Fiction

Here are the categories of fictions that I've written so far...
Hope you'll have fun reading them. And I'll have fun reading your comments when you post!

Wanderers

Me n My Madness

Short Stories

Strips

WANDERERS – XV

That’s the way people in this strange town behaved and it came as no surprise to him as he smiled at the angry man trying to compose himself to tell him what he was there for. ‘No one in this world is really bad! If they are bad, they are being bad to you not for the entire world. There would still be people praising a bad guy who killed thousands of others. Why is it or how is it that a bad man can also be good!’ he thought before coming here, ‘this man could be bad to me, bad to his wife but might be good to the other woman or his brother or mother. Now my duty is to find that goodness in him for me and the rest is for the sanyasin to take care’

‘Yes, you’re right,’ he said with the same calmness not being affected by the man’s rudeness ‘I come from a city working for a global business firm that provides upliftment to small towns and your town is one of them. I know that you’re close to the local minister and thought you might lend your helping hand to this good cause after seeing this proposal’ he said waiting to see what the man’s intentions were.

‘If it can help me and my town and my name can be part of this, I might…’ said the angry man, hiding his hesitation.

‘Me, My Name’ so that’s his catchword.

‘Thank you, sir. That’s your greatness. Let me show you this’ he intruded and quickly displayed on his high-end gadget luring the sturdy man with some photos and charts and eye-catchy animations which he had prepared much earlier, as planned. The contents were overshadowed by the appearance. His management classes came in handy!

The man got deeply involved in the gadget and saw some unbelievable features in a machine that he had never imagined. The gadget could talk, tell him his location, and react to his commands to name a few which none in the small town had any idea about. He further showed on his device some of the town’s places that the man himself had not known.

‘These are the places from 2^nd century B.C. and are your town’s real treasure. You need to protect them’ he flashed a morphed image on the tomb with the man’s name being engraved on it. The man got all the more excited seeing his name on a tomb and visualized how much he would be praised or rewarded and remembered forever if that really transformed.

‘I can help you by all means but I’m not the decision maker and you need the consent of the minister.’

‘That’s fine. If you can accompany me to few places and show me around before taking me to the minister, rest assured it’s my responsibility to convince him. And my company’s head will come over to finalize the deal with you and him’ he said, further diverging the man into this trap.

‘Thank you’ said the man after his benefit was shown to him on a device in imaginary forms without knowing that it all can be erased in no time. The wanderer made him feel proud of being the chosen one in the entire town and his name and fame will remain for centuries to come not just in the town but in the entire world.

‘We do not have hotels nearby. Where would you like your accommodation to be?’ the man was much polite than himself!

‘It’s alright. I’ve managed to find my nights’ stay here n there. Please see me at the cave house tomorrow early morning. We’ll start from there’ he said to the man who had transformed from being angry and arrogant to dreamy and happy.

‘He’s not bad, but a good man to me now’ said the wanderer to himself and walked off hoping his deception won’t come to haunt him later. ‘Only the sanyasin can see to it and what do I lose! I’m only a wanderer and it’s only a fair-game…’

Continues…

WANDERERS – XIV

Why did I have to get involved in this! He thought sitting on the rocks near the lake that noon. Another day passed by in the strange town and he had already witnessed lot of strange things in only few days. Everything the sanyasin had said didn’t make complete sense to him but yet, he couldn’t know why!

She had some strange powers and abilities to influence and control one’s thoughts, which he couldn’t overlook. By being a part of this operation, he thought he would satisfy his soul for solving someone’s problem. And that’s all matters!

He always had a helping hand even if it meant risking his own situation as he considered himself fortunate to be better-off, but also felt sad considering the amount of people that needed help against the ones who could actually help! He thought of the woman’s pain for once forgetting his own problems which held no importance of any such heights. She was beaten and thrown out badly but she smiled. Whatever the sanyasin did, but eventually brought smile on the woman’s face. And that’s all matters, he again thought and ventured out with will and dare!

The house looked bright that afternoon standing tall like the ones shown on TV commercials advertising some x-y-zee paints! Huge metallic gates closed always and though there seemed to be some security guard-house, there was no security guard in reality. He dared open the gates looking around him through all corners and walked the long way between the lawns on to the doors. Most of the houses he saw in the town had half closed doors and he had failed to understand the reasoning, but bent to peep inside. He wore his best dresses from the bag and deliberately made an effort to look striking and dashing that best upheld his attitude!

