Tejas Joshi's unnamed post.

“Why is Chiku still in bed?” Chiku’s father, Atul, was astonished. It was not Sunday or any other holiday. Chiku was in his grandmother and his room. Chiku’s mother and father were in hurry of leaving for office. They both work. Chiku’s mother used to ready him for school before they leave.

Atul wanted his son to be always ahead in life and be a successful man, like him. He was working in a national investment firm. Wow.

“Come on get up Chiku, why don’t you wake up on time? You know what happened to bad kids? Dragoon from china takes them to the land of communist, where you can’t spend money as and when you want. When I was of your age...” Chiku’s mother came to the room hearing the raised voice. Chiku’s grandmother was also trying to explain something to Atul. “It’s getting late Atul” Anita, chiku’s mother, Atul’s wife, grandma’s daughter-in-law said, “drop me to my office first, let’s go” Chiku was still held by his hand by his father, he was half in bed and half in air; he was half covered in blanket, and his other hand was being pulled by his grandmother. He was confused, whether to cry or not.

“Arrey, leave him, HE IS NOT FEELING WELL!” Chiku’s grandmother was a school teacher, and she knows how to make her presence felt in chaos. “He is not feeling well” she said it again as if uttering those words for the first time. “What? What happened?” Atul realized his mistake, he felt that chiku’s hand was little warmer than normal. Atul checked his temperature, Chiku had fever. “Let’s go, I’ve called Doctor, he’ll come here I’ve told Aai to take his care, I’ll be calling him.” Anita told everything in a breath and then turned to Chiku. He placed Chiku well in bed, put the blanket around him and kissed him on forehead. “Beta, we’ll have to rush off. Aaji is here with you, I’ll call you from office, and doctor uncle will come to check you. Anita said the same things again, now just for Chiku. Chiku nodded.

Aaji went to the main door to see Atul and Anita off. She closed the door, and sighed. Chiku also sighed in his bed. He has indeed started to feel ill now, more than he is supposed to feel. Aaji returned to his room, with a steaming bowl of kheer, a glass of water and something in a little dish. “Have this, and you will feel better, even before doctor comes” “No I don’t want anything, nobody cares for me” by saying this Chiku pulled the blanket over his head. “Arrey see here what I’ve brought you” Aaji tried, but Chiku knew Aaji’s this trick. Aaji pulled the blanket away from his face, “They have to go to the office each day” Aaji said. “Even when their single child is not feeling well?” Chiku was clearly upset. “Who said you are not well. You know why your temperature is warm today?”, “Why?” “You like tea? Right? Though it’s not good for your age. But how do you like it? If we mix water, milk, sugar and tea leaves together, will you like it? No. Because, it has to be heated and mixed well, for perfect taste. Our body is like a tea kettle. We study, we play, we listen to stories, we paint, we fight; but to make it all enjoyable our body needs to mix it all up, and heat it. That’s why our body is warmer than non-living things. Today your body has warmed up a little more.” While explaining this Aaji was feeding kheer to Chiku. “Just like when Mom keeps the gas on and milk spills out!” Chiku extended the logic. “Correct, so what we do to cool tea down, we blow on them, and keep it aside in a saucer. So just like that you will rest for today and tomorrow you will be alright!” Aaji cheered him up. Chiku was excited but then he realized that if he gets alright he will have to go to the school, which was a catch. So his mind was filled by school thoughts, anger, fantasy, love and care, Aaji. It was a hot tea spot now, where all this things were getting mixed up.

And he was feeling sleepy. Aaji covered him in blanket, took the book she was reading and rested on her bed.

