Nov 26, 2013

Old man and the little girl

  
                                                                                                      It was a usual evening of 1950’s. People were heading back home on cycles, few in cars and rest on foot. An old man was riding home on his bicycle. His muffler was flowing over his long black overcoat. He had a bag mounted on the carrier of cycle. Those passed by him, as well as those who stood by made sure that they greeted him respectfully, to which they got the appropriate response from the old man.

The old man reached his home. His house was quite small and blockish as compared to the neighboring houses. He got off his cycle and approached his house on feet along with his bicycle. Resting the cycle on the wall, he demounts his bag and walks towards the door. Keeping the bag down, he searches for the key to the big heavy door lock in the pocket of his overcoat.

 As he was about to open the door, a little girl runs up to him holding a bunch of flowers.  The man looks at the girl and smiles. The girl gives him the flowers. Man bends down to the girl and pats her head. The girl kisses on mans cheek. Old man smiles and gets back to the door. He opened the door and was about to move in, when the girl pulled the end of his overcoat. The man looked back to the girl with a question mark on his face.  The girl points at the man’s bag, which he was about to forget. The man laughs at himself and taps his head. He picks up the bag and starts moving in. the girl also follows him. The man sees that and stops her. The girl tries to get in the house but the old man stops her and quickly gets inside the house, shutting the door on the girls face. The girl stood there stunned by the unexpected behavior.

It was a pitch dark inside the single roomed house. The man switched on the lights. There was a single bed in the house. The walls had seeping at various places.  A broken picture frame hung on the wall, with an old family photograph of the man. There were many sheets of paper scattered all over the room. The sheets had wired sketches on it. There was also a mirror in a corner, facing the bed. It was covered with a big piece of cloth. The man walks to the broken picture frame and touches it softly. Then he walks to the bed and sits on it facing the mirror. He looks down to the floor, and starts thinking about something. Then he suddenly gets up and pulls the cloth from the mirror. He gazes at the mirror with a mix feeling of fear and amazement. The man walks backward while looking in the mirror. He sits on the bed, picks up a paper sheet and pencil from the floor. He then starts sketching by looking in the mirror. After completing that sketch he compares it with the image in the mirror. He gets dissatisfied and angry. He throws the sheet with other sheets on the floor. He then walks up to the mirror. The image in the mirror was not the man’s reflection. It was an ugly, distorted and constantly changing image. The man gets more puzzled and his fear rises. He raises his hand to touch the mirror, but stops and retracts. He gets back to the bed and makes another sketch. He again gets dissatisfied with what he had made, gets more frustrated. He jumps at the mirror and acts as if he is scratching the mirror without touching it. His teeth grinding against each other. He then picks up the cloth and covers the mirror.
Next morning the man gets out of his house with his bag. He was a completely different person outside. He puts on the lock. As he was about to lock the door, someone greeted him from behind. The man turns and greets him back. He forgets the key in the lock and rides off on his cycle.

In evening when the man comes back, he finds the door of his house open. He rushes in the house. The lights were on and the little girl was dancing merrily. She had wrapped the cloth which covered the mirror around her. She stops dancing on the man’s arrival, greets him with a big smile. The man looks at the mirror and quickly moves in front of it, so as to cover it from the girl. The girl gets surprised. She tries to peep from the side, to see what the man was hiding from her. The old man doesn’t let her see the mirror. The girl then goes to the man’s bed and picks up the paper sheets. She asks the man about the sketches. The old man shouts at the girl. The girl is taken aback and almost starts crying.

 Seeing this, the man drops down his head in disappointment and steps aside from the mirror. The girl walks to the mirror. The man tells her that he sees a wired reflection of himself in the mirror. The girl looks at the mirror and then to the man. She drags a stool near the mirror, climbs on it. She kisses the man on his cheeks. Then she kisses the mirror. The man gets shocked. He looks at the mirror. He sees that the wired deformed image is turning into his own true image. He glances at the mirror, and then he touches it and feels it. Then he looks   at the girl and smiles. The girl smiles back. The old man bends down and kisses the little girl on her forehead and then hugs her.


Every one has flaws/ demons hidden from the world, they might not look that terrifying once the person is accepted and loved despite of them..

Story for a Tinkle web episode involving Supandi and DD

Following is a story for a web episode for tinkle digest. The story involves Supandi, a innocent moron famous for his mindless noble deeds and Defective detectives (DD) characters Ravi(hooting owl) and Rahul(whooping crane) known to goof up ongoing criminal investigations or building criminal cases out of their own imagination.

Scene 1
Supandis new master calls him and hands him a packet

Master – Supandi! deliver this packet to bank manager sahib. Carry it very carefully and discreetly.. It contains 50,000Rs. 

Supandi – wow master! How did you get so much money?

Master (laughing)– I got this money from god’s grace Supandi, this is his money. I am only taking care of it.

Supandi – Do not worry master, I will take good care of gods money!

