Hi Guys,

I've been writing 69-word, theme-based stories for the digital lifestyle magazine, The Brown Scooter, every month.

Read off and let me know what you think/feel :)


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Theme #5 – IPL


Story 1

The nets at Wankhede Stadium.
The pitch at Sardar Patel Stadium.
The VIP box at Brabourne Stadium.
The dug out at Eden Gardens Stadium.
The locker room at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The women’s washroom at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium.

12 official grounds.
12 steamy sessions.
12 unique positions.

5 years of planning and co-ordination.
Their 12th marriage anniversary week - the IPL-crazy, fanatical couple had finally pulled it off!

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Story 2

“Poda! You wait and watch as CSK defeats MI by a huge margin.”
“O Teri… Iss baar toh baazi Punjab hi maar jayegi. Other teams ko no chance, boss!”
“Rajasthan ne ek baar Halla Bol di toh woh hi lekar jayenge trophy.”
“Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo ka matlab jaante ho? KKR is going to defend the trophy like champions.”

Families during IPL season - United by blood. Divided by teams.

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Story 3

She is a psychology graduate, who water skis, and knows jazz/hip-hop dancing.
She is a photography major, and holds an associate teacher certificate to teach acrobatics.
She is a triplet, an awarded make-up artist and an aspiring Bollywood actress.
She speaks Afrikaans and Dutch, has played hockey and is a fashion design graduate.

And you thought they just wore skimpy clothes and danced on the cricket ground, didn’t you?

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Story 4

Did you know?
  • Used for the first time in May 2001, Hawk-Eye technology uses a six-camera set-up and was invented by Dr. Paul Hawkins
  • The Snickometer (Snicko) was invented by English computer scientist Allan Plaskett and introduced into cricket by UK’s Channel 4 in 1999
  • LED-powered stumps and bail system was created by Bronte EcKermann in early 2000s, an Australian mechanical industrial designer, and is manufactured by Zing International.
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Story 5

“Hey guys,

Thank you for being there for me, always. For the times you‘ve supported me when I played badly, either scored too less or bowled too sadly. For the times my personal life was in a mess, the death of my dad and my sister’s divorce.

But I can’t do this anymore. Not after what happened today. No team wants me anymore.

Goodbye IPL. Goodbye cricket. Goodbye world.”

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Theme #4 – Budget


Story 1

“But I…”
“Why can I not…”
“So unfair this entire…”
“Are you sure about the…”

Circa 6666, life in the future. Everything was budgeted for, even the number of words people spoke.

Good? Bad? I’ll leave that up to you, yes you, the one reading this, to decide.

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Story 2

“Dad, I want an Avengers action figure set for my birthday.”
“It’s out of my budget beta.”

“Dad, the Ban-everything Barbie set is so cute. I want one.”
“Over budget, sweetheart.”

“Varun, let us revamp the kitchen and re-paint the house soon!”
“I don’t have the budget for it right now, Sakshi.”

“VARUN, LOOK OUT! ”

*CRASH*

Varun’s phone beeped – Your net available balance is 6987 Cr.

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Story 3

“YOU built this? Him?”
“Yes, I did. Finally!”
“For how much?”
“A fourth of what our initial calculations predicted it to be!”
“So, what does he do? Heart surgery? Data analystics? Advanced mathematics? Quantum physics? ”
“He brings chilled Budweiser from the fridge.”

*pause*

“Sounds like the perfect robot to me. So, what do you call him?”

“BUD  GET!”

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Story 4

I kept turning it frantically. I twisted it horizontally, and vertically. Sometimes it was one set of nine and sometimes a set of eighteen. The colours just won’t match. It was irritating and an exercise in futility.

Green - Parents
Blue - Friends
White - Relatives
Red – Life Partner
Orange - Society
Yellow - God

They call it the Rubik’s Cube.
I call it my budget crisis, my life.

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Story 5

“Are you from   my religion?
my caste?”
my community?”
my village?”
my city?”
my complex?
my ex-company?”
my college?”
my school?”
my kindergarten?”
my strata of society?”
my salary bracket?”

“Do you eat from at the same places? Watch movies at the same theatres? Shop from the same stores?”

Weird how we budget our love and share it only with people who we perceive as being connected to us.

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Theme #3 – Love Vs Cricket


Story 1

“Doc, I am *sick* of just standing there all day long, doing nothing. Listening to the bickering and sledging of morons around me all day long, is utterly boring and excruciatingly painful. I am SO done with this job.
I feel enlightened.
I believe that I was born for a higher purpose.
I was created to spread joy and peace; to change the world!”

“You are a stump!”

“So?”

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Story 2

“I miss you. I wish I would have done this earlier. You were unlike anyone I had ever met before, in my life. I can never forget the night we met at the sports bar, night of the World Cup finals. How did we end up here? Where did it go wrong?”

*Tickets to the special India-Pakistan match at the MCG fall out of the envelope.*

“My final goodbye!”

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Story 3

“I am earning enough for the both of us!”

“But I really want to do this. It makes me happy and keeps me motivated.”

“I don’t keep you happy, is it?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Why are we arguing over this, then?”

“Because you don’t understand.”

“This relationship OR women’s national cricket team – CHOOSE NOW!”

*She picks up her kit and walks off with tears in her eyes.*

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Story 4

“…and the feisty Varun delivers a fast one but Shruti whacks it towards the off-side. Rohit aggressively sneaks in with a bouncer but Shruti ducks and takes it on her helmet. Crafty Abhishek attempts a cunning googly but Shruti smartly smacks it over mid-wicket.         

Pradeep, the final contender, bowls Shruti over with a speedy, well-timed, well placed yorker!

As you can see, in the end, love was the winner.”

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Story 5

“Let me come straight to the Point, gorgeous! You have a sexy Bodyline and it has been a while since I set the Field for you. How about we go back to the Pavilion and I’ll introduce you to my Third Man? Spread those Fine Legs for me and let me show you how good my Short Leg is, in the Gully.”

“Got an Extra Cover?”

“Yes!”

“Let’s go.”

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