At 4 PM Sri heard the thud of the basketball on the external wall of his house, and it shook him. He tried to neglect it, but he couldn’t. He tried to focus on his work, but he couldn’t concentrate. The basketball thuds kept getting louder. The screams of the boys accompanied the thuds. The … Read more
Mrs R stepped out and, with her, followed the dog that she had named Dash because he ran so fast. Mrs R stepped out of the apartment gate. That is because she remembered that her son had told her that the community had prohibited feeding stray dogs within its compound. “Come Dash,” Mrs R said, … Read more
At around 4 AM, 81-year-old Venugopal woke up in shock with cold sweat. He had seen a dream and remembered it vividly. In that dream, he saw that he and his ailing wife Nalini were on a train journey. He didn’t quite remember where that journey started from. But he remembered that they were having … Read more
At the red signal, with 76 seconds left for green, he felt someone touch his feet inside the auto rickshaw. He turned to look at his left. A girl in tattered rags, running nose and dishevelled hair stood there with a small board in her hand. It surprised him that she spoke in English. He … Read more
I see Ram Pyaare Yadav park his two-wheeler a few meters away from my shop. It is a three-wheeler actually, with brakes, gears, and the accelerator near his hand. There is a row of small chappal shops lining the lane at the end of which he parks it. Ram Pyaare Yadav doesn’t stop at any … Read more
The Academy of the Heart and Mind first published this story “My Friend Vishal” in their issue in May 2021. This is a story narrated in first person of a man and his relationship with a close but not-so-close friend Vishal over the years. You can also read it at the website of the Magazine … Read more
Rajappa got ready and put on his helmet. He sat on his bicycle, started riding it, and soon reached the apartment complex. Rajappa must have been the only person who wore a helmet while riding a bicycle. He never forgot it. He was called Helmet Uncle by the kids wherever he went for the past … Read more