Valentine's Day Blues

(I present before you once again that lovely poem I wrote for Valentine's Day. I had composed it literally overnight for the Bandra Buzz, our local newspaper.)

Tears streamed down his face again

As Valentine’s Day approached;

For on that day a year ago

David’s heart had been crushed.



His Valentine had ditched him then

And mated with his foe;

It had taken him a really long time

To recover from this blow.



So, David vowed to shun this day

But Fate had other plans,

For he consented to a Blind Date theme:

A dinner and a dance.



And there she was in front of him

A damsel blessed with grace;

‘Twas her smile our hero loved the best

It beautified her face.



They strolled out together arm in arm,

Two strangers so in love;

He whispered sweet nothings to her

Then presented a clay dove.



“Take this bird and remember me,”

 David told his Valentine;

“For I shall be forever yours,

And, my dear, you shall be mine.”

Indians in Pakistan – An Exciting and Informative Novel

I smiled at the irony that while we, the trainees, were equipped with rocket launchers, AK47s and other sophisticated weaponry, the head of the mission confronted us with a measly pistol. I was still smiling as my fingers pulled the trigger. The short, bald leader collapsed in a heap. Our jeep sped away.

We left the camp that night, leaving a trail of destruction in our wake. Scores of dismembered bloody bodies lay strewn all over the place. Almost every solid structure had been reduced to rubble. Small fires flared at various places. There were a couple of big fires that lit up the night sky. But what I remember most vividly was the ghastly silence just before we left the site.

The above segment is a short extract from my novel ‘Indians in Pakistan’, an action thriller that will leave you spellbound. It will also immerse you into a totally different world in which different forces are at play as jihadis plot a rebellion against their evil masters.

Firstly, love blossoms between a male and female jihadi during the terror training itself. Then there is a sudden outburst of patriotism among the Indian jihadis at the camp. However, the camp management uses harsh tactics to keep all the jihadis in check. Will the Indians revolt? What will be the outcome? Buy the book to get these answers.

‘Indians in Pakistan’ will also take you down memory lane by delving deep into the history of the subcontinent. It takes a frank look (a bit too frank some may say) on certain controversial decisions and actions of people from both sides of the border during and after the partition. It even revisits Pandit Nehru’s famous speech made at the dawn of India’s independence. 

Indians in Pakistan – An Exciting and Informative Novel

I smiled at the irony that while we, the trainees, were equipped with rocket launchers, AK47s and other sophisticated weaponry, the head of the mission confronted us with a measly pistol. I was still smiling as my fingers pulled the trigger. The short, bald leader collapsed in a heap. Our jeep sped away.

We left the camp that night, leaving a trail of destruction in our wake. Scores of dismembered bloody bodies lay strewn all over the place. Almost every solid structure had been reduced to rubble. Small fires flared at various places. There were a couple of big fires that lit up the night sky. But what I remember most vividly was the ghastly silence just before we left the site.

The above segment is a short extract from my novel ‘Indians in Pakistan’, an action thriller that will leave you spellbound. It will also immerse you into a totally different world in which different forces are at play as jihadis plot a rebellion against their evil masters.

Firstly, love blossoms between a male and female jihadi during the terror training itself. Then there is a sudden outburst of patriotism among the Indian jihadis at the camp. However, the camp management uses harsh tactics to keep all the jihadis in check. Will the Indians revolt? What will be the outcome? Buy the book to get these answers.

‘Indians in Pakistan’ will also take you down memory lane by delving deep into the history of the subcontinent. It takes a frank look (a bit too frank some may say) on certain controversial decisions and actions of people from both sides of the border during and after the partition. It even revisits Pandit Nehru’s famous speech made at the dawn of India’s independence. 

Indians in Pakistan – An Exciting and Informative Novel

I smiled at the irony that while we, the trainees, were equipped with rocket launchers, AK47s and other sophisticated weaponry, the head of the mission confronted us with a measly pistol. I was still smiling as my fingers pulled the trigger. The short, bald leader collapsed in a heap. Our jeep sped away.

We left the camp that night, leaving a trail of destruction in our wake. Scores of dismembered bloody bodies lay strewn all over the place. Almost every solid structure had been reduced to rubble. Small fires flared at various places. There were a couple of big fires that lit up the night sky. But what I remember most vividly was the ghastly silence just before we left the site.

The above segment is a short extract from my novel ‘Indians in Pakistan’, an action thriller that will leave you spellbound. It will also immerse you into a totally different world in which different forces are at play as jihadis plot a rebellion against their evil masters.

