was fun!!! :)
Trying to settle down in Bangalore.
Got a credit card,
got a phone connection,
got a house.
I am already a man in debt!!! :D
Sunday 20 June 2004
Thursday 10 June 2004
Story I wrote.
The Reward
“Yes Sir!”
…
“Ok Sir!”
…
“I will do it, Sir!”
The phone having been replaced, Inspector Shinde let out a sigh, threw himself into his chair and wiped the beads of perspiration on his forehead with the sleeve of his Khaki shirt.
The exercise had become a matter of routine within the four walls of Arya Nagar Police Station. It had always been like this; his predecessors did it too, and he had no courage to break away from this unsaid tradition.
The call had come from a high place – The Commissioner’s Office – and Sahib himself had been addressing him. It had startled him at first. The stern and forceful voice of Commissioner Sahib had jolted him out of his otherwise sedentary life and sent him into a state of trepidation.
There was work to do, and it seemed to matter much to the Commissioner. He decided to write down all that he was instructed to do before his memory failed him. This was his golden opportunity to get himself into Sahib’s good books. Sahib had promised him a big reward if everything went well.
A man had shot a businessman in broad daylight in the marketplace a short while ago. There had been some high-speed car chase, at the end of which the criminal was eventually apprehended. It was likely that he was to be brought to Arya Nagar Police Station later. The man, apparently, was related to the local Minister who happened to be a close friend of Commissioner Sahib. Needless to say, it was Commissioner Sahib’s turn to return favours, and he did not wish to disappoint the Minister.
Inspector Shinde’s job was to acquit the culprit immediately and indict another man instead for the crimes committed. The entire operation was to be carried out before the culprit was presented in front of the Magistrate and the Media. Therefore, it all had to be done quickly. It was not an easy job, nor correct, but the prospect of a “reward” had overwhelmed any such hesitation that he may have cultivated.
The replacement was not difficult to find. It was an unfortunate day for the local small-time pickpocket loitering outside a cinema hall. The job was done very efficiently and there had been no suspicions aroused. The media would be too agitated by the audacity of the crimes committed to listen to the poor pickpocket’s cries of innocence. In short, the operation was successful to say the least.
Almost as soon as he sat on his chair with the intention to grab a cup of tea did the telephone bell ring. He sat up with eager anticipation. Commissioner Sahib would surely be happy with his work. The time for his reward had come and not able to contain his eagerness anymore, he picked up the receiver.
“Hello!”
“Is that you Shekhar? I am Sunita here.”
Her voice betrayed her emotions. She was on the verge of breaking into tears.
“Sunita, what happened? Is everything alright?”
“Shekhar, Bunty is dead.”
He could not believe his ears. Surely, his wife was behaving insanely, he thought. Visibly shaken, he uttered somehow,
“How?”
“In the afternoon, while Bunty was coming out of the school, a man in a speeding car ran over our dear child. Apparently, he was running away from the Police. That devil of a man did not hesitate to kill the little soul. I had been trying to call you for the last half an hour, but the constables won’t let me through. They said you were busy and had ordered not to be disturbed…”
The receiver had already fallen off his hand. He was on the floor, dazed, shocked by the news. The constables rushed towards him. In the background, there arose from the receiver, a bellowing cry.
“Yes Sir!”
…
“Ok Sir!”
…
“I will do it, Sir!”
The phone having been replaced, Inspector Shinde let out a sigh, threw himself into his chair and wiped the beads of perspiration on his forehead with the sleeve of his Khaki shirt.
The exercise had become a matter of routine within the four walls of Arya Nagar Police Station. It had always been like this; his predecessors did it too, and he had no courage to break away from this unsaid tradition.
The call had come from a high place – The Commissioner’s Office – and Sahib himself had been addressing him. It had startled him at first. The stern and forceful voice of Commissioner Sahib had jolted him out of his otherwise sedentary life and sent him into a state of trepidation.
There was work to do, and it seemed to matter much to the Commissioner. He decided to write down all that he was instructed to do before his memory failed him. This was his golden opportunity to get himself into Sahib’s good books. Sahib had promised him a big reward if everything went well.
A man had shot a businessman in broad daylight in the marketplace a short while ago. There had been some high-speed car chase, at the end of which the criminal was eventually apprehended. It was likely that he was to be brought to Arya Nagar Police Station later. The man, apparently, was related to the local Minister who happened to be a close friend of Commissioner Sahib. Needless to say, it was Commissioner Sahib’s turn to return favours, and he did not wish to disappoint the Minister.
Inspector Shinde’s job was to acquit the culprit immediately and indict another man instead for the crimes committed. The entire operation was to be carried out before the culprit was presented in front of the Magistrate and the Media. Therefore, it all had to be done quickly. It was not an easy job, nor correct, but the prospect of a “reward” had overwhelmed any such hesitation that he may have cultivated.
The replacement was not difficult to find. It was an unfortunate day for the local small-time pickpocket loitering outside a cinema hall. The job was done very efficiently and there had been no suspicions aroused. The media would be too agitated by the audacity of the crimes committed to listen to the poor pickpocket’s cries of innocence. In short, the operation was successful to say the least.
Almost as soon as he sat on his chair with the intention to grab a cup of tea did the telephone bell ring. He sat up with eager anticipation. Commissioner Sahib would surely be happy with his work. The time for his reward had come and not able to contain his eagerness anymore, he picked up the receiver.
“Hello!”
“Is that you Shekhar? I am Sunita here.”
Her voice betrayed her emotions. She was on the verge of breaking into tears.
“Sunita, what happened? Is everything alright?”
“Shekhar, Bunty is dead.”
He could not believe his ears. Surely, his wife was behaving insanely, he thought. Visibly shaken, he uttered somehow,
“How?”
“In the afternoon, while Bunty was coming out of the school, a man in a speeding car ran over our dear child. Apparently, he was running away from the Police. That devil of a man did not hesitate to kill the little soul. I had been trying to call you for the last half an hour, but the constables won’t let me through. They said you were busy and had ordered not to be disturbed…”
The receiver had already fallen off his hand. He was on the floor, dazed, shocked by the news. The constables rushed towards him. In the background, there arose from the receiver, a bellowing cry.
Monday 7 June 2004
Thank You!
Thank You Chunni, Ashu, Manti, Aldrin, Shailen for the good time I had (not sure abt u guys!) in Pune.
Thank you Madz, Bhids, for the nice trip around Pune and the delicious home-made lunch.
Thank you Vamsi for taking me to FC Road and for the treat (visual too) that followed. ;-)
Thank you Madz, Bhids, for the nice trip around Pune and the delicious home-made lunch.
Thank you Vamsi for taking me to FC Road and for the treat (visual too) that followed. ;-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)