Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: DEAD END – A Real Estate Crime Story.
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Posts Tagged ‘english’
DEAD END – A Fiction Short Story
December 26, 2012Posted in creative, english, fiction, india, indian, karve, novel, online, pune, short, stories, story, travel, vikram, vikram karve, vikram waman karve, women, writing | Tags: anthology, blog, crime, english, fiction, india, indian, internet, karve, literary, literature, online, pune, reading, rural, stories, vikram, vikram karve, writing | Leave a Comment »
KETTI – a travel romance by Vikram Karve
May 28, 2011KETTI
Short Fiction – A Travel Tale
By
VIKRAM KARVE
From my Creative Writing Archives:
Short Fiction – A Simple Love Story I wrote sometime in the 1990s …
Winter.
Early morning.
Chill in the air.
I stand alone on the metre gauge side of the lonely island platform of Mettupalaiyam Railway Station and stare at the peaks of the Blue Mountains (the Nilgiris) silhouetted in a veil of mist in the distance.
Nothing much has changed here since the last time I came here on my way to Ooty.
It was almost 30 years ago and even now the place, the things, the people – everything looks the same – as if frozen in time.
But for me there is a world of difference.
Then I was a young bride, full of inchoate zest, in the company of my handsome husband, eagerly looking forward to the romantic journey on the toy train of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway on my way to our honeymoon at Ooty.
Then, on my way to my honeymoon, the place felt so exciting.
Now it feels so gloomy.
Strange.
But true.
What’s outside just doesn’t matter; it is what is inside that matters.
I try not to reminisce.
Remembering good times when I am in misery causes me unimaginable agony.
I look at my watch.
7.30 A.M.
The small blue toy train pushed by its hissing steam engine comes on the platform.
Dot on time.
As it was then.
The same chill in the air. The same February morning – the 14th of February – Valentine’s Day.
Then I had the loving warmth of my husband’s arm around me.
Now I feel the bitter cold penetrating within me.
I drag my feet across the platform towards the mountain train – then they called it The Blue Mountain Express – now I don’t know.
Scared, anxious, fear in my stomach, I experience a strange uneasiness, a sense of foreboding, a feeling of ominous helplessness – wondering what my new life would have in store for me.
I sit alone in the First Class compartment right in front of the train and wait for the train to start – the train which is going to take me to the point to no return.
I wish that all this is just a dream.
But I know it is not.
And suddenly, Avinash enters.
We stare at each other in disbelief.
Time stands still.
There is silence, a grotesque silence, till Avinash speaks, “Roopa! What are you doing here?”
I do not answer.
Because I cannot answer.
I am struck dumb, swept by a wave of melancholic despair.
My vocal cords numbed by emotional pain.
I look ineffectually and forlornly at Avinash and I realize that there is no greater pain than to remember happier times when in distress.
“You look good when you get emotional,” Avinash says sitting opposite me.
In the vulnerable emotional state that I am in, I know that I will have a breakdown if I continue sitting with Avinash.
I want to get out, run away; but suddenly, the train moves.
I am trapped.
So I decide to put on a brave front, and say to Avinash, “Coming from Chennai?”
“Yes,” he says, “I’d gone for some work there.”
“You stay here? In Ooty?” I ask with a tremor of trepidation for I do not want to run into Avinash again and again; and let him know that I had made a big mistake by not marrying him – that I had made the wrong choice by dumping him, the man I loved, in search of a “better” life.
“I stay near Kotagiri,” Avinash says.
“Kotagiri?” I ask relieved.
“Yes, I own a tea-estate there.”
“You own a tea estate?”
“Yes. I am a planter.”
Now I really regret my blunder 30 years ago. Indeed I had made the wrong choice.
“Your family – wife, children?” I probe, curious.
“I didn’t marry,” he says curtly. “There’s no family; only me. A confirmed bachelor – just me – I live all by myself.”
“Oh, Avinash. You should have got married. Why didn’t you?”
“It is strange that you should be asking me why I did not marry,” he says.
“Oh my God! Because of me?”
Avinash changes the subject and says, “I’ll be getting off at Coonoor. My jeep will pick me up.”
He pauses, then asks me, “And you, Roopa? Going to Ooty? At the height of winter! To freeze over there?”
“No,” I say, “I am going to Ketti.”
“Ketti ?” he asks with derisive surprise.
“Yes. What’s wrong with going to Ketti?” I protest.
“There are only two places you can go to in Ketti – The boarding school and the old-age home. And the school is closed in December,” Avinash says nonchalantly, looking out of the window.
I say nothing.
Because I cannot say anything.
So I suffer his words in silence.
“Unless of course you own a bungalow there!” he says sarcastically turning towards me and mocking me once again.
The cat is out of the bag.
I cannot describe the sense of humiliation I feel sitting there with Avinash.
The tables seem to have turned.
Or have they?
There are only the two of us in the tiny compartment.
As the train begins to climb up the hills it began to get windy and Avinash closes the windows.
The smallness of the compartment forces us into a strange sort of intimacy.
I remember the lovely moments with Avinash.
A woman’s first love always has an enduring place in her heart.
“I am sorry if I hurt you,” Avinash says, “but the bitterness just came out.”
We talk.
Avinash is easy to talk to and I am astonished how effortlessly my words come tumbling out.
I tell him everything. Yes, I tell him everything – the entire story of my life.
How I had struggled, sacrificed, planned and taken every care.
But still, everything had gone wrong.
Widowed at 28.
Abandoned by my only son at 52.
Banished to an old-age home. So that “they” could sell off our house and emigrate abroad.
“They” – yes, “they” – those two who ruined my life, betrayed my trust – my only son who I doted upon and lived for and that scheming wife of his.
“I have lost everything,” I cry, unable to control my self. “Avinash, I have lost everything.”
“No, Roopa,” Avinash says. “You haven’t lost everything. You have got me! I’ve got you. We’ve got each other.”
Avinash takes me in his comforting arms.
Cuddled in his arms, I experience the same feeling, the same zest, the same warmth, the same lovely emotion, the same love, that I felt thirty years ago, yes, thirty years ago, as a newly-wed on my first romantic journey, on this same mountain toy train, on my way to my first honeymoon, into the lovely blue mountains.
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2011
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Did you like this story?
I am sure you will like the stories in my recently published book COCKTAIL comprising twenty seven short stories about relationships.
Do try out this delicious, heady and excitingCOCKTAIL.
To know more please click the links below:
Cheers
About Vikram Karve
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures(2008) and is currently working on his novel. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles in magazines and journals for many years before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for almost 14 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse – his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Fiction Short Stories Book
Foodie Book: Appetite for a Stroll
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
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Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve The Efficacy of Marriage Counselling in the Alleviation of Marital Discord
April 1, 2011Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve.
The Efficacy of Marriage Counselling in the Alleviation of Marital Discord
THE EFFICACY OF MARRIAGE COUNSELLING IN THE ALLEVIATION OF MARITAL DISCORD
Fiction Short Story
By
Fiction Short Story
By
VIKRAM KARVE
From my Creative Writing Archives:
Short Fiction – A Story of changing relationships
“Your relationship has become so demoralized by distrust that you two better break up rather than try to patch up.”
“What?”
“Yes. It’s better you split instead of living in perpetual suspicion like this. Why live a lie?”
“How can you say this? You are a marriage counsellor … you are supposed to save marriages, not break them.”
“But then what can I do if you don’t change your attitude?” I said in desperation, “you have to learn to trust your wife … just stop being jealous, suspicious, possessive. Mutual trust is important in a marriage, especially a long distance marriage like yours.”
I looked at the man sitting in front of me.
