Tale of a Marriage…

… in the form of subjects of emails to a community forum.

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filter - from:"K. Ravi" label:community-forum

Sender	Subject	Date
K. Ravi	Pointers to travel agents who manage foreign trips	Jun 08
K. Ravi	i10 vs WagonR vs UVa – any opinions?	Oct 08
K. Ravi	Weekend getaways around Hyderabad?	Feb 09
K. Ravi	Need contact of good astrologers in Hyderabad	Jan 10
K. Ravi	Need information regarding Birth Stones	Feb 10
K. Ravi	Any place where we can go for a day-trip from Hyd?	Jun 10
K. Ravi	Looking for a priest who can do Gruh-Shanti Pooja	Sep 10
K. Ravi	Looking for a priest who can do Satyanarayan Pooja	Oct 10
K. Ravi	Pointers to good Marriage Counselors in Hyderabad	Dec 10
K. Ravi	How to transfer ownership of car from wife to husband	Feb 11
K. Ravi	How to convert a joint home loan to single person loan	Feb 11
K. Ravi	Need pointers to lawyer specializing in Marital Cases	Mar 11
K. Ravi	Selling household stuff	Apr 11
K. Ravi	Looking for roommates	May 11

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P.S.: This is a purely experimental format of writing a short-story. Inspired by an email I received in a community forum.
And obviously, this is pure fiction

Hunter

There he was. Finally I had found my prey. But he was moving fast, and to hit a moving target is always difficult. Ask anyone who has played Quake3, and he’ll concur. But what is a kill without some difficulties? It is always easy to hit a stationary target, where is the fun in that? I intoned, ‘Challenge accepted’ and determined his line of motion, his speed, and decided on the specific point where I would take him.

My timing would have to be perfect, a split second difference, or a small hesitation and the prey would get away unscathed.

He was getting close to the kill zone; I would have a window of few seconds to complete the deed. I looked around and found nobody else in vicinity – made my escape a lot easier.

Five steps and he would be in the kill zone; I gunned for it. I revved my bike, hit the top gear, and as soon as he was adjacent to the water puddle my bike screamed through it. In the rear-view mirror I saw his white trousers gain many brown polka dots.

I smiled, that was satisfying! Time to hunt for a new prey.

A Cricketing Tale

He looked determined, ready to prove himself. He had beat me the previous delivery with a ball that came in sharply. He was short in stature, and was using that to his advantage by skidding the ball.

He started his run-up, expertly hiding the ball in his hand, glided to the crease and tried to reach escape velocity as he jumped to deliver the ball. He landed hard, and the ball left his hand with the seam scrambled.

It headed towards the leg stump, and I attempted a flick. The ball beat me for pace and I heard the timber shattering. The leg stump lay uprooted.

The bowler howled in delight and started his customary dance on claiming any wicket. I rearranged the stumps and as he finished his dance, I picked the ball and threw it back to him, pointing to him the start of the run-up. He dejectedly walked back, and I marked my guard once again.

Being an elder brother sure had its advantages.

Titanic, Japan, Nalanda & Cricket

If I can read four books in parallel, what is stopping me from reviewing four books in one post? Nothing, and hence that is exactly what I’m gonna do, as I did earlier. Posting mini reviews of the books that I finished sometime in last two weeks.

Terror on the Titanic – Samit Basu
Samit Basu is an incredible writer. I had become his fan after reading the Gameworld Trilogy (1, 2, 3). Fantasy mixed with dark humour – that seems to be a unique genre In my opinion, he is one of the best writers in India.

Coming to the book, this one has been termed as Young Adults’ Fiction, although to be honest I never felt I was reading a YA book. Samit Basu weaves a thriller around the Titanic voyage, and the way he has used the memorable scenes from the movie Titanic as backdrop for his story is amazing. The plot never slacks, and all his characters are, to put it mildly, very interesting. Any one who enjoys reading the genre fantasy should always pick up the author’s books.

I think it is time for me to order Turbulence
Rating: 4/5

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The Wit Of Cricket – Barry Johnston, John Ireland
It is a must read for any person who loves tales about Cricket. Dickie Bird, Fred Trueman, and Richie Benaud are some of the guys who recall interesting, witty happenings that happen either on the cricket field or off it. One incident that amused me no end was one where the batsman in some club cricket match skied a catch, and as three fielders were converging on it he shouted “Mine”. All three fielders stopped and the catch went down.

A delightful book, especially when read in short-bursts.
Rating: 3/5

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The Nalanda Chronicles – Kalpish Ratna
This book is not just a fun read, it also seems to me a study in sketching characters for any written piece. This novella traces the story of a bus and its occupants for a single day when the bus gets hijacked. The writers (Kalpana Swaminathan and Ishrat Syed, who write jointly as Kalpish Ratna) could surely give a lesson to most writers as to how a character should be fleshed, and how the editing should be. A simple story told in a simple way. If you get your hands on this book, do not leave it before reading the book cover-to-cover.
Rating: 3/5

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Made In Japan – Akio Morita
It is the story of Sony Corp, through the eyes of its founder Akio Morita. Starting the company in a war-ravaged building with a handful of people, today Sony is a household name. The book also follows the growth of Japan, its relations with other countries and the author also talks about Japanese traditions. This book was a inspirational read – anyone who wants to start something of his own, and is afraid, should read this book. The book gives you a kick!
Rating: 4/5

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It’s My Time

How could this have happened? She noticed me! Me? The ravishing beauty of my class is actually seeing me.
Nah, I must have imagined it? Why would I, of all the people, interest her? Leave it.

Nope, I did not imagine it. She looked at me again.
But, that’s not possible. There must be someone else behind me. Ignore it, concentrate on the lecture.

How can I concentrate when my heart is galloping along and forcing my eyes in her direction? Again… she looked here again. And I am sitting near the wall; there is no one behind me. She is surely checking me out.
Damn it! What do I do? I should have read the book “Dating for Dummies” and that article “How to talk to her”

I think I should smile. After all she has been staring at me for a while now. I would be the hero of the college if I can manage to go out with her. I’ll smile.
Why is she frowning? Must be something else. I’ll smile again.

Why is she looking flustered? Why does she seem reluctant to meet my eyes? And why is she pointing over my head?
Ah! The clock.

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This is fiction, except for the parts that aren’t!
Inspired by a true incident; the protagonist is a good friend