, were forced to change their stance. With Britain opening their gates, Germany and France soon followed. As Sarika looked up at the sky and thanked the little Allah whose death changed everything for them tears rolled down her cheeks. She kissed Begum's hand and thanked Aylan Kurdi for giving them a new chance to live. Their little Allah.

Story 22

"Did you just take my bottle?" fumed Ravi. Kishan chose to ignore this as he concentrated more on the cars which were zooming past him. Ravi asked a bit louder, "Brother, did you take my bottle?" Kishan looked at him meekly and somehow managed to ask, "Which bottle?" "You are asking me that? Seriously? What do you think we drink? Glucon-D?" Ravi was losing his temper now. Kishan tried to alleviate the situation a little bit. "Mom usually gives us two bottles. How could you forget that?" Kishan quipped. Ravi couldn't control himself as he nudged Kishan hard.

As Kishan shrieked, Ravi raised his voice higher, "Don't cry and try garner sympathy for yourself. I am warning you." This time Kishan was furious, "That doesn't mean you will nudge me like that. How could you? It hurts!" "How could it possibly hurt? It was just a gentle nudge?" Ravi turned around and looked at him. "You were hungry. Weren't you?" asked Ravi as he saw Kishan's bright blue eyes swelling up. "Yes! It has been long since I had my food and I couldn't take it anymore" confessed Kishan. "Why didn't you tell me that in the first place?" Ravi asked. "And what would you have done?" shot back Kishan. "We could have planned to grab his attention" replied Ravi.

"How long do we need to stay here?" the disgust was prominent in Kishan's voice. "Beats me!" quipped Ravi. "Tell me something Kishan? How much younger are you to me?" Ravi asked. "I don't know. But what I have gathered from them is, you are just one year elder to me" Kishan replied defiantly as he was fully aware of Ravi's repartee. "Kiddo!" Ravi squealed into laughter as Kishan hit him from behind. " Don't you do that to me or else I won't be waking up for you when you are scared at night." Kishan knew there was no point arguing again. For the past few days, he has been waking up well past midnight and without Ravi it would be virtually impossible for him to spend the rest of the night.

"What took you so long?" the irritation was apparent in Manish's voice. "There was a huge queue in the cash counter. Sorry!" Shilpa replied apologetically. "How have they been?" Shilpa asked as she took the pram from Manish. "They were creating a ruckus! They were squealing, shouting, crying. At one point I found Kishan looking at Ravi angrily. I think they communicate, you know. There must be something" Manish said helplessly. "Imagine a two year old boy conversing with his one year old brother" giggled Shilpa as Manish smiled. Ravi turned back and  first looked at his mother and then Kishan who was snoozing away in glory. Now, he decided to cry. He wanted some milk in his feeding bottle which Kishan had emptied earlier.

Story 21

"You want to pee?" Jason asked his little brother. Landon was as pale as ever. Never in his wildest of dreams had he thought about this. There have been talks about some tectonic shifts which might cause massive destruction globally. Scientists had revealed this might just be the end of the existing world and beginning of a new one. The 're-incarnated earth' where the whole civilization will move backwards. A civilization where development will be measured by our progress towards the stage of cave age - the cave men and cave women would be the epitome of modernism. Questions had flown thick and thin. "Why do you think such an event will happen?" "We had always knew destruction push people towards a new beginning, which eventually turns brighter in course of time. But why is it different now?" "Do you think God is angry with us?" As people started blaming karma for this apparent regressive structure, scientists clarified that the reasons for such a pattern cannot be fully understood. But yes, definitely earth has been angry with us for quite some time and probably she doesn't want to make the same mistake again by providing us everything we need.

As Landon nodded a no to his brother he felt a searing pain  on his left leg. All the incidents of the last few days has been a blur for him. He remembered the house collapsing as they ran out from their home. The whole neighborhood was out on the road. Everyone's house had collapsed or was on the verge of collapsing. He remembered holding Jason's hand and running after their parents in an attempt to save their lives when suddenly the roads started turning upside down. It was right out of those Hollywood movies which they rented on sunday's and watched together. As the crowd  screamed and panicked, running helter skelter Landon remembered his mother looking at them. The kind of looks which is difficult to explain but then it leaves a deep impression on your mind. Forever.

Suddenly he felt a sense of longing. He wanted to see his mother but deep within his heart he knew it was no longer possible because they themselves were not aware of their location. He felt tears trickling down his cheeks when that long purple tail slowly patted his back. He smiled at looked up at her as she looked at him with her motherly eyes. He took her tail and kissed it softly when Jordan shouted, "The egg. It's hatching!" As Landon ran down, the purple dinosaur smiled to herself. In this paleontological world, she had three children to look after. Two human kids and one baby dinosaur.

Story 20

"Hey there beautiful! What's up?" Anthony smiled at Julia as he took a chair from the side and sat beside her. "Nothing much. The same usual Thursdays. The boring sociology classes followed by gender studies. It's such a waste of time!" quipped Julia. "But then, you can't have film studies class everyday? Can you?" asked Anthony, as he opened his jacket and hung it on the side of the chair. "In a perfect utopian situation, it would" pat came Julia's reply. "Julia, it's all about breaking the...", Anthony was interrupted by the waiter. "Two black coffees and two ham sandwiches with extra cheese" Julia ordered without thinking for a second.

