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I write Articles- Stories- Digital Content. I actively participate in discussions and debates. That brings comes out to me, a new thought which gives rise to a new idea or an article. I update my website with stories or article published in Print Media like The Huffington Post, Times of India and The Good Men Project. Check out our other Handles.

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    The innocence of love- 2 | Short story

    The innocence of love | Part 2 | Short story

    June 2007  12th grade began. Yes, I was happy, more than anyone else. After my drastic end to the last grade, I finally passed and was promoted to 12th science. This was not the sole reason for my happiness, I was about to meet Anamika after a long period of  30 days(yes at that time this was a long period for me as neither I was able to call her, nor could see her). So with much eagerness and anticipation, I got ready and walked down to school.  It was more than 15min, and I was sitting in the class waiting for her. But still, she wasn’t there. All the formal handshakes and hugs with so-called friends were already over, but my wait wasn’t.

    After so much waiting, I was happy, smiling, and daydreaming as I am used to with. She entered. Miss Anamika Iyer entered; filling my heart with a lot of anxiety, eagerness and happiness. She came and sat on my adjacent seat and made my day with a sweet innocent smile. As I approached her to talk, sir entered(that’s my usual fate). I passed the entire half session waiting for a “Hi”, which never came till the recess bell rang and I felt relaxed. I was so frustrated for not being able to talk to her since a month that I was about to ask her number there and then only.


    Recess came, and getting free from my group I directly went and approached her.“ hi, how are you, I was really missing our talks, firstly give me your number”—-she said she said first and I found myself late in this matter too was standing there just hearing her sweet voice, after a long time, with a smile on my face. I was actually loving her voice. After the realization that I was looking like a dumb fellow, I responded” Hey, I too missed the fun, And yes I was about to take your number only. So how was your vacation,?—I asked.

    It was great me, Rajit and all had great fun. How about you?- She asked was about to answer that I too had great fun, but was not able to as soon as I heard Rajit, in her enjoyment.
    Yes. Mr Rajit Varma my classmate and Boyfriend of Anamika. I was her friend, a good friend or we were “just friends”; Unlike Bollywood in my case, just friends held to be true in its meaning.


     I and Anamika were friends for 5 long years. And to my fate, we were still friends. we both joined school together. As we moved to higher standards our friendship grew, and along with grew our closeness. Even at 1 point of time in 10th  grade, we felt like we were committed, but she cleared her feeling that there was nothing much and with no discussion, I agreed. The next year, I was shocked to hear about her relationship with Rajit, I even had a bad verbal fight with her over that matter, which continued nearly a year and then she came back to me in talking terms only.

    ….


    So, she was in a relation with Rajit, and I was her very close friend. That’s it. As our school progressed I got engrossed with my studies friends and her. After officially receiving her phone number I was feeling good, and so we called each other many times. The most common talk I would do was praising her and what she used to do was about RAJIT. I actually didn’t know how to respond to that, but in actual I was loving her talks, so I ignored the content.


    Time was actually flying, we were flooded with exams and small quizzes and board pressure. So we had less time to talk, in school and even outside; and whatever time we had was passed with Tarun and Navin in my case and with Rajit in her case.

    The innocence of love | Part 2 | Short story

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  • The innocence of Love | Short Story-1
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    The innocence of Love | Short Story-1

    The innocence of Love | Short Story-1

    A boy and girl met in school and fell for each other. Love began along with began problems and finally, they met against all odds and all were happy endings.
    4 friends, a school life, break-ups and patch-ups, smoking, drinking, creating a mess, solving it and again all ends with a happy note i.e. a long term girlfriend, a degree and also a job in an MNC. But not every story begins there and ends with a happy note. At least it wasn’t mine for sure. Life was best for me even before I tasted life at school. It was not only best I can say it was great. I even term them as the best days of my life


    “We are here to learn and live, we are here to love and forgive, And in this life, we have days when we laugh and cry, Sometimes we are full of energy and sometimes dry, Yet we describe them as the best days of our life,

    And they are termed as “The School Days” of my life”

    These days gave me friends to rely upon, principles to follow in the life ahead, people whom I can respect in the true sense and also love “A true love” to remember and to miss. Life was as good to me as it was to other with a very average childhood my life began but was it my fate or my dad’s hard work that my life blossomed with age. As time progressed,  progressed my age and life too.