The only face in the house which was familiar to him was that of the woman who hid herself on seeing him and didn’t reappear. She looked bothered by his presence and wondered if he had really intervened. She signaled her husband to attend the visitor.

Her husband was a tall and ugly man who seemed to piss off anyone in a moment merely by his presence. With an air of arrogance he looked at the visitor and rested on an easy-chair made out of bamboo. He neither offered the visitor to sit down nor showed any interest but posed a question mark on his face demanding the purpose of his coming.

‘Hello, I’m new to this place and I was on lookout for an accommodation’ the wanderer initiated a conversation knowing nothing else to begin with.

‘We do not run a hotel here and people don’t dare walk into this house the way you just have’ said the arrogant beast!

‘I’m sorry for that but I know no one here and was trying to discover your town. If it’s an inconvenience I apologize.’

‘There’s nothing to discover in this town and you look like a man from a much better world. You have nothing here and you might as well buzz off’ declared the angry beast and showed him the doors.

Standing from a corner, the woman looked on. He saw ‘intense hopes’ in her eyes that he hadn’t seen in anyone before…

Continues…

WANDERERS – XIII

He was listening to every word and the meaning beneath carefully with closed eyes. Noticing she had paused at that moment he slowly opened his eyes and saw her childlike innocent face, a young body that spoke loads of ideology and displayed unique powers that none possessed, yet modest, but a worry of being exposed to the bad world or being exploited! He was coming to understand the meaning beneath her eyes which he had noticed in their first encounter, a smile on her face that would never die and also a sigh of worry! 

He had several questions still open but saw her genuineness, concern to the people’s problems. With more calmness than before, he spoke -

‘Don’t you think you’re denying them the truth they should know? You define truth the way you see it or the way you want it to be!’

‘You know that truth is bitter, it causes pain, it even breaks relations. That which keeps you happy is the ultimate truth and nothing else matters…’

‘…even if it means making them live in an unreal world which is like causing schizophrenia? You can’t do that, it’s is a sin.’

‘And I bear the punishment too in the end, of being denied by their belief in me!’

‘Why do you want to do that? Do you think it’s the only way you can help someone?’

‘It’s descended from many generations and it’s a power to cure, it’s a duty to perform. If the doctor stitches your wound with sharp needles piercing your skin, causing pain and making you bleed just to cure your decease is it a sin?’

‘No but it’s justified, it’s the way it is, it’s fair…’

‘…because the world told you so, and my family was justified with its powers and performed its duty because it’s fair too. What’s the fairest way you use to save someone standing at the hilltop to commit suicide? Is there medicine for people’s pretention?’

He fell deep in more thoughts and many situations that he had seen or experienced flashed at once. There weren’t answers for all such questions, he looked on worried but her smile remained.

‘Yes, ultimate truth is happiness. Truth is not what you know or what I know. Only he knows and that’s the story!’ she almost concluded leaving him speechless at that point.

His thoughts continued to invade and he abruptly stopped them and questioned her,

‘So then why did you say I’m here to help you? I don’t have such powers like you do. How can I be of any help?’

‘I don’t know. But my duty is to save the woman and get her, her rights!’

‘Why don’t you call her husband and imbibe your truth?’ he almost mocked her.

‘I can’t ask anyone to come to me and I can’t even deny the one who’s come by self either’

‘Do you want me to bring her husband to you?’

She didn’t react and he understood what that meant. He had a duty on hand too, along with the sanyasin – rather, an ordinary woman doing her duty!

He smiled and she acknowledged.

Continues…

WANDERERS – XII

‘It’s a duty bestowed upon me, my father did that and so did my ancestors. Like you, I don’t belong to this place either and I’ve come from a far off place, would eventually move on elsewhere but not before anyone who’ve come to ask me has been served!

You see there’s no truth or myth with nature. Like you don’t believe in him and I believe in him but he believes you! Just listen and ask nothing yet! What you perceive is truth and your logical mind can’t see his existence or a proof and so you don’t believe!

Would you still not believe if the whole world had believed? You saw the woman beaten up and you believed she was beaten badly. What if the rest of the world, everyone you know or don’t know said otherwise? You would start believing that she was not beaten, right?

