Sample Copy. Not For Distribution. - Educreation · afternoon which I choose to open my story. My...

Sample Copy. Not For Distribution.

once upon a time

Saurav Chhawchharia is currently one of the youngest authors

of India. Based in Rajasthan, he is a keen observer of life and

lokei c{jching iurjle inciqenji from peoplei’ likei lhich

portray its depth and essence. Besides writing, he loves

reading, travelling and sketching.

To get in touch with him, drop him a message on Instagram

(@iamsauravc), Facebook (@iamsauravc) or write him an e-

mail ([email protected]).

Praise for Once Upon A Time

“Thii rooh h{i j{hen my minq jo nel lekeli of im{gin{jion. I

must say you have a great ability to showcase minute details of

human emotions.”

- Ganesh Nair

“|’m in loke lijh jhii rooh. |’m re-re{qing ij {nq ij’i juij lihe {

picjure lhile |’m re{qing ij. |j g{ke me Gooierumpi!”

- Janaki

“The uie of lorqi {nq phr{iei ii re{ujifully qone. | {m

fl{rrerg{ijeq.”

- Debleena Deka


http://www.instagram.com/iamsauravc

http://www.facebook.com/iamsauravc

“}{lfl{y jhrough jhe rooh | re{lizeq your lorh h{i reen

terrific. I was awestruck!”

- Nitya Jain

“This book has got a whole new level.”

- Vaishali

“I liked the format of it. Interesting approach of telling those

stories! The only inspirational stuff |’ke enjoyed reading in a

lhile.”

- Shalini V Selvan

“This book is another name of inspiration. Something which

every dreamer should certainly read. From the first page itself,

I kept my questioning that if this little boy can go after his

dreams so bravely, why c{n’j |?”

- Shradha Mehta

“On jhe jop of my he{q, | liheq jhe iurjecjikiim of your lorh.

Unqourjeqly, jhere’i no m{ih-up in your book, direct

projecjion of your percepjion.”

- Nilesh

They are not professional book reviewers, bloggers, or editors

of any newspaper. But they are celebrities! They are the readers,

just like you, just like I am when reading some other book. And

they are who this book is for – for them, for you!


once upon a time

S A U R A V C H H AW C H H A R I A

E D U C R E A T I O N P U B L I S H I N G


EDUCREATION PUBLISHING

RZ 94, Sector - 6, Dwarka

New Delhi - 110075

Shubham Vihar, Mangla

Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh - 495001

www.educreation.in

Copyright © Saurav Chhawchharia

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-61813-895-8

Price: `314

Printed in India

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a

retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,

mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of

the author.

The opinions/contents expressed in the book are solely of the author and do not

represent the opinions/ standings/thoughts of Educreation.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the

proqucj of jhe {ujhor’i im{gin{jion or {re uieq ficjijiouily {nq {ny reiemrl{nce to

any actual person, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or

otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the author’i

prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is

published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed

on the subsequent purchaser.


DEDICATED TO

YOU READER DREAMER


TO

Mummy and Papa

Sameer & Sudhir Chacha


1

One I

‘��-Com-peuter Kal-y�l�zzvth,’ ��hil rv�q wrom {hv

hoarding in his broken English after dusk had begun to fall the

corresponding evening, trying to maintain a foreign accent in

hiz }orqz. �v’q pronounuvq i{ v~�u{l� �z {hv li{vr�{v }orlq qiq,

he thought to himself before he stood straight, stretching his

chest out in the joy of having read it so precisely.

‘�h�{?’ �rqul zhr�ny hiz worvhv�q in r�wwlvmvn{.

‘�ompvu{vr ��l�zzvth.’ hv rvpv�{vq, ‘�v z�iq hv’ll {v�uh mv

how to operate that–’ hv p�uzvq �nq looyvq �t the hoarding

rvworv rv�qinx �louq �x�in, ‘–�ompvu{vr.’

‘�ompvu{vr? �ou mv�n {h�{?’ �rqul poin{vq �{ {hv pho{o ow �

desktop on the hoarding.

‘�v�h, v~�u{l�.’ rvplivq ��hil �z � rro�q zmilv v|�qvq hiz w�uv.

‘�ou know? They say you must know English before you can

uzv {h�{. �{ h�z v|vr�{hinx in �nxlizh!’ hv rv}�rvq.

