Happening Field: Short Stories

By Kumaar Pradhan

Happening Field is a collection of stories based on authors experiences during his 35 year advertising career. The author went on jotting his experiences which, he felt, would later lend to development in to a short story. The stories touch the gamut of advertising functions from business maintenance and campaign planning to releases in media. However, the stories are not about advertising. Advertising is just the back drop.

Happening Field may interest not only advertising persons but English loving readers all over the world irrespective of readers field of work. Readers may relate themselves with protagonists of stories. If that happens, author feels, he is successful in his endeavor.

The experiences in the stories are checkered yet charming and curious. An interesting read, which you wont leave aside before you finish it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 16, 2013
• ISBN: 9781477289624

Kumaar Pradhan

Vijay Pradhan alias Kumaar Pradhan is an Indian sr. citizen. He is a B. A. Special in Economics. He has a pair of Post Graduate Diplomas in Marketing Management and Advertising & Mass Communication. He has written copy for many of his clients. He is a commercial artist too. He has stints in several Ad Agencies in Mumbai, India on senior management levels. Nearly twenty-five years he practiced as Advertising Consultant. He is now retired from advertising field. He has taught Advertising Theory for nearly a decade as a visiting faculty in Sir J. J. Institute of Applied Arts, Mumbai, India, which is a government institution. He considers himself a disciple of David O’Gilvy though he had no occasion to meet him. Though in professional circle he is known as Vijay Pradhan, he writes under his home name Kumaar Pradhan which is widely known in his private circle.

Book preview

© 2013 by Kumaar Pradhan. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 01/09/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4772-8963-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-8962-4 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Know The Author

1. A Bit Of Sky

2. Courting Summons

3. Return From Abyss

4. Calendar Design

5. Octroi: The Tax On Entry Of Goods

6. Top Secret

7. School Belle

9. Client Snatching

10. Birth Of A Campaign

11. Piggy-Back Ride

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to the memory of my friend and mentor late Ramesh alias Kumar Potnis, Mumbai, India, a renown animation artist of yesteryears, ere computer age, who guided and encouraged me to enter advertising field.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am thrilled to bring out my first book Happening Field. While in advertising field I was collecting themes on which fiction could be developed. As I kept very busy during the career, I could not devote time for writing stories on these themes. Now that I am retired, I decided to concentrate on developing these stories.

Here’s the first collection of stories in book-form.

A friend and mentor late Ramesh Potnis introduced advertising field to me and groomed me to be acceptable in that field. In fact I tried to contact him to let him know the news that I was bringing out this book and planning to put an inscription in his name. I was given to understand that he was no more. He eluded my book by just few days. I wish he was there to see my book. I take it to be my fate to have to dedicate it to his memory.

A versatile littérateur of Marathi, Shanna Navare, India, who needs no introduction to Marathi literati world over, helped me developing story writing technique. Whenever I was stuck up with plots of stories, he steered me safely out. He is my Guru for this craft. I will ever be obliged to veteran Shanna Navare.

Many persons have helped me and motivated me to complete this book. Initially my beloved niece Prajakta, Pune, India who is first class M.A. in English, helped me on editing. She even encouraged me in proceeding with this craft. I cannot thank her enough.

Late Captain Rowe, an ace copywriter from Pune, India, edited many stories for me and gave elementary lessons in editing. He also expressed that my stories were completely fresh material. Whether they are unique or not is to be decided by you, my valued readers. However, I feel, had Capt. Rowe not perused my stories, they would not be worth presenting to the reading world. About a year back he breathed his last. I wish he was there to see my debut. He left me much indebted. I pray the almighty God to give eternal piece to Captain Rowe’s soul.

The stories titled ‘Birth of a campaign’ and ‘Client snatching’ are on real situations. PRO of LIC of India and Mr. Prasad Ganpule of Morvi, India, kindly gave me permission to include these two stories in this book. I thank them from bottom of my heart.

To my wife Vedashriti, who has done her bit in bringing me to a writer’s level, and to all my first readers, a big ‘Thank You’. Here’s making a special mention of D. N. Bahirat, MA English, ex Deputy Secretary of Maharashtra Government, who made me change Court summons to Courting summons. I thank him profusely.

KNOW THE AUTHOR

Vijay Pradhan alias Kumaar Pradhan is an Indian sr. citizen.

He is a B. A. Special in Economics. He has a pair of Post Graduate Diplomas in Marketing Management and Advertising & Mass Communication. He has written copy for many of his clients. He is a commercial artist too.

He has stints in several Ad Agencies in Mumbai, India on senior management levels. Nearly twenty-five years he practiced as Advertising Consultant. He is now retired from advertising field.

He has taught Advertising Theory for nearly a decade as a visiting faculty in Sir J. J. Institute of Applied Arts, Mumbai, India, which is a government institution.

He considers himself a disciple of David O’Gilvy though he has had no occasion to meet him.

Though in professional circle he is known as Vijay Pradhan, he writes under his home name Kumaar Pradhan which is widely known in his private circle.

A BIT OF SKY

I was on a Delhi bound plane and she came close to me through the aisle and she smiled at me. I returned the smile earnestly. Initially I did not recognize her. She was the air hostess on that flight. I suddenly recollected that I had already met her in my office in Mumbai when she had come there to meet Florence. Florence was my secretary. She had brought her to my cabin and introduced her to me. I only had asked her whether she was off on that day and she said she was on a long leave and was to rejoin her duties soon. She had told me, she was taking Florence out with her for a few minutes and I had permitted her.

That was all. That was how I met her. In fact I had forgotten her. After about three months I was meeting her that day on the Delhi-bound flight. Had she not smiled at me I would not have placed her.

She asked me, How is Florence, Mr. Kshirsagar? I told her that she was OK. Do you fly very often to Delhi Sir? She asked me, I informed her, Not very often, Nilu. By now I had seen her badge and had observed her name and remembered Florence introducing her to me by that name. I continued, I keep visiting my Delhi Branch every three-four months. Just to keep a tab on their progress. And sometimes I call my Delhi manager to Mumbai.

Then I enquired after her. I asked, Are you always on this flight? She said she had to be on any flight that she was assigned to. And I come to know only on the airport as to which flight I need to be on. she said and added, Of course, sometimes they give me an idea earlier in the evening as to which flight I have to attend.

I was in an aisle-side seat. Near the window a gentleman was sleeping with his book on his eyes and forehead, in such a manner that one might feel that he had dozed off while reading. And so it seemed too. Nilu and I had a long conversation thereafter. I had inkling that she had lightly supported herself against the hand-rest of my seat while conversing. I don’t remember how long we were engaged in conversation. She suddenly remembered some of her duties, excused her and went through the aisle to the cabin. That was the time when my neighbor woke up and said to me, Mr. Kshirsagar, I am sorry, I overheard you. Who is this Florence? Mr. Bose, Florence is my secretary and she happens to be this air hostess’s friend said I.

Mr. Bose was my client in Mumbai and I had known right from Mumbai that the passenger next to me was him. He had had the book on his head all the time since I saw him on the flight. He did not bother even for the coffee and snacks that were served earlier. Many snobbish air passengers follow this ‘book-on-the-nose’ trick to avoid being disturbed by the next passenger. But thereafter we exchanged pleasantries and the conversation went on till Delhi intermittently. Why Mr.