He was incredibly handsome; mid thirties, maybe forty, well groomed, sharp features accentuated by a smart neatly trimmed beard, clean brown eyes, he looked strong and confident, and his outward appearance betrayed no sign of what was going on inside him.
He looked at me longingly, in a lingering sort of way that women secretly want men to look at them.
I blushed, felt good, but quickly composed myself.
In such vulnerable situations anything could happen and I had to be careful, so I said to him in a firm dispassionate tone, “I think you better go now. It’s time for your flight.”
“It’s delayed.”
“You’re sure?”
“Of course. I’m the pilot – the commander of the aircraft. I’ve to report after an hour.”
“I’ll leave? It’s almost check-in time.”
“No! No! Please stay. There’s still two hours for your flight toLondon . I’ll get you checked-in. There’s something I want to tell you,” he pleaded, “I’ll order some more coffee.”
The airport restaurant was deserted at this late hour and wore a dark, eerie look, with just a few people huddled in muted whispers.
“I want to thank you for giving me this special appointment – agreeing to meet me here at such short notice,” he said.
“It’s okay. It was quite convenient for both of us, enroute catching our flights. A nice quiet discreet place, this airport restaurant.”
He paused for a moment, then spoke guiltily, “I did something terrible today.”
“What?”
“I stole my wife’s cell-phone.”
“Stole?”
“Yes.”
“You stole your wife’s mobile?”
“Yes. Just before I left. I took it from her purse. She was fast asleep.”
“This is too much! Stealing your wife’s mobile. That was the most despicable thing to do. I don’t think we should talk any more. You need some serious help,” I said, gulped down my coffee and started to get up.
“No! No! Please listen. It’s those tell-tale SMS messages!”
“SMS messages?”
“From ‘Teddy Bear’.”
“Teddy Bear?”
“Someone she knows. ‘Teddy Bear’. She’s saved his number. She keeps getting these SMSs, which she erases immediately.
“This ‘Teddy Bear’ SMSs your wife?”
“Yes. I think they are having a good time right behind my back the moment I take off on a flight. This ‘Teddy Bear’ and my wife. This evening when she was bathing while I was getting ready to leave for the airport, her cell-phone was lying on the bed, an SMS came from ‘Teddy Bear’ : “I am yearning for you. SPST.”
“SPST? What’s that?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I called the number. A male voice said: ‘Hi Sugar!’ Just imagine, he calls her ‘Sugar’. I hung up in disgust immediately. Then during dinner she kept getting calls and SMSs – must be the same chap: ‘Teddy Bear’.”
“Your wife spoke to him?”
“No. She looked at the number and cut it off. Four or five times. Then she switched her mobile to silent and put in her purse.”
“You asked her who it was?”
“No.”
“You should have. It may have been a colleague, a friend. That’s your problem – you keep imagining things and have stopped communicating with her. Ask her next time and I’m sure everything will clear up.”
“No! No! I am sure she is having an affair with this ‘Teddy Bear’ chap. Had it not been for the last minute delay in my flight, I wouldn’t have been home at that time.” he said. And then suddenly he broke down, tears pouring down his cheeks, his voice uncontrollable, “The moment I take off, she starts cheating on me.”
It was a bizarre sight. A tough looking man totally shattered, weeping inconsolably.
“Please,” I said, “control yourself. And you better not fly in this state.”
“I think you’re right,” he said recovering his composure, “I’m in no mood to fly.”
He took out a cell-phone from his shirt pocket, dialled the standby pilot and a few other numbers and told them he was unwell and was going off the roster.
He kept the mobile phone on the table.
“Your wife’s cell-phone?” I asked pointing to the sleek mobile phone he had kept on the table.
“Yes.”
“She’ll be missing it.”
“No. She’ll be fast asleep. I’ll go back and put it in her purse.”
We sat for some time in silence. It appeared he was in a trance, a vacuous look in his eyes. Years of counselling had taught me that in such moments it was best to say nothing. So I just picked up my cup and sipped what remained of my coffee.
Suddenly he got up and said, “I think I’ll go home,” and
he quickly turned and walked away.It was only after he had gone, as I kept my coffee cup back on the table, that I noticed that he had forgotten
the cell-phone on the table, his unfaithful wife’s cell-phone.An idea struck me.
At first I was a bit hesitant; then curiosity took charge of me and I picked it the mobile phone.
Hurriedly I clicked on ‘names’, pressed ‘T’, quickly found‘Teddy Bear’ and pressed the call button.
A few rings and I instantly recognized my husband’s baritone voice at the other end, “Hey Sugar, where are you? Why aren’t you answering? Did you get my SMS – ‘SPST’ – ‘Same Place Same Time’. Why did you give me a blank call?…..”
I couldn’t believe this. My dear own husband – ‘Teddy Bear’. Right under my nose. It was unimaginable, incredulous.
I felt shattered. My very own world came tumbling down like a pack of cards.
I cannot begin to describe the emotions that overwhelmed me at that moment, but I’ll tell you what I did.
I put the cell-phone in my purse, walked briskly to the check-in counter without looking back, quickly checked in, and boarded the flight; and, Dear Reader, as you read this, at this very moment, I am on my way to London to present my research paper on ‘ The efficacy of marriage counselling in the alleviation of marital discord ’ at the International Conference of Counsellors.
And till I return, let everyone here stew in suspense.
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2011
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
VIKRAM KARVE educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale, and Bishop’s School Pune, is an Electronics and Communications Engineer by profession, a Human Resource Manager and Trainer by occupation, a Teacher by vocation, a Creative Writer by inclination and a Foodie by passion. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles in magazines and journals for many years before the advent of blogging. His delicious foodie blogs have been compiled in a book “Appetite for a Stroll”. A collection of his short stories about relationships titled COCKTAIL has been published and Vikram is currently busy writing his first novel and with his teaching and training assignments. Vikram lives in Pune with his family and his muse – his pet DobermanX girl Sherry, with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Short Stories Book:
COCKTAIL – Short Stories about Relationships By VIKRAM KARVE
APK PUBLISHERS (They ship overseas too)
Foodie Book:
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Posted in creative, english, ezine, fiction, food, india, indian, karve, literature, novel, online, pune, short, stories, story, travel, vikram, vikram karve, vikram waman karve, women, writing | Tags: affair, anthology, author, blog, book, books, cocktail, conflict, counsel, counseling, counselor, creative, dating, discord, divorce, eauthor, english, family, fiction, genre, guide, humor, india, indian, karve, love, marital, marriage, matrimonial, mumbai, network, novel, novella, online, parenting, plot, pune, relationship, relationships, romance, short, social, stories, story, tale, therapy, travel, urban, vikram, vikram karve, wakad, writer, writing | Leave a Comment »
Vikram Karve: SOCIAL NETWORKING – THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
February 12, 2011Vikram Karve: SOCIAL NETWORKING – THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS.
Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: SOCIAL NETWORKING – THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
SOCIAL NETWORKING – THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
CYBER SPACE and VIRTUAL REALITY
VIRTUAL REALITY
A Mulla Nasrudin Story
By
VIKRAM KARVE
Thanks to the advent of the internet, now-a-days, we have the opportunity to live in two worlds, the real world and the virtual world, and have two identities, online and offline, maintain two lives, one in real space and one in cyberspace, and have two kinds of friends, even relationships, virtual and real, offline and online.
Internet is a great tool for social networking and it enables us to live two lives and enjoy the benefits of instant interaction and friendships across the globe and facilitates us to enjoy the best of both worlds.
It is good to have the best of both worlds, the real and the virtual, as long as you maintain a balance.
Here is one of my favourite Mulla Nasrudin stories which exemplifies this …
Mulla Nasrudin bought a beautiful house at a picturesque place far away from civilization high up in the hills.