"You should break the monotony when it comes to food. At least, give something else a shot!" Anthony laughed, bringing out a packet of cigarettes. "Can I have a smoke?" Julia asked. Lighting one cigarette from Anthony's packet, Julia asked, "How are you liking Paris?" "Is this an after effect of Bertolucci's Dreamers?" smiled Anthony. "I would be lying if I say no. But this country, has inspired me, left me intrigued, time and again" said Julia emanating perfect smoke circles from her mouth. "Can I guess the reason behind so?" smiled Anthony sheepishly. "Really? Go ahead then" said Julia.

As the waiter left the coffee and sandwiches on the table, Anthony put two dollops of sugar, stirred it a bit, lit up another smoke and said, "Because France is where it all began. Films wouldn't have been the same, if it wasn't for the French New Wave cinemas. Things would have been different, if there wouldn't have been a Breathless or a 400 Blows. People would have never thought of breaking the art again and again. A Bicycle Thief moved people so much, that it kept on running to packed houses for more than a year. Because France is the place where you breathe, sleep, eat, drink cinema. France is where the parallel independent films burst into life." Julia stubbed her smoke and came closer to Anthony, looking straight into his eyes she said, "Do you know what Godard once said?" Anthony smiled and replied, "If your wife don't like the same films as you do, divorce is just a matter of time." "I don't think we need to bother about that" said Julia as she embraced Anthony in a passionate kiss.


"Sir? Anything more?" "No. Bill please" Sushant replied, with a sigh. "Ping!" Sushant's phone vibrated. Julia has replied. As Sushant started to write, Julia again replied, "I would never want to meet you Anthony. I would never want to ruin the illusion." "Same here Julia" Sushant replied, as he stared at the blue sky outside the coffee shop.

Story 19

Age has made him wiser and patient. In the autumn of his life, he did not have any regrets as such. Life's trajectory has taught him a lot and as of now, he had nothing more to ask for.
But then Forrest Gump once said, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are gonna get" and invariably,  he found himself in a situation which he least expected.
In life, there are certain things which you do not want to think about. You accept it, the way it is and then simply move on. It's easier said than done but eventually you end up living your life without it. Probably life teaches you to fight and move ahead and as he walked along the path, the floodgate of memories opened up.
It was some fifty years back when he was also aspiring to be a part of this special place. He remembered those late night WhatsApp conversations which he had with them, all those discussions, quizzes, arguments which they shared. Preparing for the exam never seemed an issue. Rather the camaraderie kept things going. He had enjoyed every moment of it  and till today it was the best five months of his life.
"Dadaji, you want a cup of tea?". He was forced back to reality. "Do they still sell tea at that place? Chota's?", he asked. "Yes. Want to go there?". " Yes!", prompt came his reply.
As he sipped on his cup of tea, he remembered the picture which he saw back then. Nothing has changed. The tyre swing, the ludo board on the floor, the MICA wall - everything is the same. As he looked at Ashish, his grandson, talking with his friends he smiled to himself. Some fifty years back, he didn't convert MICA and today he has come to attend his grandson's convocation. The school of ideas definitely had some separate ideas for him.

Story 18

It has been raining for the last few days in Kolkata and tonight was not different. As Madhubala stood beside the window, the rain soaked wind swept across her face. The wrinkled cheeks managed to smile as she closed her eyes. Rain brought back so many memories for her.

She distinctly remembered that day. The radios announced that a treaty has been signed between Union Jack and Hindustan. The treaty was based on the pact that Hindustan will be divided into two separate countries India and Pakistan and religion was the only way of proving whether you were an Indian or Pakistani. Little Madhubala was oblivious to everything. She was busy playing with Shazia and her trying to make two swans with her two hands. She remembered her father running up to her, literally snatching her away from her friends. Madhubala cried a lot. So did her father.

She remembered crossing the Kashmir border and for the first time she found herself amidst snowfall. The sheer beauty of the nature astounded her as she looked around dumstruck. She didn't realise people crossing sides frantically - a last minute attempt to get themselves recognised as a citizen of a country. All she could see was a group of young kids standing in a circle on the snowy path.

She never thought that she would get married in a country about which she had no clue. She didn't even realise that Peshwar will never come back to her again. As a 10 year old Madhubala with a mehendi clad hand got ready to be married to a 18 year old  Shashwat, her mother explained to her that this is where "jannat" lies. This is the place about which Shazia used to tell her. This consolation was enough to make Madhubala smile.

The sudden lightening stirred up Madhubala. Oh, age brings back so much of memories. She switched on the light and slowly went to the corner of the room. She opened her steel trunk and brought out the Waterman camera which was in tatters right now. She fondled it slowly as she walked towards the window. The rain filled wind again swept her face. Strangely after 89 years it felt a lot like Peshwar. Yes. It felt a lot like Hindustan.

