Short Stories

After two decades as a teacher, Professor Amar knew that the first class after lunch was always a problem. Students never attended it. But of late, he had seen attendance dwindling even for his 10.30 AM class. He reached the logical conclusion that the timing was not the only problem. He sometimes wondered – was … Read more

On most days, for him, a happy start to a good day depended on a nice, relaxed breakfast. “Does my room include breakfast?” he asked the person at the other end of room service. “Yes, Sir, it is on the first floor,” the person said. He loitered around for a while in his room. He … Read more

I sometimes wonder if people are crazy or from some other planet. But I am not complaining. Why should I? Not at all. After all, what more would a simple man like me want? All that I do nowadays is to sit in my farm, cook my food and eat it with my near and … Read more

The new flight attendant smiled at each passenger. She said good morning to every one of them as they entered the plane, one by one. It was a laboured smile, but no one noticed. Some neglected it, some smiled back. Everyone passed her by and walked toward their seat. Their eyes searched for it watching … Read more

“Liberation is what we call it, Sir. They had the cheek to called it invasion!” Manoj Kumar, the guide said. He broke into his characteristic loud guffaw that reverberated in the empty surroundings. I watched him shake his head in disbelief as if he had lived the history. “A small request for help turned out … Read more

At the red signal, with 76 seconds left for green, he felt someone touch his feet inside the autorickshaw. He turned to look at his left. A girl in tattered rags, an overflowing nose and dishevelled hair stood there with a small board in her hand. It surprised him that she spoke in English. He … Read more

“The next ninety seconds are very critical,” Santosh Kumar told his friend as he waited for the green to turn amber and then red at Ejipura signal in Bangalore. As soon as the green turned to amber, he stood up with his wares and had a quick look at the three bikers who were nearing … Read more

“It is time for me to get ready,” Nandita told her mother after close to an hour on the phone. “Is it 6 pm already?” her mother turned her neck to see the wall clock. “Yes, dear, it is.” Nandita knew it was time for her Sunday dinner at the house of the eldest sister … Read more

Pankaj Mehra waited with bated breath in the lobby on the mezzanine floor of the luxury hotel. On the surface, he ambled along. He took measured steps, adjusting his jacket every time he reached one end of the lobby. He tried to look as if he was waiting for someone important for a business meeting. … Read more