From time to time he would suddenly pack his bags, leave the city, and go away to his house in the hills, disappearing for days, sometimes for weeks, sometimes for months.
And just as suddenly as he used to disappear, he used to unpredictably return back to the city, suddenly, without any warning or notice.
When asked the reason for his erratic and whimsical behaviour, Nasrudin explained:
“I have kept a caretaker woman up there in the hills to look after my house. She is the ugliest woman – horrible, repulsive, hideous, and nauseating. Just one look at her and one feels like vomiting.
When I go to live there, at first she looks horrible. But slowly, slowly, after a few lonely days, she is not so horrible. Then after some more desolate forlorn days, she doesn’t seem that undesirable. And as more and more time passes in lonesome seclusion, a day comes when I start seeing some beauty in her.
The day I start seeing beauty in that horrid woman I know that it is time to escape from my virtual world in the hills.
The day I start getting attracted to the hideous woman means enough is enough – I have lived away from the real world for too long – now even this horrible revolting woman has started looking beautiful.
I may even fall in love with this ghastly ugly repugnant woman – that’s dangerous.
Enough is Enough… Enough of the virtual world… it is time to get back to the real world…
So I pack up my things and rush back to the city.”
Dear Reader:
Has your Virtual World, your cyber space, your second life, started looking a bit too “beautiful”…?
Are you spending more time in cyberspace, social networking and interacting with your virtual friends, rather than having face to face interactions and communication with your immediate flesh and blood friends in real space?
Is there an imbalance? Are your virtual relationships overwhelming and taking precedence over your real relationships?
Are you losing touch with reality?
Maybe it is time for you to return back to the Real World, isn’t it…?
Of course, when you get saturated and bored spending too much time in the real world, feel suffocated with relationships in the Real World, you can always go back to the virtual world, your alter ego, and enjoy the best of both worlds, alternating and switching over between both your lives, online and offline, just like Mulla Nasrudin does between the city and the hill-station!
Social Networking gives you a lot of pleasure and satisfaction and internet a great tool for building relationships. It is good to have the best of both worlds, the real and the virtual, as long as you maintain a balance living your life in real space and cyber space.
Good Bye, take care…
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2010
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
VIKRAM KARVE educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale, and Bishop’s School Pune, is an Electronics and Communications Engineer by profession, a Human Resource Manager and Trainer by occupation, a Teacher by vocation, a Creative Writer by inclination and a Foodie by passion. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles in magazines and journals for many years before the advent of blogging. He has written a foodie book Appetite For A Stroll and a book of fiction short stories COCKTAIL which is being published soon and is currently busy writing his first novel. Vikram lives in Pune with his family and pet Doberman girl Sherry, with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile of Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Professional Profile of Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Creative Writing by Vikram Karve: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@sify.com
http://shopping.sify.com/appetiteforastroll-vikram-karve/books/9788190690096.htm
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Posted in creative, english, ezine, fiction, food, india, indian, karve, literature, novel, online, pune, sex, short, stories, story, travel, vikram, vikram karve, vikram waman karve, women, writing | Tags: affair, aundh, author, blogger, blogging, book, bpo, creative, cyber, dating, divorce, english, facebook, fiction, friend, friendship, hinjewadi, humor, identity, india, information, infotech, it, karve, life, linkedin, love, marriage, network, online, orkut. email, park, profile, pune, relationship, relationships, romance, second, short, social, space, stories, story, teaching, technology, travel, twitter, vikram, vikram karve, virtual, wakad, web, web 2.0, weblog, world, writing, youtube | Leave a Comment »
Vikram Karve : COCKTAIL – Short Stories about Relationships By VIKRAM KARVE
February 12, 2011
COCKTAIL – Short Stories about Relationships By VIKRAM KARVE
Dear Fellow Bloggers and Friends,
My book titled COCKTAIL – a collection of my fiction short stories is about to be published soon. I will let all of you know the moment it is ready and about the launch. I look forward to your patronage and encouragement. Here is the backcover blurb
Relationships are like cocktails.
Every relationship is a unique labyrinthine melange of emotions, shaken and stirred, and, like each cocktail, has a distinctive flavour and taste.
The twenty-seven stories in this collection explore fascinating aspects of modern day relationships – love, romance, sex, betrayal, marriage, parenting and even pet parenting.
You will relish reading these riveting cocktails of emotions narrated in easy engaging style and once you start reading you will find this delicious “cocktail” unputdownable.
Wish me luck
Vikram Karve
VIKRAM KARVE educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale, and Bishop’s School Pune, is an Electronics and Communications Engineer by profession, a Human Resource Manager and Trainer by occupation, a Teacher by vocation, a Creative Writer by inclination and a Foodie by passion. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles in magazines and journals for many years before the advent of blogging. He has written a foodie book Appetite For A Stroll and a book of fiction short stories COCKTAIL which is being published soon and is currently busy writing his first novel. Vikram lives in Pune with his family and pet Doberman girl Sherry, with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile of Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Professional Profile of Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Creative Writing by Vikram Karve: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@sify.com
http://shopping.sify.com/appetiteforastroll-vikram-karve/books/9788190690096.htm
Posted in creative, english, ezine, fiction, food, india, indian, karve, literature, novel, online, pune, sex, short, stories, story, travel, vikram, vikram karve, vikram waman karve, women, writing | Tags: art of living, aundh, author, baner, bavdhan, bhu, bibwewadi, book, bookstore, bpo, camp, career, character, chic lit, chick lit, city, cocktail, communication, corporate, creative, dating, deccan, deemed, delhi, diat, divorce, dog, eat, ebook, education, electronic, engineering, english, faculty, fiction, food, girinagar, gymkhana, hinjewadi, iipm, IIT, india, indian, infotech, internet, it, itbhu, ites, karve, khadki, kondhwa, launch, library, life, love, lovedale, mall, management, marriage, matrimonial, matrimony, mba, multiplex, mumbai, online, parent, parenting, park, pashan, pet, peth. road, plot, pr, professor, property, pune, queen, relationship, relationships, rohan, rohan tarang, romance, romantic, sadashiv, setting, sex, sexy, shop, short, sindh, single, society, store, stories, story, sus, suspense, tale, tarang, teaching, technology, teen, theme, trainer, travel, university, v karve, v w karve, vikram, vikram karve, vikram waman karve, wakad, women, writer, writing | Leave a Comment »
Creative Writing by Vikram Karve: A POET AND HIS MUSE
February 3, 2011Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: A POET AND HIS MUSE.
A POET AND HIS MUSE
THE CREATIVE ENGINE
Fiction Short Story
By
VIKRAM KARVE
Do you remember the moment when you saw your first creative effort published, your very own words in print, for the world to read?
I do.
It was the happiest moment of my life when I saw my first fiction short story published in the Sunday literary supplement of a newspaper long long back. (Well literary supplements have disappeared long back and today we have page 3 gossip and entertainment news in their place).
Tell me, dear reader, what inspires you to write…?
Do you have a “Creative Engine” – to inspire you and help you unleash your creative talents…?
Some of us may be inspired by a Muse.
Here is a simple Story of a Poet and his Muse. I am sure you will like the story.
Chotte Lal is in seventh heaven, on cloud nine…call it what you like.
But one thing is sure. This is the happiest moment of his life.
Chotte Lal experiences a delightfully beautiful emotion as he looks lovingly at his own words printed on the top left hand corner of the last page of the newspaper.
Chotte Lal experiences an ecstatic feeling of pride, joy, thrill – I really have no words to describe this unique emotion, but if you are a writer, just recall the moment when you saw your first creative effort in print, and you will understand what I mean.
