The tribute continues

Dear readers, really sorry about the delay in the next post. As usual got busy in the daily grind of work. Hopefully the next part of the story will be worth the wait :P

TOF (Part 2)

Vikram could hear the bullets whiz by………he smelt the acrid fumes of flesh burning. The insurgents were throwing Molotov cocktails at his regimen. The fire spread quickly on anything it touched……..he was desperate to stop them from throwing more. He carefully looked in the direction they were hiding. Just as he did he saw that one of the terrorists were about to throw a grenade at them. “Savdhan!!!!!” Vicks shouted at the top of his voice……but it was to no avail as it exploded near one of his men. Body parts flew about.......the smell was starting to get to him. The blast threw him of balance. “Noooo!!!” he cried, but knew it was too late.

That was the last straw, he called out to his men “Subedar Singh, Gaurav……..to the right. Nishant, Mani........to the left. Nicks you are with me. We have to flank them. Nick and I will flush them out to one of you……….kill them and then ask questions!!! Do you understand??” Vikram barked. “GEE SIR!!!!” came the chorus. Vikram and Nicks moved forward taking cover behind a few boulders.  The terrorists had been holed up in the building for some time, he knew they would be running out of ammo.

“Damn it they are holed up good…….it will be difficult to make them come out” thought Vikram as he looked into the building. He suddenly had an idea “Nicks do you have the smoke masks” Vikram asked Nicks. “Yes, two” answered Nicks. “Wear them and take out the smoke grenades. Count to three and throw it through the window on the right” he pointed in the direction of the target. They released the grenades and waited for the smoke to fill up the area. Once it was sufficient he shouted to Nicks “C’mon soldier on your feet” and they darted towards the building. They could hear the terrorists firing in random directions, as if they knew Vikram’s plans.

They got in and saw the first of the terrorists, running past him Vikram shot the insurgent in the head and quickly moved to his next target. Fortunately Vikram had the element of surprise. As he came in to the hallway he saw two others in the floor above. He quickly motioned for Nicks to join him, Nicks was carrying the Dragunov sniper rifle. Vikram took the rifle from him and took the targets out. They then moved upstairs but their cover had been blown, the last insurgent saw them coming and started firing at them from above. Vikram thought of atleast giving him a chance to surrender and called out to him “Drop your weapon and surrender!!”. The terrorist snapped back “Never, I will die before I surrender!!” with that he chewed on something he was wearing in his neck and slumped down dead. Vikram and Nicks rushed up to the limp body and checked the pulse. “Cyanide” quipped Vikram. “The easy was out” muttered Nicks.

Vikram got on the horn and announced to his men “Its over, targets eliminated. Mission accomplished”. He was a bit somber about the mission as he had lost a couple of good men. Insurgents were once again making their way through the LoC in to Indian occupied Kashmir. It was beginning to get frustrating. The army was starting to lose its men in such pointless encounters. Vikram had been called to lead the attacks against the enemy due to his vast experience in dealing with such matters deftly. He thought of his meeting with Colonel Vikrant and the TOF. “I think it’s time I called the Colonel” thought Vikram.

It had been a couple of weeks since the meeting but it felt as though it was yesterday. He had still not told his answer to the Colonel. Vikram was in two minds because the TOF stood for both what he liked and disliked. On the one hand you could kill terrorists in cold blood and call it an assassination, but on the other hand no recognition of the services done to the country and total deniability of the attacks. A double edged sword if he ever saw one thought Vikram. But the recent spate of events within the country was starting to tilt his decision. Consecutive blasts down south in Kerala his home state had the government pressing the panic button. Terrorists in Gods Own Country……….he couldn’t believe it.

That night he called the Colonel. “Good evening, Colonel Vikrant speaking” came the booming voice of the Colonel. “Good evening Sir…….this is Captain Vikram speaking” answered Vikram. “Well hello my boy………I have been waiting for this call for some time now”  continued the Colonel “Even though I know what your answer will be, I would like to hear it from you”. “Count me in Sir. When and where would you like me to come?” asked Vikram. “Come to Cochin, the army base, next week the 22^nd. Be in my office by 0900hrs” answered Col Vikrant.

“Welcome to the team son, it is good to have you aboard…..see you here in Cochin” continued the Colonel. “It is my pleasure Sir, I look forward to our meeting…….goodnight” said Vikram and kept the receiver.  Thoughts kept racing through his mind……..he couldn’t sleep properly all week. All he could think about was the meeting. He never felt this way, even when he confessed his love to his sweetheart!!! “God, if she heard what I just thought she would kill me!!!!” laughed Vikram. The laugh surprised him…….it felt like ages since he had a good laugh.

