Author: Kanika Saini

Human. English graduate. Dog lover. Sometimes writer most of the time engrossed in mind exercise which further results in writing.

QB Short Stories

Chairs

Post author By Kanika Saini
Post date July 1, 2016

Sitting cross-legged across the table they were hesitant to make eye contact and even more shy to smile. Reading the first item in the starters, over and over again made them well versed in spelling than the actual dish, they couldn’t find any other option and can’t read any other word. Legs were miles apart but toes were battling to move ahead like horses of warfare. Battling teams were desperate,confused and shy lovers(to-be).

“Ummm…What will you have? “, asked Ajay.

“Aaa.. I.. I’m going through the menu.” Sehar replied.

“Ooh.. Sorry I missed that!”, he said with a “yes you are absolutely going through the menu” smile.

Music is the key to an enchanting ambiance and there, it was spot on. Ajay was checking out the space sparing her. Sehar is still a stranger for him. He remembers how their friends swear to make them a couple long time back. Arranged and failed several dates, awkward and short messages and calls, shy interactions and speeding heartbeat, still, he couldn’t make it a thing. His heart used to go on a roller coaster ride every time he saw her. He never approached her because she was a pretty and elegant child and he a messy and average looking boy. Fingers snapped in front of him, not in his memories but like in front of his eyes. She has been calling on to him from a long time. He stumbled once or twice in order to say “Y..yess..yes.. sorry I was thinking about the order.”

“Which we haven’t placed yet?”, she asked with a witty smile.

He cleared his thought and said, “Names are pretty fancy though!”

“yeah,like a love story’s outline”

“Yes, I mean see, skipped a beat, my red love, made it through, whats all this!” he laughed.

“Suffice its name. Start A Story. I mean the restaurant’s name?”, Ajay said taking pauses

He looked up into her eyes and for the first he could see the blue of the ocean and grey of the sky. She had whole world in her eyes. With calmness of blue surrounded by a little grey of sky. That’s why she was a cry baby, this is where all that water came from,the blue of her oceanic eyeballs, he smiled thinking about the good old days.

“What? That’s the name of the place we are sitting right now” she said with an inquiring and confused tone.

He was caught again.

“Absolutely.I.Was.Thinking.Ummm… about the names!” he covered.

He is not changed at all. Still the same. Confused, shy and secretive same old guy. Always in his own world but still the center of attraction. Look at the way people are looking here. him, his personality, the way he appreciates his company always, so magnanimous and charming. We make a good couple, its obvious. I don’t need anyone else’s permission, all these eyes looking at us so mesmerized and shocked are the proof. she laughed a little and brushed her hair.

” So even you day dream?” victorious Ajay said.

Like silent whispers came the word, “Umm.. Oh God, he shouldn’t know what I feel!”

“I was just thinking about the food, let’s order some drinks first. okay what will you have?”

“Aaaa…”, Ajay was about to reply

“Sorcery? Temptation? or Love potion?” she enquired. “we should have Love potion, Waiter… 2 love potions please.”

Ajay couldn’t find out the reason behind this hurry. Sehar was taking charge of the situation,it was like she wanted to be indulged. Indulged in the moment, in the memory. He was happy, finally he got the hint. She is ready now more than ever, more than the time they spend together in college more than the prom night and even more than the night he took her out on a drive.Sehar also knew now that he has his answer. Without even asking the questions and without her becoming the sole respondent, they have their answers. Sehar took the sigh of relief, he pressed her hand in assurance and in love. they both were smiling.

But People were amazed, shocked and confused. why were they!? because of the re-union of the century? Ajay and Sehar didn’t bother. Waiter went near to her with confusion and terror in his eyes. Sehar looked up and ordered Ajay’s favourite dish.

“One Bruschetta for him and Skipped a Beat for me.”, she smiled.

“But Ma’am Bruschetta for whom?”, he looked towards the empty chair in front of Seher in an immense terror!