Chotte Lal reads his poem to himself, slowly, deliberately, tenderly, drinking in each word, drowns his self in his creation, in a state of blissful timelessness, till the bookstall owner roughly shakes him out of his idyllic reverie loudly asking for money for the newspaper.
Chotte Lal pays him, and then, continuing to read his own poetry, walks with a spring in his step towards the running room to share his happiness with his colleagues.
And as he strides down the long platform towards his destination, let me tell you a bit about Chotte Lal, the hero of our story, an Engine Driver in the railways.
Chotte Lal’s father was a humble gangman whose life’s ambition was to make his motherless son an Engine Driver.
Everyday as he looked up from his lowly place beside the railway tracks fascinated by the sight of the haughty engine drivers speeding by, roughly snatch the tokens he held up for them, and then rudely throw their tokens kept in small leather pouches mounted on large cane rings at a distance for him to fetch and hand over to the signalman, his resolve became stronger and stronger, and Chotte Lal’s father dreamed of the moment when his son, sitting in the driver’s seat, would pick up the token from him.
The day his dutiful obedient son Chotte Lal was selected as an engine driver, his father was so overjoyed, that he celebrated all night, indulging himself so much that he died of liver failure in the morning.
Now let’s get back to our story and see what our hero Chotte Lal is up to.
Chotte Lal walks into the driver running room. No one notices. His fellow drivers are busy playing cards.
“See. See. My poem has been published,” Chotte Lal says excitedly holding out the newspaper.
A driver takes the newspaper from his hands and says. “Hey, look, there is going to be a pay hike…” and he begins reading the headlines from the front page as the others listen.
“No. No. Not there. My poem is on the back page,” Chotte Lal says.
“Where?”
Chotte Lal turns the paper and shows him.
“Good,” the driver says even without reading the poem, turns back to the first page and begins reading aloud details of the pay hike.
“Illiterate Greedy Dopes. Bloody Riff Raff…! Only interested in money,” Chotte Lal says in anger snatching the paper.
“Oh yes, we are illiterates worried about money, not philosophers like you wasting your time writing poetry,” someone says.
“Why don’t you become a Professor instead of wasting time here?” another taunts.
“Or join the film industry, write poems for songs, sher-shairy…” they jeer.
Chotte Lal walks out in a huff.
But let me tell you dear reader that the drivers are right.
Chotte Lal certainly doesn’t belong here amongst this hard drinking rough and earthy fraternity.
Chotte Lal lives on a higher plane – while his compatriots drink and gamble to pass their time in their leisure and changeover breaks, Chotte Lal reads, and now, he writes.
Had Chotte Lal got the proper opportunity he would be a man of erudition, but as I have already told you, circumstances willed otherwise and poor Chotte Lal he had no choice.
Chotte Lal is a good engine driver. He is happy in his job and content with life. He never gets bored with the long waits for he always carries with him a good book to read. And now he’s started writing – yes, creative writing.
Chotte Lal always wanted to write but did not know how till one evening, while waiting for a signal, the glorious spectacle of the setting sun, the picturesque countryside, the villagers hurrying home, the birds chirping returning to their nests, the endless tracks disappearing into the horizon in front of him, the whole scene in its entirety, inspired him so much that the spark of creativity was ignited within him and for the first time he poured out his inner feelings on paper, and thereby was born his first creative effort, a poem – Waiting for the Signal.
Chotte Lal lives in a typical railway town, a relic of the Raj, with its spacious well laid out railway colony with huge bungalows and neat cottages, amidst plenty of greenery and expanse.
This quaint mofussil town boasts of a newspaper – a four page tabloid really.
The back page of this local rag features crosswords, tit-bits, and creative contributions from readers, which Chotte Lal always reads with avid interest and it was his dream to see his own creative writing printed right there on that page one day.
So he neatly wrote down his first creative composition “Waiting for the Signal” on a foolscap sheet of paper torn from his daughter’s notebook and personally submitted his contribution to the editor who gave him an amused look and said, “We’ll see!”
Chotte Lal waited, and waited, almost lost hope, and now, at long last, his poem had been published.
Chotte Lal walks conspicuously towards the exit of the Railway Station, deliberately stopping by at the Station Master’s Office, the ASMs, the Train Clerks, the TTEs, yearning for appreciation, hoping someone would say something, but all he gets is smiles of forced geniality.
“Useless fellows!” he says to himself, and then begins walking fast towards his house eager to show his poem to his wife and children.
Seeing Chotte Lal walk past his dhaba without even a glance in that direction, Ram Bharose senses something terribly is wrong, for every time Chotte Lal returns from duty he always stops by at Ram Bharose’s Dhaba for a cup of tea and to pick up a parcel of Anda-Bun for Engine, his pet dog.
As always, Engine is the first to welcome him at the compound gate of his home and gives him the customary enthusiastic reception, playful, vigorously wagging his tail, barking, jumping, running – but today Chotte Lal’s response is different – he just walks by – no hugging, no fondling, no baby-talk and most importantly no Anda-Bun.
Engine is confused at his Master’s odd behaviour and follows him loyally towards the door of the cottage.
Chotte Lal rings the bell.
His wife of twenty years opens the door, gives him a preoccupied look, and begins walking towards the kitchen.
“See, See,” Chotte Lal says with childlike enthusiasm, “My poem had been published in the newspaper.”
“Poem…? What Poem…?” his wife asks.
Chotte Lal hands over the tabloid to his wife and shows her the poem – Waiting for the Signal.
His wife gives it a cursory glance and asks, “How much did they pay you for it…?”
“Pay me…? What are you talking…?” Chotte Lal asks puzzled.
“Yes. Pay you. Don’t tell me you are doing this for charity. Or maybe the poem is so third rate that they haven’t thought it worth even a paisa,” his wife says scornfully.
“Please!” Chotte Lal raises his voice getting angry, “This beautiful poem is the fruit of my creative effort, not some item for sale. Where is the question of money? You will never understand the value of creative reward!”
“Creative reward my foot…! This good for nothing local rag prints a poem of yours and you are boasting as if you have won the Nobel Prize…!” his wife mocks. “Why don’t you stop wasting your time doing all this nonsense and join my brother’s transport business – he wants to make you the Regional Manager.”
“I don’t want to go to the city.”
“You want to rot in this godforsaken place driving engines all your life?”
“I like my job. I like this place. I like to read and write.”
“Oh yes, now all you will be doing is wasting your time and your effort writing all this nonsense for free, when you could be earning handsomely if you put in the same efforts elsewhere!”
“I am happy where I am and content with what I have.”
“Oh, sure. You are happy to live in a gutter and watch other men climb mountains!”
“Papa, Mama is right,” his daughter interjects appearing suddenly, “Why don’t you retire and take your pension and then take up the job uncle is offering you as regional manager in his transport business and let us all move to the city…?”
“Here, here,” the father says excitedly, giving the newspaper to his daughter, “My poem is published today. Read it and tell me how you like it.”
“You can read it later. Have your breakfast first,” her mother says sternly, “you’re getting late for college.”
“Take the newspaper with you. Show my poem to your friends, your teacher,” he says.
A horn honks. The girl puts the newspaper in her bag and rushes out. Chotte Lal excitedly runs behind his daughter towards the gate and shouts to her, “My poem is on the back page…it is called Waiting for the Signal…”
A boy is waiting for her on a motorcycle. Maybe it’s her college classmate, her boyfriend, maybe… Chotte Lal realises how little he knows about his children.
His son – he has already gone to the city to work in his uncle’s company. He is obsessed with earning money and has no time for the finer things of life. Like mother like son. He feels sad. It’s a pity, a real pity.
There is nothing worse for a man than to realise that his wife, his son are ashamed of him.
Maybe his daughter will appreciate his poem, his talent, his creative genius, his worth – after all she is a student of arts.