The week went by without any untoward incidents. Vikram felt great going back home. His family stayed outside the city limits in the Thevara area. Their house was next to the river. His favorite pastime was drinking coffee and watching the raindrops pelt the river. It felt like time stood still whenever it happened. But this time around his mind was filled with thoughts about the meeting and the TOF and his first task. “What will I be asked to do? Where will I have to go?” thought Vikram. He couldn’t tell anything to his mom and dad…….it felt strange. He always used to share whatever he did with his folks. He always left out the near death experiences for the sake of his mom.

Whatever it maybe, Vikram knew he had to take it one step at a time. On the day of the meeting he got up early and went to pray in the temple nearby to ask for the courage and determination to see this through. He took his bike and went to the Colonel’s office. He knocked on the door and entered. “Welcome, welcome my boy. Good to see you again” greeted the Colonel. “Thank you Sir, it’s good to be back home” replied Vikram. “Well don’t get comfortable too soon” quipped the Colonel. He went up to the door and closed it. He turned around and looked at Vikram drew in a large gulp of air and let it out and spoke slowly and clearly “My dear boy TOF has a job in hand already”. “Very good Sir” told the ever loyal Captain. “So will the debriefing be now?” questioned Vikram. “No. Besides it will not be done by me” told the Colonel. “Then may I ask who will Sir” questioned Vikram. The Colonel with a gleam in his eye told “The Prime Minister”. 

A tribute

This story is specialy dedicated to the men and women of the Armed Forces who protect us from all enemies foreign and domestic. Its a little longer than all my stories so far..........could'nt make it smaller as I had to do justice to the story!!! Hope you all enjoy it!!!" :)

TOF (Part 1)

Captain Vikram couldn’t believe that he had been in the army for five years. He had seen his fair share of fighting from Kargil to fire fights across the border. He had followed the hallowed traditions of his family in serving the country……….his grandfather and father had previously served in the army under the Madras Regiment.  As a kid he was always excited at the prospect of following his father’s footsteps.

But the five years had changed him……….as it would anyone who serves the nation. At times he felt he knew more about what it meant to be an Indian than its ordinary citizens and it angered him to see the way the fallen were treated at times by his own government and the people. What angered him even more was the way the news channels often used wars to sell screen time. It brought tears to his eyes whenever he thought of his friends who had given their lives for the nation and who will never be known. He made it a point to visit their families whenever he could.

Vicks as he often called by his regimen because of his obsession with his vicks vaporub was an excellent marksmen and courageous leader. By the time most people his age were pursuing successful careers in law, software engineering or even holding cushy jobs in air conditioned offices he was leading men into counter insurgency operations into places that would be a nightmare for most people.

It was this fame that brought him in touch with Colonel Vikrant. Vicks was having his favorite rum with coke at the officers club when the colonel pulled a chair to his table. The colonel started the introductions “Hello Vikram……….my name is Vikrant, Colonel Vikrant”. “Good evening Colonel” answered Vikram and he was about to solute him when the colonel interjected “At ease lad……..no need for all the niceties now”. “Thank you Sir!!” continued Vikram. “Son, I am here in Chennai for a special reason and I would like to meet with you tomorrow at 0900 hours near the officers’ mess………this is top secret so please keep this request to yourself” the Colonel requested. “Of course Sir” answered Vikram a bit surprised at the request “I will meet you there”. “Good see you tomorrow then…..I am sorry I can’t stay with you longer I have another important meeting to attend” replied Colonel Vikrant and left abruptly leaving time for Vikram to just stand before he left.

That night Vikram couldn’t sleep, he kept thinking about his meeting in the morning. He got up early in the morning and made his way to the mess at the time specified by the colonel. As he came closer to the mess he could see that the colonel was already there. Vikram greeted him “Good morning Colonel” and saluted. The colonel returned the salute and said “Walk with me son” and so they made their way up to the residential quarters.

“I have heard about your skills Vikram and of the missions you have led in Srinagar which is why I am now in touch with you” started the Colonel. “After the recent terrorist strikes in Delhi and Bombay the government is sick and tired of us living in this nightmare and has finally grown the balls to do something about it!!!!” continued the Colonel. “I am talking about the formation of a special group with special individuals like you. Not only are we looking at the Army, but we will also recruit people from the Navy and Airforce for this group” exclaimed the Colonel.

