The Vivekean Times

( 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.”

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...

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...

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 bl...

(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 suffe...

 ( 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 ...