Author Archives: Simi K. Rao

Human After All Chap 12: Heartbeat

12: Heartbeat

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“What a sweet boy and so handsome too.”

Khanak kept her gaze trained on the TV seeming intent on the cricket match.

“Khanak I am talking to you!”

Khanak turned to her mother. “What ma? Agreed Sehwag is sweet. But why would you call him handsome? What happened to your standards? Even dad was quite good to look at before he lost all his hair.”

To which she received a nod from Pramod. “Yes. Your mother used to say she married me only because I vaguely reminded her of Warren Beatty. I guess the reason she’s still bearing with me is because now I faintly resemble Yul Brunner. Yes?” he grinned teasingly at his wife who glowered in response.

“You look more like Amrish Puri minus the voice dad. So don’t flatter yourself;” Palak chimed in. “Didi please! Itna bhi bholi mat bano! You know very well who mom is talking about.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Khanak said trying to maintain a straight face.

“Beta;” Her mother approached her with a smile. “I was talking about you friend, the one you’ve never mentioned; Shantanu. Shantanu Khandelwal. Such a nice boy and so well-mannered too. What do you think Pramod?”

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Human After All Chap 11: You’re Too Good to be True

Chapter 10

11: You’re too Good to be True

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“Khanak!”

Shaan was mystified when he saw Khanak plop down in front of him. Then he laughed. Obviously she was putting on an act. His future wife was not only a good doctor but seemed to have aced it in theatrics as well. Their life together was bound to be full of fireworks and definitely not boring. “Okay Khanak you can get up now. I can tell you I’ve seen a lot of actors and your faint compares with the best of them.”

When she didn’t respond he sighed. “Alright. You win this round. I didn’t know we were playing a game but if we are then I accept defeat.”

She didn’t stir.

Shaan felt the prick of sweat under his collar. He glanced to his side and caught a young couple at an adjacent table watching him with keen interest and snickering.

“Khanak!” he urged his companion in a harsh whisper. “I don’t think it’s good for your reputation to draw attention to yourself in such a manner even if you want to teach me a lesson. Particularly in a place where everybody knows who you are!”

“Sir, lagta hai madam behosh ho gayee hain. Kya mein paani laoon?” said a very concerned looking cafe attendant.

That Khanak could have passed out hadn’t once occurred to Shaan. “Yes please bring some water.” Then he grabbed her gently by the shoulders and propped her up against the back of her chair. She moaned softly but her eyes remained closed and her head lolled to one side. Shaan was shocked to see her face drained of color. She really didn’t look well at all. When he sprinkled water on her face she briefly opened her eyes and muttered something unintelligible under her breath.

“Shayad unko hospital le jana hoga. Should I call the ambulance?”

“Uski koi zaroorat nahin. I can take her there faster.” Shaan said hoisting Khanak gently in his arms. He then walked out of the cafe and proceeded towards the Emergency Room which fortunately was only a block away.

His burden felt as light as a feather. Her skin silken and fragile. He anxiously examined her face. It looked very pale yet somehow peaceful as if she were asleep. Shaan would never have believed he’d find her this close so soon and certainly not under such circumstances.

He arrived at his destination to find it jam-packed. But the crowd was unlike what he had ever encountered before. It was a gathering of sickness in various forms and shapes. Crying babies and children with their anxious parents. Women and men. Wives and husbands. Grandmothers and grandfathers. And those with no one to share their sorrows with. He noted his agitation escalating rapidly.

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Run Aaliyah Run. A Short. An Idea

Run Aaliyah Run

“Run Aaliyah, Run!”

And Aaliyah ran! The voice–her guide–was seldom wrong—‘seldom’ taken with a grain of salt that is.

But right now she had no time to argue or deliberate. She simply obeyed her instincts and ran.

She ran in the dark. Always in the dark. Helter-skelter. Directionless. Aiming for an unknown destination far away from here. Far, far away.

She ran on streets overflowing with the rotting filth of humanity on bare-naked feet, her tender skin lacerated and torn to shreds. Yet she felt no pain. Indeed she felt nothing at all.

She ran blind. Her brain a confusion of sounds that she had come to hate. She bumped into bodies. Some of whom grabbed at her tattered skirt. They let go when she screamed.

She ran. Away from the noise and the rough groping hands. From the barred windows and the locked doors and from the unbearable pain.

She ran.

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Aaliyah is a girl who is a victim of her circumstances. She could be helped if only she had sought it on time. Unfortunately the situation perpetuated itself and her life veered on to a different path altogether. She is now standing at the crossroads and weighing her choices. Does she have any?

This is a short that will become the template of a story I hope to write in the near future. It is based on a real life experience of mine that I was tremendously affected by. It’s unlike the usual stuff I churn out. I hope you will like it.

Human After All Chap 10: Hide and Seek

Chapter 9

10: Hide and Seek

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He is still alive. Khanak sighed with relief and tried to will her heart to slow down. She read the note again slowly this time. Then again and again. He calls me his innocent love. How dare he! I’m neither innocent, nor am I his love. ‘May I always be the man in your dreams.’ Man in my dreams? How can he stake a claim on my dreams or me for that matter? She almost wished she had prescribed rat poison. But then she would have been staring at a suicide note instead and nursing her cold in a miserable jail cell.