    I was enrolled in 1 of the best schools of times. And as I crossed my secondary section I was made to change to another school especially for pursuing the science field there (I regret the field still). Oh! I still didn’t mention you about myself it’s me Abhi, Abhisekh Joshi. A 5”5’ tall(tall-just to make myself feel happy), fair looks (a bit fair) average physique, though I think every day to join the gym all efforts go in vain. And yes that’s all. Apart from this, the only thing that can draw your attention towards me is my talkativeness as well as my sense of humour (which I consider good)

    Jan 2012 After getting bored totally by sitting, shemal came to my place.“hey Abhi, I finally had a break up” Shemal saidWhat? Why? I asked shockinglyYeah. Don’t overreact. She was not girlfriend material, and after 2 months I realized that. So finally we are separated.“I actually thought you loved her”- I said yeah, I did. But now I don’t love her, and I am so frustrated with all the relationship issue, that I really don’t want to mess up myself again entering into it for some time. Stating this shemal left from my place but not from my mind.


    “What was that he actually told me? How come the definition to love has changed so much? Why all relationships are stated to be in love when actually there is not even a bit of love included in it?

    Love is only considered when you both are into a relationship?Why?”


    As soon as I typed these statements on my blog, I was lost in my past, not the 1st time, I many time miss my past, but this time It was somewhat serious, I was crying suddenly.I stood up and opened my drawer to grab the photo album of school days; I opened it and was turning the pictures from one to the other, and suddenly stopped onto one of the images. The image of me and Anamika standing side by side and smiling; for the next ten minutes I was staring that image and suddenly I witnessed my eyes were wet. Yes, tears began to drop from my eyes.

    ….

    I kept the album back in my drawer and went to my bed. Tried sleeping for more than an hour, I failed. It’s not that I feel like this every day, but neither do I hear about love and breakups every day too. I don’t miss her any more, or at least I try to do that. But whenever I hear about love being misunderstood or misinterpreted; I miss her.

    More than her I miss the love without any relation which we shared. Or what love actually should be. I was slowly going into my life 5 years ago, my life of joy, my life of true happiness, my life of love, my life with Anamika and also my life of separation, my life of ignorance, and into the life without my life.                                                       
                                    ……………………………………………To BE Continued Tomorrow

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  • The Fear of Love | Short Story
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    The Fear of Love | Short Story

    The Fear of Love | Short Story

    I came home and knocked on the door. It was 11.30 and just 15 min ago dad gave me a call to ask what time I was coming. But when I knocked on the door no one responded. It was the only dad at home at that time as others were out of town. I knocked on the door again, still no response. The door was not locked and light in the front room was also ON. I ringed the bell. Still the same response. I called him on his cell, he didn’t pick up. I was getting serious and scared at the same time, but no response was available from the other end. My heart beats increased and fear was totally seen on my face.i was getting anxious. Weird horrible thought started to enter in my mind like,

    ….


    What had happened suddenly?
    Why is he not opening the door?

    In this fear, I was constantly ringing his cell and simultaneously the doorbell. Suddenly within a minute, the door opened. My dad saw me and asked “Why are you crying?. At that point, I realised yes I was crying.
    “why were you not opening the door, I was scared? Did I ask in an angry and scared tone, Scared? why? I just fell asleep so I didn’t hear the bell.
    And phone? I asked


    “It is kept in a different room” he replied
    But why were you crying? he asked
    Nothing – I said and went to my room.


    At that moment I realised, how hard times bring out the real feelings from us. How just a minute late in opening the door made me scared and realised how much I love my dad. The same scenario happens in life too, we don’t actually know what we have in our life, and even if we know the importance of the things we never love them we just respect them. It’s only the fear of losing them brings true love out of us.

    ….


    We love a lot of people in our life, but not always we show it nor do we realize the love we share with some of our closed friends, family and others but the fear makes our heart feel and speak the love out of us. Though by actions of anger and scaredness, indirectly it shows our love, Pure love.


