After he had seated himself on the raised boulder, I sat on the stone at his feet. I waited for him to start.
“Tell me about your work,” he said.
I gathered the relevant details in the mind before starting, “I run a social organization, engaged in creating awareness about the perils of global warming,” I paused to look towards the ice-walls and mentally questioned the appropriateness of giving a lecture on global warming.
He read my thoughts, “Global warming is not all about warming and heat only; it has more to do with the erratic climate patterns we see around the planet.”
I said amen to that.
“How do you create awareness?” he asked.
“We work mainly among college and school students. Regular awareness campaigns are conducted at schools and colleges. We have two centers: one in Koch
The year was 2011The monsoon clouds were all around the Tribhuvan International as the small aircraft buzzed towards the far end of the domestic airstrip before raising its head upwards in a silent prayer, to signal the first leg of our saunter to Mount Everest. It was without doubt the smallest plane I had ever been on. We looked down to see Kathmandu scurrying away as if offended at the saunter and our mission.As the plane soared laboriously, I watched the thick fog and clouds with apprehension, wondering how the pilot could see anything in these conditions. I sent out an elfin, nonetheless passionate prayer to God. As if in response the aircraft climbed higher into the bright sunshine before turning its nose towards the north- east, while we released the chains and leaned back.The flight on such a small plane through the mightiest mountain ranges in the world was mind-blowing, to say the least; the trip w
I looked around. The boat was docked at the Vypin quay and passengers were disembarking.The meeting with the headmaster of the local school had consumed more time than I had bargained for, and it was almost evening before I returned to my empty flat at Kaloor, a minor suburb of Kochi. The late lunch I had taken at an unpretentious hotel was making me heavy and drowsy. Without bothering to change, I stretched my weak and pitiable body on the bed as the sleepy eyes fell on the ceiling. Ignoring the weak and pitiable body, the energetic and enthusiastic mind asked whether it could return to Kathmandu. I nodded drowsily.Four days had passed since the encounter at the canteen and the interactions between us were trying to move on from the ‘hello- hello’ phase.It was five past nine on that day. She and her friends were standing in the shadowy corridor, leading to our class.The corridor was crowded with boys and girls, the chaos perfect
The talented Arabian mosquitoes were practicing the sixth symphony. That was my signal to wake up. I looked at the watch: seven past. I had to prepare the project report which must be on the collector’s table by nine in the morning, if I honestly expected the funds to be released on time. Crossing to the table, I pulled the attaché towards me while lighting a cigarette.The St. Peter’s country liquor shop is in downtown Kochi, between the old railway over-bridge and the ESI Dispensary road, where the distance between the two is the narrowest. Looking around, I nodded smilingly at the familiar faces. Most of them, like me were regulars at the pub. After completing the report and finishing a cold shower, attired in a new pair of clothes, I had gone to the printer at Kacheripady to return the proof of the monthly journal. Coming out of there I had crossed to MG Road and walked past Shenoy’s theater to reach the auditor. After thirty minutes with him, I w
Leaving the hotel around nine, I took a taxi to the Handloom City of Nepal, as Patan is commonly called. The city is only five kilometers from Kathmandu, and is reached by crossing the Bagmati River. Despite its closeness to Kathmandu, the city still retains its old-world charm and traditional professions such as woodcarving and metal crafts. Patan is full of palaces, temples and monasteries that look almost similar in their pagoda style architecture and wood-carved windows.I asked the driver to drop me at Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The square consists of the old royal palace and a multitude of artistically designed temples, with the beautiful Krishna temple, built entirely of stone being the main shrine.I knew that her manor was somewhere behind the old royal palace.Even though the surroundings had changed a lot with the addition of many new housing complexes and shopping malls, it wasn’t a big problem finding the mansion which I had
The Gorkha might have heard something, for he abruptly got up and rushed towards the gate. Yelling at me to get up and stand to one side, he spread the gates wide.A scuba-blue Audi sedan with tinted glass-windows turned in and zoomed past me towards the mansion. As I watched, it screeched to a stop about twenty meters from the gate. The back door opened and she stepped out. Looking at me, she held on to the door as if about to fall. Before I could react or even think, she bent inside the car, pulled out a silver platter and ran towards me. Applying the vermilion on my forehead, she thrust a piece of sweet into my mouth. I could see tears building up in her eyes. As I stood there perplexed, she ran towards the manor, ignoring the car and me.I looked towards the gate. The middle aged toad was scratching his cap with a bizarre look on the face.“Alexei.”I jerked at the voice and stared into the face of the aged driver. ‘How
We walked out of the mansion, into the multi-coloured garden. I trailed her among the countless roses, tulips, fragarias and other exotic plants.“Where is your luggage?” she asked.“At the hotel,” I said.She looked at me, “We will get it after lunch.”“I can stay at the hotel,” then seeing her look, added, “I don’t want to be a trouble.”She didn’t say anything.We continued the stroll. I looked at the fleet of cars and thought of asking her about the unfamiliar ones, but changed my mind; instead I complimented her on the tall pigeon- house which was at the centre of the garden. She was deep in her private thoughts and didn’t bother to reply. We wandered here and there, with no apparent destination in sight. As we neared the back of the mansion, I could hear thunderous barking and growling of dogs.“You keep dogs?” I asked.She nod
She had asked the maid, who incidentally was Kakka’s wife to return to their quarters, and was at that time in the kitchen, dropping chicken thighs into the boiling oil. I wandered in. The Peter Scot, a few bottles of soda and a crystal glass were arranged on the burgundy granite kitchen platform that ran along the festooned wall.She turned and smiled, “Had your shower?”Nodding, I climbed on to the platform and sat cross legged on it. In spite of the astringent cold outside, I was in a lungi and a T- shirt as I felt more comfortable in them. Anyway, the kitchen was warm.“You look handsome in this attire,” she tittered.I watched her, moving around in a lime-green negligee, opening and closing jars and bottles before replacing them in the appointed places. I could see that she was not new to kitchen duties. She droned around like an exultant bee.“Who told you I drink?” leaning against t
It was one thousand eight hundred seconds before she came. There was a faint creaking sound as the centuries-old wooden doors stirred in their pivots. As she walked towards me, the flames from the hearth stared at her furiously, incensed at the impropriety of the late night visit. Indifferent to their concerns and clad in a full size shirt and blue pyjamas, she stood there in the sizzling light, watching me.Getting up, I went to her. I hesitated for just a tiny moment before finding her squashy lips for a long husky kiss. Our lips fitted perfectly, like two puzzle pieces. I met no resistance when I led her to the lavish double bed.By now the flames had reconciled to our union and were throwing benevolent and generous glow over the walls and around the room. I looked down to see the bulging breasts through the opening between the two shirt buttons. Taking my hands, she guided them under the shirt. Very soon, two pairs of hands were squashing and