Face - Book  Fantasy :
It happened in another world and in Vedic Time:
Indra (high cast intellectual )and Virochan  (Obc-simpleton) went to Projapoti , the Creator  to report their experience.
They both asked Projapati : see in the water - mirror , when we look.
Propapati: You saw only your   'SELF
But , sir, I can  we  mak our     self

Old Fashioned :


The wife was  simple, from rural base, ,though educated, pragmatic though not stylish. The young husband was very smart  and well placed, The husband often asked her to accompany him in evening clubs  and social get-together. She did not relish much the out-door life and stayed back .
One day the husband lost his cool and shouted back -"old Fashioned ".
The wife absorbed the  remark and then decided to re-pay or  in return. 
She joined all social  and cultural  clubs , became a  magnet of the  local society and was ever busy and in demand in all 'get-together 'and culural  performances. 
The husband got  stuck-up in all family issues , even taking care of the child.
Then feeling the 'last straw on camel's back , one  day the husband  complained against all of her out-door life,
The wife looked straight into her husband's eyes for a good length of time  and let it out ---"old Fashioned"!
Not known what happened in aftermath.

  DEVOTION  Vs  DUTIES   ( Short Story)

Narada , the  God Vishnu's ambasador to the world , boasted too much claiming to be the best disciple of Vishnu  as  he, day and night, chanted  Lord's name.
In one cosmic Cycle -day he even asked Vishnu :  Lord am I  not your greatest Devotee ?
Vishnu was  silent and Narada  suffered from depression, like USA Corporate CEOs,
To give him a practical lesson , Vishnu  gave him a oil- pot, filled up to the brim  and asked him to take it to  a laborer- devotee in a remote village on Earth and then come back.--------_------------------------------------------------
Narada finally  returned to Heaven. Vishnu asked him about the poor village laborer. Narada  replied that the poor fellow was toiling day and night and could remember God only  once ,-bed time !.
Visnu asked Narada,; -'-During your journey to earth with the oil-pot,I gave you , how many times you remembered me'?.
'Oh1 my Lord ! ! how could I --with the condition you imposed of not a drop of oil , flowing out !
Vishnu smiled and told Narada ;  see that poor laborer's condition was worse than you for all the time of the day or life. And yet he managed to remember me at least once a day ! And You Narada  getting so much benifits & bessings from me, in cluding  due TAs & DAs;  yet coud not find time to remember  me even once with that oil-pot in hand ! So do you know who is-------.
Vishnu looked at Narada , who could not lift up his head ,inshame !
[Abriged and edited/compressed version from' Narada Bhakti Sutra']

Mythoogy _Reconstructed ( Short story)

In Indian Mythoogy, Ravana a DEMON-King was killed by RAMA the king (to be ) of Ayodhya. But it could not happen on the stage when the play was enacted i in 1940s, in my child -hood in the remote village in Dist of Barisal in Eastern Part of BENGAL.
RAMA was the real hero representing everything good and Ravana was a villain andvery strong , physically too.
As the rich Villager who donated most for the expenses (say mr. X )got the main role of Rama and the hardworking poor neighbour Mr Y was given the role of Ravana.
A few days before the Play they, both had a big fight on a small issue and Mr X with his men gave a good thrashing to would -be- Ravana. When retuned, his wife was so angry because , even being so strong her husband did not give a good fight, But he shouted back to his wife saying : -" shut up ! Just have patience and see the out -come on the 'Stage'.
I was then a mere boy of 9 or 10 and was all eager to see and enjoy the play (JATRA - by Native term) ......
The play started and proceeded to final scene of BATTLE betwwen RAMA & RAVANA. But -----even after repeated promtting from the' wings' Ravana refused to to fall and die ....We were so excited and enthralled by the high suspense of the play ! ( Even, Hitchcock woud have copied it if he was lucky to be there ! )
Any way in the END , when rebuked by the DIRECTOR and even byRAMA for - not falling down( last straw) RAVANA(Mr Y), threw his 'stage -weapon' and shouted " that day you thrashed me enough ! And today I will teach you the lesson and write a new 'RAMAYANA" and so saying he jumped on RAMA and pinned him on the stage to the great joy for me and for all the villagers to see a real heroic seen on a RURAL-Stage.!