You see the boy here in our house and you believe that lady who’s a widow is his mother. But do you know it’s not true? Do you know why the woman who was beaten has to go back to that house? Do you know why a happy man like you separated with an ideal partner and left everything to a deserted place like this? What you’ve believed so far is not all true. I need to tell you more…

The woman you see here got married only 4 years back, she doesn’t even look like a mother of a 9 year old boy. Did you not notice that? You did, but ignored and you believed it to be so. She lost her husband in an accident 3 years ago which she too was part of but she escaped. She had lost interest in life, had become suicidal and there was nothing left to convince her or bring her out of her depression. No one would marry her again in this town and no reason for her to find the lost happiness. That was the time when I had just arrived here and I had a duty on hand.

You saw the ritual, you know the verses, and they were all to tell them what truth is. She lost her husband and that’s true, she doesn’t have a reason to live or be happy is not true. Her elder sister who had 6 children was ready to sacrifice anything to save a life and a truth was planted to save her. “You have a son and you live for him” I said. It had to be told several times until it was believed to be the ultimate truth. She started believing it and that’s the only truth for her now that stays.

The boy was very small but remembers his parents and siblings vaguely and is being told by his friends that she’s not his real mother. I try to tell the boy but she won’t let me talk to him. She doesn’t like me anymore. As my duty approaches completion, I’ll come to the denial of their belief in me which they had all through. You saw her talk rudely to me this morning and that’s the reason. She no more believes in me and doesn’t realize that I had helped her, instead feels I’ll trick her son.

You felt agitated too when we were here in this cave the last time when I said verses. The feeling of being intruded arises only when you’re not in need of any help but not when you need it. It’s my duty nevertheless!

The woman who was beaten last night was married to that powerful family purely because her father was rich and more powerful. When he lost his power in politics, she felt the heat. The sole purpose why she was brought to the family didn't serve anymore and her husband replaced her like a torn shirt with another woman in no time. Now you tell me, should I not ask her to believe that there’s no other woman? Should she not fight for her rights in the same house? If she has to, then she has to believe in her rights first and that’s my duty - to make her believe she was not beaten, to believe she’s been loved and to believe there’s no pain or marks on her beaten body.

All these might sound ridiculous to you coming from the part of world that you do. But he sent you to me for my help and this is the truth for you that you wanted to know.

I’m not a sanyasin but only an ordinary woman doing my duty…’

Continues…

WANDERERS – XI

She walked into the temple next to the cave inside the same compound and prayed to the idol there as the boy entered. She offered some sacred sweets and water to the boy and asked him to accompany her out just before the boy’s mother barged in.

‘Don’t you dare take my son there!’ she whispered noticing the man standing outside. She took the boy along with her out of the temple and walked off rudely!

He didn’t quite understand their differences as they stayed in the same place, ate together and talked at nights. In a short while the sanyasin also came out and saw him waiting for her.

‘Can you please tell me what’s happening here?’ he questioned.

‘It’s a duty and he won’t like it if I discuss’

‘Who’s he?’

‘Allah, Shiva or Jesus, whatever you call him…’

‘Sorry, I don’t believe in god!’ he said.

‘You won’t believe him, but he believes you. He had told me you were coming, he had told me you would be of help for me.’

‘I’ve heard people say these kinds of things and there’s always a motto. I’m sorry to be straight but what’s behind this? I trust you too if you tell me the truth’

‘He sent me to you and I can’t hold back! I know you don’t believe him but I believe you believe in yourself and so promise to yourself that you won’t take this matter to the bad world of wrong people out there.’

‘No, I won’t and I mean it’ he asserted.

She walked him back into the cave and the waves generated inside with more pressure. She seemed much happier than before and asked him to be seated on the wet muddy floor. They closed eyes and took deep breaths and meditated once again. The fragrance got dissolved in them and she said the verses once again…

tvam kah aham kah vidasta

vettr sah jaatr sah vayam nashta

Without repeating it like before, thus she translated the true meaning…

‘Who you are, who am I –we worn out one day!

Only he knows, we don’t - we just decease’

tathya anrutaasya

chala pratya

kathaa yaa

‘Truth is unreal

Fiction is real

That’s the story’

Continues…

WANDERERS – X

The sun slowly emerged next morning somewhere behind a few buildings and had spread the charisma to the whole town! Piercing bright light got him woken up while the dew on grass where he slept felt cooler. It felt like an autumn with vibrant colors around him and he had fallen in love all over again coming back from last night’s memories! 