Tags entertainment, fiction, life, love story, Relationships, short story, story

QB Short Stories

Daughter of War

Shivya got up late this morning. Her coffee is nowhere to be seen, the regular hustle bustle of the house was settled like sand in water. It’s not usual, in her fourteen years or shall I say, eight or nine years because rest were wrapped up in a blanket of pre-childhood phase which she might not remember. Yes, so in these eight to nine years she has never experienced meditating silence, her family liked the variety and some of their favorites were jazz, folk, rock, after all, life is a well-hummed melody!

Something is really odd today; she looked from the window and there was deadening silence. No shop is opened!

“Ohh… its Sunday”, Shivya thought.

Is it? She very well remembers that yesterday her bag was really heavy. Therefore its Wednesday today, since on every Tuesday her bag is pitilessly heavy. But then why there is mourning silence outside. While rubbing her gray eyes and playing with her brown hair she got up.

“What’s wrong with everything today!!” she sighed.

The floor was dense cold, her slippers have been right there every single day of her life, like there. Why are they not here today?

“Mama knows I hate getting off my bed without slippers!”

She went out; there was no one in the hall. She heard a little whisper coming from her parent’s room.

“Mom…Mom… I’m up Mom”, nobody answered.

She came closer to the room; her father was sitting in his room with a cup of coffee in his hand. There was no steam so it has been long in his hands and he was lost amidst the news going on the news channel. The ongoing terror and war were all over the news even the newspaper boy brings in the same news. “Wait, where is he from two days, I hope he is okay!” she thought. Why is her father watching television all alone, he never does that? He is not at all a loner when it comes to television, plus it feels like their bedroom’s television is been turned on after a year or so! She remembered talking to her mother some days back. It went like:

“What exactly is it?” she asked

“War” her mother replied

“What kind,” she asked again

“Disastrous!”

“Who caused it, mama?”

“Our very own fateful human race” her mother replied

She couldn’t ask more. She has searched for her mother everywhere but she is nowhere in the house. Shivya felt like going to her father and ask him but she decided not to as he was already busily tensed about something. Maybe she should look for her mother herself. “Shall I go out and look for her?” she thought. Her mother asked her not to leave the house for few days because war is spreading fast and her best friend Firdauz’s father is also missing from seven days. She thought if it’s the outcome of these brutal fights and death caused by some people all over the country. Shivya made her mind go and look at Firdauz’s place, maybe her mother went there to enquire about Firdauz’s father. She took her bicycle from the porch and went out of the house. Where is that black and white cute little beast today? He always stands ready in front of Shivya’s door asking for a biscuit and continuously wagging his tail, she wondered. It was really cold outside, no voice and not a single humane soul. Only some ambulance and police sirens to be heard somewhere far. It was like a shady batman movie scene. She came closer to the T-point and suddenly heard some voice which became much clear as she approached the end of her lane. Her cycle stopped, she couldn’t pedal anymore, her heart was beating fast. Some people were screaming loud and abusing and there were other voices of women crying and begging for help. Shivya was so terrified to go a little further and see so she decided to turn back and get inside her home.

“Mother was right, people are going crazy. I shouldn’t have come out.”

The moment she turned back her cycle a familiar scream from that end. That voice was desperately asking for help. Amidst some other crying voices, she heard a gunshot and she stumbled down her cycle and fell on earth. That familiar voice started shouting more loudly and intensely.

