“Does any one remember how we met first?” Ram said.

“I do..no wait,i don’t.” said Raj.

“I do. we were collectively summoned for ragging by the seniors, in first year.” said Kumar

“oh yes, that time where they got us to give random girls roses.” Sunny added.

Ram was quiet. He was In deep thought, sipping his beer slowly.

‘What’s his deal’ asked Kumar

‘It’s the girl. He is worried about the girl’ said Raj, looking at Sunny, signalling something.

‘Ah yes. What happened, hasn’t he told her yet?’ asked Kumar.
‘no, he hasn’t the balls to do that’ said Sunny.

‘ i need your help, guys’ said Ram.
Kumar finished his beer, opened another one and started thinking.

‘How about you tell her over the phone?’ Raj said.

‘ No, that wouldn’t be impressive’said Sunny.

‘What do you know. I’ve got so many people hitched on the phone’ Raj retorted.

‘They must have broken up on the phone too’ said Sunny, laughing. He high fived Kumar, they all laughed for a while.

‘Guys, be serious’ said Ram. He looked tense.

‘Send her an email’ said Kumar.

‘Who will get him her email ID, your dad?’ Raj asked rhetorically.

‘What does my dad have to do with all this?’ said Kumar.

‘Okay then, write her a letter.’ Sunny said, getting his headphones away from the phone, just in case someone spilled beer.

‘That sounds like a good idea, improvise on it. Make sure that i’m not involved’ said Ram, showing a hint of relief

‘We will get someone else to give it to her’ said Sunny

‘She will fall for the courier then’ Raj quipped.

‘Yes, let’s do something else. Get someone like her brother to do it’

‘She has a brother’ Ram’s face lit up.

‘OH, this guy. You got your enquiries done, then’ said Kumar.

‘Okay, find her brother then’ Kumar said, in a matter of fact manner.

‘Why finding him, when he’s right here’ Raj said.

Kumar was puzzled.

He glanced at each of them.

‘it can’t be his sister,cuz he loves he’d he thought, looking at Raj

He looked at Sunny. ‘he’d be tensed if it were his sister’ he dismissed.

‘this joker doesn’t even have a sister’ he thought, looking at Raj.

‘okay, it’s my sister then’ he said, standing up from the table.he walked away and immersed himself in thought.

He turned. ‘why aren’t you two shocked?’ he asked, looking at Sunny and Raj.

‘we knew it already. We didn’t know how to tell you. Hence the whole arrangement’ said Raj, pointing at the drinks table.

They all laughed. And then, they drank happily ever after.

“Alright then. we have a deal.” Rubin said.
“Looks like we do.” Robert said.
“Was a pleasure dealing with you.” Rubin concluded.

Everyone retreated out of the location. The armed men were gone. Rubin was gone. The place was back to it’s deserted quiet self. There was a small noise at the corner nearest to which Rubin and the man were discussing the deal. A man rose from the shadows. He darted across the hall,opened a small side door.Another man came in.

“Looks like the deal is done,Max.” The guy entering the door said.
“yes it is.now let’s get the bugs and leave,Ben.” said Max.
“careful with the sharp edges.” Max said.

They were in a room,studying something on the computer. Max was looking at the box which was sold by Rubin.

“If only we could catch a glimpse of the contents of the box.” said Ben
“i’m trying,Ben.it’s not easy.” retorted Max.

Finally..finally they saw the contents of the box. One time Rubin opened it to check the contents. It was a collection of arms. Guns of different makes,revolvers,rifles. Their eyes sparkled.

“It doesn’t matter to us anyway.” Ben said.
“yeah.our target is a whole different one”

They went back to work. Their work was to kill the dealer, Rubin and steal all the money and the weapons for their boss,Robert. They had Rubin’s hideout on the radar for a while now. They looked for times with least security and they narrowed down on a particular time. So the plan was made,everything was set.

They entered the premises,Ben was covering while Max was attacking. They ducked, shot, moved silently and stealthily> At one point, Ben almost got strangled to death by one of Rubin’s guys,but Max came to the rescue. they decided to stick together and not go in different directions even if they see a way. After clearing their way through about 10 armed men,

Finally,they were in the same room as Rubin, with Rubin at gun point.

