The Interview

“The thing about caring is that you never know when is too much. You know I used to be happy once, dreamt of going to the moon wearing the shiny suit Neil Armstrong did but then the world, the world built with the likes of you told me they’ve stopped sending men to moon and Mars is their next target now tell me why the fuck would I wanna go to mars? I went reluctantly to school every day for fourteen years and sat through classes which didn’t make any sense just because they told me it will help me achieve my dreams, I learnt a thousand pages understood another ten thousand praying every minute to get into the institution which would help me get a better job and a better future but they rejected me due to rituals my forefathers pursued about a century ago and I had to let go of everything as I fell twenty ranks short of my surname and inheritance. My dreams were broken remolded and a dream of green paper hovered before my eyes, for four years I learnt and practiced things which I thought would help me get this dream and now suddenly you turn up with a chair promising to give me a salary equivalent to a sweeper for sitting 8 hours every day on that chair while you vent out on me. I reluctantly agree to this predomination of yours but you are still not satisfied and eccentrically somehow now I know I cared about money too much and excess dosage of love can choke logicality. So tell me why the fuck should I explain to you why I think that I am worthy for this job?” I finally burst out in front of the PI panel as 7 trained humans widely gawked at me due to the condition they weren’t trained for.
“Do you have any other option?” One of them finally asked adjusting his glasses as he pretended to be scrutinizing my Curriculum Vitae
“I don’t quite think so” I replied earnestly
“Well then, would you sum up your vivid extravaganza to something meaningful before we end this conversation” He asked again not removing his eyes off the A4 size sheets filled with rubble
“Have you ever felt that you’ve grown up a bit beyond you desired and you can’t turn childish again because it would destroy everything you’ve built so far?” I asked every one of them
“We don’t think this is anyhow related to our conversation, anyways you may leave now. Thank you” A man in his late forties sitting to the left of the center-person replied hoarsely as he looked outrageously towards me
“No I haven’t felt like that for a while now and neither do I remember what it felt like because life is driven by logic and practical work more than it is by envisaging dreams” A man in his fifties spoke up as I stood up to leave
“I bet you don’t have a clue how it feels like to destroy your own entity hoping to build a happier one” I said as I removed my tie with one hand and moved forward to collect my file with other
“And I bet you don’t know what an interview is” the man with glasses said softly as he handed my file back to me
“And neither do I fucking care” I replied and walked away opening a gate which in hope for a new bright future a future which might throw something more welcoming at me something which I desired.

“…It’s easy being one of the biggest Multinational Corporations of the world, what’s difficult is accepting the fact that we too need help from other people. And Miraki Industries is what we target next to fulfill cumulative benefit. I’ve explained to you what the freaking graphs and experts say about our future but I cannot explain to you what you could be if you joined us you could be the next definition of Warren Buffet or you could be the exemplary of a great depression, call me cheeky and brash but I’d advise you to do what your gut tells you to because you wouldn’t want to be blaming the fucking experts for what life threw at you” I said finishing my presentation as I glanced out of the window touching the clouds. I did not suddenly jolt to a millionaire, nor did I magically figure out a way to build a hovercraft to fly to the moon nor did I get happy with being what I wanted to be. I was still the same person with the same old dreams and a fake new coarse attitude which I flaunted proudly with each breath, all I achieved was a greater salary package a bit of satisfaction and a higher post in the same company which I had rejected during my interview, what I had lost was the reminder of trying to be the me I idealized
“I don’ t know how these people recruit their crew but you are one extraordinary and strangely truthful person I’ve met in a long time” the Japanese looking owner of  Miraki Industries said shaking my hand after he had signed the Multimillion dollar deal happily and successfully with the company I worked for only because he was impressed by my presentation.
“Thank you sir” I said
“Well fuck courtesies, just give me a call if you ever decide to leave these assholes or earn more by working as a CFO at my company” he said in a low tone as he slipped his card into my pocket with his other hand.
Hours later I was smiling as I twisted and turned the card in my hand which boldly read “Miraki Industries” in golden, a golden which told me about what my glittering future was to be what amused me more was the line “founder Hiyashi Kankuro” as I recognized the name and a familiar face from about 5 years ago when I was giving the interview, finally someone had realized his dreams and flown up to meet them and unlike me he had succeeded in them without having to put on a tie for 300 days a year and a fake identity. Something about my preaching that day made me happy and something shoved me softly into gloom as I realized I could be the Golden name on the card of Destiny right now.