    Never wait in life for the loss of someone to realise their importance, realise and convey it before its too late.

    @ramtajogi

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    The Days Of My Life| Short story

    The Days Of My Life | Short story

    “We are here to learn and live, we are here to love and forgive,
    And in this life,
    we have days when we laugh when we cry,
    Sometimes we are full of energy and sometimes dry,
    Yet we describe them as the best days of our life,
    And they are termed as “ The School Days” of our life”

    Not all the stories have a boy and a girl either together or separated. Sometimes certain relations are far
    beyond it. They are separated but still, their feel remains.


    Scene 1:
    The sun rises
    And abhisekh and mihir leave for jogging.
    After 2 rounds of the ground, they find’s
    A group of friend’s enjoying.
    Mihir smiles
    After the next round, they find a young boy and girl sharing a lovely smile and trying to overlap hands
    over each other’s, thus sharing the sweet essence of so-called love.
    Further, ahead they find a couple arguing with each other and the husband trying to make his wife happy
    bypassing joke, but the wife appear’s a bit frustrated.
    And then they find an old couple helping each other to walk, in the garden
    Seeing all this, mihir speaks
    Mihir: “ Yaar, ek baat to sahi kahi hai kisine, ke pyaar bhale hi zindagi ki zarurat na ho par zindagi ka
    hissa to zarur hai.
    Iske bina sab kuch adhura to ho hi jata hai
    Abhisekh : “laughs”
    Mihir: come on yaar , ye koi hasne ki baat to nai thi
    Abhisekh: to aur kya hai
    Ab tu pyaar ko itna importance deta hai, vo to mujhe pata hai , par subah subah chalu ho jayega ye pata
    nai tha.
    Mihir : tu nai deta ,?
    Abhisekh : {serious looks } nai. aur dena bhi nai chahata
    Mihir : { understands his xpressions } ha thik hai yaar ,chill
    Bas bhalu tu sahi aur me galat
    Abhisekh : {laughs } are nai yaar aisi baat nai hai ,
    its just ke ye log jo school /college me karte hai , its just a time-pass, aur jo shaadi ke baad vo hota hai
    samjota .
    Mihir: aur budhape me.atleast vo to—-{ abhisekh interrupts in between }
    Abhisekh : vo majburi.
    Mihir : ha bhai ha, bas
    {both laughs}
    Mihir: aur bata, teri next book ka kya status hai?
    Abhisekh : puch mat yaar, puch mat ,koi topic hi nai mil raha hai.
    Mihir : kya baat kar raha hai, “common man” , aur “ocras” jesi stories aa gayi , aur ab ek nai story nai aa
    rahi?
    Abhisekh : sahi me yaar, nai hi aa rahi hai, dekhta hu kuch mil jaye to acha ,jaldi hi chalu karna padega
    kuch to.
    Mihir : {laughingly } to tere favourite subject pe hi banna de na.
    Abhisekh: konsa?
    Mihir : love..{saying this mihir leaves towards his car}
    Abhisekh {background sounds of many past experiences mixed together}: and suddenly he shakes his
    head. And leaves for his home.
    Abhisekh Home :
    While having breakfast he hears continuously about what mihir said :
    to tere favourite opposition pe hi banna de nalove..to tere favourite opposition pe hi banna de nalove..
    And he stands up from the table, goes to television set.
    while watching it, also the same thing repeats.
    So he angrily shuts the television off. And opens d balcony and stands there.
    It’s a rainy afternoon, and a cold breeze touches his face and he closes his eyes