“Your game is over,Rubin” Max said.
“Oh you have no idea about the game,Max” retorted Robin. He grinned.

Before he could say anything, Max felt a searing pain in his back. He turned around to see what happened. He saw Ben,firing shots at him in a loop. He touched his shirt. He was losing blood. He knew he couldn’t make it. He looked at Ben,asking for an explanation.

“He has my girlfriend.” Ben said,sobbing. He went to Max and held him.

Max was no more. He knew Max would never forgive him. He knew God would never forgive him. He has done injustice to Max’s belief in him. He knew that he was going to regret this for life. He was selfish..

“I’ve done my job. Show me where Diana is.” Ben said, still looking at Max’s lifeless face.

“Diana” Rubin said. A gorgeous woman came out of the side door,a door similar to the one Max once opened for Ben.

Ben looked at her. she was safe.she looked lovely. As Ben bent down to rest Max’s body to go hug her, he heard gun shots. Rubin yelled out in pain. When he turned around, Diana was dishing out the shots. Rubin lay there,dead. Before he could look back at Diana, a bullet pierced through his flesh.

He knew it was her. There was no one else in the room. He had another bullet go through him.

“Why?” he squealed,withering in pain. “I loved you dearly.”

“Yes,i know. But i never loved you.she said, i was working for Robert all this while. He hired me before he did you. He feared something might go wrong,in killing Rubin. Rubin wasn’t an easy prey,after all. So he had his options open, and roped me in for the mission.I was never the prey, I was always the set up.”

She concluded, shooting for one last time.

Ben’s eyes closed, the last thing his vision ever captured was her beautiful face. The beautiful face of the woman he loved so much. The beautiful face for which he killed his dearest friend….

“Punch him hard, Robbie!” one of the onlookers said…
“get him in the stomach” someone else said.

Robbie was the favorite in that street bout, one of the many that happen everyday in that neighbourhood.

He was fighting Josh, one of the newer fighters in the arena. Josh had won a couple of fights, nothing major but. There are no rules. fight till someone dies or is injured fatally. The onlookers watch and derive a demonic sense of entertainment out of it. Robbie has been the champion for a while. He won every bout he played. He did not kill many people but he injured them seriously. some were crippled for life.

Josh closed in on Robbie,with a sharp punch aimed at Robbie’s face. Robbie ducked, placed a death blow on Josh’s stomach. Josh crumbled to the ground. He lay there, motionless. That’s it. Robbie won one more of those bouts. Josh was not dead. He was injured.

“You did it again, Robbie!!” someone yelled.

Robbie wasn’t listening. He was lost in the past. He remembered how he got into this dangerous dangerous sport. He was an orphan, and he was just wandering on the streets, doing nothing. He was a street urchin, with no one to go back to.

One of the “organisers” came to know of this fit young lad on the streets. He went and talked to Robbie, and Robbie accepted.

“You want to earn some easy money,lad?” the organiser asked.
“of course.yes.” Robbie said.
“So you should work for me.” the man said
“what am i supposed to do?” Robbie asked.
“you are supposed to fight.” said the organizer.
“But..” Robbie retorted
Before he could say anything, the man put some money in Robbie’s hand and said “enjoy yourself with that. I will call you when i need you.” he said, walking away.

…….Robbie was panting, nursing his bruises. Josh was very competitive.
“The kid was very good” he said,to the organiser. It wasn’t the old one anymore. The old organiser was arrested by the police.

“Get ready to a new bout tomorrow” the organiser said, counting his money

“That is all my money. MINE.” Robbie thought. He hated how all the people showed up to watch the bouts. No one hated the amount of violence or bloodshed. Women came to the bouts,too. Kids were accompanied by parents. No one was barred from entering the zone. Everyone had to buy the ticket. Kids or adults.

….”We need you for a fight today” the organiser said.
“sure” replied Robbie.
“Be careful, you are fighting a very strong man.He has defeated many people.” “He is the reigning champion”

Robbie was getting ready to his first bout. The opponent was supposedly ruthless. His name was Joshua. He was massive.

