THE LOVE WE NEVER SOUGHT- A chapter excerpt full of suspense, mystery, fear of the unknown and fantasy which will surely raise your heartbeat.

 

It was shortly after midnight when an SUV with its headlights turned off approached slowly and stopped in the dark alley behind Stellar County Society in Greater Noida West. A shadow in a hoodie emerged from the car and swiftly walked towards the broken portion of the society’s boundary wall. The wall had collapsed because of severe rains some time ago, and the ongoing RWA funds dispute had delayed its repair and restoration.

The hooded and masked entity, whose face was completely covered except the eyes, carefully removed the makeshift barrier in the damaged part of the wall, which kept stray animals and jaywalkers at bay, and entered the premises on all fours. It was late in the night, so there was no one around to notice the unexpected entry. As he entered, he turned around and replaced the fiber sheet back in its place.    

Taking advantage of the dark and unattended area, he tiptoed to the tower where Anirudh and Pankti lived and hid himself in a corner from where he could keep an eye on the lobby guard. He appeared to be familiar with the society’s dimensions and camera locations.  

The guard on duty was fast asleep in his chair. He quickly sneaked past him and took the lift to the 17th floor, where Pankti lived. The iron door was latched from the outside, which meant she had gone to the terrace as usual after dinner.

He then took the stairway and slowly climbed to the top floor, where Anirudh lived. His door was latched from the inside, indicating he was inside.

The hooded entity then walked up towards the terrace and hid behind the door that led to it.

Meanwhile, Pankti was alone on the terrace, taking a walk after dinner and humming a Kishore-Lata popular song that she was listening to on her phone over Bluetooth. Of late, she had developed a special liking for the 60s and 70s Bollywood songs after learning that Anirudh enjoyed listening to them, which is a sure sign of a woman hopelessly in love. A cold, gentle breeze was flowing across, and the atmosphere was serene, making Pankti feel both relaxed and contended.

She walked for a while before stopping by the railing at the far end of the terrace to look at the high rises in front and the lights on the road below. She was humming along to the music in her ear and couldn’t hear that somebody had come up behind her. 

She turned around just in time to see a masked shadow standing extremely close to her. “Tum kon ho?She was startled.

What the shadow did next was unthinkable. It pushed Pankti right over the railing.

Around the same time, Anirudh was lying on his bed in his flat beside Kabir, trying to sleep but couldn’t doze off even for a minute. Sleep has been evading him tonight. His mind was still struggling to decide between him and Pankti. His heart told him to say ‘yes’ to her, but his mind was still full of bizarre thoughts. 

He gently shook Kabir, who was fast asleep. On the second attempt, Kabir eventually murmured, “Papa itna mat socho…Pankti aunty ko haan bol do. Mujhe bhi wo bahut pasand hai.” He turned around and slept with a smile on his face, leaving Anirudh surprised.

Kabir might have sensed the attraction Anirudh and Pankti used to feel for each other whenever they were together. He was young, but not so small as to not get the vibe between them. Over the years, he has seen his father hiding loneliness, depression and sadness from him on several occasions, but since the time Pankti entered their lives, he has noticed positive changes in his father. He has become happier, more lively and extremely energetic.

Kabir’s words brought Anirudh instantly to the decision he had been long looking for. He swiftly picked up his phone from the bedside table and dialled Pankti’s number with a broad smile on his face. 

SHOULD PIRACY BE MADE LEGAL?

 It was like any other day last week when I was driving down to meet a prospective client in South Delhi around 10:30 in the morning. I came to an intersection and had to stop at a red light. While I was waiting patiently for the light to turn green with my mind working on something, a gentle knock on the driver side window broke my thought. I turned my head to my right and saw a young boy with an enormous pile of English novels balanced meticulously on his left hand asking me to buy a book.   

 Me being an ardent book lover, couldn't stop myself from giving a cursory look at the titles on display and did a quick mental tick on the ones I had already read. One of the title which caught my attention was Chetan Bhagat's classic 'Two States'. Just to pass time, I rolled down my glass and asked the boy the price of the book and the next moment the boy swiftly pulled the book out of the pile and thrusted it in my hand and blurted out, "Only 100 Rs sir!" That very moment, The light turned green for me and I quickly gave the book back to the one it belonged to, telling him I have already read it and I am not interested in buying.