“This is indeed excellent Sir……….but may I ask what group is this. Under what command will it come under since it includes everyone” queried Vikram. The colonel laughed and said “We will come under no particular command son, we will directly report to the PM himself!!!! All this will be kept low profile though……only a few people will know about the group”. “It will be christened TOF” continued the Colonel. “I am sorry Sir could you please repeat the name……I thought I heard you say tough” asked Vikram. “It is T-O-F my boy or the Tactical Operations Force!!!!” said the Colonel proudly “And you are looking at the man responsible for forming and leading this group and we require an individual of your skills and expertise……..and I am here to ask if you are interested in joining our cause” continued the Colonel.

“What will the group do?” asked Vikram. “Well Vikram, let’s say that we have finally decided to take the war to those God forsaken terrorists…….we will go out and hunt them down like the animals they are no matter which country they hide in” the colonel exclaimed.

“But like I said, the missions will never be known and if you die or get captured in any of these missions the Government will deny any knowledge of it………..I can only imagine what would happen if the media ever got wind about this!!!” the Colonel thought to himself. “What about the people that refuse this offer, they would know about such a group how do you handle them??” asked Vikram with interest. To this the colonel cunningly answered “Well I only ask those individuals who I know for certain will join…….as for the the chance that someone does go yellow, well lets not go there shall we” the Colonel smiled while answering.

“So what say you Captain………ye or nay?” questioned the Colonel. Vikram thought to himself “Finally a chance to kill the people responsible without worrying about a fair trial!!!!”. A chance to do something was finally laid down in his lap but Vikram found himself hesitating……..”Disowned by the very same Government who has given me this opportunity if I fail………I cannot fail, I must not fail” he thought to himself. He felt his slain friends calling out to him…….a chance to take revenge. The thought excited him……….but still the hesitation was eating at him!!! “What will I do??” he asked himself.

 

 

A story for one and all

Hello everyone.......hope Eid was a wonderful period for the gang here in Dubai!!! My best wishes to all especially to the people who are gonna get hitched!!! :)

Well without further ado........I would like to introduce part 2 of the story that I introduced previously. Hope you guys like it!!! 

Taxi - the ending

Salim fondly remembered the times that he had back home in Kerala. Juicy mangoes, the ever sweet jack fruits and of-course his mother’s cooking…….it brought tears to his eyes at times. But the responsibility of easing the family burden was his own after the death of his father .

Salim was proud of the fact that he never wavered in his responsibilities. But now faced with this situation…….he felt helpless. The men removed their masks; from their looks he guessed they could be Russian. They all looked the same to him……Russian, Europeans, Americans. Atleast if they were Americans he would recognize them by the way they speak........he thought.

Now he was sure of one thing………they would not let him go alive since he had seen their faces. He was thinking of what to do………panic was written all over his face, he felt as though someone was trying to strangle him as he took in large gulps of air. Suddenly one of the men said “Don’t go to the airport directly lets go through Mirdif first”. Salim knew that was a relatively deserted area with villas scattered about.

His worst fears were coming true……..his assailants didn’t want him alive to give them away. That would be stupid of them. “What do to now?” Salim thought. If he were to shout out for help the men might get caught……..chances of that were there, but the chances of him getting shot were certain. “Think Salim……think!!!!” Salim thought.  As he was driving through Mirdif he suddenly caught site of a police car…….infact there were two. They had stopped over at an accident site. The men froze……….for the first time their hearts were in their mouths and Salim could feel it.

He didn’t want to shout out as it meant death for him. Suddenly a light flashed in Salim’s mind and he had the answer. He was inching his way closer and closer to where the police had stopped. With a sudden burst of speed he gunned the car’s engine and sped towards the squad car. With a sickening noise of metal on metal Salim rammed his car in to the police vehicle.

This sudden act shocked his assailants and for a spilt second they didn’t know what to do. That was enough for Salim as he got out shouting for help. He then heard a loud crack like a firecracker bursting……..and he felt a hot searing pain shoot up his leg. He doubled up in excruciating pain. What followed was a bloody gun battle……..the assailants were gunned down.

It took a while for Salim to get back to his duties, but it was a bitter sweet experience for him. On the one hand he was ecstatic that he escaped and on the other the death of his uncle who had helped him land a job and save his family saddened him. But he knew one thing for sure……….that it was luck that brought him to Dubai and it was luck that helped him escape a certain death.

With his future laid out bare before him, he felt a new found respect for each new day and promised to himself to live it out to the fullest and not let sadness envelope the remainder of his life.

The next story

Hello everyone.......I'm back with yet another story!!! This time round the protagonist has changed and is not the famous Nick anymore!!! :) Hope you all enjoy this one as well.........oh by the way part 2 of this story will come soon.........I am starting to enjoy sequels..........aren't u??!!!! :)

Taxi anyone!!