As he got up and sat and looked around enjoying the morning mist, his senses dragged him towards the cave. There was something in there, someone talking, some fragrance, some power and something’s really happening…

He slowly crawled in and was able to overhear the chants once again. He tried to peep in but could hardly see anything from the corner where he sat hiding himself from being seen by the insiders. He concentrated hard to listen as he knew it wasn’t just the sanyasin inside.

It was the same chant that she had used to hypnotize him. He heard her repeat several times and after a brief pause, thus she spoke…

‘Are you fine?’

‘No’ said a female voice.

‘Does it pain?’

‘Yes’

‘Do you love him?’

‘Yes’

‘Does he love you?’

It took some time before she nodded with an acceptance. The sanyasin felt satisfied with the results as the answer was always a ‘no’ for this question for a long time. She continued with her interrogation.

‘Did they beat you?’

‘No’ said the woman.

It made him realize that this was the same woman who was thrown out last night by her own people and he laughed at her foolishness for hiding the truth and lying to the sanyasin that she was not beaten up! He felt like intervening but kept quite to see where it would end up.

‘Is she still there with him?’

‘Yes’

‘Has she come in between the two of you?’

‘Yes, yes, I need help, I need help’ the woman pleaded.

‘Does it pain?’ asked the sanyasin again.

‘Yes’ was the answer once again and there were no more questions.

The woman was made to drink some kind of liquid that flowed down through the cave while keeping her remained in her trance. The sanyasin noticed her carefully and made sure the liquid flowed down completely and began another round with new chants…

‘tathya anrutaasya

chala pratya

kathaa yaa’

As earlier, she reiterated many times and took the woman to the next level of unconsciousness. He waited patiently through all this and looked up from the same corner making sure he was not being watched or noticed by them. After many minutes of chanting and observation, the sansyasin again spoke.

‘He only loves you, he only wants you. Don’t worry, don’t leave him. She is not his wife, you are. She will leave him, you stay on. They haven’t beaten you, it doesn’t pain, and it certainly doesn’t.’

She let everything sink in the woman and in some time slowly rubbed on the woman’s forehead and her eyes and brought her back into consciousness. She asked her to leave and he crawled out of the cave.

As the woman walked out, he noticed her eyes were wet not because she cried but because of some liquid that was applied. She smiled at him and walked out of the compounds. The sanyasin followed in a while and saw his curiosity.

‘So you saw it?’

‘It’s not right, what you’re doing isn’t just right! I saw her being beaten so badly and thrown out of the house and you’re misleading her by sending back to the hell once again. What if it becomes fatal? Who’s responsible?’

‘It won’t be and you’ll see that’

‘Just by hypnotizing her do you think you’ll solve her problem?’

‘I won’t answer you, yet. You need to realize it, I can’t tell you unless you feel it yourself or through others’ she showed her genuine gesture and walked away cutting the conversation.

Yes, he didn’t understand what went on and looked puzzled all over again. But this time he demanded an answer and went back to the sanyasin to find it…

Continues…

WANDERERS – IX

Though closed eyes sleep, a mind never sleeps no matter how hard one wants. He was tired that day fighting with his thoughts which raged unending war throughout and when he laid down, he committed to put a full stop at-least for the day. But thoughts weren’t to listen and continued to appear in the form of old memories. He had not forgotten anything and ‘may be remembrance causes lots of sweet memories which always come back to haunt, to say that life was better before and you can never go back’ he thought!

‘Thought in thoughts, caught in thoughts, who taught these thoughts to never cease to taunt’…

Not so long ago they had met and had become good friends for long time. They had appreciated each other from the time their eyes met and had hundred thousand things in common between them. She was strikingly beautiful for his eyes and what other eyes saw was not completely the same! Their tastes matched, dislikes were same and likes were common. Someone once said, unintentionally though, ‘you two are not two but one’!

Yet only friendship had prevailed for a long time even though they thought they were much beyond being just friends! What was ‘much beyond’ was not to be discussed or elaborated on until one day when he dared to spill the beans in a weird manner.

Words can’t really express all emotions, emotions are to be felt not told or spoken or enacted he thought and gave up on expressing anything by sheer speech or letter. Letter sometimes conveys in a better manner coz its first thought and then written. But what someone goes through reading each line, each word or a phrase goes missing since much depends on what they conclude at the end of reading it. So he took a third route which made it non-verbal, yet interactive – an online messenger!