In frustration she banged her hand against the desk then yelled out in pain. She had struck a sharp edge. Tears sprouted from her eyes. Of pain, anguish and doubt. She stared at the cut in her hand then grabbed some tissue to stem the flow of blood. The wound in my hand will stop hurting soon, she thought. But not the one that he has inflicted upon my heart. He is treating me like one of his random girlfriends. He probably has several to whom he dashes off pretty notes. They probably follow him around like lost puppies and he chooses to award them with his attention like favors for good behavior. But I’m not one of them. I have my own identity and my own life.

But why is he so bent on upsetting it?

Aaachooo! She sneezed again. Her head had begun to ache and feel heavy. She was pretty sure she looked more like a patient than a doctor at this time. She had skipped her sari today. Instead she had opted for a simple salwar suit and just run the brush through her hair. She hadn’t even felt like wearing her usual minimalistic makeup. She had never felt so rotten.

***

Akshay stepped out of the bathroom and was pleasantly surprised when he saw Megha and Khushboo together. It had become such a rare occurrence that sometimes he wondered if Khushboo was indeed Megha’s mother. He smiled when he saw his life’s most precious gift sitting on the dressing table in her school uniform, her legs tucked underneath her, staring wide eyed at her mother as she expertly applied her makeup. Khushboo, who always enjoyed an audience was explaining each and every step to her and even letting her hold her precious brushes and tubes of face paint.

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Rhythm and Blues Chap 29: Can you Love me Again?

chapter 28

29: Can you Love me Again

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“Damnit!”

“Why what’s the matter?”

“There goes our romantic dinner. I mean…,” Shan laughed, “Sorry I sort of got carried away. It’s Dibubhai fault. He’s taking this thing way too seriously.” He said shaking his head while looking at a note pinned to a dartboard that hung on the wall.

Khanak was perplexed. She had been relegated to such a state ever since earlier in the day when her boss’ housekeeper had addressed her as ‘bahu’ or daughter-in-law. Matters appeared to have gotten even more complex and indiscernible with Dibubhai and Shaan’s mysterious discussions and now this.

The look on her face almost made Shan laugh out loud. But he controlled himself. It would be disastrous to give himself away especially when Dibu had come up with such a brainwave. Dibu you are a genius! He thought then cleared his throat, “Dibu in all his wisdom has given us an advice…”

“Advice?”

“Yes advice,” he nodded with as much seriousness as he garner. “According to him if we want our farce to be ironclad we both need plenty of practice. He would be terribly put down if he’d have to serve madam Tash;” Shan said and frowned. He couldn’t imagine such a scenario. Then he looked at Khanak. No. He couldn’t let that happen at any cost. He would likely perish if he didn’t have her permanently at his side and in his life. “I think he has a point there for sure,” he murmured.

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Human After All Chap 9: Stoking the Flames

chapter 8

9: Stoking the Flames

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While sitting in the back seat of the car on the way back home Shantanu looked out of the window at the rain drenched city that was winding down after a long day. It had been a similar day that had brought Khanak in to his life and today when he felt almost certain that he wanted her to stay for keeps, it was raining again. It must be a good omen he thought with a smile though he had never considered himself superstitious. Yet now he was willing to believe in anything.

He mused over what had transpired in the clinic. Meeting Khanak on an equal footing (even though he had to concoct an excuse to see her) had injected into him a tremendous zest for life. He felt invigorated and steeped in enthusiasm for the future that so far had seemed bland and quite ambiguous. Now all his doubts had vanished. They had been replaced with an immense tenderness and ardor for her so much that he wanted to take her in his arms and cherish and shield her from all the miseries of the world.

He was sure the feeling was mutual. He had seen it in her eyes though she had tried to conceal it under a veneer of anger and irritation. She seemed tentative and he understood why and respected it. But at the same time he wanted to break her resolve and that had to be pretty soon. Now that he was sure of his feelings, he couldn’t wait to take it to the limit and make her his.

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Human After All Chap 8: Heartache

chapter 7

8: Heartache

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Khanak rushed back to the clinic for the last appointment of the day. She knew she was late but one of her patient’s indigestion had turned out to be a heart attack and he had to be rushed to the hospital. That happened to be one of the reasons why she avoided booking her late appointments. She didn’t like to keep her patients waiting. To make matters worse Deepak had waylaid her when she had stopped to get a cup of java at the hospital coffee shop. She had spotted him there loudly castigating one of the attendants for serving him dark mocha when he had asked for white chocolate. The poor man obviously in awe of Deepak’s name tag and scrubs didn’t bother to defend himself instead he literally dissolved in front of the screaming doctor.

Was Deepak creating a tamasha to give the curious onlookers an ugly demonstration of his power? That no matter how badly he behaved he could get away with it like some small time minister who had forgotten that the very people who had voted him in could as easily vote him out?