The threads of blanket was going in his nostril, he sneezed out his sleep, and like a big bang explosion his eyes opened up. He came to senses after 10^-42 seconds, and he was blank for next 3 seconds. Well, he saw that Aaji’s head was actually buried in the book she was reading. She was holding the book in her hands, her trunk was visible, and neck was there, but her face was actually transformed in to a 2-dimensional plane, and fused with the book. He saw a red ball was bouncing of the walls continuously like a computer game; he had lost that red ball and was searching for it from few days. He moved ahead to grab that ball, his blanket elevated slowly, but a lizard from the roof moved ahead, her head become so large, she had eyes of the colour of puke, she leaped ahead and swallowed that red ball. Then her gaze moved towards Chiku. Chiku grabbed the flying blanket and tried to hide under it. But again the threads went in his nostrils and he sneezed loudly, the blanket flew off and fell on the lizard. The lizard actually got scared by it, and ran away making a barking sound. A stray dog near Chiku’s house made a similar sound when Chiku threw a lit cracker bomb on him and it exploded.

Well, after he sneezed his room got transformed in a mirror glass tube. He was standing at one end of it, and by the air pressure of his sneeze the other end was getting stretched out, that lizard was running away but the surface was too shiny and slippery for her to run fast. The suction cups on her feet were unable to make a contact as the inner wall of the tube was also spinning abruptly. But she managed to run towards the other end. Chiku was back lit now, and laser lights were flickering indiscriminately in the tube. He laughed, and his voice echoed. He laughed loudly, and echo was loud. He laughed even louder and shrieked in joy. The other end of the tube started to come closer by now. And the glass walls couldn’t take his shriek and a small crack appeared on the wall above Chiku’s head, Chiku looked at it, it started to expand slowly, the other end was also nearing creating pressure on that crack. Chiku heard a sound like a roar, it was mixed with barking. Suddenly the glass walls exploded, but the glass pieces got dissolved in thin air instead falling down. The tube just disappeared. And now he was on a summit of a great mountain. The sound of roar was coming nearer, he peeked over the edge, and the lizard was coming towards him barking loud. Chiku smiled, he knew how to scare the lizard. He picked a strand of grass and inserted in his nostrils, and he sneezed loudly. The lizard slid down a little bit but continued soon. Suddenly, Chiku sensed that there was a roar sound coming up from the sky. He looked up. And what he saw was jaw-dropping....

...

A dragon was flying in the sky, and coming furiously towards him.

...

The flapping of his wings was causing a big storm, and the trees on his way ere getting destroyed by that storm. His claws were by of titanium, and he was breathing out poisonous blue gas. And for no reason he was roaring and spitting fountain of fire. One such moment he exhaled fire and smoke at the same time, he was out of breath for a few moments, his face turned blue and he forgot to flip wings. But he recovered soon, and regained his wrath.

Meanwhile the lizard came up, and was moving towards Chiku. Chiku stretched hand and grabbed the blanket from his bed. He made some nan-chaku moves with that blanket, and smashed on the lizard’s head. But the lizard grabbed the end of the blanket in her toothless mouth; Chiku hurled the other end, and the lizard with it. The lizard got thrown in air and got bumped on the flying dragon. The lizard’s tail got detached from her body, the lizard fell off the cliff but the tail remained, moving like she has her own life.

The dragon landed on the ground in front of Chiku. Chiku was backing out; this was the same dragon his father used to mention about. The dragon looked at Chiku with his fiery eyes, and was moving towards Chiku. He remembered all the gruesome description his father has portrayed of the killing by the dragon. The dragon’s footsteps were causing tremors through the whole mountain range. Chiku thought of his father and all the crazy ideas he used to tell him to destroy the dragon. And to Chiku’s surprise, his mom and dad came there climbing the cliff. Chiku was moved, he was cursing his dad in the morning but before any superhero could reach there, his mom and dad arrived to save Chiku. His dad fired a range og credit cards on the dragon, but the dragon chewed it all. then his father started dancing and singing loud, and built a space ship to move the dragon’s attention. Then mom and dad started kissing each other to scare the dragon off, Dragon was disturbed a little. Chiku didn’t understand nothing. But the dragon regained his posture again, and breathed a fire shower on them, Chiku’s parents ran and was safe. As the last defence Chiku’s father picked up the half dead tail of the lizard and started hitting the dragon by it. Dragon moved his own tail and smacked them both in one fine move. They both fell off the cliff, where the lizard was waiting for them.