Story 17

Subuhi was getting ready. Weekends were the best part of her life. Rather the only part of her life ! From a very small age, she had understood the basic equation of her life : her every need was a necessity and they were supposed to be fulfilled. So she never bothered about the quadratic equations both in life as well as in maths paper. She was happy with her fashion anthology and she made sure that the Gucci's, Jimmy Choo's, Blueberry's were in place. And this weekend was definitely not an exception to that.
Brijesh was the new departmental manager of Tristara, "a shop in a mall", which ensured 5-star shopping experience for the customers. Like any other Indian kid, Brijesh did his MBA from a pretty good B-school. The degree gave his B.Tech a boost, that's what his peers said,  and taught him the finer nuances of " selling a product". The basic thing which he understood during his two years MBA stint was, the sole reason why people survive or earns to survive is to be contribute and be a part of this consumer's world which depends on the major C of commercialisation. And it's all about selling it to the consumer which matters. This line of thought got him a decent job at Tristara. As he got ready for a hectic day, he saw their loyal customer Mrs. Subuhi Duggar getting out of her car. Brijesh smiled. The consumers and the providers are just two sides of the same page as Brijesh got ready to welcome his customer.
As Subuhi walked towards the shop, she smiled to herself. The Donna Karen bags were going to be added to her wardrobe and, her day dreaming suffered a momentary break as this kid approached her to buy a packet of incensed stick. Disgusted she literally stamped the little boy's foot and went inside the shop.
The boy hung his face down. He was just 5 rupees short of buying a kite for his brother as he cursed his luck. But the world was to engrossed in commercial existence than to think about a kid and his love for kite !

Story 16

"Woof ! What's wrong Bling ? I have never heard you barking so much. You sounded so tense bro" Mickey, the labrador, looked genuinely worried. Bling, the alsatian,  and he were the best of pals. Their master's house were just opposite to each other, which made things even better for them. Bling was elder to Mickey by a dog year but his seniority didn't affect their friendship. They discussed everything right from the food which they were served at home to the family issues within the family to Picasso, the white cat, who has befriended them just a month back. It was a dog's world and they were a textbook example of best friend. Getting no response from Bling, Mickey gave him a shove. "Hey there man ! What are you thinking about ? Will you tell me the cause of your concern ?".  Bling looked at him quietly and quivered, "Bro, things don't seem right." It was Mickey's turn to be angry and he shot back,"Yes. I didn't even realise that, you know. I just thought that you were high on beef steak, sardines and the Fast &Furious film !" His voice reeked of sarcasm as Bling replied apologetically, "Calm down Mickey. I will tell you everything, bro. Just tag along and don't make any sound."
Mickey bluntly replied, "Woof !" and Bling led the way.

This was not the first time that Mickey has come to Bling's home.He loved the decor of the house, the large LED television at the side of the wall and often requested Bling to allow him to watch one episode of Garfield. He loved that cat ! As Bling led him to his master's room Mickey asked him softly, "Woof ! Isn't your master home ?" Bling shook his head and opened the door. And Mickey was left awe struck. He had never seen so much of cash in his entire life. The floor was stacked with money and on a more careful observation he found gold bars hidden in between them. Mickey was just going to ask the reason behind all this when he saw Bling sitting by the window and crying. Mickey went near him and asked him softly, "What's the issue Bling ? Why is everything scattered like this ? Where is your master ?" But Bling wouldn't reply. He just kept looking outside his window. Mickey had never seen him crying so much. He asked him again, louder and firmer, "Woof ! Tell me man. What's wrong ?"

" Last night he was very distressed. He just kept on telling me, Bling politics is as dirty as hell. How could they do something like this ? When suddenly the local news channel flashed this picture of a kid, left alone, dead at the sea shore, my master cried out in disgust. He told me, he would be doing everything he can to help this refugees. Crying, he told me that humanity is losing everything and we, the canines, were much better than our masters. In the morning he left early, went to the bank and came back with all this. This was his life savings but he wouldn't care. He told me to stay safe as he stashed a bag full of money and left. As I kept waiting for him, Picasso came and told me, that they had started firing near the border and close to 1000 people were feared dead. Picasso told me, my master's name was at the top of the list."

Story 15

Like any other girl, Sweta had her honeymoon extensively planned. Months before the wedding she had made all the bookings and ensured that everything was arranged according to the way she wanted it to be. After 8 years of courtship, Himanshu and Sweta finally tied the knot. And within 6 hours of their wedding reception, they found themselves waiting at the Mumbai International Airport for their flight to Zenith Island. Himanshu had no idea about the existence of such a place and on repeated enquiry, got nothing but a wink from Sweta.

As they boarded the flight, Himanshu was a bit skeptical to see that there were hardly any co-passengers. But then, who would have heard of such a place in the first place. As the flight took off, Sweta wrapped her arms around Himanshu's and whispered, "The journey begins honey." Himanshu blushed.

To Himanshu's surprise, Zenith Island turned out to be a place as beautiful as those mentioned in children's fairy tale. Some thousand kilometers to the north of Guyana Island, this island has not yet been exposed to the world tourism.Hence on their way to the hotel they hardly came across any foreign tourists. The beach looked beautiful in the moonlit night and Himanshu's desire to see Sweta walking down the beach, wearing her beautiful white dress rekindled his passion.He firmly held Sweta's hand and whispered, "Thank you baby." And Sweta couldn't be happier.

On entering the hotel, they were greeted by woofs as four lovely puppies came running to them. Sweta's eyes glowed as she saw Himanshu on his knees fondling those puppies. She was ecstatic as her wish to surprise Himanshu was turning out to be true.  As they entered the room they saw a candle light dinner waiting for them, a complimentary setup from the hotel. Words failed Himanshu. He never dreamt of having such a grand honeymoon and most importantly never expected Sweta to plan out something so meticulously. They placed the order and decided to get freshened up.

The delicacies were served in the traditional fashion. Everything was going on smoothly till they found the shape of Pupapoo, the Zenith Island special dish, to be weird. It looked like a small roasted heart. Himanshu was curious and he asked the waiter what it was. The waiter replied, "Pupapoo is roasted puppy, Sir. In fact, you just played with one of them before you entered. This is a traditional Zenith Island food. Puppies are our chickens."

