A Normal Indian: Short Stories from the Heart of India

By Malavika Sharma

a Normal Indian is a compilation of short stories of young men and women in India who have faced adversity and have sometimes come out strong and sometimes lost.

Each story is unique and has been drawn from the lives of Indians. Some endings are full of hope and positivity, yet others are a little sad and despondent. These stories are meant to address social issues in India and also make you think about them.

The young India of today is full of pride, beauty, and love, yet it is marred by social evils like female infanticide, dowry, and youth suicide.

These stories revolve around these very realities.

You may see a little bit of you in them, or someone close to you may be reflected in them. The aim is to highlight what went wrong and have a conversation among ourselves to make things right!

I believe that true change in the social fabric of my India shall only come with these small conversations. These very conversations shall lead to a change of heart and mind#ChangeByTalking.

Join me in my journey as a normal Indian, a normal Indian who is opinionated and has views on everything he/she sees and faces, a normal Indian who wants change but sometimes is shackled by that very society he/she lives in!

Join me!

Regards,
Malavika Sharma
A Normal Indian

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing India
• Release date: Apr 4, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543702453

Malavika Sharma

Malavika has been working with the Youth of India for the last 10 years as an Activist and Mentor, focusing on Economic Development and Gender Issues. She has a degree in Business Administration and Law and her passions include reading, writing, sketching and singing In her own words, she loves the heart and soul of India You can reach out to her on www.malavikasharma.com

Book preview

Chapter 1

O Womaniya … Bubbles

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Bubbles they called her - for the day she opened her eyes, happiness and joy simply bubbled out of her.

Her pink face, her cherub smile, her goldenish hair which curled up just right, her twinkling eyes, her hyper active need to attract attention and make people smile – she simply bubbled!

So Bubbles Mehta - it was!

She had spent 20 years studying harder than all of her cousins, friends and neighbours. And had been getting the best grades amongst all - her energy never waned for a minute… she was after all Bubbles.

She had her fair share of scrapes with the school and college authorities. She did end up in detention many many times.

Once she was almost thrown out of school. And that was the one scrape she was most proud of – she had climbed the school clock tower 22 feet off the ground to save 3 abandoned kittens. The Principal and Warden – both after having a near coronary attack on seeing Bubbles’ vertical climb; sent for her parents when she finally came down.

The next scene was simply 2 shouting women, a set of sheepish parents, an ever smiling Bubbles with 3 kittens who must surely be wondering why the decibel levels were so high. The end result was Bubbles simply dumping all 3 kittens in the screaming Principal’s lap. And the rest, as school legend had it – was history.

Bubbles seemingly lived from one mess to another – but nothing serious or earth shattering ever resulted from it. She bounced right back with the beatific smile on her face and more joy to spread.

Her worst critics – criticised her with a smile on their faces. It was as though a naughty angel had ‘struck lightening’ in their backyard, and they didn’t know whether to feel blessed or exasperated or annoyed!

Now this Naughty Angel did have her own Vice…

Her only vice was TRAVELLING!

She loved visiting new places and meeting new people. And as her Deeda (Granny) always joked – making the lives of new people miserable was her hobby.

It was this very VICE which changed Bubble Mehta’s life forever….

This was to be a change which she had not even imagined for herself. It was almost as if the Gods in the skies gave a conspiratory smile and ‘awaited’ that moment in time.

Now our Bubbles Mehta was a rather sorted kind of a girl who planned extensively. She had everything from her daily routine set and her whole life mapped out. And if you are wondering how such an organized girl always landed in the scrapes she did – well Bubbles being Bubbles ‘planned for the googlies of life too’.

Her motto – ‘ Just live THAT new google moment – Bubbles-Style’

The Life which Bubbles had planned was simple - she would be an Army Officer, Fight off the Pakis - make her country proud and at the same time give Senior Mehta (her Dad) a heart attack!

Oh yes Senior Mehta had wanted his Princess to be delicate and dainty and obviously very intelligent and sit for the UPSC exams and become an IAS officer. The other road Senior Mehta had planned was Bubbles joining the family business in case she could not crack the UPSC.

But since his Princess decided to add Warrior Princess to her title and manage to do everything in her power and beyond to scare the living daylights out of everyone around – Senior Mehta now had started planning for a good hospital for himself when he finally caved in from a heart attack.

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Bubbles landed up in Varanasi (Banaras) when she turned 20!

(accompanied by her 2 super crazy besties - Ruchika and Priya)

You should know the tale of the 3 Princesses before we go on – Bubbles, the bubbling and effervescent volcano met Ruchika – the padhakoo and Priya the dada in Kindergarten.

Day 1 saw all 3 sets of parents summoned to play school for a dressing down. Bubbles and Priya had been trying to ‘kill each other’ (in the words of the harried school in-charge). On being asked why, they both confessed that each had wanted to ‘kill Ruchika – and they couldn’t decide who shall have the first hit’.

By Day 10 the entire play school was aware of the 3 not-so-Princess-like Princesses and their constant desire to kill each other and anyone who ever dared intervene in the killing process.

A rather sage looking senior teacher had predicted that these 3 shall die trying to kill each other when they were 90yr olds. Seemingly that was the path the 3 embarked upon – each was 20, so 70 more years of ‘killing’ to go.

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At the banks of the Ganga Bubbles lay contemplating on major issues like where they would be eating next and whom Priya would pataao next…

She was surprised at the cleanliness near Assi Ghat and Tulsi Ghat. ‘I guess the Swach Bharat thingy did work’, she smiled.

The gentle breeze and the bobbling fishing boat – bespoke of a calm and quiet life. Bubbles wondered, how would she ‘survive’ this calm for the next whole week.

Leave me, leave me, let me goooo the wails grew louder and shrieky and turned to a flood of crying and moaning.

That was the 1st time Bubbles saw Sujani!

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2 days later - Bubbles again found herself restless at 4am and went for a walk towards the banks of the Ganga.

She and her thoughts of "how shocked Pa would be by her career choice" - and what what Deeda (granny) say….. Deeda may actually and finally die (she was 70 and had been so for the last 15 years)

A preoccupied Bubbles stumbled on the slight sleeping figure of Sujani and fell onto her knees….

She remembered this slender girl – from a few days ago. She shuddered as she also remembered her shrieks and wails and crying – it had been animal like in its tenor.

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Sujana was in white - and had absolutely no hair!

Wait a sec, how come she had no hair - wasn’t her hair what those men and women pulling 2 days back mumbled Bubbles as she sat down, with a thud.

She tried hard concentrating on that fateful day – what all had she seen. She remembered seeing some well built men and tons of women in white. She distinctly remembered 1 woman who seemed to be ‘directing’ the other women – almost like a king pin.

Bubbles felt a cold shiver – as if someone had walked over her grave!

Bubbles had NOT acted! And that was not Bubbles at all…

She had allowed this monstrosity of a scene to pass. She had remained a mute spectator and then got in her own life.

"That was not Bubbles!" (this was like a litany she kept hearing herself say over and over)

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3 hours later a numb Sujani and a determined Bubbles sat at the banks of the Ganga - watching the sun-rise!

Bubbles had found her Pakis right there…!

The Pakis across the border