    ……………{a white light comes}………5 years back……………………

    Phone ring and cuts
    Rings and cuts ———— {7 times}
    Finally lazy and tired of d vibrations of phone abhisekh gets up with messed up hair and tiredness in eyes.
    Sees the phone,
    Its jay {abhisekh’s best friends in school: jay and navin}
    Abhisekh calls: bol bhai, 7 miss call , achanak kya hua tujhe?
    Jay: bro, It’s important.
    Abhisekh: bol na ab, ek to 10.30 utha diya, that too on Sunday.
    Jay says something .
    Abhisekh : {eyes open widely }shouts “shit I am late”
    “10 min me paucha be”
    Abhisekh gets ready as fast as possible and leaves for jay’s house
    Aunty opens d door ,
    “ kya abhisekh itna jaldi bhag ke kyu ata tum?”
    Kya hua?
    Abhisekh: aunty jay kaha hai?
    Aunty: vo under hai, aur saath me {he hears this much n runs inside}
    Opens half door of jay’s room
    Finds jay and navin on bed, and talking to some1 on d other side
    Abhisekh opens the full door
    And Sees d most beautiful, d most elegant girl: Anamika
    {Having proposed her several times in the past, and getting rejected is a feet achieved only by Mr.
    Abhisekh}


    Abhisekh- anamika : beautiful man,
    Anamika- Abhisekh : shhhhhh..abhisekh plzzz [anamika furiously stopping him]
    Abhisekh- anamika: ok bas atleast “hi”
    Anamika – abhisekh : oh ya that’s better “ hi, kaisa hai, tu yaha kaise??”{ eyes showing naughtiness
    stating that she already knew that jay would inform abhisekh}
    Jay and navin: “ha abhisekh ,tu kyu yaha achanak aya,bol bol
    {Abhisekh showing killer look to both jay and navin}
    And all d three laughing
    Abhisekh stares the 2 devils present in the room and they understands that it’s their time to leave.
    Navin : chal anamika, mujhe ghar jana hai so byee.milte hai school me.
    Anamika : ha yaar, byee milna par, aise bhi sirf 1 month baki hai, for 12th grade to get over and then who
    knows who goes where.
    Jay: I will get you both some drink, wait.
    Both leave the room.


    So here it is,


    Abhisekh sitting in front of anamika{the most beautiful girl alive on the planet according to him}
    Anamika: “tere frnds mast hai na, tujhe flirt karne ke liye akela rehne diya”
    Abhisekh : “laughs” ,common anamika, u know me since 4 years and still tu ye bol rahi hai.?
    Anamika : abhisekh I know u since 4 years n isliye ye statement bol rahi hu
    Both laughs :
    So anamika ,
    {Anamika –breaks in between }
    Anamika: Abhisekh no
    Abhisekh: anamika, atleast listen na
    Anamika: Abhishek I know u..but the answer is same
    Abhisekh : anamika, me to movie ke liye puch raha tha.
    {wicked smile}
    Anamika : {too smiles}achaa
    Abhisekh: to chale ,aise bhi nxt mnth se time nai hoga ..board xams n all.
    Anamika: ya so ..when.. today evening
    Abhisekh: yup done..so will meet then.
    Anamika : kya ? you going, tu koi kaam se nai aya tha itni dur ?
    Abhisekh : jo kaam se aya tha, vo to ho gaya.” {blinks eyes}
    {both of them exchanges smiles and abhisekh leaves}
    Jay enters : are vo chala bhi gaya.
    Anamika :yup
    {Jay – anamika exchanges smiles}
    Jay: Is abhisekh a bad boy?
    Anamika – no
    Jay :a flirt type, a rowdy type and any such sort?
    Anamika-no no but why are u asking me such questions?
    Jay : so y cant u agree to abhisekh?

    U know he is d best guy, who loves u , adores u, makes u feel like a princess in the most possible way
    and still

    Anamika: jay I know, mujhe pata hai that he likes me,even he has asked me out, I even love to talk with
    him, but I can’t accept his love. I even wish he gets a better girl than me.

    Jay: but y not you?
    Anamika: bye jay, I am getting late.

    Jay: bhaag ne sawaal khatm nai ho jaye ga.

    Anamika: bhaag jane se jawaab sochne ka waqt mil jaye ga.
    { anamika leaves}

    Abhisekh and anamika goes for the movie and navin n jay n payal{anamika’s frnd }too
    The eye to eye contact which abhisekh proposes anamika and from eyes only how she refuses is
    always a pleasure to watch.

    Next week the school scenario enters where each and every students discusses about d studies…
    About d future aspects for life, the promises to meet at regular intervals and all sort.