Scene 2
DD – Ravi and Rahul were carrying out a regular afternoon patrol in market -

Hooting owl – Whooping crane! Its awfully quite today!

Whooping crane – Yes  Hooting owl! This seems like the silence before the storm!

Hooting owl – how ever big the storm is it cannot escape from our watchful eyes!

Whooping crane – Yeah!!.. wait.. look at that guy carrying a packet.. ( they both see Supandi carrying a packet, trying to hide it from everyone’s sight). What do you think it is?

Hooting owl – I don’t know! But the way he is carrying it makes me suspicious! Lets follow him like a unseen shadow and find out what he is up to!


Mean while..

Supandi (thinking) – Master must be really religious that god gave him his own money.. I wonder why does he want to give god’s money to bank manager sahib!

Supandi (thinking)  – May be he wants manager sahib to return the money to god! But why did he not do it himself! God lives in the temple near -by only! Ooh yes! He got up late this morning, so he must have not taken a bath..  


Ravi and Rahul are following Supandi

Whooping crane – This guy looks super creepy.. he is definitely up-to something sinister

Hooting owl – I agree! Look at the way he is trying to hide the packet he is carrying! I wonder what is inside it and what he is going to do with it!


Supandi lost in his thoughts –
Supandi (thinking) – May be I can myself give the money to god! I have taken a bath today too! Yes! This will be good! Master will be happy to know that god got his money back early!


Scene 3

Supandi starts walking towards the temple, Ravi and Rahul follow him.

Hooting owl – Look! He is entering the temple!

Whooping crane – Why is he placing that packet near god’s idol? Wait a minute.. Hooting owl! Do you think it is a bomb?

Hooting owl – I think yes it is! This guy is a terrorist!


Ravi and Rahul run into the temple yelling at top of their voices –

Both - EVERY -BODY STOP THAT GUY! HE HAS A BOMB WITH HIM! 

Every -body is alerted and they surround Supandi

Hooting owl – Got you terrorist! You want to disturb the peace of our state! 

Whooping crane – your game is over terrorist! We have saved this temple!

In the mean time a inspector nearby also showed up to the spot

Inspector – What is going on over here..uuh .. you two! Are you again trying to run your useless brains into some fictitious criminal case! 

Whooping crane – no Inspector! This guy was carrying a packet and was trying to hide it from everyone! He was about to leave this packet here! 

Inspector (to supandi) – Is it true mister!  What are you carrying in the packet and why were you hiding it from everyone?!

Supandi – Inspector sahib this packet belongs to god! I was hiding it because it contains god’s 50,000 rupees and I did not want any-one to steel it!

Inspector (laughing) – ooh! This man is just making a donation to the temple! You too brats were again chasing imaginary demons ! But I appreciate your vigilance.. one should be watch-full of his surrounding in these times..

Hooting owl – wow! For once our efforts are being appreciated!


Scene 4

Supandi heads back to his master with a broad smile –

Supandi – Master! I returned gods returned gods money to god himself!
Master (baffled) – what??!!

Supandi  - Yes master! I took a bath today so I went to the temple and returned gods money to god myself!


Master fainted

Synopsis - Legend of the Monkey Kid

Following is the synopsis of my work at Fountain Pixel animation studio, Pune.
My project was to develop concepts for a cartoon TV series for children. The developed concept along with the plots of individual episodes were to be the basis a production bible, to be pitched to TV channels.


Approved Concept - Legend of the Monkey Kid.
In a hidden valley of a magical river with sparkling fresh water, flourished a thick jungle which was untouched by the outside world. Living in a magical habitat with glowing trees and speaking rocks, the resident animals of that jungle were peace-loving creatures. They were looked upon by their forest deity "Jungalika". Jungalika the jungle goddess had a council of 12 elder trees, each of which was more than 5000 years old. The elder trees passed their wisdom to every generation of animals and helped in maintaining a state of peace. 

As the time changed the untouched valley was discovered by certain outsiders and they introduced corrupting elements to the jungle. A certain sect of animals with weak conscious fell to the corruption and started destroying the jungle for their own selfish gains. 


Among the corrupted was a group of Langoors who have gained tremendous technological edge from the corruption, and were now hell bent on becoming the rulers of the jungle. They used their fierce technology majorly for violence and exploiting jungle resources. There was also a old Peepal tree who has fell to the corruption and now spread the word of violence against others. These villains were just the beginning of many more to come.

To counter the corruption and the corrupted, Jungalika chose a innocent soul as the savior of the jungle. A monkey kid. The only son to the leader of red-face Monkeys. Using the power bestowed on him by the Jungle goddess and the wisdom of the 12 elder trees, the monkey kid along with his friends fights the corruption and the corrupted.
His group of friends include an enthusiastic tiger cub, a very emotional rhino kid and and monkey kids childhood friend who is also the daughter to his neighboring red-face monkey family. Together the Monkey kid and his friends save the jungle from the corruption and the corrupted.