To avoid such situation always plan your trip with Make My Trip. Your best destination guide.

Story 14

He was completely taken by surprise. It never occurred to him that Sharmeen would draw such a conclusion. He looked at her with disbelief. The miscommunication has reached a new high and now things were going completely out of hand. Sharmeen sat there at the corner of the room. Her tear soaked eyes made her look more adorable. Iqbal wanted to hug her and sort things out. But Sharmeen had already started having doubts.
" Sharmeen believe me, it's not what you think", pleaded Iqbal. "You are making a mountain out of a molehill. This is just too much." "Yes. I am at fault right ?", Sharmeen responded rhetorically. "You showed it to me and now you are denying it completely. Even after that it's my fault isn't it Iqbal ?".

Iqbal shook his head. This was the worst fight they had in their 8 year old relationship and he had never felt so helpless. He searched his pockets for a smoke but found nothing but an empty match box. Sharmeen suddenly got up. "I am leaving Iqbal". The sense of finality in her voice made Iqbal shiver. He had never imagined his life without Sharmeen and this time he felt his voice quivering. Standing up, he wiped the tears off Sharmeen's face." Sharmeen, why are you doing like this ? Don't you trust me ? Why will I cheat on you ? On us ?". Iqbal couldn't hold back his tears. "Yes Iqbal. I have always trusted you. I still do provided you show me the ring". " Believe me Sharmeen, I bought it for...". "Stop it Iqbal. Please stop it !" the anger was slowly building within her. "If you had really bought it for Ammi why didn't you tell me that day ? You saw how happy I was ? Didn't you ?". "Sharmeen," Iqbal found his voice rising, " I told you that day. It's just that the connection was very poor. I told you...". "Why didn't you tell me after that ? We have been together for 5 days now, why didn't you tell me ? All this while I have been thinking that you will go down on your knees and propose. But..." Sharmeen broke down. " How would I know Sharmeen that you didn't hear me properly ? You could have asked me ? Why didn't you ? And why will I buy it for any girl other than you....".
Iqbal was interrupted by his ringtone. Though he was reluctant to take the call the unknown number made him pick it up. " Hello ? Iqbal Mohammed ? Good Afternoon Sir. I am calling from Airtel. Will you be interested in our new 4G plan ?. We guarantee you the best connectivity anywhere and everywhere". Iqbal sighed.

Story 13

The tension was building up and Romit couldn't bear it any longer. The evening was not going the way he expected. The sole purpose of this re-union was to get together, have a glass of beer and enjoy the Manchester-Liverpool derby, just like old times sake. Matches like this was an intense affair for any football fanatic and Romit would agree that his group of friends was right at the top of the list. He still vividly remembers how they ended up fighting over an own goal. Smiling to himself, Romit turned on the shower.

The evening started with the story of Suresh's honeymoon trip to the Alps. Suresh being a professional photographer was able to capture the beauty of the Alps magnificiently. Each and every frame of his album met with huge round of approval from his friends. Romit also joined in sometimes but deep inside he was itching for the match to start. As referee's whistle started the match, Rajesh announced his plan to buy a new car within a 15 lakh budget. What followed was an intense analysis of the various alternatives he had, the mileage each of them provided, the features which made each one of them stand out in the crowd and many more. No one was remotely interested in the game and Romit was hating every minute of it. What made matters worse was the early own goal which Manchester conceded and ironically none of his friends noticed it ! Romit tried to divert their attention towards the game but to no effect. Rajat was talking about the Ajmal Kasab hanging which caught Suresh and Rajesh in a verbal duel. The cacophony was reaching it's crescendo and Romit couldn't bear it anymore. Excusing himself he got up from the sofa and taking the staircase entered his room.

Cursing his luck and his friends, he closed the shower. He didn't want to go down and listen to their incessant banter about Alps, cars or death penalty. What he wanted was some peace of mind to watch the match. And suddenly the moment of eureka occurred. He rushed back to his room, grabbed the cell phone and locked himself inside the loo. Sitting on the pot, he cursed himself. He should have thought about this earlier. He opened the Star Sports mobile app HotStar and well Manchester was leading the game, two goals to one.

Story 12

The ultimatum from Chinese government was plain and simple. Indians had to evacuate the Chinese occupied land by midnight. The growing stature of India have made the Chinese government insecure and they were not willing to cede their land to the growing power.
Already the Islamic National Union has attacked America and Russia. With the support of a number of South Asian countries, the Islamic National Union has grown stronger. Once popular as ISIS, they have declared war against humanity and no one was to be spared this time. The historians predicted that this could well be the start of the end. The final battle of human existence because everyone was as powerful as they wanted to be.
The Chinese government was reading the situation very carefully. The recent camaraderie between Iran and India has made them think that India might end up being diplomatic, which they have so often been, and give in all the necessary informations which China has trusted India with. As the protests among the Chinese started to grow India was also quick to retaliate. In a press conference the Indian government made it clear that they won't be responsible for any any Chinese citizens residing in the southern region of India, which was considered to be a stronghold of Chinese immigrants. They justified their action by stating the need to prioritize in this hour of need and right now it was more important to save their countrymen. Even the Marxists, who were strongly influenced by the Chinese communist ideologies, supported the government's decision terming it to be "more of a national issue which stood above petty party politics".
The deadline was drawing near. The Indians residing in Chinese were slowly moving out. Those who were willing to defy were served with government notice of deportation. There was no way out but to start the journey back. The airlines were becoming unreliable. Most of them ended up being hijacked and for these immigrants, there was no surety whether they would ever be able to see the light of the day. Similar scenes ensued in India as thousands of Chinese prepared to leave. Tears were becoming uncontrollable, the kids were shouting, humanity was questioned, Islamic National Union had bombed France.
The Chinese septuagenarian was standing quietly  in the departmental store, oblivious to what was happening outside. He was already past his prime and couldn't care less for his life. He had to find the tin food for his 8 months old grand daughter because she wouldn't stop crying.

