Moongphali by Singh & Chhabra Mukesh Neha

Author:Singh & Chhabra Mukesh Neha [Neha, Chhabra Mukesh]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rupa Publications
Published: 2017-07-31T18:30:00+00:00

‘It’s important to make a shopping list before one goes shopping,’ he told himself. He began calculating, scribbling, erasing and then writing again for a while, then looking pleased with the list, he stuffed it in his pocket. As soon as he stepped out of the house, he bumped into Kushwaha Uncle who was pulling out his scooter from the parking area.

‘Uncle, how much money do you have right now?’ Ujjwal asked. ‘What kind of a question is that?’ Kushwaha Uncle was a little offended. ‘Just tell me, how much money do you have in your wallet right now?’ Ujjwal was persistent. ‘About sixty-seventy rupees, why?’ Kushwaha Uncle answered. Ujjwal made a face as though Kushwaha Uncle, who was visibly upset, was a roadside rogue. ‘Naughty, scoundrel…you…’ he mumbled, kickstarted his scooter and zoomed off, honking loudly.

Ujjwal walked out of his neighbourhood and reached the bazaar. The Diwali mela was in full swing. He made his way through the dense crowd. There were all kinds of rides and a variety of stalls in the mela. Hundreds of people were here either to shop and just for a fun outing. Ujjwal’s eyes fell upon a toy store that displayed all kinds of toy soldiers, toy cars and superheroes. He quickly ran upto the shop and got in.

‘How much is that big red remote-controlled car for?’ he asked confidently. ‘One hundred and twenty five rupees,’ the shopkeeper replied in a curt, robotic tone of voice. Ujjwal felt a blow to his confidence but he didn’t let it show. He asked in a gentler voice this time.

‘And that electronic spiderman?’ ‘Hundred and forty,’ the shopkeeper replied. Ujjwal’s face dropped visibly this time. How can such tiny toys be so expensive? He tried looking for something cheaper. ‘What about that small blue bike?’ His voice was even softer now. ‘Seventy,’ the shopkeeper replied. Ujjwal heaved a sigh of relief. He found his confident voice again. ‘What about that toy policeman?’ ‘Seventy five.’

Ujjwal’s eyes shone bright. Should I take the blue bike or the strong looking policeman? Just then he spotted Batman. He thought it would be in his budget too. ‘What about Batman?’ he asked. ‘Sixty five. What do you want? Don’t ask me the rate for every toy now,’ the shopkeeper was getting irritated. ‘Yeah, alright. Keep the blue bike and the policeman aside for me. I will return in a bit. And I don’t think you should speak to your customers like that,’ Ujjwal spoke his mind and walked out in style. Right next to the toy shop was the sports shop.

‘I think if I invest in sports equipment rather than in toys it would be a much wiser decision. The effect it would make on my friends will be great,’ Ujjwal thought and walked into the sports shop.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.