He looks at his daughter. She is talking to the boy, pointing to the rear seat, telling him it is dirty.
Then, she takes out the precious newspaper which Chotte Lal has given her. Chotte Lal looks on in anticipation. Maybe his daughter is going to show the poem to the boy.
Yes, Chotte Lal’s daughter does take out the newspaper from her bag. But she doesn’t even open it, leave alone showing her father’s poem to her friend. She just crumples the newspaper and wipes the motorcycle seat with it and throws it on the ground.
Then she sits on the seat and they drive off on the motorcycle.
Chotte Lal experiences a pain much worse than if a knife had pierced through his heart.
His dog Engine rushes out, picks up the newspaper in his mouth, brings it to Chotte Lal, drops it at his feet and begs for his treat.
Suddenly Chotte Lal realises he has forgotten to get Engine’s customary treat – the Anda-Bun.
“Come,” he says to Engine.
He picks up the newspaper and they both, Master and dog, walk towards Ram Bharose’s Dhaba.
Chotte Lal looks at Engine as he happily cavorts and gambols in spontaneous delight at this unexpected outing.
“And now you have got a Pie Dog, a Mongrel,” his wife was furious when he had got the tiny abandoned pup whose mother had been run over by a train.
First he used to take the baby puppy along with him in his Engine, and his assistant driver named the pup “Engine”. But soon the word spread and he got a memo.
Since then Engine remained home, and whenever Chotte Lal was away on duty, poor Engine was dependent on the reluctant love of his wife who Chotte Lal suspected actually liked the cheerful dog.
They reach Ram Bharose’s Dhaba.
“What happened, Driver Sahib, you didn’t take your usual Anda-Bun parcel…?” Ram Bharose says.
“I forgot,” Chotte Lal says, “Give me one Anda-Bun now, and a cup of tea.”
Chotte Lal thinks of showing the poem to Ram Bharose, but hesitates. The poor guy may barely be literate. And if educated people like his colleagues, even his wife, and daughter, no one could appreciate his creative composition, how can he expect this country bumpkin to do so.
So he sits down and decides to read his own poem to himself – celebrate his own personal victory, and not be dependent on others for his happiness.
He gives the Anda-Bun to his delighted dog Engine who sits at his feet and starts polishing it off hungrily.
Then he sips the piping hot rejuvenating tea and starts reading the poem to himself.
Suddenly he feels a nudge on his feet – it’s Engine, prodding with his paw, looking up expectantly at him, eyes dazzling, making a sound, talking, trying to say something.
“Want to hear my poem…?” Chotte Lal lovingly asks his pet dog Engine, affectionately caressing the dog’s ears.
Engine gets up, nods his head, places it on Chotte Lal’s knee adoringly, and wags his tail.
As Chotte Lal reads his poem “Waiting at the Signal”, his devoted dog Engine listens to His Master’s voice with rapt attention, his eyes glued on Chotte Lal’s face, and his tail wagging in appreciation.
After he finishes reading the poem, Chotte Lal looks lovingly at Engine. Engine looks back at him with frank admiration, wags his tail, and proffers his paw as a “shake hand” gesture.
Chotte Lal is overwhelmed with emotion. He orders one more Anda-Bun for Engine.
Delighted at his Master’s sudden spurt of generosity, Engine gratefully devours the delicious Anda-Bun and looks pleadingly at Chotte Lal as if saying: “Encore.”
“You want to hear once again,” Chotte Lal asks Engine, who again keeps his head tenderly on Chotte Lal’s knee, looks up lovingly at his Master, continuously wagging his tail, listening with rapt attention to his Master’s voice, waiting for him to finish, in eager anticipation for his reward of an Anda-Bun.
Many such recitations and Anda-Buns later, dog and master, Engine and Chotte Lal walk back home.
Chotte Lal looks admiringly at Engine – his sincere patron, a true connoisseur who understands, appreciates.
He gets the inner urge to write, to express, to say something – Engine has ignited the spark of creativity within him.
Moments later, the creativity within him unleashed, Chotte Lal sits at his desk and pours out his latent emotions, his inner feelings, on paper, writing poem after poem, while his darling pet dog, his stimulus, his inspiration, his muse, his motivating “Engine”, sits loyally by his side looking lovingly at his Master with undisguised affection.
And so, the Railway Engine Driver Chotte Lal creates and his “Creative Engine” inspires and appreciates – they sit together in sublime unison – the Poet and his Muse – in perfect creative harmony.
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2010
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
VIKRAM KARVE educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale, and Bishop’s School Pune, is an Electronics and Communications Engineer by profession, a Human Resource Manager and Trainer by occupation, a Teacher by vocation, a Creative Writer by inclination and a Foodie by passion. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles in magazines and journals for many years before the advent of blogging. He has written a foodie book Appetite For A Stroll and a book of fiction short stories which is being published soon and is busy writing his first novel. Vikram lives in Pune with his family and pet Doberman girl Sherry, with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile of Vikram Karve:
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog:
http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htmAcademic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile of Vikram Karve:
vikramkarve@sify.com
Foodie Book:
Foodie Book:
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
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DEAD END
January 22, 2011
DEAD END
Short Fiction – A Story
By
VIKRAM KARVE
From my Creative Writing Archives:
I wrote this short story sometime in the mid 1990s. Then, it was highly appreciated. I think it is quite relevant even today.
Manjunath was a contended man.
He was the proud owner of a coconut grove, more than a hundred trees, located on the most picturesque stretch of the western coast, skirting the Arabian Sea. The land was fertile and the yield was excellent.
Every morning, along with his wife and two sons, Manjunath would cast his fishing nets into the gentle waters of Baicol Bay, and in the evening, when he pulled in his nets with the receding tide, the catch would be adequate, if not substantial.
I loved Baicol Bay. It was a most beautiful and pristine place by the sea and sunset, on the western coast, was a special event.
So every evening, I went for a jog on the soft unspoilt beach, and after a swim in the crystal-clear waters, I relaxed on the sands, beholding the fascinating, yet soothing, spectacle of the mighty orange sun being devoured under the horizon of the sea.
As darkness enveloped, Manjunath would gently appear by my side with a tender coconut in hand.
At that moment, there was nothing more refreshing than sweet coconut water.
The year was 1980 and I was a fresh, young and idealistic Indian Police Service (IPS) Officer, on my first posting, as Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) of this lovely coastal district.
The air was fresh and unpolluted and the weather was temperate. There was no railway line, no industries, and no noise. The district headquarters was a one-street town. Everybody knew everybody, the people were peace-loving, and in the prevailing climate of contentment, it was no surprise that the crime-rate was almost zero.
One day, my boss, the Superintendent of Police (SP) took me to an important meeting in the District Collector’s office.
As I heard the words of the Collector, I experienced a deep sense of distress. A notification had been issued and a mammoth Steel Plant had been sanctioned in the Baicol Bay area. Land Acquisition was the immediate top priority. The police were to ensure that there was no law and order problem.
“But why can’t they locate the Steel Plant somewhere else?” I protested. “This lovely palace will be ruined. And where will the people go?”
At first, the Collector appeared dumbstruck by my interruption. Then he glowered at me with a fierce and threatening stare. I avoided his gaze and looked around the room. Everyone was looking at me in a curious manner. My boss, the SP, was desperately gesturing to me to keep quiet.
“I wonder whose side you are on?” the Collector snapped angrily, still giving me an intimidating glare.
“Don’t worry, Sir,” the SP spoke, addressing the Collector. “There will be no problems. The people here are a docile lot. Everything shall proceed smoothly.”
When we were driving back to our office, the SP said, “Joshi, you better tame your tongue and watch what you say, especially in front of others.”