Story 11

India :
Who would have thought that the remains of the Harappan Civilization would have been found by a cock. For all those who have been thinking otherwise, five hens and twenty cocks has been credited for discovering the last traces of Harappan Civilization. Historians have been in search of some final clues which will complete the remaining puzzle of the ancient civilization. It has been reported, during their journey they had come across a pillar of boulders which attracted the historians attention. The structural uniqueness made them halt their journey and study the boulders. On enquiring, the localites stated the existence of these boulders since the time of their birth. Amused by this the historians started collecting some boulder samples when the cock came into picture. The historians noticed that the cock squeezed in within a small space between the boulders. Curious historians called upon local poultry owners who with their expertise managed to bring out a number of hens and cocks, literally out of thin air. Intrigued by the existence of these living beings the historians remained on site for a couple of days. With the help of the government they managed to remove the boulders and found a magnificent underground chamber filled with traces of Harappan existence.

 Spain :
Hundreds of men, young and old, thronged the streets of Sevilla to protest the ban on fishing. In a recent order passed by the Spanish government, fishing has been considered illegal in the state of Sevilla. The order is mainly on the basis of a scientific experiment conducted by a group of Indian scientists who have infused philosophy with meta physics and has concluded that the fishes procured from Sevilla will prevent Spain from lifting the football world cup this year. The Spanish government have felicitated them and may infer honorary doctorate for their contribution to Spanish football. While the men protested on street to preserve their right, many confessed that their wives thought they were in West Wales pleading to the media not to disclose their name, the Spanish football team were in high spirits as they felt assured of at least a second round entry, contrary to what happened last year.

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Story 10

The only train which crosses this station is a cargo carrier which whistles pass at 5:30 in the evening. Apart from it, this platform is desolate. Few would want a posting here but then Mr. Koogan specifically requested the senior officers to post him here, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the administration. Koogan loved the peace which this platform brought. Set far away from the humdrum of the city he enjoyed every bit of it. He was always like this - a peace loving, boring soul.

There was nothing special about today. He waved the green flag as the train whistled passed him. The silence haunted the platform but Koogan lovingly referred to it as the "Sound of Silence" his favorite soundtrack from his favorite film, The Graduate. As he sat down on the chair, lighting a pipe, he was mesmerized by the beauty of the sky. Overjoyed, he spoke out loud,"Aah ! You beauty !" "Are you talking to me ?" Koogan literally jumped out of his skin. He never knew that sky could speak. Flabbergasted, he asked aloud, "Who and where the hell are you ?" 'Right behind your back" came the reply. Turning back, he saw a guy with a cloak and helmet like structure around his face. He had never seen someone as obnoxious as this guy. "Halloween came early. Eh ?" he asked the stranger. The flat voice replied, "I think you got me wrong. I am Darth Vadar." "Your parents didn't find a better name? Eh Sonny ? I am in no mood for a joke. What the hell do you want ?", the irritation was predominant in Koogan's voice. "I am Darth Vadar. And you don't know me ? Half of the world knows my dialogues, I am a continuous reference in most of the films, sitcoms. Probably I am the best thing which happened to literature. And still you don't know me ?" "Why do I need to know you?" Koogan asked exasperatedly. Darth Vadar sighed. "They were right. The story is untold to many." And with one deep, long breath Darth Vadar started the story of  his journey. The story of Star Wars.

And this is what Netflix does the best. Brings the movie home.

Story 9

Kishukey Marasami was running down the road. He had no clue where he was but he knew the only way to survive now was to run.

The enemies have attacked the world and they have spared not a single square meter of space from their planned massacre. The scientists had predicted that the Kryptos will attack the world but no one believed that the prophecy will come true so early. The world was eager to know about the Kryptos back then. Many had questioned the sanity of the scientists as they believed that the prolonged scientific research (successful) on curability of cancer has resulted in the lack of job opportunities for most of the scientist. Because there was nothing left to be invented. Everything and anything was available now. Whatever has been the needs of homo sapiens have been provided by the scientists. The last wish was eradication of cancer and with the achievement of that the average life expectancy of human was considered to be 1000 years now. But the scientists had warned that earth will meet it's death. This utopian scenario of existence was just the trigger for the culmination of civilization. The satellites predicted an attack from Kryptonite a smaller 'pseudo earth' structure which was inhabited by these greazy, smelly, one eyed Kryptos. They were just waiting for a chance to conquer the world.

As Kishukey ran towards a godown one of the Kryptos attacked him. The martial arts expert in him tried to counter the attack. But whatever he threw at them, these greasy fellows would not give up. Kishukey heard women screaming, kids running past him. Fear got the better of him as he turned back and decided to run. Pushing the gates inside, he entered the godown. A crane was putting a huge box inside a jizomo, the advanced version of once popular aeroplane. Kishukey leaped inside the box and fell on a bohemian old man who smiled and told him that he was on his way to the Kumbh Mela in India when Kryptos attacked. He managed to get inside this huge box and since then he has never felt so much safe. As it went inside the jizomo Kishukey saw a huge number of people inside jostling for a bit of space. The jizomo closed and an announcement was made, "Welcome to DHL Express. We try harder."

