short-story
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Bananas Don’t Belong in the Fridge
– a Talesmith Short by Rajesh Muthuraj At seventy-two, Gopal moved into a senior residency with one dream: peace. No office calls, no relatives asking him to fix taps, and absolutely no roommates. He had spent forty years earning enough money to finally sit quietly and complain about the government in silence. Unfortunately, the residency… Read more
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The Great WhatsApp Disaster
– a Talesmith Short by Rajesh Muthuraj Rohan had two WhatsApp groups that looked dangerously similar. One was called “The Legends” — his chaotic friends’ group where people sent memes at 2 a.m. and roasted each other mercilessly. The other was “The Legends Family Group” — where his aunties sent bright “Good Morning” roses acknowledged… Read more
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The First Dosa Always Dies for a Cause
By Rajesh Muthuraj | A Talesmith Original Every kitchen has its fallen hero. The gas hisses. The tawa gleams. The batter waits, innocent and confident, like a student ready for the exam it will definitely fail. You swirl the ladle with all the grace of a master chef on a cooking show. For a moment,… Read more
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The Great Rice Rumble: Basmati vs The Rest
Announcer’s Voice:“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to TONIGHT’S MAIN EVENT! Live from the steel cooking pot arena! In the white corner, weighing almost nothing but acting like royalty… the so-called ‘King of Aroma’… give it up for BAS-MAAA-TIIII!” Trumpets play, Basmati enters, leaving a trail of fragrance. He bows to the crowd dramatically. Announcer:“And in the… Read more
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Two Hours, One Journey – The Ride That Transformed a Lifetime
Chapter 1: The Meet-Cute in Traffic Rajiv’s phone buzzed relentlessly as he dashed out of his office building, the harsh midday sun turning the city sidewalks into a shimmering mirage. His sharp-collared shirt was slightly crumpled from the stress of the morning, and his tie hung a little loose—just like his patience. “Just one more… Read more
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You’re on Mute… and So is Your Conscience”
—The Zoom Chronicles of Manish, the Master Multitasker The Legend of Manish In Team Delta, there was a Zoom ninja – Manish.• He never turned on his video – not even when HR insisted on a camera-on culture.• He nodded at exactly the right moments.• He threw in phrases like “leverage ecosystem” and “synergise the… Read more
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Man-To-Man
Rohan, 35year old and a school teacher, was a man burdened by unspoken emotions. He lived with his wife, daughter, and aging father, Gauresh Sharma (70, a retired clerk) in their modest home. What was once a vibrant joint family now hummed with an unspoken quietude. Rohan’s mother had passed years ago, leaving a void… Read more
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The Quiet Hum of a Broken Man
Meet Rajeev, the ever-smiling breadwinner but a man carrying the weight of the world with a smile plastered on his face. His laughter, a melody that once filled rooms with joy, now echoed in the hollow chambers of his heart, a stark contrast to the vibrant facade he presented to the world. He was a… Read more