    One such day, returning from the school in the evening and driving cycle with anamika.
    Abhisekh: tujhe kya lagta hai?
    Anamika: kisme?
    Abhisekh : ye jo log itne sare promises karte hai, of meeting each other and all sort, will they remember
    all this in future?
    Anamika : {laughs} kya pata ,god knows
    Anamika: By the way, I am really worried for you?
    Abhisekh : is it ? I m feeling happy for this . {laughs}
    Anamika : oh you stop it, not in that way you idiot…and u also know that.

    Just as a true friend or what u call a pure friend

    Abhisekh: oh .so sweet . but why ?

    Anamika: abhisekh, u are spending too much time in thinking about us, and that way u are not
    concentrating on studies.
    Abhisekh please for my sake, please do study and get good marks……………please.
    Abhisekh : ya anamika ya , i am doing
    Anamika : no .u are not
    Abhisekh: ok madam, I will do now bas.
    Now can we talk something sweet and pleasant?
    Anamika : ya “ dairy milk”
    Abhisekh : what ?
    Anamika : ya that’s it is sweet and pleasant
    {both laughs}

    Abhisekh: anamika 1 more question I want to ask ,what’s with us ?
    Anamika : abhisekh please, nothing of that sort till exams
    Abhisekh: okiessssss.{in a pleasure to}
    Suddenly both started n walked without uttering a word

    Both reached home, and thought that in general talks abhisekh asked such a question which none was
    able to answer.
    But leaving this aside they moved ahead

    Next few days till exam went on same,both of them didn’t talked much with each other, thinking that it
    would deviate anamika’s focus from studies but both asked about each other’s status from jay.
    Exams came and gone,

    And on the last day, when all were about to leave the campus jay told abhisekh that anamika was about
    to leave for Chennai the next day as her dad decided that she might do her college there and return only
    in vacations to the city.

    The next moment,

    Abhisekh and anamika standing on two ends of the school gate looking at each other.
    Anamika smiling and abhisekh rude n angry.
    Anamika came near to him and hugged him.
    And as they embraced each other, tears broke out from both of their eyes but none showed the other
    that they felt something .
    Abhisekh: tu ja rahi hai?
    Anamika : nobbed
    Abhisekh: wapas?
    Anamika: na
    Abhisekh: and what about us?

    Anamika: will call you whenever I will return in town, but apart from that I won’t.

    I know this is wrong from my part , but abhisekh , I can’t give you expectations by talking to you
    regularly ,and make you feel for me. Because we really don’t have future, we both know that we have
    liking for each other ,but after that I can’t think of u, can’t think of us so please abhisekh.
    And please if we at any point of time shared something between us, then u will not contact me.
    Abhisekh {tears in his eyes}: anamika for u, “A hundred times over again”, as u say.
    Abhisekh: And still for the last time I want to tell you again that u r the most beautiful gal. I had ever met
    in my life n i will never meet in my life.

    And for the d last time I want to tell you that we shared d purest form of relation .I can ever have with
    any 1
    and
    Both gets emotional and hugs each other, their eyes getting wet, but still controlling the tears.
    The next day she leaves for Banglore leaving a letter for me with jay and navin
    The letter stated :
    “Abhisekh, i really don’t know why to refuse you .But I know I can’t accept you.
    But still Whenever some1 in any part of the world will ask me, what love is like, I will answer in 1 word
    “Abhisekh joshi”
    They didn’t contacted each other till she was out, neither they met when she came to town.
    Just a few talks every year whenever she returned to town in first 2 years.

    The 3rd year when she came, she was committed to Raj.
    {abhisekh didn’t knew ,neither anamika told him, jay told this to abhisekh}

    That year whe she went back to Banglore , she scraped abhisekh on orkut :
    “ hey, I know ..that u must be enjoying life the fullest till now ,and so do the same.. take care, u know
    about suraj , but I dnt want to discuss about the thing ,as u understand”
    “Take care and focus on your life ”
    Tears felt from Abhisekh’s eyes.
    After college abhisekh rarely got any news about her, and they never met
    Since last year, abhisekh enrolled himself in a job,
    Anamika is busy with her {mba}
    And Raj in his high profile job
    {all news via jay}

    _———————————white light shines again———————————————
    Phone rings
    Abhisekh gets back from the memories, his eyes wet and still smiling
    Looks at the phone
    It’s mihir’s.
    Abhisekh: ya mihir say
    Mihir: can u join me and Riya for dinner, its special today, romil is also coming
    Abhisekh: sure dude will come around 8.
    Mihir: oh good, meet u then
    Abhisekh: mihir, by the way I got the story for the next book,
    Mihir: oh cool man, what’s that about?