Story 8

Asif was waiting for his favorite cartoon to come on television. He has been a good boy today which meant he had his lunch at the right time, took a small nap and woke up to complete his arithmetic and english  homework. So the self harbored joy of responsibly executing the given tasks made this 8 year old boy bask in self pride. He knew Abba will be very happy today. And as a reward, he will make him sit on his shoulder and will play the "Fly Plane" game, his favorite.

As he cuddled up on sofa waiting for the commercial to end he looked at his mother's photo which hung on the wall. He was 6 when his mother passed away. He was too young to understand the concept of death. He cried like any other kid would have. But deep in his heart he thought that Ammi must have been angry with him for not having the bananas in the morning, which he was suppose to have before going to school. He truly believed that Ammi would come back and scold him. She would slap him hard but after few minutes she would hug and kiss him. He could smell Ammi and believed that she would come back. "She must have gone somewhere in a taxi" was what Asif thought as he conveniently replaced 'hit by a taxi' with it. 2 years have passed since then and Ammi hasn't returned yet. On asking Abba a number of times, he once said, "Ammi stays near the stars. She has gone for a trip on a rocket and will come back soon." The game of "Fly Plane" was a way of getting near Ammi. That's what Asif thought. But he knew his mother will never come back. Death has taken her away from him and 'the bad Death guy' will never give Ammi  back.

As the Popeye tune started playing in the television Asif's thought got diverted.He smiled seeing Olive Oil and Popeye. He loved it when Popeye gulped a can of spinach and flexed his muscles. Bluto could never give the sailor man a fight. But something was wrong today. The picture was not as clear as it should be. Asif surfed a few channels to see what the problem was and finally on returning to his cartoon channel he saw Popeye trying to find a snail in his spinach. He laughed. The picture quality was much better now as Asif settled down comfortably to watch Popeye, the sailor man. What he didn't notice while surfing the channels was the breaking news which they were flashing. Taliban has captured 5 citizens and kept them at gun point. Asif's dad was one of them. 

Story 7

The house was in a real mess. There were beer bottles everywhere. Scattered newspapers here and there along with cigarette stubs added to the mess. Stench from the sink full of unwashed dishes was unbearable. Anyone with a basic sense of hygiene would have been rendered unconscious at the very site of it.

On the dining table, few packets of chips along with some half eaten cakes lay scattered.  A minute observation will lead to a half eaten, rotten pomegranate lying at the corner of the table which by now has been swarmed by an army of ants. 

The bedroom had an eerie feeling about it. There was a peculiar smell about the place. As a packet of cigarettes lay on the floor the laptop on the bed gave it's final warning of shutting down courtesy a dying battery. As the brightness of the screen gradually diminished with every minute, the writing became bleaker "Family Incest - XXX Porn". A bundle of tissue paper tossed on the floor suggested that the viewing was worth it.

A huge container of glue lay open at the dining room. A packet around the mouth of it suggested that someone loved the high which the smell of the glue provided. The television was on mute with Sunny Leone gyrating to the Baby Doll number. On the floor pillows were scattered here and there and a half lit cigarette was left on the ashtray.

Finally a huge fart broke the silence. Manish came and sat down on the floor which was followed huge burp. He opened the mosquito repellent and started applying it all over his body. These bloody mosquitoes were not letting him sit in peace. Suddenly the phone rang, " I have reached home. The traffic was terrible here. Thankfully Baba came with his car." "The traffic was never good at your place. Now you have reached home, relax and enjoy" replied Manish. "You are in office ?" asked his wife. "Yes. Listen will get back to you later. Boss is calling me now. Bye." Hanging up he increased the volume of his television. They were showing a repeat telecast of the swimsuit model hunt. Manish smiled to himself. 20 years of marriage and this was the first time he applied for a long leave. Just to be with himself. 

Story 6

"The kingdom of Laspberry was a sight to behold. Set amidst a water body, cocolaya was the only mode of transportation in this kingdom. The cocolaya, which was designed when King Hunaku was in power, was a boat made out of coir. These small boats had the capacity to ferry not more than two passengers at a time. With a population which was not more than two hundred, Laspeberry was indeed a small kingdom. The cultivation of grapes and berry was the primary source of livelihood for the people of the country.The kingdom reached it's pinnacle of success when King Hunaku was in power. An adept administrator he ensured that the kingdom earned sufficient gold to sustain itself in any economic crisis. His wife, Queen Redra, passed away while giving birth to their son, Pikachu. Queen Redra was nothing short of an angel. Everyday she used to come for dinner wearing a lovely red gown which further magnified her glamour.
Pikachu was very young when King Hunaku passed away. Many claimed that a poisonous Bloody Mary was responsible for the king's death but it could never be proved. When 12 year old Pikachu took over his father's throne, the sheer responsibility and magnanimity of the position left him flabbergasted. While he was trying to learn the ropes of the trade the people of Laspberry raised the demand of a new queen. Pikachu was not in a state of mind to do so. He was happy with his pet dog Killer and considered the proposal of marriage to be too early for him. But his people would not take no for an answer. As the demand continued to manifest Pikachu gave in and told Luskapuska, King Hunaku's secretary and his guardian, to look for a queen. Within a few days time Luskapuska informed Pikachu that Cliskapisk, the daughter of King Miserypoo, would be a perfect match for him. An able administrator and a taekwondo specialist she would be a perfect choice to take the throne of Queen Redra."

