Veena was a bright eighth grader. She was jovial, lively, and loved to joke and play pranks on others. She was also fond of dogs. All her friends’ dogs adored Veena and got very animated when she visited them. When she romped with the dogs, they would create a racket and have loads of fun. Read more…

Gemma was Nisha’s dearest friend. Nisha had loved Gemma since the moment she had seen her. Gemma had sparkling blue eyes, which had a tenderness about them. She was a French girl who had come to India with her grandfather. Her parents were divorced. Unfortunately, Gemma hardly meant anything to them. The only person whom Read more…

The sun set in the horizon as the sky turned yellowish. There was still a large crowd waiting patiently in the queue to get a glimpse of the Lord. There were fathers carrying their kids on their shoulders, mothers trying to soothe their irritated babies, and others just rushing in. Ranji sat atop a stone Read more…

‘Nargis, it’s five! The customers will start flocking to the brother. Why aren’t you dolled up yet?’ yelled Jyoti, the Madam. ‘I’m tired of putting up with you.’ It was evening, a time when her regular customers visited the brothel. As always, Jyoti wanted all the girls to be at their attractive best. She ran Read more…

When the bus driver took his seat, every passenger in the bus heaved a sigh. The driver switched on the pocket transistor. An old Kishore Kumar song was being broadcast. He checked the volume and turned it up. However, a special announcement soon interrupted the song. ‘The police are still on the lookout for the Read more…

He stood at the Goripalayam bus stop every day from morning to night. He had a hideous face. His left eye was placed a little lower than his right one, and his teeth stood out in wild disarray. His unkempt hair rose from his furrowed forehead and cascaded like a lion’s mane. He wore a Read more…

The school bell rang loudly. Rahul’s car pulled up under the portico followed by a long line of cars. Waving at his friends, Rahul hopped into the backseat and dumped his bag beside him. The driver, Bansilal, was an old man. He had worked for Rahul’s father since Rahul had been a baby. He looked Read more…

Kartik was very proud of his beautiful house. It was, after all, the biggest house on the street. It was built of lovely red bricks and had large rooms with huge windows. A well laid-out garden could be seen through those windows. The garden itself was brimming with lovely flowers. Kartik had two gardeners to Read more…

‘Do you see the stuffed stag head mounted on the drawing room wall? It’s Uncle Benson’s trophy from a forest expedition,’ Uncle Benson’s friend pointed to the treasured collection of game. ‘How did you find it, uncle?’ I inquired. Uncle looked up at the stag’s head and said, ‘It once roamed freely in the woods. Read more…

Tarun was on his way to school. He had been observing the traffic constable at the intersection of the two main roads near his school for a few days. The constable had a funny way of controlling the traffic. It was as if he were performing Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance. He would click his Read more…