Joshua started on the offensive. He punched Robbie in his stomach.
Robbie withered in pain. That was something that he has never experienced. Sheer Power.

“Hit him, Joshua” the crowd was yelling

Joshua took another punch. Robbie ducked. Then,it was Robbie’s turn. He caught Joshua unaware. He landed three consecutive punches on Joshua,three deadly punches. Joshua slumped on the spot. Blood oozed from his nostrils. He lay there,dead.

“Get up, Joshua”
” Come on, Joshua”
people in the crowd egged Joshua on but he did not get back up. Robbie’s stealthiness has done him in. The crowd was livid. Everyone just lost their money,on Joshua. And thus emerged a new champion.

“Stealthiness has always been my power” though Robbie.

He liked the adrenalin in the game. He came coming back for more bouts. sometimes, he did it for the money.
Sometimes, for the women. He got them all. He was having a ball, winning bout after bout, getting the money and the women.

Then he started to be rude to the organisers. He often told them that all the money was his and that they were robbing him off it.

“you blood suckers are pocketing my money. be grateful to me” he used to say.

The next day, they had a new bout set up. Robbie walked in, as usual. It was a new fighter, fresh off the streets. The crowd was languid. Everyone knew that Robbie is going to win.

“It’s apparently a new kid.” someone said
“I feel so sorry for him.” said someone else
“Robbie is going to knock the life out of him.” said the third.
“Apparently his name is Mark”

The bout started, pretty quiet, everyone lazing around and waiting for Robbie to win.

Robbie started off with a hard punch in Mark’s face. Brutal, hard. Mark was bleeding. Robbie smiled. He got the upper hand.

Then, he moved in for another punch. As he did, Something happened,that startled him. Mark ducked. Before he could recover, Mark landed a hard blow in his chest. Then one more in his stomach. As he was about to get up, then came the final blow. In his chest again. Same spot. He did not get up again.

In the gallery, the organiser smiled. He walked over to Mark, said “Prepare yourself for a great career,kid.”…”But remember, don’t ever question us about money.”

Robbie was barely conscious. He remembered how Joshua went down that night. He himself was fresh off the streets,too. And he ended the reigning champion’s career. Now, when he turned against the organisers, they knew exactly how they could shut him up.

It all seemed strikingly similar. His and Joshua’s downfall. No one would ever ask for them as they HAD no one. The people at the bouts would miss them for a day or two. And then, they would be forgotten. Sent into the oblivion. The show will go on. The organisers know how to take it forward.

With those last thoughts, Robbie closed his eyes. For once, for all.

Sunny pulled the trigger…the gun clicked but nothing happened…..Death decided to taunt him..like life….

He remembered the day they met. The day it happened to him,his first love. He found the connection rather instantly. He saw her at a wedding. They talked a couple of times. After the wedding,they haven’t met for a while. Sunny tried very hard and found her number.

He called her up. “Ruby” he said.
“This is Sunny.from the wedding.do you remember me?”
“oh yes i do.How are you Sunny?”
“Yeah i’ve been good.I was just wondering if you wanted to meet for a coffee”

She agreed.They met almost every day, for eight long years. “Eight long years..” he thought.

Sunny pulled the trigger again. The gun made the clicking noise again. “Death is playing hard to get” thought Sunny.

……….They have been together longer than many of their friends have been in any relationship. It was beautiful.

They made plans for the future,too.

Then,it happened. She started asking him to open up to her. Asking him what he does for a living. She has asked him before but he evaded the question every time. For he was into no ordinary business.

He is a covert operative,but on the wrong side of the street. He is not with the government or with the police. He is with the bad guys. He does the deeds for them, He carries out the deals for the organisation. Sunny is the main operative, and he operates from his city only There was not much travel involved. Which is why he could pass it off as a normal office job to everyone.

The third time..he pulled the trigger for the third time. The click almost sounded like a jeer to him. it was as if life and death were jeering at him in unison, at the joke all of this has transpired into….

