Little A: Chapter 2

The three children rushed into the gate of Sulem Serai's garden. The winter flowers had blossomed. The grass was bright green and wet. Little A took his shoes off and started jumping on the grass. He ran and jumped. When he fell down, he turned around and saw the clouds in the sky. Most children find ponies and candies in the clouds but Little A said, "Ah, the clouds look so free today. The abstract shapes are interacting and rushing from here to there. There is so much chaos, yet so balanced." Then he gets up and picks up a flower. Excited Little A runs to Anandita and said, "Ani Ani, look it forms the golden spiral. See see, the ratio is" "Shut up weirdo!' she yelled. 'Why don't you go get us some candies?" "I don't know where to get them from, I don't eat candies' 'Let me help you with the direction. Dad took us the last time we were here. Here's what you do, take a right, then left, then right, then left." Anupam laughed at the back. Little A threw the flower and ran home. He tried to open and door in a rush but he keeps struggling. He wants to cry but was always taught tears make a person weak. He starts to bang on the door hard. All of this makes his breath heavy. His face turns blue. And he can't knock anymore. He starts blacking out when his mother opens the door listen to the banging earlier. "Oh no, Babu are you alright?" She carried him inside and warmed his palms and feet. Simultaneously, his father prepared his inhaler. They ask him to rest. He is tucked into a warm blanket and slowly falls asleep. The mother turned at the door to see him sleep calmly. She takes a deep breath and switches off the light with a tear in her eye that she tries to hide. A wakes up well rested at night. It was past 12am and he realized it was his birthday. He never enjoyed parties or other children. He didn't enjoy chocolate cakes or balloons. The moonlight was creeping into his room. If it was something Little A loved it was the moonlight. If it was one thing that little A was fearless towards, it was darkness. Little A looked outside the window and saw a beautiful teenage girl on the road. She had stepped out with a cup of tea. Little A rushed and opened his closet. He threw all his clothes away and found his camera. He loved his camera. The teenage girl had a steam of tea around her face. As she sipped the hot tea, the 7 year old boy clicked beautiful photographs of the girl. Then he clicked the wind chimes, then the street light and he kept going. He went to the little dark room he'd created in his house. He skipped through his parents room quietly and processed those photographs. Oh! What joy. He heard his parents waking up and creeps back into bed. Closes his eyes and pretends to fall asleep. Mr. B comes to his sons room when little A shuts his eyes hard. 'It's ok son, I know what you were upto. Not a bad job. Still a long journey to go. But you're smarter, keep art as a hobby, just a hobby.' Mr. B starts walking towards the door. Little A removes his blanket and looks at his father leaving. 'And son'. Little A puts the blanket back up. 'Happy Birthday, do study a lot today.'

Little A(working title): Chapter 1

Chapter 1 The sky was full of smog. Little A wipes the frost off his fat glasses and looks outside the large window in Allahbad.He takes his tiny hands and rubs the window pane. As he peeps closer, his brown eyes sparkled with joy and his incisors dug further into his chin. "Mother, can I go out to play today? Please please." says A."Go go son, get out of here before your mother sees you." winks his father. Little A jumps and runs towards the door but the door knob is shut. Little A turns back and asks, "Father, which side did the door open again?" "To the right buddy. Run along now, your uncle and I are discussing something." A turns back and opens the door knob. Once to the right, again to the right and he keeps going but the door wouldn't open. There is chaos in his head. He is frightened and his palms and forehead are sweaty. There is no sense that he can make. He wants to scream out loud but they would mock him again. He wants to ask for help but they would mock him again. The uncle sits back and laughs loudly. "Good for nothing." The furious father looks at his brother. The brother stopped laughing and suddenly, they heard the door open and bangles clinging. "Remember what I taught you Babu. The door opens on the side we have stuck your painting." Pointing at the abstract painting stuck to the door. 'Whenever you get confused, look at your work and believe in yourself. Where your work lies is always the 'right' direction for you." A's forehead starts to relax when his uncle shouts, "Hold on! Take your cousins also. They are out on a holiday to spend time with you!" A didn't like the thought of playing with his Mumbai cousins. He looked at his mother and started hiding in her saree's drape. "Take them son, I promise it will be fine," said the father looking at his uncle sternly while the uncle nods his head. "Anandita and Anupam, go out and play with A. I shouldn't hear any complaints from that boy."

