Short Stories

“Midnight, on the bridge. Come alone”, I warned him on the phone. The boy’s father had been truly intimidated. I could hear it in his voice as he pleaded with me to release his son. “I will give you double the money but please release my child”, he cried. I had...

We woke up at 4.00 am. Even though it was the time to return, I remember that both, me and my sister, Vaishali, were very excited. We were ready in a jiffy waiting to go back to the station…nay, waiting to go back to the cute little train. So there we were, two...

Atmaram Nana was alone at home. Having lost his wife, Supriya, two years back, he stayed with his son’s family at their house in the town of Kankavli, in the Kokan area of Maharashtra.   Atmaram was very proud that he had been able to buy this house from the original...

I was playing cricket with a bunch of friends in the building compound when suddenly, “Meow…Mew….Mouv”…and a shrill, “Meeee…”. Like most children, we all loved cats and especially the cute little kittens who tend to be always naughty. “Did you hear that?”, asked my...

In the 47 years since I was born, that day has left a permanent imprint on my mind. 7/11, as it is known in common parlance – or 11th July 2006. Till that day I had lived a typical middle-class life in the city of Mumbai. Or rather, in the far-flung suburb of Mumbai,...

Abhinavji Jedhe was a poor cowherd living in a remote village in Pimpri Vadgaon, Maharashtra. He lived in a ramshackle hut along with his wife, Radhabai. They had a hand to mouth existence, surviving on his meager daily wages which he made by grazing the village cows...