THIRD BUT FAILED

Durga was a stoutly built boy, abot 10 years by age and was sti ll in class three in the Path-shala of our Village, one of the remotestvillage in eastern part of Bengal . It was perhaps, 1938 or'39 and Durga entered his house almost dancing and demanded from his mother a quick meal as he was late for his game.
His mother;aked : "what is the result of your exam /
sharp replied Durga: I stood third ; give memy meal quick'
The mother almost smiled wide : what ? You stood third but even last year--
She could not finish when Durga shouted : do you thik I am lying ?
His mother did not venture further and gave him a good meal-----------------
A few days after his mother came to know that Durga did not lie at al but failed in exam.
there were only 3 boys in his class in the Villlage - Pathshala.( True Story)

PRACTICAL INTELLIGENCE

PRACTICAL INTELLIGENCE

His name was Haricharan abot 3o years of age wnen this story started,. It was1940 -41 and I was a village-boy of 10 --11. It was the time of war beyond ,on the world -stage and Starvation and Famine all around us .Haricharan was a boat- man handsomely tall , strongly bulit but known to be lazy . He with his wife and a child was living in a kachha -house about half- a- mile from our place and on the bank of a narrow canal and his land -lord happened to be our close relative where I often used to visit to play with the boys of my age.
Harcharan had no land nor garden -space .He would have to be pushed out often by his wife to go to the near by river for getting some one to be carried to the other side or beyond for his earning . But he had great craze for the meat of totoize and would often borrow eight anas or a rupee for a feast

That day , when this story unfolds , they had no rice nor vegitable in the house and Haricharan's wife was shouting at the top of her voice with all permissible, even disallowed adjectives to tell him about his sense of irresponsibilities and lazyness. Haricharan was silently enjoying his hukka while all the abusive words slipped past him .

Finaly when his temper themostatically went up heated enough , he got up quick ,left without returning wife's verbal assault and reached my aunty's house..waited . pleaded and got one rupe as a loan and rushed to the market about 2 miles from our place to buy some rice and salt.
.
It was a day of good luck for Haricharan. A man came to th market with 3 or 4 tortoises to sell. He got one with 10 anas ,also some potato -onion and even some sweet. and came back home --proud..
Seeing only turtle and no rice his wife started firing her missiles onece again and more noisily. Haricharan went on preparing his hukka for anothr jolly-good-smoke and finally shouted bsck on her and told her to' shut up' and retuned --"what is the issue now ?'
His wife shouted back - are you ever going to have anything worth in your head. There is no rice to eat in the house and you have come back with a turtle borrowing that ruppee from the sahab. What shall you chew it with ? '

Haricharan looked calm and confident and poured his wisdom at last --' see you fool ? I have my better plan . You prepare the meat . Now I shall go to Some other babu- to borrow 2 seers of rice and shall come back soon. Can 'tyou ,fool, see my plan ? I can borrow rice from any one in my village but can I ever borrow a turtle ? '

She stared dumb and fumbled for something to say but was made siilent by his wisdom.

LADIES' SEAT

LADiES - SEAT

The Calcutta Univ . girl about 21 yrs age, Smart and of Ballygunje area, - was returning in 2 B bus after winng a debate on " Women's -Lib". she was returning home . it was about 4- 30 and the bus was getting crowded . A middle aged man was feeling weak and asked the girl --'pl. May I ....' ------. He coud not finish. Sharp came the response ---' this is ladies' seat'. The elderly man fumbled " if you dn't mind --- "

" get ahead , I told you already --this is Ladies' seat ".. the gentle man could not match the Enlish of the young girl stepped ahead in surrender..
-----------The girl was now looking out smiling and enjoying her own success in debate and also this piece of her smart challenge.
The girl , Rina reached her home by about 5-15 . had a shower became freh and relaxed and was sitting by the window facing the gate with sound of noisiy traffic on the main road. For a long time she went through her memory lane, scanning the events of her performances, more than once and was feeing good proud and happy.
---
.Time roolled by ---it was already 6-30 now but her father was late in returning and yet no sign ., she went in and came out with anoyher half cup of tea and heard a knock on the door. She rushed and opened the door complaining - "you are so late---" -could not finish and saw her father with a bandage , covering his fore-head.
"what happened --how---" - she anmost--
'Nothing musch don't panic ; and there are so smart girls pretending educated these days! i pleaded to sit on the vacant seat next to her but she, of your age ,retorted -" Cant --see ,this is Ladies seat""
I replied -I am almost your father's age" --and culd not finish when she told me sharp --"get ahead ' and -I--'
" oh what is happening to You ! yYu look so ----" -------The father did not know what was happening to her !!
(The story was written in 1963 , in bengali)