“Sir, you please tell me. Isn’t this injustice? We pay them a pittance for their fertile land. And then evict them from their habitat, and destroy the beauty of this place, just because someone decides to set up a set up a Steel Plant here.”
“It’s in the national interest, Joshi. Why don’t you try and understand. Everyone shall be properly rehabilitated with a job and a house and also get a compensation.”
“Come on, sir,” I argued. “You know where we are going to relocate them. The rehabilitation camp is more than twenty kilometres away from the sea front. And we are putting them into small overcrowded multi-storeyed tenements, which are at complete variance from their ethos. These people are used to open spaces, fresh air, and most important – the waterfront, the sea.”
“That’s enough, Joshi,” the SP said angrily. “Your job is to carry out my orders. I want you to take personal charge of this operation. The task must be completed smoothly and on schedule. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir,” I replied meekly.
That evening I held a meeting with the affected villagers. Manjunath was sitting in the first row, right in front of me. I spoke of patriotism, sacrifice for the “national cause” and the prosperity the Steel Plant would bring into their lives.
To my utter surprise, there was no resistance. Everyone seemed convinced, I think because they where simple people who believed every word I said, but to my own self, my own words sounded insincere and I felt acutely uncomfortable.
And so the operation began.
Awe-struck, Manjunath saw the might of the government on display. He watched with tears in his eyes, columns of police standing by, while bulldozers destroyed his beloved coconut grove.
A few days later Manjunath stood before the employment officer. The employment officer was in a foul mood. “These illiterate buggers get jobs on a platter while my matriculate brother-in-law rots unemployed in city,” he complained, “I had promised my wife that I would wrangle at least a Class IV job for him out here.”
“Hold your tongue,” said the rehabilitation officer. “These so-called ‘illiterate buggers’, as you call them, were land-owners, displaced from their own land.”
“Okay, okay. Don’t get hot,” the employment officer said to the rehabilitation officer. Then he looked at Manjunath and curtly asked him, “Do you posses any special skills?”
Manjunath could not comprehend, so he just stood silent.
In an exasperated manner, the employment officer snapped, “We haven’t got all day. Tell me. What can you do?”
“Coconuts,” Manjunath answered.
“Coconuts?”
“Yes, Sir. Coconuts.”
“What else?”
“Fish.”
“Fish and Coconuts, eh! You’ll see plenty of them,” the employment officer said. He wrote the word ‘cook’ beside Manjunath’s name in the register.
And so, at one stroke, Manjunath was transformed, from land-owner into a cook, first in the ramshackle canteen for construction workers and later in the huge industrial canteen of the Steel Plant.
But Manjunath was lucky. At least he had become a cook. Most others became Unskilled Labourers because the skills they possessed, like farming and fishing, were not relevant as far as the Steel Plant was concerned.
And so almost all the “skilled” workers – the tradesmen, all the welders, fitters, machinists, electricians etc. – they all came from outside, from faraway places, the cities and the urban areas. And the complexion of the place began to change.
Soon I stooped going for my daily evening jog to Baicol beach, for now it was littered with debris from the construction work and the air was no longer pure, but polluted by fumes and dust and the noise was unbearable.
And, of course, now there would be no Manjunath waiting for me with a tender coconut in hand.
So when my transfer came, I felt relieved and happy, for I no longer loved the place and, more so, because it was getting painful to see the beginning of the systematic metamorphosis of a beautiful natural paradise into a huge monster of concrete and steel.
When I returned after fifteen long years, the place had change beyond recognition. The gigantic steel plant, the railway line, the new port, the industries, the ‘fruits’ of liberalization and the signs of prosperity, modern buildings adorned by adjoining slums, filth and polluted air, all types of vehicles clogging the roads, restaurants and bars, the noise and even most of the people looked alien.
As we drove down to the police headquarters, the SP said, “It’s not the same place when you were here, sir.”
“The crime-rate was zero then,” I said. “What has gone wrong?”
“There are two types of people now, Sir – the liberalised Indian and the marginalised Indian.”
“And us!”
“And us,” he laughed, “yes, sir, and us trying to sort the whole thing out.”
I was head of the crime branch at the state police headquarters and had been sent down to investigate a series of bizarre murders. A few bigwigs were waylaid, had their heads chopped off and their headless bodies dumped outside their houses. It had created such a scare that my boss had rushed me down.
The car stopped. I recognized the place at once.
“The common thread, sir,” the SP said. “All the victims lived in this luxury residential enclave.”
“I knew this place,” I said, feeling a tinge of nostalgia. “There used to be a coconut grove here. This place was acquired for the steel plant. But now I see that it is just outside the perimeter wall. I wonder why they excluded this area.”
“Must be the environment stipulations, sir,” the SP mumbled, “the two hundred meter zone or something. They must have de-notified it.”
“Don’t give me bullshit!” I shouted. “Then how the hell has this posh residential complex come up here? And if they didn’t want the land for the steel plant then why wasn’t this land returned back to the original owners?”
“Sir, land which was sold by the acre in your time, fifteen years ago, is now priced the same per square foot.”
“The fruits of progress, is it?” I snapped.
I could see that the SP was getting confused by my unexpected line of investigation, and he was getting a bit scared too, for I was a DIG. So I decided to put him at ease.
“Tell me, Pandey,” I said patronizingly. “What were you before joining the IPS?”
“An Engineer, Sir. From IIT, Delhi.”
I wasn’t surprised. Engineers, even doctors, were joining the IAS and IPS nowadays. I looked at the SP and said, “Let me explain in a way you will understand.”
Pandey was looking at me intently.
I paused, and asked him. “Do you know what’s a system?”
“Yes, sir,” he answered.
“Every system has a natural rhythm,” I said, “take this place for example. All the people here in this system, farmers, fishermen, everyone, they all had a natural rhythm of life which perfectly matched the rhythm of this place. And there was harmony. Then suddenly we disturb the system. We drastically change the rhythm of the place. Create a mismatch. And when the people can’t cope up, we call them ‘marginalised Indians’ – as you put it.”
Pandey looked thoroughly confused, so I avoided further rhetoric and came straight to the point, “You are looking for a motive, isn’t it, Pandey?”
“Yes, Sir,” he said.
“Okay, consider this. You own some fertile land. We forcibly acquire it, mouthing platitudes like ‘national interest’, ‘patriotism’ etc. Then we sit on your land for fifteen long years while you are reduced from an owner to a labourer. And then, one fine day, you find that your beloved land been grabbed by some land-sharks from the city. What would you do?”
The SP did not reply.
“Do one thing, Pandey,” I said. “There’s a man called Manjunath. He probably works as a cook in the Steel Plant canteen. Bring him to me. He may have some clue and maybe he will give us a lead.”
In my mind’s eye I was thinking how to get Manjunath off the hook.
An hour later the SP came rushing into the police headquarters. He looked dazed, as if he had been pole-axed. “The guy went crazy,” he stammered. “When the police party approached him, he was chopping coconuts with a sharp sickle. Suddenly he slashed his own neck. He died on the way to hospital. There’s blood everywhere.”
In the morgue, looking at Manjunath’s dead body the SP commented, “Look at the expression on his face, sir. He looks so content.”
“Yes,” I said. “He’s reached the dead end.”
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2010
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2010
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
VIKRAM KARVE educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale, and Bishop’s School Pune, is an Electronics and Communications Engineer by profession, a Human Resource Manager and Trainer by occupation, a Teacher by vocation, a Creative Writer by inclination and a Foodie by passion. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles in magazines and journals for many years before the advent of blogging. His delicious foodie blogs have been compiled in a book “Appetite for a Stroll”. Vikram lives in Pune with his family and pet Doberman girl Sherry, with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog –http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Academic Journal Vikram Karve – http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile of Vikram Karve – http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
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The Healthier Side
July 14, 2010A YUMMY DATE
Short Fiction – A Breezy Romance
By
VIKRAM KARVE
She stands in front of the full-length mirror and looks at herself.