In future, to avoid such stories buy Kindle Paperwhite, available only at Amazon.

Story 5

According to the map, only 200 meters separated me from the Rann of Kutch. The Rann Utsav was about to start in 3 days time and I wanted to reach there at least a day before. I made a mental calculation and assured myself of the feasibility of covering the remaining distance within 2 days time. As I safely tucked the route map in my pouch I felt a sense of pride in what I had achieved till now. Even a few years back, this would have been just an item in the bucket list but then one thing led to another and here I was, almost on the verge of achieving the impossible - yes, that is what they said. Impossible.

The leather jacket felt a bit heavy on my shoulders and the high leather boots made me a bit uncomfortable. But they surely grabbed eyeballs. Whenever I used to halt for a coffee in any roadside dhaba there was a bunch of inquisitive eyes who stared at me. Some smirked. Some passed comments in an effort to denigrate. Some flinched when I lit up a smoke. But all these didn't bother me. They will always look at you irrespective of what you wear and by now I was more than used to it. As Chhotey, which is a name given to each and every kid who works in a roadside dhaba, came with  the cup of coffee he looked at me in bewilderment. The innocent eyes were fixed on me as I smiled at him. He smiled back and with one final glance, left.

My hair was tied in a bunch. I didn't get the chance to shampoo my hair for almost 4 days now  and the possibility of doing so in the next few days was also bleak. Born to a middle class family in Mumbai, I was a pampered kid. Like any other girl I loved to wear shorts and dresses. Partying was a way of life then. My parents never stopped me from doing anything as my academics never gave them the opportunity to so. I had my share of flings and lost my virginity at the age of 15 with my tuition teacher who was 29 years elder to me. I had no regrets about my life till now and hopefully will never have so in future. So when I left my lucrative job at Barclays to fulfill my bucket list my parents were not shocked but like always my relatives were.  They have always been for the past 28 years.

As I paid the money and headed towards my bike I checked my pouch to see the quantity of weed I was left with. During these cold winter nights marijuana kept me high and going.And most importantly, it kept me warm. Being a woman I lived life the way I wanted to and the rebellion in me always inspired me to do so. As I started my Harley Davidson and headed on to the highway I hummed my favorite Cohen numbers. I knew, "It's not the destination, it's the journey". Yes. It always was.

Story 4

" The things that you need to do for your woman ! " maybe a hackneyed phrase used by the self proclaimed 'not so lucky' committed souls but then you usually don't get to judge them without understanding what they have gone or rather going through. Probably i made the same mistake back then when i used to laugh at all those things which my friends used to do for their girls. I have been warned by them that God will get back at me, fair and square but i never took them seriously. So here i was standing in an over crowded bus with a Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone book in one hand which my girlfriend's 13 year old sister wanted to read as my other hand desperately tried to hold on to something. As the bus screeched to a halt i almost found myself lunging on a middle aged woman. As i desperately tried to control my balance my other hand luckily caught hold of an uncle Slowly i managed to stand back and regained my composure. The aunty gave  me a look as if i was a pervert trying my ways to get into her way. As i imagined newspaper front pages with my face on it and with headlines like " Molester caught on a bus " my weak heart cried out. I looked at the aunty who again gave me that sinister look of "you pervert" made me shrink. As i decided to go a few seats back the bus conductor called out loud the name of the next stop and luckily i had to get down.

After getting down from the bus as i started walking towards her home i felt a vibration in my pocket. There were 2 whatsapp messages from my girl. First one was " Get a condom." And the second one was "Baby, parents have left. Where are you ?". And suddenly everything felt so good. There was a rhythm in my stride as i walked into a medicine shop and asked for a packet of condom. One of the guys shouted to another, "Chatri de. 1 packet." I wondered what condom had to do with umbrellas as i again emphasized that i wanted condom only. The shopkeeper paid no heed to what i said and placed one on the counter. I carefully tucked the packet in my pocket and left the shop.

As she opened the door i felt my heart literally jumping out as my hormones made the most of it. She smiled at me. I returned a sheepish smile and asked for a glass of water. After gulping it down she guided me to her sister's room as her room was in a mess. The wall beside her sister's bed had this huge poster of Chris Evert (apparently her sister played tennis) and it really felt weird as the woman in specs looked upon at us like a primary school teacher. But then who cared. As i brought out the packet of condoms from my pocket i saw the brand. Skore condoms it said. Surely there was a lot to be won.

Story 3

India ( 7:20 P.M.)

Manish was frantically searching for his cell phone. Time was not on his side. The baraat  had already arrived in it's usual style with some of the groom's family dancing to the ever popular bhangra tunes. There was a sense of festivity all over the house, which was beautifully decorated. It had to be. The only daughter of Mr Sampath Khosla was going to get married and the doting father had ensured that almost everything was in place. The grandiose of the ceremony was nothing short of a fairy tale wedding. The invitees had already started coming in, the decorators were making the final minute changes, the hosts were trying to cross check everything for the final time - amidst all this hotchpotch, Manish the brother of the bride was locked in his room. As someone knocked his door he shouted, " 10 minutes please." Damn. He needed the cell phone right now. Throwing aside his pillow, he saw his cell phone carefully tucked inside the blanket. He immediately grabbed it. The Manchester United home page had a very tired glow about it, as Manish unlocked the cell phone and immediately launched the Google Chrome. The cell phone squeaked in protest. The screen showed that only 9% of the battery life remained. Manish grabbed the adapter and plugged it in. As he sat down with his cell phone and started browsing in a frenzy, someone banged his door again. Young Manish who was still in class 12 wanted to make his didi special and this was his only chance.