“Why dont you tell me what you do?” she said
“It is none of your business.but i can tell you that i love you beyond measure” he cajoled her in his arms. They were in his apartment, having an early morning coffee.
“What would you do if i cheated on you?” she asked.
“No,you wouldn’t do that.” he said and planted a kiss on her lips.

Sunny took another shot,for the fourth time,almost certain that the gun won’t show him any mercy,any consideration to his agony. The bullet never came out….

He got a text message on his phone. He had a job to do, according to the sender. He dressed up, went to the office for the briefing. The boss was already there,looking at a file.

“This is a very important elimination” he said
Sunny simply nodded.
The briefing went on for a while. Then he asked who the target is. The boss told him that he will be shown the target at the spot.But he was told that the target is a very high placed employee in the government’s covert group.

He walked into the hotel, which happens to be the spot for that day’s execution. The target was in room 501, and he has to ensure minimal damage and disturbance. He loaded his Enfield revolver and his pistol,just in case. He caught a bartender, killed him and swapped clothes. Just like in the movies. “They get it perfectly right” he smiled.

He knocked the door that read 501. Someone inside said “come in” He opened the door.

What he saw inside took him by complete shock. He had never envisaged this in the wildest of dreams……

His head took a spin. He was shattered. There she was, in bed with the target. His girlfriend of 8 long years, sleeping with someone else.He felt the world fall apart,around him.

He recovered soon enough, Closed the door behind him

“Sunny what are you doing here?” she said,covering herself up.

That was the last question she ever asked.Sunny acted swiftly. He took out the handgun, shot five times at what was his whole life in person. She crumbled there, into a heap, in the sheets.

Then He emptied the revolver into the target, with angst.

Then,he locked himself up in the toilet. Sunny cried and cried for hours together.

Sunny took one more shot,for the last time. A bullet pierced his temple…it didn’t hurt him as much as the betrayal did. He lay there, lifeless.

Robin was the first person out of the briefing room.He went to his locker,locked all his stuff up,looked at the picture of his family in his wallet and smiled. He put his wallet back into his pocket,and headed towards the flight.It was going to be a long time till the flight takes off.He has to conduct a safety and security check,fire the engine up and take the flight around to the terminal,the passengers have to settle down.Should be two hours tops.He reached in to the cabin to do the needful…..

The passengers were slowly being let in to the aircraft, they came in and settled down.Robin introduced himself and the cabin crew,did the usual safety procedures briefing and they were all set to go. The flight took off.It was a pleasant flight,or so they thought…

It’s been 7 hours of flying. The passengers were all reclined,some asleep and some reading,some watching the un amusing movies on the in-flight TVs. Robin left the cabin to take a leak.The co-pilot was in charge. As he opened the door,he felt a jolt.He ignored it and finished his business. While he was walking back, he almost fell over.The flight was experiencing a huge turbulence…Something was terribly wrong..

All the passengers were screaming and creating a ruckus..it was hard for him to concentrate.. He tried to calm them down but they wouldnt listen….he tried everything he did to stable the flight…just as he did that, a bird hit one of the engines and failed it…it was so instant that Robin couldnt believe what just happened…His little game was over now..He was above the sea so he couldnt even perform an emergency landing….he panicked…he tried not to but he was a mere mortal,too. He knew that only a miracle could save them…

Robin knew that he was a dead man.But he wondered if ever anyone would know his side of the story,his tale of the events.Never.The survivors would be hailed and the dead mourned.The survivors would tell their side of the tale…never will the pilot get a chance…they always perish trying to save as many lives as they can…

Robin was shaken out of his thoughts. He saw something.He couldn’t believe his eyes. He had a plan.Robin alerted the co-pilot.The co-pilot couldn’t contain himself….They both looked at a strip of land….. in the middle of nowhere…it was as if the island miraculously appeared only for their rescue. Robin decided to make a crash landing.It was deemed possible because the flight didn’t fly very long after the engine failure.And it was an option cuz if they didnt take the risk,the aircraft is going to crash anyways.They acted swiftly.They warned the passengers,alerted the base about the location of the island and went for it.

