The Tales Next Door

  Adi stopped for breath behind a large banyan tree. He took in long gasps of air and peered behind him. There was no movement, no sound of twigs breaking under the men's feet, no sound of crushing dry leaves. He sank on the ground, his legs aching from running so fast. Sweat dripped down from every part of his body, and his face felt as if it was on fire.He sat under the tree for some more time, to make sure that he had lost his pursuers. He listened intently. All he could hear were the birds chirping as they flew back towards their nest and the buzzing of insects. It was only now that he realized that he had been bitten on his arms, and there were large red swollen spots in a few places. He scrutinized them.“Not to worry,” he thought to himself. These were simple insect bites. He looked around for the antidote, the plant his father had told him about during their visits to this forest innumerable times. He plucked the leaves, crushed them in his palms, and applied t

  John had been driving a taxi in New Delhi since the day he got his driver's license when he turned 18 years old. Well, officially since then. In reality, he had been driving since he was 16 years old, long before everyone had GPS enabled smartphones. He knew every road and every street in the big metropolis. Even now, he used the maps only to give comfort to the passengers. He trusted his own instincts better than the map. He knew which routes were better at what time of the day. He knew which roads to avoid if it was a festival or a public holiday. With John, you could be assured that he would take you to your destination in the shortest possible time.John loved driving. He had recently bought a new car, and he loved it like his own child. He cleaned it himself, dusted the seats, put images of Gods of all religions on his dashboard, and lit some incense every morning.Meeting new passengers was a delight for him, most of the time, at least. Like most taxi drivers, h

  Sam and Tina were driving to work, making their way through the slow Mumbai traffic. The news was playing on the radio. The last week had been full of information about a virus that had supposedly infected many people in New York. There was no known cure and no idea of how it spread. They had named it KV17, which the media had renamed ‘Killer Virus – 17’.“We all need to be careful. Viruses can get out of control very fast,” said Sam with a furrowed brow.“You worry too much,” said Tina, smiling. “Mumbai is far from New York. In any case, I’m sure it is only a gimmick to get a higher viewership by the news channels. ‘Killer Virus’ indeed! For all you know, it might be a new type of flu.” Tina rubbed her hands together. The car’s air conditioner always did that to her, but she liked a low temperature. Her nose had started turning a little red. Sam looked at her and smiled. “My little Rudolf,” he teased as they entered the airport premises.Tina kissed Sam as she climb

  Rohan and Neha turned towards each other simultaneously; both their eyes open wide in confusion. The news anchor reported that a complete nationwide lockdown would start the next day at 9 pm.“Oh, God! A lockdown. That too, for 15 days!" said Rohan. “What does lockdown mean, Papa?” said the five-year-old Krish as he stopped playing with the Lego set, he had received as a present from Rohan. “It means that no one can go outside their homes,” said Rohan, with a deep sigh.“That is amazing!” shrieked Krish jumping excitedly on the sofa. “Does this mean you will be staying with us for some more days?”“Yes, Krish. That is what it probably means,” said Neha. “Now, don’t jump on the sofa. It is nothing to be so excited about. We will have to see what can be done.”Krish jumped onto Rohan’s lap and hugged him tightly. “This is the best thing that has happened. Thank you, God, for this wonderful birthday present!” he shouted, unable to control his excitement. His eyes t

  It was a hot summer afternoon in New Delhi. The railway station was abuzz with people, flies, mosquitoes, dirt. Yet, the station always had that sense of excitement, of energy, of anticipation of people traveling to meet their loved ones, to visit new places, and to attend some family function. Even those who went every day for work and moved about with a sense of urgency, never looking around unlike the vacation travellers, gave the station a vibrance, a sense of importance.Amidst the hustle and bustle of the travellers, eager to reach their destinations, on platform number five, sat Sita with her mother on a dirty piece of rag, a bowl with a few coins in front of them. The corner which they had chosen today was not very good. It was away from the exit route which most passengers used. Only a few stray people came their way, the ones who had to wait and could not find a bench to sit closer to the platform's center.The corner had red paan spit stains and smelled of