Less Food, More Food

Posted by Soumya Mukherjee at 6:39 PM

On the dimmer side of the world, Akki was sobbing. He was angry with himself and his carelessness. He shouldn't have stayed glued to the TV of the roadside tea-stall while bringing the packed food for him and his little sister. The rain had already made the roads slippery , and the soles of his chappals had worn out beyond usage.
The match between India and  Pakistan had gotten quite interesting. He just wanted to check the scores while crossing the road and walk towards his slum where he and his sister lived. The stall was jam packed with people but he did not mind watching the match standing outside, as the cool raindrops soothed his soul and dampened the ragged t-shirt he was wearing. He tried to cross the road while catching the last glimpse of the match as he could,when suddenly the slippery roads and his worn-out footwear soles played their trick. He fell and with that all the food he had packed  for him and his sister after a busy day in the factory,went flying as they splattered everywhere on the road.


On the brighter side of the world, Anant was sobbing. He was angry with himself and his carelessness. He shouldn't have stayed glued to the TV in the drawing room of the plush home where he and his parents lived. He should have quietly slipped into his room and not come out until his demand- a new Nexus tablet- was fulfilled by his parents.So what if they got him a new tablet only a month back. The match between India and Pakistan had gotten quite interesting. He just wanted to check the scores while getting to his room and lock himself up for the day without touching any food. He hated the rain outside, as it had washed away his chances of  getting his buddies together and hang out in the mall, devouring some food in the process and then come back and resume the hunger strike.
Thus he waited for the over to finish,and soon his mom came and served out delicacies for him at the dining space. He was famished but couldn't break his resolve. The frustration as a result of this reached such a point that tears started rolling down his cheek and he reached the dinner table,when suddenly the emotions played their trick. He grabbed the table cloth and flung it briskly, sending the food flying as they splattered everywhere on the floor.

Litter

Posted by Soumya Mukherjee at 9:47 PM

My first attempt to write a drabble- a piece of fiction of 100 words.


He was restless. She stood just a few meters away. "Go!" a voice in his head commanded him. He threw the wrapper of his choco-bar in haste, chomped it, and ran towards her. She looked at him and smiled. He was full of joy as he extended his right arm to say hello to her. And amid all the excitement , he stepped on a banana peel.

*squatttttttttttttttttt*



"YAAAAAAAAAAAIKKESSSS!!!!!!!!!"




*THUDDDDDDDD!!!!*




He was on top of her. They were the center of attention of the whole canteen now. The 'Keep Your Canteen Clean' poster was blazing in red on a wall nearby.

Micro Fiction: Why?

Posted by Soumya Mukherjee at 8:35 PM

[This was originally submitted as an entry for @islejazz's micro-fiction collection for the theme- Ego]

He looked out of the window. The sun was rising. Through the recesses of the the clouds, it was slowly brightening up the sky, shooting darkness out of sight. He lit a cigarette. "Why?" a voice rang up. "Because it is none of your business!" he chided.

The chirping of birds outside reminded him of the good times. The love of his life now lived thousands of miles apart,with mere phone calls at their disposal. He knew it won't be easy, temptations being everywhere around him;and she was devoted to him, yet the idea of freedom is only so beautiful that no one can really let go of it so easily. Hence, fights became regular, indispensable, irreparable..

Last night was just another usual conversation. He could not agree to her explanations, and she could not take in his accusations. "I hate you!" her voice shrieked through the phone. "Same here! Goodbye!" he barked and banged the phone down. His thoughts were clouded. She too felt the same, he knew. Yet neither of them would apologize to the other person. The next day would start with a reboot of their conversations, and would probably end up in the similar way as it did last night. He sighed as he thought of the past, when ego was just not there when it came to their relationship. They were thick in love, regretted even the slightest of spat and would resolve a small quarrel with such passion.

"Why?" the voice rang up in his head, once again. This time, it sounded like hers. Or perhaps it was the nicotine that made him feel that way.
"Why?" it asked again.
"Because I LOVE YOU!" he yelled, throwing the cigarette away, curling up to a fetal posture, weeping discreetly.
"..a lot.."

For the love of Feluda , Gupi-Bagha & Shonku.

Posted by Soumya Mukherjee at 9:45 PM

It's Satyajit Ray's 92nd birth anniversary today. Growing up with the characters mentioned in the title is the way of life of every bong child. Passing the pearls through generations is our duty as well as our pride , what I believe is so much that just being mine.

My first tryst with Satyajit Ray's genius came when on a fine afternoon (it was Children's Day I think) , a 9-yr old me was encouraged by my folks to watch a movie called 'Shonaar Kella' which was being aired on a national channel. I was always a fan of movies, so it wasn't a difficult task for me to obey. And I thank them, for this connection with Feluda became a vital part of my childhood , a connection that I cannot let go even when I am about to start my career in a few months.

Shonaar Kella blew my senses away. It immortalized the Golden Fort of Jaisalmer - the world now identifies the fort as Shonaar Kella- as the name was suggested by the child in the movie who had visions of his past life- a kick-ass tale of reincarnation, sleuth and thrill. For that is the power of Ray's imagination, that even to this day, that movie, made in the '70s, would engross any avid movie-goer till its end-credits. My love and admiration for 'Feluda' would live on from that day onward. I have seen all the Feluda movies made till date (the latest one came out on 2012) , have read almost all the stories (I treasure a hard-bound two-volume set of Feluda stories in Bengali) and have imagined myself in his shoes, n number of times.

My passion for Satyajit Ray's works does not end there. There's Gupi Gayne Bagha Bayne[movie version- 1968], the magical duo and their adventures - the three wishes that they were granted by the King of Ghosts aka "Bhooter Raja" ( 1. they could go anywhere in a blink of an eye, 2. they could eat whatever they wanted, 3. they could sing songs that would really hypnotize the listeners and make them speechless & motionless) would make amazing stories. Hirok Raja'r Deshe[1980] remains my personal favorite-the one where an evil king Hirok rules over his kingdom with unfair means (he would use a 'mogojh-dholai' aka 'brainwashing' device to make people sired by his ideals- and how our magical duo saved the people from the atrocities of the evil King Hirok.  Then there's Professor Shonku- the scientist and his sci-fi adventures that would make us imagine to the limits that one ceases to imagine! Awesomeness.


To the world, Satyajit Ray is that genius film-maker from India who gave film-making a true revolution. To the non-bongs, he is a prolific persona from Bengal who made timeless classics, won a huge bunch of National Awards, and the Oscar (for lifetime achievement and contribution to cinema). But to a bong, he is the master story-teller, whose legacy lived the life that every child dreams of living. I take pride to know him that way.

"Mogoj Dholai?! Theek Tai!"