Robin was in his seat,jaws clenched and doing his calculations. The co-pilot was doing the necessary..they were loosing altitude. And then, they hit ground….Robin’s head hit the ceiling and he lost consciousness. When he was back to consciousness, he saw the cabin door open.

The rescue personnel were here…they made it…he looked at the co-pilot…the guy was beaming with pride.they were helped out of the wreck.He can hear the survivors screaming as they made their way out…they walked out the door,into the sunlight…He will tell his tale this time.

Wyk was from a family of farmers, he was from a rural town of his country.He wasnt a good student,he scraped through all grades. Discipline wasnt his thing right from the start.He wasnt like those typical small town kids studying hard.He was unruly.To skip the pain of getting a degree in some discipline,he decided to join the air force instead.There,he was his unruly self.He didnt have to share or account for his money.He partied hard,had fun,and never gave a damn about the future.

Then,all of a sudden,his father died.In a food poisoning incident.His father was the sole breadwinner of the family as Wyk never shared any of his income.All of a sudden,everything was over him.He had to lead the family as the eldest son.He had to transform overnight.He didn’t really like it.He felt like he was trapped in a big unwanted bag of responsibility.He was a party animal.Now,he had to cut down on everything.It was hard for him at the start but he found his ground and took up the responsibility.He supported his family,and did a good job at work,too.He was soon the best pilot in his cadre. His growth in the airforce was unstoppable.He worked hard and went up the career hill one step at a time. Sooner than anyone anticipated,he was the head of the airforce.

Wyk’s advisor had arrived.The man was as tensed as Wyk was.He was sweating,he didnt look like he had a good night’s sleep in ages.Wyk asked him to take his seat,exchanged a few pleasantries, offered him a drink, and asked him if he had a plan.He said that he had one.Wyk dismissed the attendants in his room with a flick of his wrist.The attendant closed the door behind him.The two started discussing…..

It was election time then.The president wanted a candidate with a clean reputation as a vice-presidential candidate.He turned to Wyk as he was a very able leader and it was proven throughout his career in the air-force.Wyk readily agreed.He was the ideal vice-president,always got the president’s back and garnered people’s support.

While he was at it,he realised that the president wasn’t what he seemed from the outside. He had a deeper and a darker side to him. The president was literally robbing the country.Wyk wasnt very pleased at that.He tried confronting the president but the good speaker the president was,he always talked his way out.Wyk had to serve the president as he hadnt a choice.He didn’t see any way out of this.It was time for the next election.The opposition found out about the president’s deeds and started campaigning rigorously against him.They portrayed the true side of the president in their campaigns.And one day,the leader and the deputy of the opposition were found dead in their party office.No one ever knew how it happened.

Wyk thought he has had enough.That was why he was having the meeting with the advisor. There were not many ways.The people still thought that the president was a good leader.They couldnt really do much unless they had the people’s support.So he decided to resign as vice-president and campaign against the president.On the very sixth day of his campaigning,a very vehement attack was launched on him by the president.He managed to get away with a broken leg.He couldnt walk anymore. He was limited to the wheelchair.He left the country and moved out to lead a peaceful and non-political life…

Now,28 years after that attack on him,he is watching news about people revolting and demonstrating on the streets of the country.He followed it carefully.And exactly 15 days into the demonstrations,the president finally stepped down. “28 years too late” Wyk thought.And smiled.He turned the TV off,manoeuvred his wheelchair into the garden for a breath of fresh air.

Akmal was in his room,relaxing. He was expecting to have a quiet night, get some good sleep and go do the task tomorrow.He had some good food, went out for a small walk around on the streets.The world around him looked so beautiful. There were colours all around.There were happy people,many of them.But tomorrow,sorrow is going to take over the world.It is going to be massively destructive,their mission.He smiled at how things can change in a short amount of time.He found the unpredictable happenings rather comical.All these people walking around have no clue what tomorrow has in hold for them.They are just living in the moment,and having a good time.He wondered how people make plans for the next year,five years,ten years when they have no idea what is going to happen tomorrow. He went back to his room,had some wine and retired in his bed.He wanted to have a sound,peaceful sleep before the mayhem tomorrow.This could probably be his last sleep.Or not…..