    Abhisekh: My favorite topic “Define Love?”

    –The love which could have gone the either way ,went neither way :

                                                                                                     –ramtajogi

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  • Joker - A story beneath the mask | Short Story
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    Joker – A story beneath the mask | Short Story

    Joker – A story beneath the mask | Short Story

    “I don’t have any scars on my face nor did any additional efforts are made on it look good. No make-up, no masks. It’s the same as I look every day. But today, I am not able to figure out who I am? The face in the mirror is contradicting to the person I am feeling from deep inside. I am not feeling to be myself. Is this the real me? Is this what people see? Who is this? It’s me of my thoughts or me of people’s wishes?


    In the chaos going around him, outside his room, this was Ananth thinking, seeing his face in the mirror in front of him. A dim red light from the bulb bulging out on the top of the mirror focused on his face and brightened it. The noise was continuously increasing with every minute passing. But today it was different. Today nothing mattered to him, neither the noise, the people who were creating it was considered as a disturbance and nor did the focus of the light enlighten him.

    Today no chaos was as big as the one that was going in his mind. No actions going around were making him excited or curious. Today it was all he with himself; committed and dedicated to his thoughts. The door knocked quite a few times but eventually stopped after he shouted at them and asked them to leave him alone for some time.

    …..


    It is not something that happens every day. It is a day of introspection. Since last few days, he was feeling a deep pain in himself. He failed in his semester exams and also lost money in trading. Both of this took place in the same time frame and he was lost trying to figure out what went wrong. He needed the support of the people whom he thought were close to him. Not monetary support or any help in studies, he just needed people to stand by, holding his hands by the time he figures out what went wrong.

    He was not a bad student nor was he a bad trader but something still went wrong and that was what he was searching for and standing alone in such condition was making the situation even worse. He called Ananya –his love interest, but she ignored; texting him that she was busy instead of asking him a reason for the call.  His friends too sent a message that they were busy with their work. Suddenly he was seeing a different side of the picture. Whom he wanted with him then, had their priorities. He was feeling as if this was something he had been going through for a long time but he never realised it or felt that way.

    ….


    Today, everything was opening up to him. He realised how when he wanted a relationship; he got restricted to friendship when he wanted friends to love him; they asked him for making them feel good.  He needed support from family; they told him to get matured and do by himself. Whether it was his crush, his friends, family or anyone, no one was there in his need. How it was always he himself living his life as per the lives of others.
    In such a state of mind, he was looking at himself; asking “what is wrong with me? Why are people not there when I need them? Where does all their love get lost, when it is me and not them?

    ….

    He was not frustrated or much disappointed, he was just anxious. Today he just wanted to understand where does he stands in people’s life. What position does he hold in their heart apart from their needs? The power was also playing its game. It went on and off thrice within a span of 15 minutes and he was continuously observing himself in darkness and light from minute to minute. Staring at his own face, he realised how different he himself is from what is seen there.

    How a heart, with volcano bursting in there and with questions unanswered about him-self, has a contented face in the mirror. It was like his face was deceiving himself.  He realised how different he is to what people perceive him as from his face and action and also lately because of what people accepted him, he too went in with the flow the same way, instead of changing himself and making people aware of what he actually is. Also, he was not the one who was seen in the mirror. He was totally different. The face was the mask, the expressions were the make- up which were unintentionally formed to disguise him to others from the person he actually was.


