Fiction

                                                The Grit. She was a charming woman in her  mid thirtees but not showing it.Her wide mouth contained two   fresh rows of teeth which shone when she  talked. She always covered her head quite  deftly with a dupatta  which  never slid away.Mona liked  the rhythmic shaking of her head when she was busy talking.Her voice was  of one flat tone. She never cared to modulate  it which could empower her to join  the persecuted class of womenhood  who  used it as a lethal and perennial  weapon to subjugate the men in their lives but this woman   seemed to be knowing her worth which had stopped her from playing   second fiddle to her husband. There seemed to be no wavering  in  her confidence and self assertion.This she convey...

                                                                   Folks I got busy in The Humdrum The people at the far ends and the near ends are waiting.I am sorry folks I got busy in the humdrum of the earthy thing. Sometimes you have to shield your intimate self and be there to perform the perfunctory jobs of this transient world.But all along I missed you.A sneak peep into my internet would show the exasperation of my viewers.The viewer graph fell flat almost meeting the base line. There  was  a rush at the airport.It was  quite early.He had gone to receive  his son who was  arriving from abroad..His child like enthusiasm had wrapped his entire persona.He was anxiously checking the incoming flts on the monitor.He got fascinated by the rapid movement of the flts being displayed. He fi...

                                                THE  OUTSIDER She saw before her a vast stretch of  landscape.  A huge garden stretching out to vast  spaces  .It   turminated  at  the  farthest  end  where  one could see a wide and deep well. The  well  looked ancient  and deeply ambushed by the  exotic  growths around it.  It   almost  took  an idyllic hue. It had the  old  water hauling  contraption. A long tilted wooden pole with a  bucket  hanging  on the other end. She would  pull  at  the rope and  push the bucket slowly inside the well. She could not see  it  going down in the darkness of the deep down. It was quite scary. She always waited for the bucket to hit...

                                      The Fall In the resplendence of Indian spring there was a flurry of a different kind. The whole atmosphere seemed to be intoxicated.The entire stretches of India Gate were cordoned off and decked up like a royal bride of yore whose clan reigned over the hoi  ploi,  the mangy creeping creatures who were the keepers of these fattening  lousy  maggots who with a gargantuan lust devoured everything which appeared on this mother earth  material , ethereal , anything which they took fancy to.The king has gone?No he is in the time wrap and is spawning the screwed replicas of his alter ego. The national flags were fluttering in the bright gravels of  India  Gate  and there was  excitement  in the air.  It was for the first time the sitting head of the most powerful part of the world had consented to...

                                         Atrophy Atrophy,  atrophy  of what? My senses,  my worth,  my cognition or my entire wajood? Pooja was sighting the vast Red Rock Canyon  with deep cliff walls.They  looked formidable with irregular tiers covering the entire landscape like a crawling  alligator which had  muddy folds squeezing in and out  sometimes  static or fluid.They had motored the whole way  and were bound for LA.She found herself amidst the greyest possible mountain ranges  desolate, bald and bare.Scary to the aesthetics of even a person of indifferent sensibilities. Not a single green blade of any genre was visible.She scanned it more intently looking to the farthest horizons  touching the fringes of the haggard mountain range...

                                             The Two Banks I am running  breathlessly through the narrow lane which leads to the river front.It is the jehlum river.Its murky waters flow in swathes and the undulating waves seem to be squeezing  alongside.I want to take my seat which I guard zealously everyday.It is the last step leading to   the river where it touches the flowing waters.The stone has a bright glaze to it.It is smooth yet holds one securely.I take the seat  and hold my breath to easy pace.Before me 0pens up the entire world of nascent joys.I can see the bank opposite me.There usually is a great activity going on.It also has a ramshackle enclosure which is open at the top and the lower end.I always have a curiosity about what might be going on there.But the maximum I could see was t...

                                                       The Juggler The din and tussle of everyday life is  haunting .Celebrations  what are they? she was sitting, her back resting against the pillows which she always kept propped up against the bed stead.Her  smart phone was clanging incessantly .It was a harrowing experience  for her now.There were times when she hankered for a single clang of this demoniac instrument. The first msg beamed to her raised her palpitations to new heights.It was altogether  a different feeling .She carried it along everywhere so that she did not miss a single beap  and not be guilty of ignoring the sender.But more than that it was the fear of being left out  if she delayed responding. It fed her self esteem.She responded to each and every msg sent or any recycled ...