Akmal tossed and turned in his bed, but sleep wouldn’t come to him. He tried to cover his eyes with a wet cloth but he couldn’t find solace that night. He sat up. He started thinking.His past came to him. He vaguely remembered how he ended up being a terrorist,or a Jihadi,as the chief says.His parents disowned him at birth.Some people got him and raised him,along with a host of other kids.One day,when he was four years old,a guy called “the chief” came to visit the madarsa. All the kids were lined up.He was the first in line.The chief came to him and asked “Would you do anything for Allah,Akmal??” Akmal did not know what Allah was. And what they would have to do for him.He was confused and saw someone in the background nodding their head in agreement,as if giving him a clue.Akmal nodded in agreement,too.The chief smiled and moved to the next kid.He asked everyone the same question.And most of them nodded.The ones that didn’t, weren’t to be seen at the madarsa there after. They grew up,being trained at the most lethal of warfare there was.They were told that it was all for Allah, the almighty.

Anwar, his best friend, realised that true Jihad was not to kill people in the name of god.So did Akmal. They always talked about escaping from the madarsa and living a peaceful life. “I am going to escape here and educate people outside about true Jihad, and stop the kids from having lives like ours” Anwar used to say. And exactly a month later,he saw Anwar’s body grilled with bullets. He tried to escape. But failed,and went to Allah.

Akmal decided never to try and escape,after seeing what happened to Anwar.He had other plans for escaping. And tomorrow was the best chance he would get to do exactly that. There would be many people dead,and the chief isn’t going to find out if he is dead or alive as the blast would take place.He was despicable as it is. He would brief his team on what to do,and take them to the spot and instruct them all the way through.If he survives the blast, he will never go back to the madarsa.He promised himself that.He promised that if he survives the mission,he would change.He would leave the country.He would give himself a chance to be good, and spread the true message of the god. “But all that only if i survive”, Akmal thought. And that thought has brought him some peace. He reclined on his bed, he slumbered like a baby.

He had a good sleep last night. He woke up,said some prayers,packed up,went and opened the door.The world outside his room was rather bright,with sunlight.He walked out of the room with all his luggage,all the weapons,and a ray of hope. A hope to survive…..A hope to be good…… and he merged into the bright outside world,leaving behind the darkness of his room…..

There were cheers all around the stadium, the stadium was jam packed with people and everyone was cheering for the home team who were playing the trials for the zonal tournament to be held at Darjeeling.The game was halfway through. The home team was up by 3 points. Both the coaches were yelling out strategies and post time out configurations.”the point guard doesn’t go into the D..you hustle when the opponent comes in” the home team coach said.The time out was done and the teams headed into the final quarter.

Rex still wanted to go to the stadium and be a part of the glory but he had an important exam tomorrow.He was studying for his exams for the past two months, completely away from basketball. Or so the world thought…he was practising everyday,after lights out,all by himself.His body was in shape,he was fitter than ever.His parents wanted him to finish his exams and score a job in an office.But he had other plans….

The home team has won the game with a 12 point lead. The win was very predictable.They were in control of the game all through it. The last minute 3 pointer from the power forward finished the game for them in style.It was the biggest three pointer of Aaron’s life, Aaron was the team’s small forward and he assisted Rex in big games but as the Power forward sat out for exams, Aaron got the chance of his life and he scored some sweet three pointers. Aaron heard some spectators complain of not getting a nerve wrecking finish. “I was expecting one of those movie type finishes where they win on the last second” one of them said. Aaron smiled.

It was the big day for Rex.He went to the exam hall and was waiting to go into his room and start the exam. All his classmates wished him luck and so did he. Some of them mumbled that they were not prepared enough yet.”I will die if i fail this one” Harsh said. Rex went in, the exam started, and he looked at the paper. “Nothing unpredictable” he thought to himself. He looked across the hall. Harsh was beaming.He finished the exam well and rushed home.He was very happy.”Now to do things as per plan” he thought.