Charity

Nina was leaving the first village she had been working with. She was again saying her good byes to familiar smiling faces. Her organisation had donated a lot of money and food to them for over 5 years! What joy on everyone's face. She sat in her big chauffeur driven car and left. As soon as she left, the men went and bought alcohol out of the money and the women split the grains. One man used that money to pay dowry for his under aged daughter. Young boys started gambling when the mother of the blue shirt boy arrived and said, "Don't you have school?" He replied saying, "Who needs school? We are comfortable. She will be back in a few months with more money."

Nina reached the second village with a truck following her with all the supplies for that village. She went to the Village head who was the nicest man she'd met. He had two beautiful granddaughters who smiled and ran to her for candies. She gave him all the supplies for everyone. Then, she gave him a sack full of money. The little girls offered her water and sweets. She nodded her head and said no. She added, "You need it more that I do. I have chilled water in the car."
As soon as she left, the villagers came one by one to the head to collect their grains. Some traded it for their house, some their farm and the others for their women. That night the 60 year old Village head abused three women one after the other and then handed them a pack of grains for the month. To one of them he even gave money. "Not everyday one gets lucky to have a untouched 15 year old in bed", he thought.

Nina finally reached home. She was exhausted. Her neighbours gave her a warm welcome and heard stories about how happy people were in the villages. She felt so proud, yet humble and said, "Oh! It's nothing. I am lucky to meet such nice people."

She entered her penthouse and went straight into her hot tub, switched on her 32" LED TV and watched her favourite soap.

Delhi for men

It all started when I went to a Sushi bar with some friends from work. I met an American woman who said the most beautiful things about India. I was happy, really happy. I even told her I will write about it in my blog and I am. She said India is like a little Europe. People are warm, food is great and she wants to live here forever. She is an environmentalist and lived everywhere in the world possible. It was a great night. Good food, great company and lots of Martini. That day I was so inspired to just write about this experience.

The very next day I was dragged to a 'club' by a friend for her birthday. We were at her house and then left for this 'fun' place. I hate clubs anyway but this was much worse. I had so space to stand. There were sweaty people touching me all the time.

At one point, we split for various reasons where two middle aged men offered to pay me for sex! They did the same in the most disgusting possible way. The whole place was just a pick up joint.

I have nothing against prostitution. In fact, I wish it were legalized so that people know who to approach and who not to. The place was filled with very sleazy people. I wanted to leave immediately but it wasn't taken seriously until my friends started getting approached too.

A woman in Delhi always needs a bodyguard. It doesn't matter whether she is good-looking or not, fat or thin, old or young, naked or covered in 4 layers of clothing. Every woman is viewed as an object by most men.

These are the kind of men who are judge women who have had pre-marital sex, even for enjoying sex, drinking, dressing up in revealing manner. These are exactly the kind of men who don't let their daughters go out and abuse their wives in bed. The men who have boring 9 to 5 jobs and a penis that's always erect. It's like they see a woman and go like, "Wow! what are those? Let's try to touch it. What else did I earn money for?"And these are exactly the kind of men who run away without paying prostitutes.

I want to tell them, "I feel bad you're horny but who will sleep with you even you pay for it."

And what should I do? Stay home locked in a room?

I am not a feminist but I do want equality wherever it is physically and mentally possible. Does any man have the balls to give women that? Or they have all lost them while trying to find woman to have sex with?

