No Stones Upturned: An insight into the life of the common man

By Subhashini Ramakrishan

The story Gold Chain is about a middle class family which prides itself for its ability to judge and justify every action of any individual with confidence and command. Sometimes people and times may not remain constant and we need to accept all that which happens in our lives with grit and hardiness.

Revelation follows the life of a staunch moralist who rigidly believes that his convictions are correct and the world would accept his dictum as final. Fate has it when he realises a forgone truth that it is he who needs to change and not the world for his sake.

Kaushy is a real life incident that happened to a young girl yet the fictional aspects added gives it a different flavour and setting. Medicine cannot help the mind if it chooses to wanderand no one can really analyse, or comprehensively explain what the human brain can concoct.

When times change is the story of a woman in a Diary entry. Although there are many such unsung heroes in our society today, no one really cares or shares the concerns of the common man/woman and they are left to fend for themselves.

God bless my darling is the story of a child who was unwell but with the support and sheer effort of her mother fights the battle to survive and sustain her life. It’s the positivity that people show that makes life worth living.

The night that changed my life is about a teenager who learns a thing or two about life in a short journey that she undertakes with friends and family. It is an eye-opener for the young girl who realises that the world is not what we assume that it portrays.

The green grass is about a family which believes that their lives is worth emulating since they could realise their dreams, but when one’s dream is fulfilled, it’s time to create another dream and not to continue believing in the longevity of the dream to last forever.

Ambujam Mami is the story of a woman who contrary to belief is a strong and resilient person. We humans always typecast people into categories and sometimes its carried too far, the world does possess many such people who break many a myth time and again and make us introspect about our ability to pass a judgement.

Fit for a queen treads into the life of a group of women who lead lives which is different and variant from each other, yet common enough to make them realise that while the wine remains the same, the bottle does differ from one to the other.

No stones upturned: is about a teacher’s journey. There is no moral message, just a chapter from the teacher’s life, while he journeys from place to place and makes friends and well-wishers for life.
#v&spublishers

• Language: English
• Publisher: V&S Publishers
• Release date: Dec 5, 2018
• ISBN: 9789350572795

Book preview

Dedication

I dedicate this book to Natraj, Vijay and Vandana,

my pillars of support and strength and who

have patiently taught me the reason to smile.

Acknowledgements

I extend my sincere gratitude to my Publisher and Editor of V&S Publishers for making my dream a possibility.

I thank my dear students who have been the real reason for writing this book, they are my true inspiration.

I thank my friends and well-wishers for constantly motivating me to follow my destination.

I thank the God Almighty for giving me the direction and courage to pursue and explore my ability as a writer.

Foreword

It was during my attempt at M.Phil when I realised that it was futile to write about another author and work on what others have said and written about them. That time it struck me that I must write my own book. The idea did seem interesting but when I had to compare myself with other writers, I did feel inadequate and it took many years in-between what with changing places, houses and schools that I mustered the courage to take the pen and write the first lines.

I would often observe people while I waited at the railway station and admire the resilience that they possessed. I would look at a tired wife carrying bags and baggage while the husband sauntered ahead. I would notice the petulant youngster who would harass his mother for some eatable or something that he fancied and the sheer frustration on the mother’s face. I couldn’t but help notice the reluctant teenager who would follow his parent with a look of sheer boredom and helplessness.

With changing times, I would observe the people at the airport and marvel at almost the same scenes but with less companionship and graciousness, the passengers would show indifference to everyone around them and this would make it more interesting because the language would be English, the perfume, Chanel and the attitude, stiff upper class.

The market offered more such readings and there had been times when I would absentmindedly walk the market observing and noticing all that would happen around me and forget totally as to why I had ventured there in the first place!

The summer heat would take me to the malls and I would watch a lot more interesting sights and sounds. Noisy teenagers in fashionable and trendy clothes, the middle aged wearing modern outfit but with a sterner face and I would be exhilarated to notice the hustle and bustle around me. There was indeed a time when I had literally walked into a pillar since my eyes were peeled on to an interesting person walking in front of me, so narrowly I missed, hurting my head had my son, not pulled me back at the nick of time!

I have observed life around me whether it was a train or a bus or a plane, even in a car I would look out of a window while my driver drove since I could not be trusted to drive, being absentminded about directions all the time, and would enjoy the rides like a young child and thoroughly soak in the merry joy rides as I would call it. It has been these observations that have helped me to write this book.

My life has been one of a long travel so far, half of it I have lived in the north and the other half in the southern part of India, and over the years, I have admired both the living atmosphere as variant and vibrant and absolutely charming to say the least. My experiences in these parts have taught me the differences in individual lifestyles, food habits and attitudes of the people of north and south. Much as I admire the north for its dynamic approach to life and the absolute showmanship of all the people I have met, it’s the sober, and serene south that I love the most and maybe that is why the stories have a more than subtle touch of the southern flavour than its more vibrant counterpart, up north.

We can do it if we believe we can, and I believe in living moments. It’s the pleasure that I get in small and short moments of life that has inspired me to pen down my thoughts and feelings. I also advocate the fact that stories need not necessarily be all about thrill, adventure or mystery; it could be about life, moments and living. At no point of time did I envisage that my written work belongs to any specific genre or category or age group. It is meant for everyone who can appreciate a tale told simply and shortly.

- Subhashini Ramakrishnan

Preface

The story Gold Chain is about a middle class family which prides itself for its ability to judge and justify every action of any individual with confidence and command. Sometimes people and times may not remain constant and we need to accept all that which happens in our lives with grit and hardiness.

Revelation follows the life of a staunch moralist who rigidly believes that his convictions are correct and the world would accept his dictum as final. Fate has it when he realises a forgone truth that it is he who needs to change and not the world for his sake.

Kaushy is a real life incident that happened to a young girl yet the fictional aspects added gives it a different flavour and setting. Medicine cannot help the mind if it chooses to wander and no one can really analyse, or comprehensively explain what the human brain can concoct.

When times change is the story of a woman in a Diary entry. Although there are many such unsung heroes in our society today, no one really cares or shares the concerns of the common man/woman and they are left to fend for themselves.

God bless my darling is the story of a child who was unwell but with the support and sheer effort of her mother fights the battle to survive and sustain her life. It’s the positivity that people show that makes life worth living.

The night that changed my life is about a teenager who learns a thing or two about life in a short journey that she undertakes with friends and family. It is an eye-opener for the young girl who realises that the world is not what we assume that it portrays.

The green grass is about a family which believes that their lives is worth emulating since they could realise their dreams, but when one’s dream is fulfilled, it’s time to create another dream and not to continue believing in the longevity of the dream to last forever.

Ambujam Mami is the story of a woman who contrary to belief is a strong and resilient person. We humans always typecast people into categories and sometimes its carried too far, the world does possess many such people who break many a myth time and again and make us introspect about our ability to pass a judgement.

Fit for a queen treads into the life of a group of women who lead lives which is different and variant from each other, yet common enough to make them realise that while the wine remains the same, the bottle does differ from one to the other.

No stones upturned is about a teacher’s journey. There is no moral message, just a chapter from the teacher’s life, while he journeys from place to place and makes friends and well-wishers for life.

The Gold Chain

Krishnan