Freaky Chakra

Time: 8:00 PM The first wicket was down. One more and Pushpak would be setting foot in the PPL pavilion for the very first time. Yet, instead of excitement, he felt hollow — a fraud, a puppet dancing to his owner’s strings. If only Nishi were here. She would have known what to do… Every ball sent his heart into overdrive. Any delivery could claim a batsman, just as planned. His nerves snapped when a hand gripped his shoulder. Oh, great. He turned, bracing himself. It was Sahil. The so-called “superhero” from the movies. Sahil eased into the seat beside him. “Pushpak, I’m sorry for dragging you into this,” he said quietly. “This isn’t about the money. Do you think I need dirty money? My parents raised me to be honest… but life isn’t black and white. Sometimes fear drives us to choices we never imagined. For me, that fear is losing the people I love.” He paused, drew in a long breath, and went on. “Ninety percent of cricket is real glory. Ten percent is theatre. That’s the game now. But ...

Rewind Time: Same day, 11:45 AM “Bhai, please. It’s his first match. Can’t we think of another oe?” pleaded Sahil Shah. “No, it has all been fixed here. Money has changed hands” replied Bhai Running the business wasn’t easy anymore. Loyalties kept shifting, double agents lurked everywhere, and each deal was becoming a headache. Around 12:00 PM, Bhai calls up Boss in India. What kind of a name was that? Bhai smirked as the call went through.  Changing Bose to Boss may have sounded silly to most, but Boss loved it — everyone, even kingpins, had to call him Boss. 20 crore was the deal for a seat under the KJP banner for the upcoming election. Boss had managed to gather it all, but his hunger was insatiable. He wasn’t just after influence; he was thirsty for the kind of power that bent people to your will. Money had always come easy to him — he lived king size, sprawling bungalow, luxury cars, a following that bowed when he walked by. But political power was different. It wasn’t about ...

Rewind, Time: same day, 3:00 PM Everyone loved Panchimda—he was Mr. Congeniality.  The kids adored him, the staff respected him, even the snotty principal had a soft spot for him. He had been with the school for over forty years; the school and his village were his whole world. Sure years ago when he caught the train to the city from Kolkata, he had dreamed of making it big. However, life wasn’t as glossy as the movies he had seen. Not everyone who worked hard made money. However, it never deterred him from his faith in honesty and goodwill.  He never imagined having a family of his own, there were so many people out there that could use some loving and care and hence he made the world his family. It was no wonder then that when Pushpak needed money for enrolling in the coaching academy, he decided to help without a second thought.  Pushpak always believed it was Nishi who had lent him the money but in reality it was Panchimda. He knew Pushpak would never take the money f...

  Rewind: Same day, 8:00 AM Brijraj Patel was a stickler for routines, especially the one related to his money - counting his money before he went to bed and the first thing in the morning.  His wife called him a miser, as did his children. He had assets above 200 crores, yet he hated what  he termed as  "unnecessary" expenditure of any kind. In fact he had several sleepless nights after his son requested for a BMW for his 16th birthday and went on a hunger strike until he caved.  Kids today were such spendthrifts, thought Brijraj. To this day, he kept his father’ safe with him, perpetually stocked with ten to twenty lakhs since he believed the safe brought him luck.  He also had his special secret storage unit under his bed where he kept close to 5 crores, a small part of his unaccounted money. Unlike other parents he did not have huge aspirations for his children's individual success, he had it all planned, his daughter he would marry off to a rich ...