Hi…

Hey…

Wassup gal?

Nothing man, feeling sleepy… no work today! Wassup with you?

Wanted to tell you something!

(Oh! Finally, the golden 3 words! But he can’t be so straight!) What’s that? Shoot…

I think I would be a wanderer without you and with you, I would be complete! What do you think?

Hmm, I think you’re right but you could be wrong too!

The answer is with you…

Are you sure you’re not flirting?

A big NO!

And you want my answer here?

Or we can meet outside to see what we feel!

You would know without my answer?

Yes, and you would know too the rest of what I feel but couldn’t say here!

And they felt it, something different from their previous meets. The friendship turned into a new relation that was much different and they meant world to each other from the very next moment. For over 3 years they dated and had very few arguments or fights. It was almost perfect, but only almost!

Thoughts from the past slowly dissolved like salt in water and his mind had accompanied his eyes in the sleep. Relaxed, the mind felt as it did less while asleep…

Continues…

An Evening at ECP…!

I headed to the ECP to try my hand again with my darling SLR after going through a few online sessions on how to make the best use of this piece! With the tripod planted somewhere on the shores of the beach, I shot a few in the preset modes interchanging with UV and polarizing filters. I’m pleased to an extent with some of these and yes, a long way to go…

7th Vishwa Kannada Saamskrutika Sammelana 2010 - Day 2

Day 2 of the 7th World Kannada Cultural Convention started early in the morning at about 9:30 and went on a roller coaster ride for over 14hours. To start the day with laughter, Mr. Krishne Gowda gave some genuine humorous speech which got the crowd scream asking for more. Mukhya mantri Chandru's known wit and a unique style kept the smiles on people's faces intact.

There were few performances like dance, magic shows etc soon after and Varshini Sadanand's dance stood out remarkably.

A project called "Kannada Kali" was launched at the event to encourage and help people learn kannada in a fun and interesting way. This is a new step to aid present day kids who are away from their country learn their language.

 

Much entertainment was provided by sirigandha mahila mandali from Bangalore with their "Shri Krishna Sandhana" drama which got huge round of applause from the crowd especially for Ms. Amitha Anandkumar for her powerful portrayal of Bheema's character.

 

There was a Patrika Ghoshti and folk dance by another troupe from Bangalore. What stood out for me was the "Jambavati Kalyana" from Yaksha Shikshana trust, Manipal who elegantly presented one of the Karnataka's unique and own dance form, Yakshagana.

Two dance troupes, both from Tumkur presented outstanding dance performances which won standing ovation from the crowd.

Vaidyakiya Goshti, a consciousness on medical well being was conducted. Dr. William Tan was awarded for showing outstanding strength to overcome adversities.

It was time for the highlight of the event when Dr. P B Srinivas captured the stage and hearts of the audience once again at the age of 80 when he sung, spoke and composed a song specially for the event. He was rightly awarded “Singara VishwaManya Suvarna Puraskara”

 

Entertainment rose to another peak when Pravin Gorkhindi and his team mesmerized one and all with their flute-drums-keyboard combo. Crowd couldn't but scream "once more" loud and determined that the flutist had to go on even if it meant running out of time for the organizers!

 

The stars descended from Sandalwood to Singapore to showcase their first ever star night abroad and got appreciation & encouragement from the crowd. Pooja Gandhi was at her best when she read "Yelladaru Iru Yenthadaru Iru" and also sung her song when fans demanded. Good sport! Adding to the attraction were Yash who danced despite a broken back, Sadhu Kokila who compèred back stage and sung so beautifully, Aindrita Rai, Neetu and others.

 

Shivrajkumar was awarded for his contribution to the Kannada Cinema for past 25years with 100 movies. A grand end to the event happened with all the stars along with the crowd dancing for Dr. Rajkumar's famous 'Huttidare Kannada Naadali Huttabeku' song!

 

It was 11:30 in the night and we got ourselves some snaps with the artists.

 

Radha with Pooja Gandhi

Posing with Pravin Godkhindi

Me with Pooja Gandhi

 

Myself, Radha n Srinidhi with the legend Dr. PBS, Singers Badri Prasad & Anuradha Bhat