Canada (10;15 A.M.)

Rajat was already waiting with his laptop open. He had come to office early today and ensured that a chunk of his work was completed before time.He needed this time for himself. Some thousand miles away his sister, 5 years younger to him, was getting married. He so wanted to be there but his office work kept him away. The rich landscapes of Canada did provide some peace and solace, but deep in his heart Rajat really missed the hustle and bustle of his hometown. The home page in his laptop was taking some time to load and Rajat got really tensed. Though the rules of the land might have changed but the conservative community to which he belonged still demanded hefty dowry. Legal actions resulted in larger embarrassments hence the daughter's family had to comply with it. Though his father had ensured Rajat  that there was nothing to worry about still he felt guilty about not being able to contribute the way he could. And hence he wanted to do something which wouldn't make his father feel bad. As the Mozzila Firefox home page opened up Rajat got busy.


The Flipkart sale has just begun. They have uploaded a crossword puzzle which consists of the names of various products. Five lucky early birds with the correct answers will get all the products for free. All that was needed for the bar code attached attached goods to arrive was just a correctly solved crossword puzzle.

Story 2

She woke up from her slumber. Her immediate reaction was to grab the cell phone and check the time. Damn. It was only 3 in the morning. Still sleep has eluded her. And this overpowering sense of excitement was primarily the reason behind this. Never before a morning has been so important to her. And she could hardly wait.

Getting up from her bed she reached out for her water bottle. Taking a gulp or so, she kept the bottle by her side. "What now ?" she thought. She had to kill time. And sitting on her bed, she was thinking of ways to do so. She took the laptop which was lying carelessly on the bean bag beside her bed. The Game of Thrones home page lightened up her room as she started browsing her movie folders. She didn't even feel like watching a single movie now. Even her favorite SRK was  not able to convince her into doing so ! After a considerable ambiguity about what to watch culminated in sheer boredom she turned off her laptop and threw it on the bean bag. The excitement was reaching a new crescendo. She checked her cell phone again. Nope. Still an hour or so to go for the dawn.

Turning on the table lamp she fished out her school diary from the bedside table. It has been almost 4 years since she has left school. Still those memories are so fresh. As she flipped through the pages she smiled thinking about all the crazy things which she and her friends had done. As memories came running back she kept the diary back, switched off the light and closed her eyes. And as her thoughts traced back to school, she fell off to sleep with a lingering smile.

As the clock struck 7, the speaker of her phone blared the latest Taylor Swift number. Still half asleep, she somehow managed to switch off the alarm and rolled back to sleep. And suddenly, she woke up. Yes. It has what she has been waiting for. The morning had finally arrived. She jumped out of her bed, not being able to control her excitement. She shoved away her curtains and smiled back at the sun. Never before has the smile been so genuine.Right now, she loved the sun. As she rushed back to her washroom to get ready for college, she simply couldn't control herself.

And how could she ? Finally the wait was over. After an hour or so, the Maggi Risotto will finally be waiting for her on the lunch table. It has been long since they have met. And she was thanking her stars. 

Story 1

He was running frantically. The scooty just zipped passed him. A little bit of deliberation from the driver, would have certainly resulted in an accident. Honestly, you couldn't blame the driver. The man, was just running through the middle of the road. The honks were more of a cadence to his ear than cacophony !

Mr. Das had just arrived in the tea shop. An Independence Day morning to an Indian is nothing more than lazing out, a bit of apprehension about how the "country" is being run,some  philosophical questions about what independence really means and what it has come to. Basically, Independence Day was all about deriding our basic existential requirement : Freedom. And Mr, Das had just started doing that. He was in a good mood today because Mondays don't usually turn out to be such a lazy one ! After a lot of pestering from his friends, he fished out  twenty rupees from his pocket and told Chote, the kid who worked in the tea stall, to bring 4 samosas and 2 cups of tea.

As he was running in a frenzy, the local people stared at him. You usually don't come across a full grown man, running like this on a broad daylight. Many deduced him to be mad. Some of the women commented that he must be a drunkard and immediately started thinking about the pain and hardships which his wife and children must go through. But he, was not even bothered. He was running as if, it was the last run of his life, the run which will promise him the dawn of freedom, the run which will obliterate all the hardships from his life, the run which will make him escape from all the frugal reasons of existence. And then there was a crash.

Mr.Das almost spilled the tea on his white, starched kurta. As the crowd gathered around, Mr. Das gathered some momentum to reach the spot. On his way, he caught hold of a guy, who said that a guy was running and he didn't see that the cycle was taking a turn. The overwhelming speed of the man, toppled down both of them. As Mr. Das walked towards the spot, he heard the mob shouting something, as he saw a guy desperately running. The blood soaked shirt was flapping in the wind. But he didn't even turn back.

He just ran. And while doing so, checked his pocket. No it was safe. The small football which he bought for his 2 year old son. He had promised him for a game of football and he must keep his words.