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
At the open house of Vidya Niketan School, all students sat in uncomfortable silence. Most of them were with their mothers. Some of them were with their fathers. They waited for the class teacher to call them. They dreaded the impending discussion about their performance. Most of them wondered why this day existed. Some of … Read more
The jeep passed his hutment. Malik and his wife were standing in front of it chatting with a couple of friends. Even from a distance, he could sense that the tourists sitting inside the jeep turned their necks. Some of them were discreet. But everyone wanted to catch a glance of the oddity in front … 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
She told them that she started bleeding due to him. They told her she shouldn’t have been there at that time of the night. She was a young woman. From a good family. She should have known better. She had a life ahead of her. She should have been careful. She told them that she … 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