Now Chiku wanted some real superheroes to save him Chiku called for Superman, Batman, Spiderman, they all came flying. They saw the Dragon with furious anger. They saw the hammer and sickle on his forehead and they got even more furious. They attacked the dragon, but from the dragon’s body the similar anti-superheroes appeared. They were made up of plastic, but they were more in numbers, they attacked the real superheroes and destroyed them in no time, in this battle many of the fake superheroes also got smashed. Now Chiku was alone with the dragon. He was scared. In a poor attempt to save him, he picked up a stone and hurled at the dragon.

Suddenly, earth shattering sound rocked the mountain, the sky got clouded, and there was flashes circling the earth. And up from the sky Chiku’s aaji came down flying. She has tucked her sari well, and ready to take the dragon down. And what was his secret weapon? She has the rolling pin, with which she used to make perfect chapattis. She showed off some kung-fu moves. She said hi to Chiku, Chiku was ecstatic, and jumping hysterically.

Aaji jumped up in the sky, did a sumersault and landed behind the dragon. She picked the dragon by his tail and hurled in the air and threw off the cliff. Dragon was furious, while falling down he flipped wings and got in the air and attacked aaji again. But Aaji was ready for him. She took him by his nose smacked in the ground, and put the pressing roll in his nostrils, it was smashed now. Then she tore out his wings, and again hurled off the cliff. This time he didn’t have wings to flip...

Then Aaji saved Chiku’s mom dad also.

Chiku was running towards his aaji to hug, when he rolled down a stone and fell on the ground.

At the same time, he woke up in his bed; he was sweating by all this experience. Aaji was seating in front of him. “Look your fever is gone! Wait I’ll make tea for us”, Aaji checked him and said. She turned around and went inside the kitchen to make tea.

But the press role in her hand didn’t go unnoticed from Chiku.

(with massive inputs from Lee)

Newton's Cradle

I am dead

Am I dead or only feeling like it?
What actually is death, death is to you or for others, yours or theirs.

The stink of old humid newspapers,
the characters are washed up, the news of no use
the faces pasted with smiles, ants have eaten up right cheek
kids are older than my grandmother now
the hand in my mouth could not fathom words

there was an offshoot too, bright green
I have kept electric motors in that old box lost its sheen,
what date is today, when did I breath last time

I used to feel my last part of lungs getting swollen up

Now the dust fills my nostrils
All those memories are mixed in it
I fear that they will think I’m a seed
I don’t wanna sow me all over again

But no it won’t happen, it won’t happen
that was my last wish written on my epitaph

Two gates

Redbull presents

“TWO GATES”

When Bunty gained his consciousness the picture in front of him wasn’t much different. People were still laughing at him, though the people around him this time were strangers and the atmosphere was a lot divine that the last time. There was a guy with big thin glasses and a big feather pen. Then there was a really old guy with three faces and he was laughing out loud by all three mouths he got. Then there were two security personal type men holding some kind of useless ancient weapons in hand. And they all were wearing golden crowns and lots of jewelry and rich clothes. They seem to be from rich family or maybe some eventually rich robbers. There was a huge desk with an enormous book on it. Behind that there were two huge gates, one golden and other metal.

Bunty is feeling a lot lighter now. With almost no effort he sat on the soft carpet. He was still confused and very agitated, everybody was laughing at him. His annoyance almost tasted its limits. He stood up, he was still confused about the location, “ok, shut up now!” he yelled, “Where am I, is it some kind of hospital?” As an answer to his question the laughter even increased. After one more wave of laughter the man with the big specs said, “You are dead, this is the infamous ‘two gates’ of heaven and hell” “What?” Bunty exclaimed, “Why? I mean just like that? Are you mad? Who are you people?” The three faced man spoke, “You don’t know me?”, his voice was sounding very tired and experienced, and also a little ill, “I am the Brahma, The Brahma” due to speaking through three mouths his voice was resounding in the environment. “The creator of this srishti, and he, he is Chandrgupt, my clerk, he writes everyone’s destiny and keeps the account of everyone’s paap and punya”

“Ok” Bunty said, “You look a lot weird and scary than your depiction in our TV serials, The actors look at least looks a lot calm and trustworthy, though they act very quirky in that jewelry. Alright forget that, tell me why am I dead? They say you keep account of deeds of our human and then decide whom to die or for that matter whom to kill from here, eh?”

