It's Short Story Time

                Tejpratap had entered the smuggling business before he even turned twelve. He assisted his father in packing bones, polishing weapons, maintaining transaction records and many other filthy jobs. He even went to hunting with Ganga Ram. Ganga had taught Tejpratap the art of hunting- Where to find which animal, how to track their  movements, how to hide in trees, how to hold a gun, etc. As he went deeper into the forest, he recalled all the wisdom Ganga had poured into him. Ganga once told Tejpratap ,"Always remember to mark the path you took inside the forest. It helps in two ways. Helps you to return safely and if lost, others can track you. But never use same marks again and again".  Tejpratap took a red pocket knife from his breast pocket and started marking a big cross on every alternate tree.               After walking for about an hour, he found a few tamarind trees that offere...

                     Twenty-five year old Tejpratap Jaiswal was looking after the tiger hide smuggling racket his father owned. Now you might be wondering, why would they have such a thing? Well, it's because they regularly hunted the tigers roaming the regions surrounding the famous Bandhavgarh fort, the fort believed to be gifted to Lakshman by Ram. Because of that brotherly affection, locals called it Bandhavgarh. For a great many years, this fort and the surrounding forests were the hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Rewa. A king from this dynasty once killed more than a hundred tigers in a single year to protect nearby villages from the man eaters' terror. Though this region has now been declared a national park by the government, the lack of authorities and poor security opened ways for poachers and smugglers to establish a smuggling ring, now owned by Trivikram Jaiswal, the richest man in Jamunara. And as for the remain...

         "It was not your fault Andy. I was a fool to fall in love with you."  Andy played these words again and again in his head. Poor Andy didn't know what 'love' was. He knew it semantically but was not able to comprehend its actual meaning and how it feels to fall in love. He looked deep into his reflection in the mirror,  hoping to find the answers. All he could see was two cameras that were his windows to the outer world. His metallic skin sparkled as the sunlight from the opposite window fell on it. Picking the leather-bound diary, his worldly possession, he sat on the couch next to the door. He knew its content very well. It had seven photos and a blank page at the end. In the first one, Andy was still a little processor his creator was holding. He was known to Andy as Mr.HNS. A shot, well-built guy who lost his wife at a young age and yet never lost his smile to his very end.  He pulled his thoughts to present as he heard the pendulum ...