Women in Delhi and stilettos

I hate to honk! Even while taking a turn I prefer turning slowly that blowing the car horn like a maniac. Then comes a situation where I am in a real rush, stuck in a jam in the market area of South Delhi and suddenly the car in front of me stops in the middle of the road and I see the ugliest pair of stilettos in even uglier feet. This woman steps out the car very slowly, pulls her L.V. purse out and then shuts the door. Then she realizes she hasn't been able to shut the door again. My blood starts to boil and I press the horn like a maniac. She turns around and looks at me like I AM UNCIVILIZED. If there had been an 80 year woman who couldn't walk who did that, I would gladly wait but just because someone can't buy a pair of walking shoes or have the sense to pull over on the side is unacceptable.

I then go to the mall and decide to play air hockey with a friend in the 'fun zone'. Due to far too many noisy children we decide to leave and get beer instead. As soon as I turn I see the mothers of these children, dressed in designer brands from top to toe and wearing sunglasses. I peek down and find stilettos! In the middle of the afternoon, amongst a bunch of notorious children and in a games arcade!

I love the city and would love for it to be known better than a city of dumb women. Instead of practising how to walk in those shoes which look like dead penguins, I wish they read something! Something other than fashion. Or fashion! Then they would know when and where to wear what. Their shoes literally scream out, "I killed the penguins and I am responsible for global warming." I wish they have more intellectual doubts at 23 than asking around questions like, "Listen, why doesn't the government print extra notes and put an end to poverty?" or "At what temperature does water turn into ice?" It embarrasses me to talk to you.

I wish this city is not ruined by woman like this as it has plenty of smart fashionable woman who can balance what they wear and read.

What joy?

The sky was sparkling with smoke. Every shade of grey was blending with each other and making a warm blanket over the stars. It was that day of the year again when all the residents of New Delhi went crazy. The streets were full of ill-mannered children bursting the crackers that made ear-splitting blast, louder parents who encouraged this behaviour and drunken teenagers in big cars throwing alcohol bottles from the car as they went to visit their friends and gamble.
She was outside her house in her old clothes, just finishing the 'rangoli' like she did every year. Then she got some candles and placed them on her boundary wall. She struggled and pushed herself up the wall with one foot on the tap and the other in the air. One by one, she lit every candle and placed them at equal distance from each other. It was her 15th birthday and she was thrilled to see all the lights in the sky. She sat down on one end of the wall twirling her curly hair, looking up at the sky and all the beautiful decorations. She was drawing her thoughts in the air with her left hand when suddenly her rowdy neighbour came and pulled her foot. He said, "What are you looking at crazy girl? Look my father bought me a '700 shooter'. It is the most expensive cracker this year. What did you buy?"
"I am anti-crackers, remember?" He laughed loudly holding his fat belly. He dragged a huge ploythene bag towards her and took out a large time bomb. He held it in his hand, lit it and threw it towards her. She moved away just in time for it to not explode in her face but burned her elbows from the candles she lit and fell off the wall on her face. He ran away before he got caught.
She was breathless! There was no one to help her anywhere on the street full of festivities and people. With great amount of effort, she reached her pocket and took out her inhaler and caught a breath. Her knee was bleeding, cheeks and elbows were bruised, and her forehead had a bump. She lied there in pain for an hour and no one noticed her. No one noticed the broken candles on the wall, pieces of which were still in her hair. No one noticed the mark the cracker left on the wall. No one noticed it as they were busy being polluting the air.
In that hour, the number of crackers that were shooting up in the sky kept increasing and so did the pollution. The little corner house with an injured girl was out of sight.
Soon, the inhaler lost its effect. She tried very hard but she couldn't breathe. She tried very hard, but couldn't make it.
Her mother walked towards the house with a big packet full of cake and candies for her little girl who couldn't go out on Diwali due to her condition. She kept imagining the joy in her daughter's eyes when she saw her favourite molten chocolate cake which said- To my little princess, may you live a long and healthy life.