She cringes a bit, for she does not like what she sees.
The jeans make her look fat.
And the tight blue top – it’s all wrong!
So she wears a loose dress – Churidar, Kurta and Dupatta – to hide her bulges.
She looks at her new high-heels – should she? They’ll make her look tall, less fat.
No.
Not today.
Now it’s got to be walking shoes.
A brisk invigorating walk from Chowpatty to Churchgate rejuvenating her body breathing the fresh evening sea breeze on Marine Drive is what she needs to cheer her up.
She stands on the weighing machine at Churchgate station and, with a tremor of trepidation, puts in the coin.
Lights flash.
Out comes the ticket.
She looks at it.
Same as yesterday.
And the day before.
And the day before.
No change.
She is doomed.
There is never any change in her weight or in her fortune!
Her face falls.
She’s trying so much… exercising, dieting.
But it’s of no use… her weight, her size, remains the same…
She looks longingly at the Softy Ice Cream counter.
There is a smart young handsome man with two Ice Cream cones, one in each hand.
He looks at her for that moment longer than necessary.
She averts her eyes, but he walks up to her and says, “Hi! How are you?”
She looks at him confused.
His face seems vaguely familiar.
“You are Sheena’s roommate, aren’t you?” he asks.
She remembers him.
He is Sheena’s boyfriend from HR.
“Here,” he says, coming close, proffering an Ice Cream cone.
She steps back awkwardly, perplexed and taken aback by the man’s audacity.
“Take the ice cream fast. It’ll melt,” he says.
She hesitates, confused.
“Come on. Don’t be shy. I know you love Ice Cream. Sheena told me.”
She takes the Ice Cream cone from his hands.
“I’m Mohan. I work in HR.”
She doesn’t say anything.
“Let’s walk,” he says, “and hey, eat your ice cream fast before it melts”.
They start walking.
As they walk slowly out of Churchgate station towards Marine Drive, they slowly lick the creamy yummy softy ice cream off their cones.
“You walked all the way?” he asks.
“Yes,” she speaks for the first time.
“All alone?”
“Yes.”
“You come here every evening?”
“Yes. I jog every morning too.”
“All alone?”
“No. On other days we come together.”
“We?”
“Sheena and me.”
“And today?”
“Sheena’s gone out.”
“For the office party at the disc?”
“Maybe.”
“And you? Why didn’t you go for the party? Didn’t want to go all alone is it? No date?”
She’s furious.
But she controls herself.
She says nothing.
No point getting on the wrong side of HR.
He notices and says, “Hey, don’t get angry. I didn’t go the party too.”
She hastens her steps and says, “Okay. Bye. Time for me to go! And thanks for the Ice Cream.”
“No. No. Wait. Let’s have a Pizza over there,” he says pointing to the Pizzeria on Marine Drive by the sea.
“No. Please. I’ve got to go.”
“Come on. Don’t count your calories too much. And don’t weigh yourself every day.”
“What?” she goes red with embarrassment!
This is too much! So this guy has been stalking her – watching her every day.
Outwardly she fumes. But inside, she secretly feels a flush of excitement.
“Yes. Don’t get obsessed about your weight. Like Sheena.”
“Sheena?”
“She keeps nagging me about my weight?”
“But you’re not fat!” she says.
“Then what would you say I am?” he asks.
“Let’s say you’re on the healthier side?”
“Healthier side? That’s great!” he says amused. “Then you too are on the healthier side, aren’t you?”
“Oh yes. We both are on the healthier side.” She laughs.
He laughs.
They both laugh together.
Healthy laughter!
They sit in the sea breeze and relish, enjoy their pizzas.
He is easy to talk to, she has much to say, and the words come tumbling out.
And so they enjoy a ‘healthy’ date.
Relishing delicious Pizzas, and other lip smacking goodies, to their hearts’ content, capping the satiating repast with the heavenly ice creams at Rustom’s nearby.
“Where were you?” Sheena asks when she returns to their room in the working women’s hostel late at night.
“I had a date.”
“You? Fatso? A date?” Sheena says disbelievingly
“Yes. A yummy date at Churchgate.”
“A date at Churchgate? Wow! Things are looking up for you yaar!”
“Yes. Things are really looking up for me. And you Sheena? How was your date?”
“The whole evening was ruined. That creep Mohan. He stood me up. He didn’t turn up at the disc and kept his mobile off.”
“Mohan?”
“You’ve met him.”
“Mohan? You’ve not introduced me to any Mohan.”
“Of course I have. He’s come here to pick me up so many times. He comes over to meet me at our office too. He works in HR.”
“Oh the guy from HR. The chap on the healthier side! That’s your darling Mohan, is it?”
“Darling? My foot!” Sheena says angrily, “Bloody ditcher, that’s what that Mohan is – how dare he stand me up – to hell with him!” Sheena mutters and goes off to sleep.
But our heroine cannot sleep.
She eagerly waits for sunrise.
For at six in the morning her newfound beau Mohan has promised to meet her on Marine Drive opposite the Aquarium – for a “healthy’”jog on Marine Drive.
And they will be meeting in the evening too – at Churchgate – for ice cream, pizza and a yummy lovey-dovey date.
She feels happy, full of anticipation and zest.
Happiness is when you have something to look forward to.
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2010
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
http://books.sulekha.com/book/appetite-for-a-stroll/default.htm
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ROVING EYE
July 11, 2010ROMANCING MY EX
Fiction Short Story – a romance
By
VIKRAM KARVE
From my archives – One of my earliest fiction short stories written almost 20 years ago way back in the early 1990s when everyone loved travelling by train …
Do tell me if you liked the story …
I stood on the platform of Hyderabad Railway Station with placid indifference.
It was dark, and the incessant rain made the atmosphere quite depressing.
But I was in a state of elation… the long arduous business tour of the South had been successful and I was keen on getting back home to my family in Pune after a month’s absence.
The couple of beers and delicious Biryani Dinner had further enhanced my joyful mood.
The beer had been properly chilled and the meat deliciously succulent. I felt on top of the world.
The train entered the platform.
I entered the air-conditioned sleeper coach and found my berth.
There were four berths in the small enclosure.
I wondered who my companions would be.
I was a typical middle aged man with a roving eye and a faithful wife.
I was hoping for the best; a bit of flirtation didn’t hurt anyone.
An old lady entered and sat beside me… a disappointing start…!
Suddenly, Rajashree entered the compartment.
I am still not sure as to who was more surprised, Rajashree or me… ?
I certainly hadn’t bargained for this.
We, Rajashree and I, stared at each other incredulously.
I was at my wits’ end when Vijay suddenly came in.
The coincidence was unbelievable.
“What a pleasant surprise, old boy…!” Vijay exclaimed, shaking my hand, “Long time, no see!”
“Glad to see you, too,” I stammered, “Make yourselves comfortable. I’ll go out and have some fresh air.”
I looked at Rajashree.
She pointedly avoided my glance and tried to look busy organizing the luggage. No hint of recognition, as if I were a total stranger…!
I made a quick exit to the platform and looked at the clock. There were still ten minutes for the train to start.
As I ambled on the platform, I wondered about the situation.
What were Vijay and Rajashree doing together in the same place?
Were they together, or was it a mere coincidence…?
Maybe they were just two co-travellers, total strangers, like the old woman and I.
If they were together Vijay would have certainly introduced Rajashree to me.
Probably he was too busy with the luggage and the porter.