Sipping his tea Salim was glad that the days were getting cooler. He remembered the time when he first came to Dubai. The searing heat seemed to be the first and only thing that he noticed as he got out of the plane. He had left the comforts of being at home to eke out a living in a foreign country…….the need for money was overwhelming. Debt had forced Salim to an uncertain future in the Gulf.

His uncle had helped him land a temporary job at a local trading store. That would atleast ensure that he got a visa which would then help him in getting a driver’s license…….which is akin to getting ambrosia from the Gods………a near impossibility!!! None the less a license would open the floodgates to other opportunities……..better paying opportunities.

As soon as he won his lottery Salim landed his second job as a taxi driver. The pay was decent even though the work hours were long and arduous. Besides the traffic was a nightmare…….but Salim didn’t complain as the jobs were helping him clear his debts. He drove during the day and his partner took over at night, this helped as their monthly targets were then split between them.

His journeys took him to every corner of Dubai………and he served a wide variety of customers – young and old, Indians, Pakistanis and Philipinos’ even the local Arabs came in often.

It was a December when his partner went on his annual leave. As a result Salim had to cover a certain part of the evening to ensure that they were not behind on their target. During one of his nightly runs he thought of visiting his uncle in the shop he worked. It was late in the night so he knew only his uncle would be there closing up shop. He parked his car and walked into the shop. What he saw next shocked him!!!!!

He saw his uncle lying down in a pool of his own blood. He quickly knelt down to see if he was still alive and just as he was about to check his uncle he felt a sharp pain on the head and saw blackness engulf him. He woke up later tied up, with beads of sweat pouring down his face and a throbbing pain in the back of his head. His assailants were standing over him menacingly.

“Who are you?” Salim asked weakly. “What do you want?” he asked again. They wore ski masks and so he couldn’t see their faces properly. They spoke a foreign tongue to each other, one he couldn’t recognize. Then suddenly one of them frisked him and took out his wallet. He then took his gun and pointed it to Salim’s head and said “You will take us to the airport. Do you understand……..Salim?” looking at his ID card. He threatened Salim “Never mind who we are………your only concern should be that the police must not catch us now……….otherwise!!!!”

Salim was shaken up from his ordeal but he nodded to the assailants demand. Salim then plucked up the courage and asked “My uncle needs help”. The men all laughed and one of them said “The old geezer has had it……….he’s caput……..kapish!!!”.

Salim was seething within anger, why did they do this…….what had his uncle done to them? They removed his bonds and took him to his car .They piled in and started their perilous journey to the airport.

The next story

Part two of Nicks life continues here. Hope you guys enjoy it!!! :)

Two choices

Time had passed by since his second accident. Nick was listening to one of his favorite groups the Colonial Cousins…….to one of their first hits. He believed in one of the lines in the song...…….”time being the healer, time being the friend”……but he still had difficulty in coming to grips with what had happened. These days he often spent time alone in the college stadium near his home. It was a place of sanctity for him……a place to get lost in his thoughts. Suddenly self-pity became inspirational!!!!!

It was there that he met William for the first time. He had never noticed him before……could be due to the long hours wallowing in despair he thought, asking the Lord the same question over and over again “Why me??”. Today he decided to get a closer look at his unknown companion. William had been training in the stadium each and every time that he saw him. Nothing exceptional caught his eye.

But today something did………something he could not believe at first. As he came closer William looked up at him. “Hi stranger!! Been seeing ya here for the past month…….nice to say hello finally!!!” said William. Nick gave a rather weak hi…….the effect of avoiding his mates for some time now. He didn’t want to face them nor tell them about his ordeal.

“When did that happen?” Nick asked pointing to William’s leg. “Haha…..that, ohh it happened quite some time back………say a year. Lost a portion of the leg due to a motorbike accident……sounds clichéd doesn’t it???!!” quipped William. “How is it clichéd?? You have lost a part of your leg!!!” fired back Nick. “It’s so because you always get to hear of some idiotic teen getting into a motor bike accident due to his carelessness or what we nowadays call the Dhoom effect…….hehe!!” laughed Williams.

“So what’s your story mate?? I’ve seen you here for a long time now……you in the track team or something?” asked William. Nick then went on to narrate his story……….athletics, the accident everything. “I don’t know how you take it mate……..I am finding it difficult!!” confessed Nick. This surprised him...…..he hadn’t told what he felt inside to anyone…….not even his parents!!! He didn’t know why it was easy with William. “Hmmmmm I know exactly what you feel………I too felt lost in the beginning” continued William. “My doctors told me I had a 10 percent chance of coming out of this……….I just thought 10 is much better than zero!!!” laughed William.