Written By:
Atul Shrotriya

The tough Road.

                “You have nothing, and neither have you had anything to be proud of” were the exact words of my elder brother on that small sticky note as I refused his job offer yet again. Geetika, my girlfriend looked at me with exhausted eyes, “you’re 27 and jobless, your brother is the second richest businessman in the city who’s caring enough to vouch for you, you don’t have money to pay your half of the rent or electricity bills or gas bills or the taxes or anything that requires money. You still survive on the pocket-money I give you and you seem to have no plan regarding how you’re gonna change all of this” and this was the exact lecture I was given by her before she left me. I was a contractor and I had no idea about how my life was going to be designed by me.

                It was not like I didn’t have had my share of opportunities, I did and in fact, I had some of the best opportunities one could ever ask for, a 50 million project which required making a flyover for the government. I couldn’t take up the project due to the risk of removing 5000 slum families that somehow managed to succumb in that small area, no compensation; they had to be just removed to be rehabilitated into the suburbs from where they had to walk 23 kilometers before reaching to work. And I had to be the one to convince them to do that without reason, I couldn’t and so I quit. The project went into suspension for the next 6 months before my brother took it up. He removed the poor people with legal help and started immediately with what could be the next proud architecture of the city. People went into a hunger strike against the government, others revolted, well it ended within 15 days, already starved people couldn’t keep up the hunger strike for long, and were admitted into hospitals, others were sent to jail and the remaining rammed in the orphanages which seemed like a worse idea than the jail. As for me, I’d lost my first opportunity and was off with a bad remark and my life could only be seen as something spiraling downward.

                Today was a new day, the 93^rd new day since my girlfriend left me and I was kicked out of our house and I had to move in to the old government quarters which were lent to poor and old people for free. My food was somehow arranged by one or another household, my electricity bill was unpaid and pending, every day the electricity van came and I pulled in the wire which I had joined illegally to the main line for electricity in my house, sometimes my neighbors did it for me. I opened my inbox and there was the new streak of hope for me in the unread messages, I had a job offer from Mr. Tushin Agarwal the city’s richest businessman although, he was also known for his crooked mind alongside his riches. As I stepped into his office filled with 5 other men, I saw him sitting comfortably in his chair smoking a cigar. “I thought you wouldn’t show up” he said looking at me and motioned me to sit down, before I could sit down, he started speaking “there’s one thing I want to tell you before I begin, if you have a decision to make with some benefits and some losses, when both losses and benefits are considerable then if the benefits are more go forward with it, rather than regretting later. There’s an enclave to be built in the government quarters in the city, it’s a 50 acre land in the middle of the city waiting for some brilliant infrastructure to be endured upon, government is paying us with 6.5 billion for 26 buildings to be constructed there. I’ve gathered you people here to perform that task for me. One of you will be given ten million bucks in advance by me, and you either finish this job or I’ll kill you. If you want to leave, you can leave now or else you’ll have to pay me 15 million in case you choose to leave. Just one last thing, convince me, why I should give you that flashing check with proud 7 zeroes when there’s so many people I could give it to?” he finished speaking and looked at each of us. Two people immediately left the room, the other three gave him his resumes and left, he looked at me as I handed him my resume “there’s one thing I want to tell you before you think your next thought, someone once told me that I have nothing now and neither have I ever had anything to be proud of. He was right and I have nothing to hold me back from finishing this job” I said, staring confidently into his eyes. I waited for a moment for his reaction but it seemed like either he’d seen so many of these melodramatic outbursts or he was too stunned to respond, either way I turned around and walked out of his office.