“No… it can’t be…” Shivya ran hurriedly towards that direction. Tears were rolling down her eyes. Her face became dirty because of the fell and the dirt was making her bright face dark. The horror spread in her eyes. She was gasping for breath and continuously chanting one word. She kept her little foot cautiously on the road but it did not stop her pace and then she stopped. At some distance, one man was pulling her forcefully and was brutally dragging that woman around. Little blood was coming from her forehead and she was begging for mercy. He was continuously asking the women for her full name but she was just crying and wanted to go home. He again asked her for her full name and threatened her to kill her like other women if she will not specify to which side she belongs to. This went on for 5 minutes; Shivya saw all this hiding behind a pillar. She was crying and sobbing. One of her hand was over her mouth to suppress those sobs. But after 5, 6 minutes Shivya heard the same loud banging voice of a gunshot. A lot of blood came out of the woman’s head, she fell down. Shivya’s mouth got open and she ran towards her mother, she wanted to scream and she did this time.

“Mom… mom… mo… m…”

She couldn’t complete those words. She just wanted to keep her hand on the spot and stop the bleeding. She can right! It’s not a movie, its real life. People live in real life. That’s her mother, not a movie character. She will be fine, yes, fine! She ran and ran and her little hand touched her mother’s hair when suddenly someone grabbed her from behind and threw her aside. He came near to her and slapped her, removed the messy hair from her face and slapped her again.

“That was your mother. Wasn’t she? You wanna touch her, save her. Don’t you?

He was continuously slapping her, Shivya cried “please let me touch her, I can save her, please”

“You can, of course, you can but first tell us your full name and from which part you are coming? Does everyone there is of your race?”

Shivya was just trying to get out of their hold and was crying madly. She was throwing her legs and hand all over the place but they again asked her about her name and slapped her again. They started laughing. No more blood was coming out of her mother’s head. She saw that, all of that. Now she stopped crying. She wasn’t even throwing her legs, wasn’t even crying. Just little sobs were there which were ready to be suppressed, she held both her hand tightly, nearly crushed her fingers by the pressure, for last time she looked at her mother’s lifeless body. Then she raised her head, she knew what was coming, she made an eye contact with the man. Her father needs to be there, inside the house, safe. She stared him into his eyes.

He asked her again, “name? I want you FULL NAME!”

She grabs whatever strength was left in her, cleared her throat and said,

“I’m the daughter of the war” and then she closed her eyes!

Tags Short Stories

Movies News

Rahman’s Tamasha

“The idea of music is to liberate the listener and lead him to a frame where he feels he is elevated” – A.R. Rahman

What are the ways of attaining peace and happiness?

No doubt that there are so many but one of those so many and the most important one is Music. People from centuries have claimed that music is a divine practice. So why not talk some about music and one of the precious gift of India.

“The Mozart of Madras”, a singer, songwriter, composer, music director and what not. Yes, I’m talking about our very own A.R. Rahman. He is a legend, from a very early age he started assisting his father on keyboard and the rest is history. He plays the chords of heart with immense beauty and tenderness that every body has to respond. A sensation so pure that mind goes into a deep realm of tranquility and from eyes to lips, all work in harmony. But lets just not get deeply philosophical and take a look at his new jewel.

TAMASHA, the colourful heartthrob. It has Ranbir, Deepika and A.R. Rahman and Imtiaz ,what else one would desire. A complete package of good acting and music and of course the perfect location of France where half of the film has been shot. But that all has been said and of course it would be delivered but for now lets talk about our “Mozart’s Tamasha”.

Immensely cheerful and lively music of Tamasha makes it Rahman’s jewel. It has the presence of foot tapping to soul trenching music. Melodius, harmonic, pure, beautiful… there can be lot more for it but its liveliness is beyond all measures. let me make it easier to an extent. Missing someone special then listen to Tum Sath Ho, want to dance then just tap your feet on Matargashti, want to travel somewhere with the best company then what would be better that Safarnama and the list goes on and on. Rahman always comes up with something unexpected but this time its a package( not like he never deliveredone, of course he did). Dance,cry,smile,laugh,explore and get lost only and only in Tamasha of Rahman’s creation!

With one of the best music composer of world, best singers like Alka Yagnik, Arijit Singh, Lucky Ali there are no factors to ignore this movie but only more magnets to attract you to theaters.