There was plenty of time to get to the bottom of this mystery. It was a long overnight journey to Pune.
Vijay had been a crony of mine, till a few years ago.
We had studied together and later worked in the same firm till he had migrated to the USA in search of better prospects.
He was an unpretentious, soft-voiced man without temper, drama, or visible emotion. He was a fine gentleman and I was proud to claim his as a friend.
“Meet Rajashree, a friend and associate of mine”, he said as I entered the compartment.
I looked into her eyes and extended my hand.
Rajashree looked ravishing.
Around her slender neck she was wearing an exquisite diamond pendant which enhanced her alluring charm.
Her low-cut blouse, which accentuated the curves of her shapely breasts, made her look temptingly desirable.
She greeted me with a formal namaste, tinged with a chill reserve.
There was not a trace of recognition in her eyes.
I kept staring at her.
The silence was grotesque.
Vijay had introduced Rajashree as a ‘friend’ and ‘associate’ – a rather nebulous description of their relationship.
Was Vijay playing games with me…?
Why was Rajashree behaving in this strange manner, refusing to recognize me…?
Well, if they wanted to play a double game, I’d be too happy to oblige.
A man’s first love fills an enduring place in his heart.
Rajashree had been my protégée. Six years my junior, she was a management trainee when I first met her.
Her vigour was infectious, her wit barbed and she was at once stimulating and overbearing. Spirited and talkative, she always wanted to dominate. She was ambitious and her commitment to her career was complete.
I was her senior manger… it was the fourth job of my career and undoubtedly the best job I had ever held.
Rajashree was extremely competent and I mentored her, helped propel her career… and she made full use of my patronage.
She thirsted for quick success and her ambition took charge of her.
Her faults entirely arose from her overwhelming ambition and self-centeredness. She was impervious to absolutes and could measure her own success only in relation to others.
Despite her frailties and faults, Rajashree was an extremely desirable woman. I was attracted towards her and she responded with passion.
With the clarity of hindsight, I can now say that she led me up the garden path.
I can clearly remember the day I had gifted her that lovely diamond pendant which now adorned her slender neck. It was Rajashree’s twenty-fifth birthday, and after office we were strolling down Opera House intending to have a bowl of zesty Green Chilli Ice Cream at Bachellor’s Fruit Juice Stall opposite Chowpatty, and then spend the evening romancing the sunset on Marine Drive followed by dinner at her favourite restaurant in Churchgate.
I don’t know what made me do it, but suddenly, on the spur of the moment, I took her hand and led her into a posh jewellery shop and grandly asked her to choose her birthday present.
She promptly obliged by selecting a chic, exclusive, gorgeous and most expensive diamond pendant.
My credit cards and cheque book saved the day, but the impulsive birthday gift, which cost me a fortune, almost made me bankrupt.
But then, to me, it did not matter.
That night, for the first time, she made love to me.
Then we became lovers, I was madly in love with her, even proposed to her, she accepted, soon we got engaged and Rajashree became my fiancée.
Meanwhile, right from the beginning of our relationship, the office grapevine was working overtime. The love affair destabilized working relationships in my department.
Suddenly, everything started to go wrong for me at work.
My career took a down-swing and I was passed over for promotion.
Rajashree dropped me like a hot potato.
She didn’t want to be identified with a symbol of failure… she didn’t care for losers.
Now that I was of no use to her in furthering her ambitions, she abandoned me and cleverly latched on and ingratiated herself to a new powerful patron.
Her rise was rapid.
Within days she became my peer, and soon Rajashree broke the glass ceiling and became my boss.
Just imagine my plight and shame – my ex-protégée had now become my boss.
I accepted our reversal in roles with grace and tried to maintain a cordial working relationship, but Rajashree was ruthless.
It was the most humiliating time of my life and I still smart from the pain of those memories.
Soon the relationship between us had become so demoralized by hate and distrust that it was better severed than patched up.
I quit my job and moved to a new place.
I shed my pique and rancour and rebounded back fresh with zest.
I did well in my new job, got married to a nice back-home-type girl and settled down, and soon was living the life of a happy and contented family man.
The ticket-collector interrupted my chain of thoughts.
I noticed that Rajashree and Vijay were travelling together on a common ticket – so that was it – “Friends”, “Associates”, “Companions” – many nuances are possible in the relationship between a man and a woman.
I decided to go in for the kill.
“That’s a lovely pendant,” I said boldly to Rajashree, “it must have cost you a fortune.”
Rajashree ignored me.
Vijay gave her a canny look.
“You shouldn’t wear such expensive jewellery while travelling,” I added. “It is very dangerous, especially in trains.”
“He is right. You must be careful,” Vijay said to Rajashree.
Vijay was now looking curiously at the pendant, “Rajashree, it is really a very elegant and beautiful pendant. Fantastic diamond – must be very expensive. How much did it cost…?”
“No, No – it’s just costume jewellery, imitation stuff,” Rajashree said, “I picked it up in the lanes near Charminar, yesterday, for a couple of rupees.”
“What nonsense,” the old lady co-passenger sitting opposite Rajashree suddenly interjected out of the blue. “That is a superb diamond. And it is certainly not costume jewellery. It’s a beautifully crafted premium necklace.”
“No, No – it’s imitation …I know …I bought it…” Rajashree stammered nervously, trying to cover the necklace with the palu of her sari.
“Imitation diamond – what nonsense – that’s a genuine top-grade ornament…!” the lady said vehemently, “I should know. I’m a trained gemmologist and jewellery designer. Come on, young girl, show me the diamond, the pendant, and I will tell you its true price.”
Rajashree looked nervous. She put her hands over her neck.
“Let the lady have a look the necklace,” I spoke looking directly into Rajashree’s eyes. “I had once bought a diamond pendant exactly like the one you are wearing for my fiancée. I want to know whether I got my money’s worth.”
Rajashree looked dumbstruck, sat still, frozen, not knowing what to do.
Taking advantage, I moved fast, unfastened the clasp, removed the ornament from Rajashree’s neck and gave the necklace to the old lady.
My unexpected action hadn’t given Rajashree any time to react and she was frozen stunned.
I looked roguishly at Rajashree.
She was staring at me totally bewildered with wide and terrified eyes. Her eyes held a desperate appeal. She had suddenly become small, weak and vulnerable.
I saw tears of shame start in her eyes and her face became so ashen that she looked as thought she were about to faint.
I did not rebuke her for her mendacity.
There was no need.
Her guilt and shame itself were Rajashree own worst reprimand.
As the old lady was meticulously scrutinizing the diamond pendant, comprehension slowly dawned on Vijay.
The train was slowing down to stop at a station.
“Come, let’s go out on the platform,” Vijay said to me putting his hand affectionately on my shoulder, “I desperately need a breath of fresh air…!”
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2010
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
VIKRAM KARVE educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU and The Lawrence School Lovedale, is an Electronics and Communications Engineer by profession, a Human Resource Trainer Manager by occupation, a Teacher by vocation, a Creative Writer by inclination and a Foodie by passion. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles in magazines and journals for many years before the advent of blogging. His delicious foodie blogs have been compiled in a book “Appetite for a Stroll”. Vikram lives in Pune with his family and pet Doberman girl Sherry, with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts. Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog – http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com
Professional Profile of Vikram Karve – http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Email: vikramkarve@sify.com
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MOTI The Life Story of a Stray Dog
June 30, 2010Posted in creative, english, ezine, fiction, india, indian, karve, literature, novel, online, pune, short, stories, story, vikram karve, vikram waman karve, writing | Tags: anthology, author, blog, dog, english, fiction, india, indian, karve, literature, online, pet, pune, stories, story, vikram, vikram karve | Leave a Comment »
Short Fiction by Vikram Karve 