“Yeah, you are right”, Chandragupt said handing Bunty a piece of sweet, “Take this, the best sweet in all the three worlds, best in the whole universe” “What for?” Bunty asked. “Well, I am giving this treat” Chandragupt said giving The Brahma a piece of sweet. “Ho…ho…ho…”Laughed the Brahma in appreciation, “have it son, he has won a contest organized in the hell and heaven” ‘Brahma laugh like Santa’ Bunty thought. “well which contest” “as the result of which contest you came here”, explained Chandragupt, “We were getting a little bored keeping the regular account, You humans are too judgmental and very predictable, for past few years apart from the newly created disease you people weren’t dying by any new reasons. The regular diseases, accidents and old age, still you can’t find answers to some diseases like AIDS, we were expecting you humans will find answer to these diseases very early, by the way AIDS was also a winner of similar contest.” Bunty was getting more and more confused and this Chandragupt guy was getting on his nerves. “So to overcome this boredom”, Chandragupt continued, “his highness Mr. the Brahma organized this contest, ‘the funniest death’, everybody participated from these two worlds in it. You have to take into account the background of the particular subject and then prove that such death can occur to that subject, and mind you it has to be funny. I won the contest and you are my prize!” Chandragupt concluded with pride.

Bunty was furious hearing this. “What? You killed me just for fun, just to laugh on my death?” he screamed “I am just a ‘subject’ for you people? The funniest death, eh. You assholes, scoundrels, and you are ruling us…you can’t imagine how much do I hate you?” “Whoa! Watch your language son”, The Brahma snapped back, “but you know I’m in a humorous mood now, and technically using foul language can’t harm you now. Because after death, after your spirit has left your body on Earth till you enter one of these gates, the deeds you have done will not be counted in any of the books!” “Shut up you three faced moron” Bunty was furious, “don’t teach me what to do and not. And you Chandragupt, I’m your prize, eh? Bloody rascal, you are fortunate that, I don’t know much of foul words.” The Brahma and Chandragupta look at each other confusingly, and start laughing at Bunty’s this demonstration of fury. Hearing all these noise people from heaven and hell also gather at the gates. Bunty is looking at all these dead souls, and reaches the desk of Chandragupt, “So this is your famous book of accounts, eh” Bunty clings his palm on the edge of the desk, he remembers Chandragupt’s explanation of his death, and “You think you are funny, eh? You think you deserve this job?” saying this he grabs the desk and throws it in the air. The desk goes up at height even Bunty haven’t expected, and comes down. Bunty is amazed at the demonstration of his powers, “How?” he asks The Brahma unknowingly. “Well”, The Brahma starts to explain, “As I told you your deed in this buffer period is not counted, similarly you are not abiding by any physical rules in this period. You are what you think you are. You can do anything in this period. Actually I shouldn’t tell you this in this mental condition, but you know, by default we can not tell lies!”

Now, Bunty has a wicked smile on his face. Chandragupt realizes what going on his mind; he is good at his job. Bunty moves towards the fallen desk to test his powers again. He grabs the table in one hand and whirls it up in the air, it goes up and up. “You want fun, eh? You got it!” he picks up the huge book of accounts, Chandragupt runs to save his work, Bunty turns and kicks Chandragupt in stomach, he flies and crashes on the compound of hell. The people of hell gets delighted, they started cheering Bunty up. Bunty tears the book apart. He picks up the pen and moves towards the Brahma. He sprays the ink on the Brahma’s all three faces. “You want fun Brahma boy, eh?” he grabs his feet and whirls him in the direction of hell, Brahma crosses the compound wall in air and lands in the hell where the hell boys were waiting for him, and you don’t want to know what happened next. Bunty then uses the pen on Chandragupt at the oddest of place. Then he moves towards the heaven doors. The two security guards were not much of the tension. Surprisingly the heaven was also cheering him up, they were too straight people they just want to save their skins and they have earned all their punyas by worshipping the powerful. He breaks the heaven gate, and then hell gates. Everybody was happy at his enormous powers.