So lets get the essence of the movie through this amazing piece:

Tags bollywood, india, movies, singer

QB Short Stories

Road Always Taken…

His face was tense, but he was breathing light. He might don’t want to but he has to. He can simply leave everything behind and can walk on because what exactly are these human relations, nothing but the creation of “men’s” fear. I m using men’s purposely because in the end it’s all about men. But who cares for him a girl, a boy, woman, man, animal, infant does not matter at all. He can sit under the sun for whole day long but that also not written in his fate as sun has to go down at one point of time and moon will take its place. But what is not happening in his life was that revolution, rotation or whatever we talk about earth’s axis as his sun went down long ago but what’s not regenerating at all was that sun.

His fellow mates were ‘crying’ his name. Crying, because even the minimalist resonance of their voice sounds as an enormous weep or cry! He was coated with sweat, his eyes were watery. His posture was the same. He was sitting beneath the unfixed pole in the middle of the divider lane on the road. His hands were cuffing his knees and his head like a dead man on one of his elbow. His back bend because of the burden of thoughts and reality. What was he looking at? Maybe people, the girl in the white shorts or the woman with her child. No it was the man with his family on scooter. What does he desire then?

Maybe a wife like that helmet covered dominating creature has or maybe a family where number of children is not more than the number of zeros in his wage. No it was the scooter, or was it? It was nothing! It was just the moment of distraction he was looking for.

He could sell his daughter in the market and buy ten’s of scooters, because no one will ask him question. It will be in the newspaper for a day but then SWAP, all gone. But he cannot do this he loved his daughter and knew her worth. She wasn’t a burden to him she was a part of his own family who are dependent on him now but will sooner or later make out a way for themselves and for him as well. Then what was it that he was thinking and concerned about.

He wanted to cry but cannot do so. Maybe he doesn’t want to be a victim of “public humiliation”. Apparently in this democratic country or in this socialized world no individual is alone, he has to take care of her family,neighbours, neighbors’ friend, person she randomly smile back minutes ago(while a girl smiling towards a man is actually “asking for it”), people on the road who need to check on his/her activities, that shopkeeper.

Everyone, ‘because in this world you all are children of god and god doesn’t teach his children to differentiate amongst each other!’ so it’s your duty not as an individual but as a subject of “Subject” (THAT DIVINE POWER!) to poke into everyone’s business cz you all are brothers and sisters (till the time you don’t know each other’s religion, class, caste etc.!)

But still we have that man sitting in that vivacious sun light, eating him away and he was still thinking! From that little window that I could watch, I realized that he wasn’t thinking he actually made me think and re think, analyze and over analyze that why he was still sitting there beneath the unfixed pole in the middle of the divider lane on the road and I have all the right to be at my window.

He wanted to feel that pain again and again so that he can go to work for the remedy sake. His posture was baseless but still he choose to sit, his head was empty (he might not had the chance to be educated at the level we so called literates are or he had all the education but not the corruptness in his blood!) but still he choose to think, his eyes narrates a different story but his brows something else.

It’s all about maybe and may not be, judgments and perceptions. If there was ever or is a divine power he/she should have not render the choice of making haves and have not’s amongst the men, for me that’s the divine attempt. If you cannot seize the wrong then where is the divine! That man can sit there for a day more or a year but he always have to through each and every concerned and laughing eye who cannot even think of his situation and who don’t even want to.

BECAUSE THEY HAVE and HE DOESN’T…!

Tags fiction, Short Stories

News Television

Vampire Diaries Season 7 Came Out With A Spell Binding Episode…

Post author By Kanika Saini
Post date October 10, 2015

[tps_header]As the much awaited episode 1 of season 7 came out, fans did miss Elena’s role but the team did manage to show us her glimpse. Where? Yes, in a coffin. Never mind, with Elena gone, show came out with lots of new things to hold audience in the absence of major “Damon-Elena romantic and emotional world”. The show starts with its favorite work i.e. writing journal. Yes, writing journal is still in fashion in Vampires Diaries season 7, if not by Elena then for Elena if she ever wakes up![/tps_header]

Some are still grieving and some are checking on grievers! Although Bonnie is trying to make sure that both Alarick and Damon are stable, somewhere deep down Alarick is planning something massive to get his wife back.