Nick was surprised by the way William laughed everything off and he told this to him. “You got two choices mate……..laugh it off or let it take control of your life which I guess is what is going on with you” said William. Having something close to commonality or so Nick thought helped and he found that confessing what he felt was like lifting a load of his back. Their friendship grew as the days passed by……..William became a very close confidant.

One day William asked him “So you ready to start your training once more?” the question blindsided Nick and he mumbled the answer “I…..I am not…..not sure”. “There is no - I am not sure here, it’s either a yes or a no and I think in your case it should be a yes” continued William. “So what do you say?” asked William once more. Nick took one look at him and then looked at the track; he knelt down on the asphalt. “I have two choices here – a no or a yes. I will say why not!!!!” wisecracked Nick. Both looked at each other for a second and laughed together.

Story telling continued

I like the idea of franchises and sequels in movies. Especially when you know its the second and third chapter that unravel everything. I guess you will be familiar with Nick so I thought of continuing with him in this story as well.

I wanted to break this up into two parts so as to keep the spirit of a sequel in touch!!!! Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing about it :)

A second chance

Nick loved to listen to music while he trained and he always kept his mp3 player by his side. This time around he was listening to his favorite songs from Rock On. He liked the thought of second chances…….since it was the same for him and he did not want to miss the boat this time around.

Nick had been a star athlete back in his college days and he continued that into the professional circuit hoping to represent his country one day. His forte had always been the mile run, but he wanted to elevate himself. He wanted to be known as an Ironman.

But a couple of years ago his world came crashing down. An accident left him with a torn knee ligament. From being an active person to being tied down………he could feel the frustration building up. As soon as he was able to stand he tried showing his fortitude by running once more though it was against his doctors’ wishes. He risked everything to do the thing he loved the most.

The risk proved to be costly………while training he slipped and twisted his knee once more. This time around the injury was more severe. His doctor told him that reconstructive surgery would be required. Nick was not one to give up, but even he could not bear it a second time round.

He kept saying to himself………“If I had just listened and wasn’t so damn stubborn…….I would still be out there.” But it was too late and the damage was done. The doctor gave him a 50-50 chance for regaining the same physical composure he had. His parents helped him to pull through, but for Nick the mental torture of going through the recovery process once more was agonizing.

He wasn’t able to sleep or eat peacefully……..the accident kept cropping up in his mind like a sword to the heart. It was like a tape replaying itself all the time…..…he could hear his screams of agony and the snapping of the ligaments. It was crazy and he had no way of putting a stop to it.

But something did finally come to his rescue…….it wasn’t exactly an earth shattering event. A very subtle one infact…….one which changed the whole ballgame!!!

Story telling

I just thought of writing short stories to keep my myself sane. This is my first attempt......hope u guys like it:

The story of a Guy

Nick was always interested in movies. Be it comedies or action flicks even romantic flicks or thrillers everything interested him. His obsession led him to read a lot about the industry……books, magazines, gossip…..nothing escaped him. He knew details about each and every film that he had seen. People were amazed at the interest he held and that he was capable of religiously watching a flick every week.

Secretly he dreamt of becoming an actor……who didn’t these days. But he never could figure out a way to start. He then remembered the interviews of the many stars that he had seen. The most common thing he had seen was that each and every one of them began behind the scenes. He then contemplated where to begin with. Spot boy? Direction? Stunts?!! Where could he start?

It then came to him like a bolt of lightning……….writing. He was not bad at that. Maybe a little unpolished…….but never the less he knew he was good. And so began his attempts, but no matter what he did, no matter how many books he read on screenwriting he was missing one very vital component!! An active imagination!!!

Ideas were not coming forth and he started to think………” How in the world do people come up with ideas for movies??”. He was seriously lost. Then lightening struck twice, he read that storylines need to be based on real life experience no matter how bizarre or unrealistic. There is always that element of reality behind the subversive universe one calls a script!!!!

And so he began his quest with his first ever script………even before he typed his first words he was already accepting his Oscar from none other than Spielberg himself!!!!

But he did eventually start off……….he wrote about a guy, a regular guy, an unknown guy, a guy who was not that popular who was damn interested in movies and who wanted to be a star!!!! He kept writing and writing and then suddenly he was writing about his life and masking it with his fictitious character!!! Suddenly a familiar song came into his head and he remembered about all things seemingly unnatural that came to life in The Twilight Zone!!!!