Ten Bucks

‘What’s your name again?' he said raising his right eyebrow. 

‘This is the first time you asked’ she said with lowering her eyes.

‘Rohini Dev Burman’she said after a brief pause. 

‘R D Burman eh?’he said puffing smoke rings.

‘Yes Rohini Dev Burman’.

‘Do you have the talent like him, can you sing like him?’ he said narrowing his eyes. 

‘I am a woman’

‘So you re like Asha?’ 

No sir, I am Rohini’ she said looking up. 

Attitude huh?’

'Confidence sir’ she said lowering her head again. 

‘You can wait outside’ he said gesturing towards the door.
 

‘Its been 6 months,she comes in every single day to meet me -she'd do anything to get a chance to sing - I bet ten bucks she will be better than Asha’ he said while stubbing his fifth cigarette.

‘Rajinder, don’t be silly, you’re just infatuated with her looks, not her voice’ said producer Ramnathan. 

‘Anna,ten bucks,the most precious ten bucks in the history of this music industry – why don’t you take the bet?’ Rajinder said. 

‘Raji, relax,how can you forget your history of losing bets?’ 

‘Ten bucks, and I will make this ordinary nobody, in to the next superstar of playback singing’ he said.
 

‘I am not taking any bets, its an open and shut case, she will sing a few songs here and there, and then she’ll be forgotten just like hundreds before. We will probably see her at some award functions or some jokers marriage ceremony standing in a corner desperately trying to get some attention with her failing body and ageless voice’ Ramanathan opined and stood up to leave.
 

‘Wait – ten bucks, the last time I dare you – don’t chicken out -my heart will weep’ Rajinder said. 

Rajinder knew exactly how to entice  Producer Ramanathan into a deal,this was not the first time.But this time he needed this to work more than ever.

‘Is she doing you ? Are you sleeping with her ? Is she pregnant or something?’ Ramanathan said. 

There was silence and the two exchanged glances for the first time. 

‘OK done – but we'll do it my way -ten bucks it is. Here  is my ten bucks right on the soft-board.It stays there only till one month – I will collect this back on 30th April and you will lose your house, your job, your life and of course the ten bucks – deal?’

‘It’s a deal’ Rajinder said.

Producer Ramanathan smirked ‘Let the games begin.’

‘Rohini come in’ Rajinder gestured standing at the door. 

‘You are going to be the next superstar of playback singing - I got you your deal - a chance to sing in Ramanathan's next movie' he said looking deeply into her eyes.

‘I know’ she said. 

‘What is it that you, want?’ Rajinder asked. 

‘I couldve said you heart, but its Money that I really want. Regular money and if you miss a payment, the photographs go to the press.’

The mood in the room had changed.

 ‘Ah so you are going to blackmail me?’he said.

‘Yes if I need to’ she said.

‘Let’s just say I don’t agree to your terms and conditions’ he said. 

‘Why are you bent on getting screwed, no pun intended Rajinder’ she said. 

‘Ah darling its not me, its you who is going to get screwed – I have those negatives with me.’Rajinder said with a hint of a crooked smile.

‘That’s impossible – you can never get to them – show it to me if you really have them?’she said.

‘You can go to the press with your negatives, that is if you can find them again’ he said winking.

‘You are lying you can never have those negatives, ever’ 

‘And why so my dear?’

‘Because they are…’
 

‘Yes…they are..What? Let me tell you my dear – those negatives were picked up from your now ransacked home, and right now they’re on their way here’Rajinder said looking at his watch. 

‘What?’ Rohini exclaimed wide eyed.

Rajinder smiled.

‘Now you will do exactly what I say – take off your clothes.’ 

Rohini stood still for a while and then obeyed instructions. Rajinder didn’t take too long to get into the act and soon he was panting for breath. He expected her to resist a bit, but she did not. Instead,it seemed like she was enjoying. The momentum increased, he rode her well, she moaned and asked for more. 

'Faster,faster,you bastard,do it to me,now faster...'Rohini screamed.

The heartbeats knew no bounds and at a point they choked.Rajinder died of a cardiac arrest in the middle of their torrid love making session.
 

Rohini sat up on the bed breathing heavy and said ‘Rama sir – you can come in now, the job is done – where’s my ten bucks?’

 

 

Gyanban Thoughts - a quirky love story after a long time.The double cross was the key point,and the setting deliberate.

 

Jal ~ Water

Sometimes it flows as tears
Sometimes it sums up fears
Sometimes it's just joy
And sometimes it's a ploy!

It quenches thirst
Refreshes hope
You can drown first
Or flow with the slope


It can wage a storm
Yet Light a life
Can work a charm
Feed the unborn


Wasted it flows
Drains when it rains
Cries the future
Bathes in sorrow...