‘�o }h�{? � yno} ho} {o rv�q, �ou zvv. � z�} i{ h�q }ri{{vn

over it MI-KRO-�iyrozoph{!’ hv rvu�llvq wrom hiz mvmor�, ‘�

want to be a BIG man, right. I need to have the knowledge of

�nxlizh!’

‘�ou’rv rvuominx yinq� z{uq, m�n!’ hv uhuuylvq �z hv {hrv}

hiz h�nqz �{ hiz r�uy, ‘�nxlizh-|inxlizh, vh!’

‘�v�h, �’ll rv � uvlvrri{� onv q��, ruqq�! �’ll h�|v � ��

bungalow and a lot, lot, lot of fans out there waiting for my

autograph and to have a picture with me. That something,

um…’


2

‘�vlphvv’ �rqul uomplv{vq him, or �{ lv�z{, xuvzzvq.

‘��-sel-selphie-zvlwiv. �v�h, zvlwiv, i{ iz u�llvq!’ hv z�iq �z �

broad smile returned to conquer his lips and brightened his

face despite the dullness it had gathered. It was wonderful, he

wondered, his pronunciation. Or maybe, it was wonderful.

‘� mv�n {hv z�mv. �vl-Sel–’

‘�vlwiv’ ��hil uomplv{vq him.

‘�vlwiv, �v�h, zvlwiv’ hv zpoyv �z hv looyvq up �nq wro}nvq �{

the sky in a way of surveillance.

Evenings seldom spoke, in spite of this, there was still so

much one could explore in the silences, always. The sun was

placed right over the horizon �nq i{ }�z rvq huv. �{ }�zn’{ lonx

before darkness was going to seize the place, he could guess

but more than musing over that, he preferred to keep his

glance at the beauty the sun offered those moments. The street

lights began pouring their light on the roads as the sun

departed for departed for the other part of the world. It was

early summers and so it might was seven-thirty about then, he

thought before he ran a sharp eye at the clock that hung deep

inside a shop on the other side of the road. It was far and it was

difficult to figure out the position of its hands, and so he

twisted his brows and adjusted his pupil a bit to gaze at that.

They were at seven, both the hands of the clock. Or might

were zomv}hvrv rv{}vvn zv|vn �nq vixh{, hv qiqn’{ yno}

exactly.

‘�hvn hv has u�llvq �ou?’ rv{urnvq �rqul.

‘�w{vr hv’q rv qonv }i{h {hv uuz{omvrz. �{’q rv �rounq vixh{,

hv z�iq.’ ��hil replied.

‘�{’z ulozv {o.’

Sahil shrugged.

‘�ou u�n uhoozv {o }�i{ inziqv, iw �ou prvwvr.’ hv zuxxvz{vq.

He shrugged again before he pushed the door open and

stepped inside. Abdul hesitated at first thinking he should


3

return but Sahil pulled him inside the next moment. There was

a batch and there were people with whom Kartik was busy

before he noticed the two. That might was a batch of adults,

meanwhile they guessed.

‘�unu{u�l, vh!’ ��r{iy rvm�ryvq �z hv no{iuvq {hv {}o �w{vr �

short while.

‘�or{-of. We had already finished our chores and also it was

close {o vixh{, zo }v tuz{ {houxh{.’ rvplivq ��hil.

‘�v?’ rv{urnvq ��r{iy �z hv r�n �n in{vrvz{vq v�v {hrouxh

Abdul.

‘�h, �rqul! � mv�n, hv’z �rqul. �� wrivnq, m� uollv�xuv, �nq

m�, um, rro{hvr! � u�n z�� {h�{.’ his eyes had a strange delight

as he introduced him to Kartik.

‘�rv�{! � mv�n, xl�q {o mvv{ �ou, uh�mp!’ hv pullvq ou{ hiz

hand as his lips stretched into a smile.

Abdul looked at the hand for a while before he steadily

pulled out his arm and gently, hesitatingly drifted his palm

in{o {hv o{hvr’z.

‘�o{ {h�{ }��, uh�mp!’ ��r{iy rvm�ryvq �z hv {vnzvq hiz

vlro} muzulvz, ‘�{ ouxh{ {o rv wirm, � xooq h�nqzh�yv.’

‘�irm?’ hv zvvmvq r�wwlvq.