    He realised that he smiled with people but deep somewhere in him he never was happy. Deep there he was always at the chaos with himself. He made people laugh with his words, but deep in there, he had lost his laughter years ago. He was always there to help people who needed it whether they were close to him or not, but inside he knew that he himself was the one who needed this help to the most. But still, he did maintain the perceived image; not for him, but for the people, because somewhere somehow he knew how it feels when you have the dearth of these things, and he never wanted to make others feel the same, what he was feeling every day and every night.


    But today it was not the same, the burden of carrying the expectations and wishes of people on his shoulder got too extreme to bear and he felt that it was not that he was being treated or considered as a support or helping hand or a person to be worthy of doing that.


    He felt he was a joker.

    A joker for the people around him. They come, watch him and leave him respectively, don’t belong to him. People belong to their needs, their requirements, their moods and he was always an option and the best solution for them. They laughed at his talks, enjoyed his company. He lightened their moods. He motivated them; solved their issues with their family, their relationship. But once things settle, everyone went on to their paths with their mates. And he was left there with a smile on his face and a contented heart. He was a part of peoples sorrow but was never a part of their happiness.


     He felt how many a time his family asked him to say something funny so that they do not get bored. It was most of the times the only reason for his friends visiting him. It was always the reason, for the girls coming to him, unknown and unaware of what he thinks or feels, of what his emotions are, but just for the one reason that he will make their mood good, with his witty sarcasm, humour talks and postures.

    ….

    He felt how a joker in the circus unknown and unaware of the people sitting and their moods, just try to take their sorrows away and make their time better, irrespective of what he is feeling deep inside him. Many facets of his life were getting played in front of him today. He felt he was never a women’s first choice for love, he was always a women’s first choice for laughter. Always up for the people whom he considered as his priority but for whom he was not even a second option. He was lost in that thought.


    And was connecting the various dots of the past to understand why his present hold the position he is in, and with less effort, he even connected them. Later he realised that in trying to make people happy and pleased with him, somewhere he himself became the Joker of life, unconsciously even unaware of it. He himself lost his feelings and emotions and surrendered then to laughter, in making people love him.

    ….

    He gave himself in, to be loved by them for the person he was and what he got was love for what he showed to them or for what he acted in front of them. What he thought should have been understood by them as an act to make them happy for a short time, was misunderstood as his personality. People began to think that he was a man for all, and what he did was to make everyone one. He became a symbol for good. His priorities and concern for his closed ones got ignored and his efforts in making them happy were generalized to all. Everyone felt that his concern was for all and so no one realised how some were even special to him.

    ……


    The red coloured dim light continued to fall on his face, bringing his smile back to him as his thoughts were getting clearer and clearer. Slowly he was digesting the fact that this role of a joker he himself had taken with his own wishes though he himself was unaware of it. But that too was not in his hands. He became a joker for some people to show his happiness in making them happy, to show his concerned for them but things were accepted altogether in a different way.


    The room knocked again, he came out of the thoughts he was in. His eyes were filled with tears and his lips smiled. He knew that his thoughts were a reality though not seen by everyone but not understood by them.
    A person from outside shouted again. Anant stood up and opened the door. Anil, the manager came inside. With a disgusting expression on his face, and infuriated tone he asked again,
    “Why are you not ready till now? The play has started Ananth.

    ….

    The artists are there performing on stage, it is your turn next and you are not ready yet? What are you thinking Ananth? What is wrong with you? Ananth smiled and replied, “I have got a few minutes. You please don’t panic; I will be there on time.


    To this, the manager said,” Ananth, do you know what are you going to do there? You have got an important role to play out there. You are a JOKER in the play and you are taking it this lightly. It is a very big burden of making people laugh. It is a very important part of this play. So please realise that and work. You have not even done the make-up and where is the mask?”
    Hearing this, a smile came on Ananths’ face. He saw his face in the mirror and pointing to his mirror image, he replied to the manager, “There it is. And this mask does not need make-up because he is totally different from the person who is hidden behind this face. This is a JOKER in real.

    The manager got curious listening to this and continuously stared Ananth. Seeing his curiosity, Ananth laughed, picked up the funny clone mask, he was about to wear and made his way out of the room towards the stage, where the audience was waiting to see the JOKER on stage.
                                                                 ————–@ramta jogi

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