Save it now
Save us now
If tomorrow dries 
We all die...

Gyanban Thoughts - Save Water is like save a life! I wonder when will people take this seriously? Perhaps until a war breaks out, people are just not going to take notice.Sad.
Save water,save a child,save our future.

Something Fishy

‘Check if the Catla is slimy Robin.’

‘Yuck –why do that?’

‘It tells whether the fish is fresh or not.’

‘Once you fry it – how does that matter?’

‘Stop arguing.’

‘Its logic.’

‘Its distasteful.’

‘Well its not cooked yet.’

‘Oh Gaawwd stop it.’

The Octopus and the Squid did not like the noise.They sprang on their face.

Robin and his father choked till they fell down.

The Catla smiled in relief.

Gyanban Thoughts - A fishy thriller,quirky and funny,or so I thought. Plight of fish.

Sleeplessness

I don’t know how I got in here. My innate curiosity would’ve brought me here. Though there were many people in the room, no one seemed bothered to get out. How strange? I saw some distorted, disfigured faces beside me. The one on my left was particularly abstract. The cranium was part open, pink and blue flesh hung loosely. The punctured jaw had glass embedded on one side. The spine poked out from the shoulder. Or was it the collarbone? I couldn’t tell. He was hurting,it, was hurting.

I could stand & keep looking but I had work to do. I had to get out of there. I started walking towards the exit, but the door was locked from outside. I screamed, but no one came, no one heard. I tried climbing up the ceiling vent. Fell down and hurt myself again. I tried breaking the window, that didn’t work either.

Tried calling Jemma, shouted, but she couldn’t hear. I promised I’d be home soon, I promised I’d finish work early,I promised I’d pick up the grocery on the way, I’d promised I’d spend time with her. She must be waiting, expecting. And here I was unable to get out of this room. Claustrophobic I was.

The retina was burning, the liquid had dried up, and the veins bursting. My eyes bled. But I kept them open. The sound was like nails on glass, screeching endlessly. Coming close to me louder, harder, faster. The odor was choking, ripe raisins, rum, peaty, wood fire, all shaken and stirred. It tasted salty, just like sweat, with a hint of blood or wine. My lips had dried, throat parched and that’s all I remember.

And then I found a tag attached to my wrist.

It read, dead on arrival.

I couldn’t sleep that night.

Gyanban Thoughts - its been a  while I ventured into the horror zone.This piece was written for Qyuki publication for a Chetan bhagat initiative called I couldnt sleep that night.The idea was to tell a story in 300 words around that phrase.I ve used all the senses of taste,sight,smell etc. to capture the mood and effect without getting too gory.The other experiment was to rearrange the paragraphs and see if a different story,narration evolved.See if you can spot it.

Lost and Found

In the bylanes of the bygones,

I found myself in responsible.

Of being rational,functional,frugal,

I lost to radical.

On the road to perfection

I found myself in analytical.

Oh the machinist

I lost to emotional

In the design of a designer life,

I found myself in a pattern,

In the scheme of things,

I lost to abstract.

In the junctions of life

I found myself on the tracks.

The train keeps moving,

I lost to stations

In the milestones on the road
I found myself staring at the fork,
In the lamps that showed light
I lost to darkness.

Gyanban Thoughts - A poem which talks about all how we go through a series of lost and founds in our lives,in fact the summation of lost and found is what life is all about in the end. Have you found yourself?

Interviewed

A young executive was nervously biting her nails.

The interview results were just announced. Her name was missing.

Her shoulders sank and tears flowed.

A retired father & an ailing mother waited outside in a rickshaw.

She picked up her bag & slowly walked towards the exit, when she heard

‘These names can leave,thank you’.

Gyanban Thoughts : A 55 word fiction about how people go through so many emotions in a short span of time.Interview results churn out the most emotions if you need the job badly.So many lives are impacted and they go through the same emotional turmoil.Lets hope someday everyone gets the job they want without having to go through this roller coaster ride.

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

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The Shot

‘I want a cake,now.’ He screamed.

Sowmya looked back at him,and then resumed her cooking.

‘You are mean,its my birthday – I haven't eaten one in so many months.’

Sowmya didn’t respond.

‘Ok, I’m going out & wont come back’he said running out of the kitchen.

Sowmya shouted‘Appu,come back, now’ clutching the insulin syringe.

Gyanban Thoughts - Spare a thought for the scores of people who suffer from diabetes,more worrisome is the increase of childhood diabetes, something which was not that common a few years ago.Spare a thought for all those mothers who have to fight their emotions and cultural negligence to refrain their children from eating sweets,which in the Indian context is huge.There is a sweet for every occasion ,reason, or no reason. Childhood obesity begins from indulgence at home and serves as a root cause for most complications.