Now he has two worlds and the book and pen of Chandragupt to decide the fate of the third world. He moves with his army towards the EARTH!!!

If you have read this story you are a winner in yourself!! Redbull brings you the divine competition. Now you can participate in “The Funniest Death” competition too. Now drink a can of Redbull that will give you wings, then attach those wings to your creativity and tell us ‘How did Bunty die?’ think of your version of “The Funniest Death” and send your entries to us.

Page 2

Disclaimer(!): there are references to living and fictious characters..but the story is still fictional..Don't mind!

First Page, First Graphic Novel/comic book

The sketching, screeching, leching and fetching begins! It's my first attempt in a comic book/graphic novel (I'm so amateur that i don't even know, what to call this!)

I am planning to publish one page daily, or 7 pages a week..let's see if I keep my words (for the first time!) This book will have many superheroes, many countrys, many villains, and lots of world politics, and ofcourse ALIENS!!
Let's see how it goes!
give me reviews about the style, and suggest me the name.

Nashik, I love you, I leave you!

On a day like any other day a shootout happened. But it was different. The location was unusual, the time was remarkable, and the death was of the usual suspect.

Last week on the bank of Godavari in Nashik, police killed a criminal. I don’t know whether the word ‘killed’ is right or not or it should be assassin, or may be terminated, whether it was a salvation or a regular encounter.

The name of the criminal was Vishwanath Katare. He was booked under many serious offenses like murder and extortion. Police said he was a freelancer; he was only killing for money. And the police are being lead in Nashik by Mr. Visnu Mishra.

Let’s go a bit more back on the timeline. Vishnu Mishra was the D.C.P. of Nashik. He was strict on criminals and arrested many criminals from every political party. And then something very usual in governance happened, he was transferred; or relieved from his duties to serve in Central Government service. Bu the citizens who ere happy by his way of working protested and the leaders, the home ministry had to bent in front of the protest. The transfer order was cancelled, he was back. And he was back in disciplining the town.

And one day police got a tip off that Katare is coming to tapovan for smoking weed. By the way Tapovan is a land where Lord Ram, Seeta and Laxman were supposed to have lived in their years of exile. Police set a trap and tried to arrest him, and as per the police story, he opened fire on Police and the Police had to kill him in self defense. And the news flashed on the news channels, Mr. Mishra is giving orders on the location of the shootout and other regular heroic stuff. Smoking indeed kills!

By the comeback of the D.C.P. the police force of Nashik was so charged and motivated that it sort of sought to terminate all the crimes from the town, so novella, and so hollywoodish. They were trying to regain the title of Sri Ram Bhoomi to the town, may be.

And now…

The police are so active, so proud, so efficient. Now they don’t let criminal roam free in the town, and they don’t let anyone roam free in the town. With the setting sun the police force arises. They patrol the streets, they patrol the bridges, the patrol hotels, and they patrol parks. The shops are down and closed by 10 pm. You don’t get cigarettes, you don’t get milk, you don’t get even maggi after that. It’s a sin to be hungry after 10pm. Last year health ministry formed rules that you cannot smoke in public places, that also means you can smoke at non-public places, and streets were defined as non-public. But hell, Nashik police reads from another rulebook. If you found smoking anywhere you are not even scolded or fined, you are taken into custody.

The government is calling meetings to make amendments in the code 377, and changing the definitions of ‘unnatural sex’, and might allow gay marriage under this amendment. But again Nashik Police reads from some vedic magical rulebook, which says chatting of a boy and a girl is as indescent as having sex in public! The sperms may get transmitted through the thin air. Well there is a exception to that rule, you have to be married to talk in public at night, if you are married, you have little irritating kids, you don’t have a ray of hope in your life, then hell yeah, you can seat and talk all night long.

Well, police is doing great job they say, citizen forums are giving public application to the police to rule their areas of living too. They are coming ant congratulating police with flowers.