                 As I stepped on the same old bus which carried me home to the reality, far away from the majestically luring heights I began thinking like a human again. Maybe I wasn’t cut out for all this, maybe I could just be another desk person in my brother’s office nibbling away at the vile pieces he’d throw at my way now and then. I couldn’t become the demon I feared, even if the need of time was otherwise. I stepped out of the bus, my mind fixed on the thought of quitting the job in case it came strolling my way, maybe I’d search for something more subtle to vanquish in rather indulging in this war of money and lies. A loud honk broke my alluring stargaze as I looked at the white Mercedes in front of me, there was the devil I’d been avoiding in my nightmares, Mr. Tushin. Before I could say anything he opened his gate and put down a briefcase on the ground, “you forgot to pick this up” he said and drove away. I stood there, analyzing the trap that was planted in the briefcase, ready to pounce upon me at sight, I couldn’t decline walking into it, maybe money does make a man lose his senses. With shaking hands I picked it up and walked up to my government quarter which I was about to destroy with this weapon of lethality I was cradling in my arms. Standing in front of my iron gate of lavishness I said to me, “if it has to be then it may be so. Fuck everything else” I placed the brown leather case on my table and without even caring to look inside, a wicked smile grew on my face, a smug ecstasy of achievement I guess the rusty taste of villainy isn’t so much bitter after all.

                My brother must have been astonished and furious as he’d have read that sticky note which said “I have nothing, and neither have I ever had anything to be proud of, and that’s why I can’t be afraid of losing anything” delivered along with the photocopies which claimed me to have become a millionaire in an instant and his defeat in making me his bitch. I guess he must have banged his fist on the table and screamed at one of his employees as if this were their fault. I could only guess as I stood in front of the call center where Geetika worked. As I marched into her office, a few others noticed but she definitely was confused and stunned to see me there so suddenly after such a long time, although in my mind it was just like yesterday when she left me. She opened her mouth to speak but words failed her “Fuck you” I said, her eyebrows shot up as I paused for a moment before blurting out the rest, “fuck the taxes, fuck the rent and everything else. Even if I’m broke, even if I have to live off the pocket-money you give me, I don’t care, even if you think I’m not worthy according to you and even if you think every single moment of ways in which you could get rid of me I won’t stop loving you. I love to look you in the eyes, nudge that small little nose of yours, fondle your ears, prod your cheeks, play with the streaks of your hair as you sleep like a baby in my arms, I can’t live without grabbing you by the waist when you’re looking away, play with your hand as we watch idiotic girly flicks snuggled under the same blanket with you crammed up against me on the sofa, tickle your legs and kiss your lips god I can’t live enough of this life if I don’t kiss you again” I stopped as I ran out of my breath while her eyes rose up higher than before as she stood there staring at me, “and I know I’m a complete idiot, and I fight with you every day, irritate you even though you’ve done so much for me, complain even when you love me so much and don’t stop when I know I have to and I end up hurting you always. But I swear to god, I’ll quarrel with you every day for that one sweet ‘I love you’ you say to me in that amazing tone after my desperate efforts when you finally forgive me and I promise, I’ll argue with you to hear you snap at me cause I find you so turning on when you’re angry at me” I stopped for a second and grabbed her in my arms, her arms wrapped around me and my eyes shuttered down slowly as our lips met, slowly I dissolved into the pleasure of caressingly mystical emotion called love. Her sweet smell carried me away into another world of wondrous perfectness, and as I clutched her tighter clasping her existence into mine, I could hear her heartbeat against mine, and I could feel her again and I felt complete. “You’re not broke are you?” she asked me pulling away, as she gasped for breath, “Actually, I am” I replied with a wink, smiling at her she looked at me for a moment then saying “whatever” moved her face near to mine, I pulled away “what?” she said looking at me confusedly, “I’m kidding, I just got a huge contract” I replied “well that makes you even sexier” she said and merged with me again.