‘�h�{ mv�nz {ixh{. � xooq h�nqzh�yv ouxh{ {o rv {ixh{. �h�{

signifies a level of formal excellence and depicts a standard of

prowvzzion�lizm.’

‘�vpiu{z?’ hv zvvmvq r�wwlvq �x�in.

‘�ho}z.’ rvplivq ��r{iy. ‘Anyway, r�uy {o �ou in � minu{v.’

Saying so, he walked inside to disperse the batch.

He returned to them as soon as the people inside moved out,

and then ejaculating a couple of welcome greetings, escorted

the two boys inside.

‘�vll, ��hil, {hiz iz }hvrv �ou �rv xoinx {o lv�rn {o opvr�{v

computer, the next couple of mon{hz!’ hv uon{inuvq {o v~pl�in

but ��hil’z v�vz }vrv ruz� uounseling the desktops in utter


4

astonishment, wide open and eyeballs popping out, and so was

the reaction of Abdul.

‘�inv, zo zh�ll }v rvxin?’ ��r{iy �zyvq �nq looyvq up �{ {hv

face that was too busy wondering than to listen to him. The

next moment, he added xvn{l� ro}inx �w{vr him, ‘�h�ll, }v –

begin – iw �ou �rv qonv }i{h v~�mininx �ll {hiz z{uww?’

Sahil ignored him again as he ran a gentle hand over the

mouzv, }hvn zuqqvnl�, }i{h � rliny, {hv moni{or’z qizpl��

came up. Scared for a moment, he quickly pulled his hand and

took a step back.

‘�a ha<’ Kartik chuckled as he pulled the stool out and flung

{o i{, ‘�v{ zv�{vq, m� ro�!’ hv poin{vq {o �no{hvr z{ool �nq

Sahil softly pulled two of them out and the chaps then placed

themselves over them, horrified and still musing, whether

something had got troubled up? But then, nothing such was

depicted by the manner Kartik responded, with a chuckle!

The first class turned out pretty concise. Half-an-hour

hardly, comprising of the very basic introduction of the wares

to the chaps and vice-versa. The hands of the clock were

strolling around eight when the chaps moved out, delighted

and with eyes sparkling and twinkling, beneath the fluorescent

light from above that traced the way to their destination.

II

April.

It was yet another hot, dry summer evening a couple of

weeks since our boards had concluded when I was sitting on

the armchair in my room, after the window and had spent my

whole afternoon staring outside at some mirage on the

deserted road outside. In fact, it was usual for me to sit and

stare at some mirage for hours continuously, being it my way

to spare some time for one of those countless fantasies I used


5

to create and live in. Those goofy, meaningless fantasies, I knew

were far, far from getting true but were still pleasuring and I

still spent a huge chunk of my time pondering over them.

�o}’q � aqqrvzz {hv xa{hvri�x iw � wixh{ a� vlvu{io�? �o}’d I save the

world from terror and restore peace? What if another World War

happens and I am the last soldier left?

Like those terrorists were waiting for this guy to grow up so that

they could surrender themselves and like I was to fight with myself if I

was the last soldier left! Sometimes, I would pick up my diary

and scribble something or the other and well, I knew it was

foolish of me but that was how my afternoons went anyway,

sitting after the window on the armchair in my room and

staring outside in nothingness till dusk would have fallen

somewhat, the evening prayers echoed in the streets and the

sun drowned inside the horizon completely. One alike was that

afternoon which I choose to open my story. My story, or

perhaps just a couple of pages and several thousand words

opted and spun together to tell a bit about my life. That day I

left my place a little early when the sun was still there, still red

and on its way to hide behind the fence. My grandpa was back

at home and wanted to dine and despite the fact that it was

pretty early for dinners around the world to commence, I

qiqn’{ �rxuv ru{ zilvn{l� }�lyvq downstairs. �v’q rvvn

following this ritual of dining together ever since my memory

has it and missed it rarely. Mother said it began after my dad

died. I don’{ rvmvmrvr m� q�q though, perhaps because I was

too young to remember at that time he deceased, mother often

told about him and his affection for me. He wished me to be

handled with as much tenderness and care that even the royals

envy my luxury. Though he was never that prosperous when it

came to money, he never refused for anything as long as it

involved me. Everything I needed was at my service a moment

before my mom gave a call for it, she used to tell me and I


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