Little Black Book

Years ago, back in 2010, I had the good fortune for working on a trend forecasting project for a proper-proper blue chip company. Our job was to predict the future five years down the line, so that the company would be well prepared to get its pipeline of products in tune for the needs of its customers for the future.  It was the first time, I came across a company which had vision.  And the project and the predictions or in market speak, the trends that we forecasted have played themselves out enough for me to thump my chest like a Neanderthal calling out to Jane, the proverbial virgin.  Time has elapsed, and I seek the same rush of predicting future trends.  So, here are my trend forecasts for the next 5 years (2017 - 2022) Prime/Select/Premium subscriptions will enlist a human component and not just rely on an algorithm.  This includes media subscriptions such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime etc.  These services will be charg...

A tight slap across the girl’s soft cheek stopped her from screaming for help. ‘ Where can I find him? ’ Vishwa Anna questioned the girl, his fingers grabbed the girl’s hair, pulling it from its roots. Fear seeped through the girl’s jeans, wetting the car seat. ‘ The man you were fucking last night! Where is he? ’ Vishwa Anna expounded his question, as he shifted in his seat, his eyes languidly straying over the girl’s contours. ‘ I don’t know! I don’t even know his name! Please let me go! ’ The girl screamed. ‘ Take the car to the lake ’ Vishwa Anna tapped the driver on his shoulder from behind as he gave the direction. ‘ Eh! Give the newspaper ’ Vishwa Anna yelled to the guy seated behind him. Vishwa Anna handed the newspaper to the girl, ‘ Here! Sit on this. Stop pissing in my car. ’ Vishwa Anna waved his hand. Two pairs of hands reached out from behind pulling the girl to the very back of the car where they proceeded to pull apart her clothes and rape her. Her screams...

*11* ‘ Sir he is going with that woman and her son ’ The constable reported over the phone. ‘ Keep following him. There is something really fishy about that gora . Keep me informed every half an hour ’ Inspector Hemant Gowda instructed before hanging up. The inspector’s eyes glanced from Mr. Smith’s passport and impatiently waited for the screen to show the place where he would enter his password, one character at a time. But all he stared was the annoying bar flashing ever so slowly with the colorful words, ‘Windows 98’ spelled out in block letters. Inspector Hemant Gowda flipped through the passport and found that multiple pages had been stamped. Thailand, Greece, Spain, Bolivia. Mr. Smith seemed like a globetrotter. He wondered what was so great about the chain which this man was so keen on reacquiring. He had informed Rajshekar to track down Prasanna Gundappa and ensure that he got hold of this dastard chain that the firang seemed so keen on. He had to keep things low and...

*10* ‘I am sorry about all this’ The man spoke as the woman turned around after closing the main door behind her. ‘Shivu go and get ready for school’ The woman ignored the man and instructed her son. ‘Mumma! It is Sunday’ The boy rolled his eyes as he admonished his mother, before running to place his young behind on the settee and grabbed the TV remote. He punched buttons on the remote and Ninja Hatori came on the screen. ‘How long was I out?’ The man questioned as he tried standing up on his feet, with the bedsheet clutched around his waist. The woman walked to the kitchen ignoring the man. The man stretched and took support of the couch and the dining table as he followed her into the kitchen. ‘I didn’t mean to cause you guys any trouble. I will be out soon. As soon as I figure out where my shirt is’ The man explained. The woman opened the fridge and pulled out six eggs. She loudly plopped the skillet on top of the stove, yelled to her son from the kitchen. ‘Shivu, wha...

*9* ‘ Move! Move! Move! ’ The instructor screamed into the megaphone as the recruits whinged and crawled their way under the barbed wire with live fire going whizzing past their heads. ‘Remember this sound! This is the sound of AK-47! This is the weapon of choice of your enemies, of our enemies. And it makes a very distinctive sound.’ The instructor yelled as he watched one of the recruits duck to avoid getting his head blown off. Yvet looked over his shoulder and looked at his buddy and smiled his gleeful smile. ‘You watch my six!’ Yvet grunted. The man grinned, showcasing his white teeth before the instructor kicked dirty water over the two. ‘ Move! Move! Move! ’ The two men trudged forward on their fours in water, mud and pig guts strewn over the barbed wires, to replicate human fatalities. The man opened his eyes. The ceiling didn’t look familiar; neither did the smell of the place. It wasn’t a hospital - the smell was too floral and homely to be a hospital or a cl...