The next morning,he went to the coach and asked him if he could play the next game instead of Shivam. Shivam was the weakest link in the team. He took Aaron’s spot as the small forward. The coach readily agreed. So they went to the manager and talked to him about it.And that’s when Rex’s plans started derailing. “I’m afraid we cant change the squad in the middle of the tournament.” He said. “But i am in the squad,and i even played the first few practise games” Rex retorted. “Yeah but the squad that plays the official tournament is the official squad” said the manager. “But how was i not in the squad? i gave my name in” asked Rex. “Your father came to me the other day. He told me that you were not fit enough for the game and that you wont be playing for the team ever again” The manager said. Rex was devastated. He slumped into the chair beside him.He was fit and he was in the form of his life. He couldn’t believe that his father has done this to him.His father always wanted him to get a job while he was head over heels into basketball.So now his father has jeopardized his chances of playing ametuer basketball for at least a year.Now he had to get a job as he didn’t have basketball in his way.And who knows what might happen after a year? he might be too absorbed by the job or he might be out of practise.He might not even be interested anymore.

The coach tried to console Rex saying that he could come back next year. “You are in the team,whenever you come back ” the coach said. Rex left the office and so did the coach. Two minutes after they left,a man came into the office and tossed a stack of currency across the manager’s table. “Thank you so much,sir” the manager said. The man’s lips twitched into a wry smile and he turned and disappeared into the darkness.

He was neither outstandingly handsome nor outrageously smart, as a boy or as a young man. If ever he represented something, it was mediocrity. He could easily be lost in a crowd, mingling with every other average man there is. His family was middle class too, he never had a choice or an option, he had only one way to go. He grew up in a rural town in India, and his name was Kumar. Kumar learned to deal with what he had and make the most out of it. He studied hard, and finished his degree in a college in India with an educational loan. Then, he decided to go looking for a job. As an average man in an increasingly competitive country with a zillion other average men, this was not an easy job for him….

He twitched in pain, holding on to his arm and squeezing it tightly. He shifted his position rather inconveniently. Kumar smiled at how laughably insignificant his life was…….

After a very persistent attack on the job market at every opportunity there was, he scored an interview with a mid-sized company in Mumbai….There he was, on interview day, waiting his turn, nervous, sweating and chanting mantras.He sat between hundreds of other young men, each and every one as deserving as he is. But the job will go to the lucky one..”the lucky one..” he thought….. “Kumar!!” he heard someone call his name.

He went in, faced the interviewers and did quite well, to his knowledge. One of the interviewers escorted him out, asked him to meet him at the Taj hotel with some money. When asked why, he said…”Everything has it’s price,Kumar” and his mouth twitched into a wry smile.

So there he was, at the Taj, with a bag full of money and in his suit, just to suit the sorroundings. He was nervous, he looked around the hotel and saw people from various countries,very rich, most of them. The only relatively poor ones would be the ones working at the hotel, not staying there. But still, he thought..the staff there is way richer than me, he thought. He cursed himself under his breath for wearing the tight suit,while adjusting his trousers.

He emptied the water from his glass, when a grandly dressed waiter rushed over to pour him another drink. He did not take the second drink. Instead, he grabbed a tissue from the decorative container and dabbed it at his temple.He was sweating profusely..the train of his thoughts wandered everywhere from the job, to the city to his education to the woman he loved, but did not dare to tell. She used to work with him, she was beautiful. Her name was Maya. “Only if i had talked to Maya” he thought….

His thoughts were broken by a distant voice, someone was calling his name. He wheeled around to see the interviewer, clad in a very shiny tuxedo. “I know where you get the money for those” he thought.The interviewer sat down, gulped down some water. “Is that your best suit?” he asked. Kumar nodded. “The best…”he said to himself. “This is the only suit”.

“Did you get the money?” he asked. Kumar nodded, pointing at the black bag beside the foot of his chair. “You are the lucky one” he said. “The lucky one” Kumar thought. Then, the interviewer was talking about something and Kumar was not even listening. He was busy inspecting the surroundings of the swanky hotel. He saw a group of young men,clad in jeans and tshirts discussing something. Then he looked out of the window and saw the swimming pool.Several foreign woman sat on recliners, clad in their bikinis. Kumar was enjoying the sight.He was completely lost in them when he heard a hustle. He turned around to see the young men raise their pitches and discuss something.