Firstly, love blossoms between a male and female jihadi during the terror training itself. Then there is a sudden outburst of patriotism among the Indian jihadis at the camp. However, the camp management uses harsh tactics to keep all the jihadis in check. Will the Indians revolt? What will be the outcome? Buy the book to get these answers.

‘Indians in Pakistan’ will also take you down memory lane by delving deep into the history of the subcontinent. It takes a frank look (a bit too frank some may say) on certain controversial decisions and actions of people from both sides of the border during and after the partition. It even revisits Pandit Nehru’s famous speech made at the dawn of India’s independence. 

Two Gentle Taps

(A short story I wrote for a contest in 2007. Didn't win though.The Challenge was keeping it below 600 words or so.)

The alarm crowed. A lusty king of the farmyard cock-a-doodle-do. He shut the mobile up. One hour and five minutes was all he had before his day began. He would steal five minutes from that. Look the other way, he told that frowning creature in his soul. I do it all the time. A little corruption. A little bribery. I negotiate with the world 24 /7. So why not an extra 5 minutes of sleep? he told himself and buried his head under the pillow. And so began another day in the life of an Indian.

When Vijay finally woke up it was well past eight. “Oh, God,” he exclaimed panic-stricken. “What have I done?” This time round he was definitely less philosophical about life and the daily issues that came with it. Almost an hour later, Vijay was scrambling across the street frantically, struggling to reach his office on time. He took a Churchgate-bound train and suffered the same plight as most of the other commuters in the crowded compartment. There was the usual shoving and abusing so typical of rush hour life in Mumbai. He got off at Churchgate station, and headed towards Fountain. At length, he reached the familiar, old building inside which he had toiled so hard for seven long years.

There was a gentle tap on the shoulder just as Vijay was about to step into the elevator. He spun around. There was the gorgeous Raveena standing right in front of him.

“Hi Ravs, What’s up?”

“I need to speak to you in private.”

“Can’t it wait? We have a date in the evening remember.”

“Vijay, that’s what I need to speak to you about.”

“Ok. Let’s move up to the first floor landing and talk.”

Ten minutes later a heartbroken Vijay sat on a step in a state of shock. A single tear rolled down his left cheek in sheer agony. What had happened? It was not supposed to end like this. Who was this Pankaj fellow anyways? What could he offer that Vijay couldn’t? Everything was the sad answer. I don’t have a great job. My flat is not all that big either. Ravs always wanted to be driven around in a car.

A short time later, Vijay was once again office bound. He had stopped crying inwardly too. There was no stopping him now. He decided that he would come up in life by hook or by crook, and win his beloved Raveena back. As Vijay entered the office, he could not hear the usual early morning buzz among his colleagues.  “The boss would like to see you in his cabin,” said Shilpa, in a melancholy tone.

“Why are you late again?” yelled Mr. Banerjee, his boss.

“I missed the train, sir” replied Vijay, somewhat lamely.

“You shall miss a part of your salary as well, yaar. Now go and do your Goddamn work.”

No sooner did Vijay begin his work than he felt another gentle tap on his shoulder. This time it was Shilpa.  

She was the beautiful receptionist whom he secretly admired. However, Vijay had not made a pass at her since he had been devoted to Raveena.

“I’m sorry about your pay cut,” said Shilpa, sympathetically.

“Don’t bother about it,” Vijay told her in a feeble voice.

“I like you very much,” Shilpa told him suddenly.

“I like you very much too. Will you go out with me for dinner this evening?”

“I’d simply love to.”

“We’ll meet at Seven o’clock then.”

“I can’t wait.”

That was one rollercoaster of a day, and Vijay never forgot the ride.

Valentine’s Day Blues

 (I present before you once again that lovely poem I wrote last year for Valentine's Day. I had composed it literally overnight for the Bandra Buzz, our local newspaper.)

                        
Tears streamed down his face again

As Valentine’s Day approached;

For on that day a year ago

David’s heart had been crushed.


His Valentine had ditched him then

And mated with his foe;

It had taken him a really long time

To recover from this blow.


So, David vowed to shun this day

But Fate had other plans,

For he consented to a Blind Date theme:

A dinner and a dance.


And there she was in front of him

A damsel blessed with grace;

‘Twas her smile our hero loved the best

It beautified her face.


They strolled out together arm in arm,

Two strangers so in love;

He whispered sweet nothings to her

Then presented a clay dove.


“Take this bird and remember me,”

David told his Valentine;

“For I shall be forever yours,

And, my dear, you shall be mine.”