During that brief period when the book was in my hand, I could open it and quickly flip through the inside pages. It was as expected, a pirated copy of the bestseller novel, which otherwise would have cost no less than 250-300 Rs in original form. Which led me to think as to what level of financial dent these pirated copies might have been making to the author, the publisher and the literary world. The author loses royalties, Publishing industry garners financial losses, and it overall damages the creative ecosystem. A complete mess, isn't it? It's illegal, unethical and amounts to theft. I clearly understand, being an author, the heat will reach me too at some point in time. But I have a different take on this issue when I look at it from a reader's point of view.( At this point, I want to clarify that in no way I am in agreement with piracy and taking sides with such malpractice. I am only presenting the other side of it.) 

Imagine an avid reader whose day wouldn't end without reading from his favorite author's work. He might be a student from a modest background or may be a low wage worker who does not has the financial means to buy original copies of his favorite author's new releases. At such time, pirated copies come to his rescue, and he can keep on enjoying his reading experience without a break and making a dent on his budget.

Moreover, look at the reach of pirated copies! They have the potential to reach all strata of people who are actually interested in reading but are unable to buy fresh copies due to understandable financial constraints. Look at it this way... a pirated copy takes the bestseller writer to every nook and corner possible and ultimately ends up adding up newer readers for him and followers for life. A feat the original copies can only dream about. Any which way, reading habit amongst people is on the brink of becoming extinct.  

At this point, let me ask you another question. Has anyone seen a lesser known author's books sold as a pirated version at such red lights? I am sure the answer will be a big "NO". People in the business of generating and selling pirated copies only pick up titles and authors that are bestsellers and are widely accepted. After all, it's a business. No one will buy an unknown writer's work even if they are a cheap pirated copy of the original. 

Without sounding absurd, on a lighter note, I truly wish someday pirated copies of my books are also sold at such red lights. I would truly feel arrived that day. It would be a dream come true scenario for an author...free marketing without spending even a rupee and above all, increase in sales and reach of my books.   

Do share your thoughts...

Until next time. See you!  

     

DOES A SOCIAL MEDIA POST QUALIFY AS LITERATURE ?

Sharing an insightful excerpt from one of my recent interviews.... 

Recently during an interview, a young interviewer asked me, what according to me is literature? I replied candidly, “Anything that is creatively produced and presented in an aesthetically enduring way like poem, story or a play is a literature piece.” Things were normal till now.

Her next question was, “Does a social media post qualify as literature?” The question was valid and pertinent. My reply stunned her, and a sense of discomfort was clearly visible on her face, which amused me. I said, “Why not?” If a social media post contains a creative, visually appealing, and artistic piece, even if it’s just two lines, with profound and meaningful words, I would consider it a piece of literature."

A sense of confusion replaced discomfort on the interviewer’s face. She recovered quickly and asked the same question to re-confirm. My answer remained the same. Looking at her confused state, I decided to park the ball in her court. I asked her, “What is your take on the subject?” Should a social media post be considered a piece of literature or not?”

She was not ready for such a return volley but replied nevertheless, ‘’ Sir... according to me, literature is produced as a poetry, fiction, non-fiction piece or a drama on a piece of paper or a book. A social media post is below par to hold a literature piece."

That confirmed my belief that probably, like most other students, she was taught a copybook definition of literature, and being a youngster, she didn’t bother to question the age-old definition of the subject. 

I asked, “Tell me what is essential to produce a literature?” She was clueless. I didn’t wait for her reply, else would have made her more uncomfortable.

“It’s the language... right?” She nodded. I had her full attention now. “Now, if the sole essential for producing a literature piece is language than how does it matter as to on which medium it is presented to the reader? The textbook definition of Literature, you read was written years back when there was no social media. In the past, creative work was presented to the reader exclusively through newspapers, magazines, and books. But now social media has become the most powerful medium to share a creatively designed piece. I, being an Author regularly share creative pieces of my upcoming books on social media as posts, stories, news feed or status and it absolutely qualifies as a piece of literature. “

“Thank you so much, sir! This interview was by far the most insightful of all the interviews I have taken today. Thank you for breaking the mindset and bringing in fresh perspective to my understanding.” With these words she took off with a broad smile on her face. 

I, on the other hand, felt contended. After all, I could break free a young journalist from her cage today.