As it was suggested in the earlier season that Lily’s family from prison world will create a havoc in Mystic Falls,

Well,well,well they kept their promise and we will see a lot more attacks in the coming episode.

While on one end Damon is still fighting with the urge of getting Elena back, he has to also suppress his urge of going beyond the ways to get her back. As Elena’s life is attached to that of Bonnie’s, it will be interesting that how will Damon cope up with the situation.

Damon: Everytime I look at you, its not Elena!

Bonnie: … you can resent me or love me but you are stuck with me!

Well the episode end with a three year ahead plot, that makes one thing clear that show will take us back and forth in future and present which will definitely make viewers curious and for sure tied to their seat!

Tags television, Vampire Diaries

News

5 Bollywood Instagram Queens

Post author By Kanika Saini
Post date October 1, 2015
No Comments on 5 Bollywood Instagram Queens

In this 21st entury where “visuals speaks louder than words,” we tried to bring in the most famous visual queens of Indian cinema. As instagram is the fastest growing platform where people feel secure to share their life’s moments with others, here are 5 Bollywood actresses whose instagram accounts are worth watching and following.

Alia Bhatt

With her million dollar smile and her bubbly nature Alia Bhatt has managed to win millions of hearts. Her acting graph has increased rapidly after “Highway” and so did her fan following. Alia is among the queen of instagrams, with 3.2 million followers and with her not so framed photographs, her instagram account seems full of life.

Whether parties or sickness, gym sessions or travelling, each and every photograph of her manages to maintain the reality portion intact.

Sonam Kapoor

Clearly the style diva of bollywood, Sonam Kapoor is an inspiration source of many youngsters. Her style statement is not only popular in India but outside as well!

With 2.7 million followers she is among our Instagram queen list.From rock chick to tribal and elegant to casual, all the looks are perfectly carried by her and from all these indo-western seems to be her favorite. If you want to put some changes in your wardrobe then who could be better than Sonam Kapoor to look for options.

Her tempting vacations or mouth watering food pictures all are enough to grab attention and the plus factor is, come-on admit it, she is the Style Icon!

Priyanka Chopra

Yes she definitely has “all shades of dramatic” as her instagram status correctly says. With her international music launch and her “Quantico” debut she has definitely raised respect level for herself. Priyanka’s instagram is actually like a journey with several resting points in between and for that you definitely need to check her account.

Her series of fun selfies, travelling selfies and work selfies make her a selfie queen and not to forget 3.1 million followers!

Sonakshi Sinha

“Asli sona” as her profiles says, her pictures actually looks plated with gold. With cool babe to gorgeous diva, she carries all styles pretty well. Her bold and “haters gonna hate” attitude clearly reflects in her photographs. With 2 million followers she is spreading her confidence and gold plated charm everywhere!

Her account is one of the most interesting ones, because she is a batman with white wings and she got swag to pose like a boss!

Jacqueline Fernandez

This Sri-Lankan beauty and Indian actress’s instagram is filled with her crazy and pretty pictures. Her instagram looks so real, because its not only filled with glamorous events pictures but also with crazy and funny selfies.

Jacqueline seems so real and natural that its hard not to get mesmerized by her cuteness. Her animal love can be clearly seen from her pictures.

She is not just cute, but charming when it comes to posing and it seems like she is very close to her friend as she isn’t shy to be crazy about and around them!

If you want to have a pretty little smile on your face or sometimes had a bad day and need a hug and laugh then go on, check her account, you wont regret it!

Tags actresses, bollywood, india