The Bored Engineer

One of the most dreadful things in life is a mirror. Mirror is a constant reminder of who you are and what you are not. The witches in the fancy fables have hated them for the mirrors always extolled the virtues of beauties, of the Snow Whites and the Cinderellas, so to satisfy their own ego they would try and destroy these Princesses for mirror is that one true factor that cannot be destroyed nor can it be silenced. I too faced a similar predicament today when I had a look into a mirror of my own and for the better or worse I acted the same way as the witches do. Well, it all started this morning when I rushed out of the house on the daily chores that marked the start of my day. It was a major struggle to move out of the warm confines of my home into the chilly gushes of winter breeze that marked this vast expanse of the weekly vegetable market that had sprung up on the boulevard occupying the roads like vehicles were supposed to fly over them. But, as with everything quintes...

“Why can’t you understand, life is not that simple. You can’t just wish for your problems to go away like that without doing anything about it”, cried Arjun. “I don’t mind talking about problems, but it you have to understand that you are not always correct. Why don’t you try to visualize life from someone else’s perspective as well”, replied Tanya. “There is no point talking sense to you. You will always be trapped in the limitations of your own thinking. So much for being a wannabe feminist, all you know is how to twist everyone else into forcing them to accept what you want them to.” “How can you be so insensitive, Arjun. One day you propose to me telling me that you love my outlook of life and the very next day you question the very basis of my belief system. What do you want me to do, please tell me because now I’m not sure if I can even understand what is going on inside your head.” “I want you to think and talk to me when you are back in the right frame of mind...

Silence had befallen the auditorium after the thunderous applause died down that had accompanied Dr. Zutshi, the world famous doctor of prosthetic sciences. Students had been waiting for his lecture since the beginning of semester and soon it was the most talked about event in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The doctor looked at the gathering with blank expression on his face. He wondered as to what should be his words to the students at his  Alma  mater. He had his speech ready in front of him but it did  didn't  seem right to him to brag about his achievements in a subtle way and then bore the students with his case studies. Taking a deep breath he uttered, “This  doesn't  feel right. Another lecture by another old man with very little to offer to the future. I don’t want to talk about cases and complications, you will have a lot of them in your career. If there is something that I can say to help you fellows in your ...

Marriages are forged in heaven but the bonds of matrimony are broken here on the earth, and no one knew that better than Sanjay. With a career spanning over twenty years as a divorce attorney he knew more about breaking up families than saving them and it suited him well. But right now he wished quite the opposite. Because for now he was trying to save the marriage of his best friend Aakash who had suddenly developed a strange affinity for some college girl who met him at some seminar-or-convention. He didn’t know much about her except the fact that Aakash had been acting weird since he met her and his once a family-man best friend was today missing along with a girl half his age, leaving him to manage the wrath of his wife. As she disconnected the call from her mother, Maya’s temper seemed to flare up quickly. It had been 12 hours since she had returned from her parents’ home in Delhi and Aakash was nowhere to be found. Couple that with a photo of Aakash with that girl fro...

The stage is set. Everyone is buzzing around. You can see the tense faces of the organisers. It has taken weeks of meticulous planning and today is the day. An event of this magnitude has not been held before in this part of the city and everything has to be perfect. Banners and posters have been put up weeks ago and the response has been unprecedented. Recognizing the magnanimity of the event even district administration offered to help with the security and general arrangements. Loudspeakers are bursting with music. People are lining up to witness what promises to be the last step of the tour that has travelled across the whole of the nation. Language might have been a problem at some places but with a personality as big as this people tend to show up breaking the barriers of language. The sponsors have also been gracious enough to support the event. A certain entity has offered to serve free beverages while several others have offered to contribute collective to the eatabl...