Stories about my S Asia working experiences
CHAPTER 1 A NEW LIFE Asha sat at her desk staring at the computer screen. There was a clatter of human movement telling her the days work had begun as papers and files made their appearance on desks and filing cabinet drawers clanked open and shut. She could already hear the muffled conversations coming from seemingly endless cubicles in this open plan office space. Just … Continue reading ASHA (आशा: (Hindi name meaning “hope”).”
Restitution Gopal was aware of the route to Dhaka but had little comprehension of how long it would take to make it to the Hindu homeland, India. Travelling ten hours a day by foot would take a week to get to the border, that is assuming they could get help with food along the way. He was tempted to return to his home and dig … Continue reading GOPAL गोपाल – Chapter 2
(GOPAL. From the Sanskrit word go “cow” and pala “protector” and taken to mean “cowherd”.) Slaughter on the Ganges. Gopal sat on the banks of the river and watched as his herd fossicked among grassland and then carefully made their way down the slippery path to a shallow portion of the waterway to drink. He lived in the village of Deviganj and among his brothers … Continue reading GOPAL गोपाल – Chapter 1
The Paan Wallah prepared betel leaf with areca nut as Datu waited patiently. He never tired of watching the process as the stall holder worked his trade. The Paan Wallah held out his hand before handing over the final product and gave his red stained teeth grin. Datu reached into his money pouch and produced the usual payment while the vendor continued to hold out … Continue reading दत्तु (Datu)
Fulfilled Dream Hussain picked up his cell phone and searched through the picture gallery. He leaned over to Grant. “There’s one of the family you haven’t seen this evening, can you think back as to who that may be?” Grant immediately responded. “Meenu, I suppose she’s married to some rich man somewhere in the world.” He used his pet name for Meena and Hussain smiled … Continue reading The Fugitive’s Return – Chapter 2
Flirting with Danger Grant emerged from the minibus with a mixture of happiness and fear. He was followed by an assortment of tourists complaining about cramped conditions on the way from Mumbai. They’d been irritated by the heat on arrival and the cramped quarters of the minibus with luggage piled around them as they’d negotiated traffic out of a city which never seemed to end. … Continue reading The Fugitive’s Return – Chapter 1
A New Life – Conclusion Ranjubai slept fitfully through the afternoon occasionally crying out in pain as she turned on her thin cotton mattress. Her body was on fire. It was later that evening Dass returned lurching unsteadily through streets and singing loudly the latest Hindi song from the Bollywood movie currently being shown at Maratha Mandir theatre. He’d somehow been able to get past … Continue reading कौआ (Kaua) – Chapter 4
Life on the Streets “What’s your name?” The girl repeated this in several dialects until it registered with Kaua. Kaua looked at the girl and his lack of language skills distressed him. How was he to prosper in this city unless he could communicate more. “My name is Kaua!” The girl looked at him incredulously, then burst into laughter. “Do you realize what you just … Continue reading कौआ (kaua) = Chapter 3
Chapter 2 – Survival After a while Kaua arose and looked around. He was hungry, tired and his muscles ached from holding on desperately all night. As he progressed back toward the station entrance and the usual cluster of barrows selling a variety of trinkets and foods his eyes focused on a stall where a young girl was frying bonda and selling it. Her parents … Continue reading कौआ (kaua) – Chapter 2
Chapter One – The Escape Kaua was his name, well that was not his birth name, but he’d been called Kaua since childhood and had trouble remembering what his real name was. Kaua had vague memories of his parents in his ancestral village. His father had been a village toddy maker and brewed his noxious potions in among a collection of thorn trees by the … Continue reading कौआ (kaua) – Chapter 1
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