Khanak thought she had slipped out unnoticed when he suddenly materialized behind her and tapped her on her shoulder. She reacted heatedly; “Don’t you dare touch me Deepak. Don’t think that working with me gives you the right to do so.”

“Hey aren’t we touchy here! I’m sorry Khanak but whenever I want to talk, you just run.”

“What kind of talk?” she said not bothering to stop.

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Human After All Chapter 7: Immune to Love?

chapter 6

7: Immune to Love?

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Shantanu searched the hospital discharge papers looking for Khanak’s card. He couldn’t find it. He saw that he had a follow up appointment set up with his surgeon the following afternoon and not with anyone else. He called her clinic which happened to be right beside the hospital and the phone was lifted by someone who appeared to be her secretary.

“Hello. This is Dr. Agarwal’s office. How may I help you?”

“Uhhh…I need to make an appointment.”

“For whom sir?”

“For myself.”

“Umm.. have you seen her before?”

“Yes… Uh actually no. I am a new patient. It’s just that she is so popular, I feel like she’s my doctor.”

“Hahaha! That’s a new one. Your name and age sir?”

“Ah..ummm….” no Shaan no deceptions this time! “Shantanu Khandelwal, old enough to be a father to half a dozen kids but yet to start. I’m 29.”

“Oh! Then Dr. Agarwal cannot see you. She doesn’t deal with infertility issues.”

“No you are mistaken! I think that part of me is working very well!” Shaan said with an embarrassed laugh. “I actually wanted to see her for something with begins with an ‘h’ and ends with an ‘ache.’

There was a slight pause on the other side of the line. Then the woman said; “Sir just a headache? Have you tried some over the counter medicines?”

You guessed wrong but I won’t tell you so. “Ah! Would I give you a call if those things had worked? This ache has been bothering me continuously for the past week and it gets worse every day. I am in so much pain!” Shaan groaned aloud for added effect.

“I’m so sorry to hear that. May be you should go to the emergency room because Dr. Agarwal won’t be able to see you until day after tomorrow. I could check with Dr. Krishnan though.”

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Human After All Chap 6: She Can Do Magic

Chapter 5

6: She Can Do Magic

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Khanak stopped smiling when she saw Shaan staring back at her as though he was studying a masterpiece in a gallery. She was unprepared for the directness of his gaze and seeing him in this state, alert and coherent for the first time, threw her completely off her moorings. She looked away to try and recoup. But when she turned back she found him gazing around the room with an utterly lost and bewildered look on his face. She glanced inquiringly at Nurse D’Souza who simply shrugged her shoulders. Khanak thought for a moment then smiled at her nurse and gave her a conspiratorial wink.

Nurse D’Souza promptly read Khanak’s mind. She said directing a pitiful look in Shantanu’s direction; “I think Mr. Khandelwal here needs brain surgery. His mentation has been fluctuating a lot. I’m afraid something’s direly wrong. Do you agree doctor?”

“No! I’m perfectly fine! I don’t need surgery of any kind!” Their patient declared loudly.

“So what was that you were doing just now Mr. Rajkumar? Pretending?”

Shaan flushed. He had been caught in the act again. He saw Dr. Agarwal looking at him, her beautiful eyes saying quite clearly; GOTCHA! I am smarter than you think!

You certainly are not as bholi bhaali as you look, he thought. There seems to be a wily brain floating around in that pretty skull of yours. Beauty and brains– a deadly combo. No wonder Dr. Deepak is crazy about you. Now why don’t I like that? Shaan pursed his lips sensing a pang of envy.

Meanwhile Khanak was back to being a bunch of nerves, her sensation of triumph short lived. She tried very hard to feel indifferent while examining Shaan but that was proving to be more difficult than she had anticipated.

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Rhythm and Blues Chap 28: Harmony

chapter 27

28: Harmony

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“Put your arm around my waist.”

They were seated on Shan’s bike and Khanak as usual was keeping at least a foot’s distance.

“Why? I don’t see anyone…” she said taking a quick glance around.

“Darling… I mean Khanak,” Shan said quickly correcting himself. “You never know. There could be people hiding anywhere, behind trees, bushes, pillars etc. Last night made us famous. I’m sure all of them will be out in force to get some more meat. The story isn’t dead yet.” Shan was relieved when she relented to his request but with just one arm. He quickly fixed the situation much to her chagrin and was pleased when she didn’t release herself. He then said; “May I ask what persuaded you agree to this campaign?”

“Someone who helped set my priorities straight;” she replied with a smile. It was her turn to be secretive.

Yet she had no clue why their forty-minute ride turned out to be so bumpy.

***

Outside Jhankaar:

Shantanu extended his hand to Khanak, “Now for the big test.”

She nodded. Yes, they were about to take their show on the road. All eyes would be on them and there would be no room for slip ups. Absolutely none.

They walked inside arm in arm and at once were aware of quite a few raised eyebrows and surreptitious whispers. Yet no one dared question them. Who would of the Boss?

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