I leave Nashik, I leave rules!

The rain, the city and the love

I was standing at my house’s window, and I saw a couple walking down the street. They didn’t know that I can see them, as this boy was trying to woo his girlfriend by saying, “There’s no one on the road, not ahead us and not behind…” The girl was just refusing bluntly. The boy is so desperate, he continues, “Just give me a kiss!”

It’s raining continuously since last 4-5 days; rain does create a romantic mahaul around! I uttered “sick!”

The city, that is Mumbai (am I being so stylish!?), was slowed down or stopped in parts. I am home for last two days, first day was my weekly-off, and yesterday was off because of rain. Have you ever walked in waist deep water with your clothes on? Well yesterday I tried that…trying to fit in the typical picture showing a bechaara Mumbaikar. In fact, an oily fat boy was recording me in his fat cell camera standing under his colourful fat umbrella, with a fat oily glee, fatass! Like, I’m a flood victim. I just wanted to have that experience on which the whole Mumbai has a veiled pride. The human always love to be in misery…the world is treating me bad, Misery. And Mumbaikars are more into this being miserable thing. They want to show their fighting spirit under the veil of misery.

I am in Mumbai for last 3 months (soon turning to FOUR!!), and I never liked Mumbai for even a moment. Yeah, I love to see the human society and their behaviours, but this city is so plastic, and ‘programmed’ to be alive. I mean at first look you may think that the city has great pace and people are so dedicated and alive and that joie de vivre thing and all…but once you start to live in the city I mean really into the city, with no other choice…the city comes out to be totally different than what it seems to be.

I always think that Mumbai lacks style, the kinda style Delhi has, Pune has. Mumbai lacks the personality, again Delhi, Pune, Nashik and every other town has. Mumbai just bunch of crowd. They don’t even have arrogance in style…Arrogance is the most stylish trait of mankind. They are just ignorant and frightened to give acknowledge to anything happening around. They are fearful of theft, murder, extortion, rape, robbery, epidemic, Tsunami, crash in Sensex and what all. They hardly care about the government’s last week position (the only fear of the re-elections. Although I don’t think most of them votes, or have an independent say.), they don’t care about the nuke deal (they are ready to comment on America, and Bihar with the same loud voice), thee don’t love thy neighbours. I have heard many communal and geographical remarks in the local trains. I used to think that Raj Thakre (or Thackeray?), have created this hatred towards biharis and bhaiyyas. But Raj Thakre has just given the voice to the hatred, now people blame openly to each other for the condition of Mumbai (like they care about Mumbai, huh!?). I mean this doesn’t lessen Raj’s sins.

I think this city is not a city, it’s just a crowd each one is pursuing his own dream of being a little better than today, most of them don’t even have big dreams. Well, there’s bollywood in the city, which gives a stencil of dreams to the youth. As far as I’m concerned, I’m a part of media industry, I too dream…of making movies, making all kinds of movies, making personal movies. Because of this dream, I don’t like my current job as an assistant producer in a TV channel that’s yet to be launched. I don’t participate in any creative meets, as I truly think any idea of our channel is not creative enough to be creative. Well, this view has an anti-view that, in such situation I actually have an opportunity to show my creativity, given that I have any creativity…well I’m miserable too! I wasn’t doing anything that may have been counted as creative…but yesterday I shot something and edited it too. It’s kinda music video of the Cranberries song Zombie…suitable for my current situation. Maybe I’m getting touched by creativity again…may be that’s why I’ve started to write too! Well then I may start to write my script too! Its rainin’ ideas and they are thrashing me out!

This rain has thrashed the city too. It has thrashed the roads, the public transport systems, the health, and most importantly the spirit…I mean c’mon just by a week’s rain you fear to come to standstill, then why you term this geographical area as a city. But still people are becoming romantic….the girl kissed his boyfriend or not I couldn’t see… (Not because I’m not a voyeur, but because they went away from the visual reach my window offers!)

The Masks- PART I

The Masks

He’s cursed and abandoned by his family; pressurized, almost ditched by his girlfriend. Why? ‘Coz he’s lazy, doesn’t have any ambitions, any dreams, they say…at least not as the dreams are supposed to be.