Then..then he saw a gun sticking out of the back pocket of one of those men. He sat there, not believing what he just saw. His head took a spin. He came to his senses quickly. He decided to alert the hotel management. As he got up to rush to the reception, he tripped on the bag with the money and fell. He then regained his balance and got up. But it was too late. All the men started firing their guns in every direction. Everyone fled in fear. The interviewer got up and ran towards the exit, and made sure he got the cash bag on the way out.

Kumar did not budge a move. He was terrified. Before he could decide what to do, he felt a searing pain in his right arm..then he saw blood gushing out of his hand. He held his arm, and started running in the direction of the hotel suites so that he could lock himself. He reached a room.. But as he was closing the door, another bullet rushed into his flesh. He was in a sea of pain and blood.

Kumar felt his arm..it was hurting.. He was barely conscious. He was in no way involved in what was going on in the hotel that night. He was just a normal Indian who wanted a job to live and who wanted to do what everyone else wanted to do. He knew that there were many others like him, many other average men,women out there who were going to meet the same end as his.

“THE LUCKY ONE” he thought. That was the last his mind ever functioned. He lay there,motionless,covered in blood, the nowhere man.There were many more like him that night.

But stand up comedy is some really serious stuff. As opposed to the popular belief that it is an easy job, it is not. If you do not agree, try gathering a bunch of people and crack a single joke to make every one of them laugh. You will mostly not succeed. Different people find different things funny. It is hard to please every one. That is what makes the stand up comedians job hard. But the successful ones take this challenge head on and come out winners.

So i have watched so many stand up comedians and one common trait of successful comedians is that they are cocky. very cocky. But, i have grown a fan to the Asian origin comedians like Russell Peters, Paul Choudhary, Papa CJ and more. Joe Sadlana also. These guys have broken the stereotypes and took a plunge into stand up. Russell Peters is the pioneer. He is such a hilarious stand up comedian, he has done shows all over the world and has been earning millions of dollars for his shows. He was on the forbes list for the highest earning entertainers two years in a row.

Russell is an Indian origin Canadian stand up, he is immensely famous in the entertainment circles. Paul is an Indian origin English comedian,who is a good friend of Russel’s and his contemporary. Russell performed at the Haiti earthquake relief fundraiser along with big wigs like Eva Longoria, Cedric the entertainer. Paul performed at the MTV young gods of comedy. Papa CJ was in the semi finals of Last comic standing in Las Vegas. Also Aziz Ansari, who recently hosted the MTV Awards.

But the other two stand up acts i enjoy the most are Eddie Griffin and Eddie Murphy. Both African American stand up acts, both hilarious in their own right. They did the best brand of comedy. Both entertaining and hilarious. Griffin’s amazing dancing skills adds up to his appeal. He always said that he was a bigf Michael Jackson fan and he was aspiring to be a dancer till he stumbled upon stand up. About Eddie Murphy, he is the legend of stand up comedy. Every stand up comedian in the business is a fan of Eddie Murphy. No denying that. Even Russell Peters says that he is a very big Murphy fan.

But this form of art is very much developing in India. It is not at the stature that it is in the west. Stand up comics are not the biggest thing in the Indian entertainment industry. But they definitely are getting there. The comedy shows on TV are giving them a chance to succeed and show their prowess. People like Raju Srivastav are an example. The field definitely needs some leverage and coverage in India. Even though there are a number of shows on TV, that is not what is needed. What are all the talented winners of these shows doing?? They are fading away in the shades and never coming back. There has to be more stand up gigs every where, more road trips and more people need to get on the road and show their prowess. Also, people should be given a freedom to choose stand up as a career. We all know what an average Indian parent says when their kid wants to do stand up comedy for a career. More avenues have to open up.

Hope everything goes well for all the numerous people that help us have a good laugh and put their life to it. After all, laughter is the best medicine.