Written By:

Atul Shrotriya
Assisted By:

Himanshu Bhardwaj

Villian

                My cellphone was vibrating in my pocket, I looked at the speedometer “65 kmph!” it screeched back at me, ‘well, talk to you later Mr. caller’ I said to myself and looked up, what do I see, a girl dawdling in the middle of the road on her pretty pink scooter, my eyes widened as I pushed the brakes and over the screams of tires and her intensified shrieks, I collapsed into her with a thud, I opened my eyes and to my surprise, a hand which I had expected to pick me up came thundering down at my cheek “you bastard! Look at what you did!” was all the appreciation I was awarded with for trying to save a life. Blood trickled down from my pierced lip as I stood up again, finally composing me into a delirious piece of obscenity, eyeing at the reason behind my blood, I gave him a stern look then before he could realize the rationality behind my crooked smile, I smashed my clenched hand against his jaw, a crack, an agonizing groan and the sweet symphony of silence took over the moment. An innocent girl was lying on the ground, drenched in the curtains of anguish and all they could come up with was hurting me even more, for a part that might change something but something far too small can’t be prioritized over everything. For a second, everything seemed to go in fast motion, the indissolvable looks of anger seemed to turn to fright, I pulled out the phone of my pocket, and scrolled down for the numbers of my acquaintances, for the time being, I was indeed in need of help but something made me call the ambulance instead, “yeah, I’m here at Square Parks, there’s been an accident and I seriously need your help. Thank you.” My sentence seemed somewhat like that of a gangster calling for mischief. “You mister, are going to regret this. This crime that you've done” A young leader of moral excellence commanded me with his index finger pointed at me, something about that finger flipped the “calm down” switch at the back of my head, and with one swift moment I grabbed his finger with one hand and crushed his nose with my other elbow, it wasn't bloody, it wasn't much hurtful either but it sent a clear message and soon the crowd seemed to withdraw in moments as they hummed the lowly chant of delirium for me. Soon the ambulance arrived and I helped them carry her in, before the ambulance could leave, the atmosphere was filled with wailing sirens of the police and I hurriedly, or rather frightfully took off before the sound could turn into a view of penalization.

                “Sharma Saab, did you note the bastard’s number?” the inspector asked fiercely, Sharma Saab shook in guilty, “hey, did you notice who he was?” inspector blankly shot at the man driving the ambulance; “No” he said plainly and turned the engine on, “then who called you?” he asked again “some injured guy in a blue shirt, he was bleeding and was right here a moment ago” he replied and drove off. “Yes, yes Inspector Saab that was the guy I was telling you about” Mr. Sharma jumped in with excitement and other people also joined in giving other small details “he had long hair” someone said, “he was about six feet in height” added another. “I assure you all people, we’re gonna catch that bastard! He won’t get away from us I promise” Inspector announced in an uncalled sense of duty, somewhat enjoying the limelight. “You police officers are all big mouths for talk and no hands to catch the bad ones” someone said from the crowd, Inspector frowned for a moment then in a mocking manner spoke with laughter as he climbed in his rusty Jeep which squealed under his weight “We’ll catch this one I promise, but you guys try to call the ambulance next time instead of cops when you see an accident and note down the details of both the victims thus helping them, rather than getting your ass all beat up by an injured person”. As the crowd dissipated, the people only carried one thing on their tongues, something stringed to stopping all the outrageously ridiculous youngsters from doing these catastrophic abhorrent crimes while in the hospital the girl and her mother cursed the person who rammed her daughter. But inside the petty human minds the crowd was ready to dial an ambulance in any further case of such an incident and the girl thanked the stranger who saved her.

                Sometimes, the world doesn't need a hero, sometimes all it needs is a perfect villain.   

-          Atul Shrotriya.