The sound of airplane and traffic is merged in the vast, a mechanised crowd. Everyone is chasing something, trying to breathe as hard as they can, and running fast. The crowd has workers, beggars, clerks, and hair-gelled young people with their ties on, in formal decent clothes. They are going for interviews. A sound of canned laughter follows them, and the source of the laugh is a TV set. Some sitcom is running on the TV.

Well, here enters our ‘he’. He is sitting in front of the TV with a straight face. His father yells, “You are wasting their time too”, his father is a typical old man like a typical old men are, and he is bald, has specs, has a deformed body and is big and loud-mouth. “Our neighbours were asking me ‘your son must have plans for the future, unless our son, he just found a normal job in a bank’, yeah…he has plans”, his father spanks him on head, “he has plans to sit and eat for the whole of his life on my money” well, that’s enough ‘coz old people won’t stop talking…

He is sleeping inside his room but his father just refuses to shut his mouth. He gets irritated; he gets up wears a shirt over his t-shirt, and goes out.

He is sitting with his girlfriend. But the girlfriend is yanking too…almost the same words…but she adds a threat to ditch him if he doesn’t do anything…he turns and says. But I’m doing something…” but the girl again starts off. This time she is talking numbers to prove that the situation of the country’s economy will get bad even further, so this is the right time to get a secured job. She has contacts and can fix-up an appointment or something. He stands up, and starts walking away. “Are you listening? Should I fix the appointment tomorrow? Dress-up nicely…” she also just refuses to shut up.

Again the TV is on, the blue white light is lighting up his face. The canned laughter again looks odd on his straight face. Well, someone is talking continuously…again!

In the morning he is walking on the road looking at the roadside shops. He stops at a bakery; creamy pastries are kept in the showcase. He is mind eating them, when a servant of the shops asks, almost yells, “What do you want?”, he looks at the servant angrily, but the anger and irritation on servant’s face is more, so he decides to retreat. The crowd is moving around him as fast as it can pushing him, squeezing him…they are going for interviews, and he?

His girlfriend yells in his ears, “move fast the appointment is at 12”

He stops in front of another shop, his girlfriend has been merged and moved in the crowd…he is looking astonishingly at the glass window…he tries to touch the items inside through the glass….he decides to go in. but he stops, checks his pockets, he has few coins in it, he grabs those coins tightly in the fist and moves inside. As he pushes the door of the shop the wind chime chimes.

He enters the shop and now more astonished than ever he looks around.

The shop has bright violet coloured wallpapers, with very Indian and oriental designs. It has dark mahogany settee, matching counter; it has some glass wall hangings that are reflecting colourful light. But these all things are not for sale, the product on sale are hanging on every wall available…they are Masks…

Many masks, of various sizes, shapes, colours; are showing different expression impressing various emotions. For example one is of warrior, a furious warrior; who is determined to take over the world. Other is of a very beautiful and innocent girl, but some secrets are hidden behind her hollow eyes. There are animals which are generally related to human and human traits. Like dog, donkey, wolf.

He is something more than astonished and lost, when he sees the only other real human face in that shop, it’s the shopkeeper, but obvious, as he is standing behind the counter. “What are you watching at?” the man behind the counter shrieks.

The man looks like is in his mid 70’s, he has hair on the sides and he is covering his top with a cap. He is thin, and his hands are like wood. He is wearing thin glasses. But his clothes are kinda colourful.

“its amazing!”, our boy says, “I haven’t seen anything like this before. Do you own this?” “its for sale and not for collection. What do you want?”, the old man is still suspicious. Our man says, “I liked this faces” The old man looks at our man from top to toe, he gets up from his chair to have a even closer look of him. He comes very close adjusting his glasses, “which mask would you like to try?” the old man asks, giving a specific stress on the word ‘masks’. Our man again looks around, “no, I would just like to see them. If I wear them than how can I see the masks, I think this masks faces can change everything, inside out!” Expressions on that old man’s face change slightly as he walks back to his chair followed by our man.