2014: #55WordStory Themes - Set 1

Theme: Curiosity

She had two passions in life – writing and film gossip. To pursue these, she applied for the role of a film magazine journalist.

At the interview, the Editor asked her about her biggest strength for this role and her response was: ‘Curiosity to find out what is happening in their lives.’

Theme: Reading

"Pursue your passion and enjoy your hobbies." said the professor on the last day of the graduation ceremony.

"Oh that's easy for me. My passion is the same as my hobby. Reading." said Malini to her friend Beena.

"That's interesting. In my case, it is writing. So I will write and you read." laughed Beena.

Theme: Allure

The dance floor was crowded. Her shining nose ring was the first thing that caught his attention through the smoke from the smoke machines. She turned towards him and her kohl eyes were alluring enough for him to get mesmerized. The sixth drink was enough for him to mistake a mannequin for a beautiful lady.

Theme: Video Game

Shalini was seething with rage and waiting for her husband Rajiv.

Her suspicions made her check the browser history of Rajiv and she found words like 'Infidelity and Sex'.

Rajiv came home with a box of cake and announced 'Honey. Months of hard work has paid off. My new video-game will be called 'Sex & Infidelity'.

Theme: Neck

He felt it on his neck first. He ignored it. He then felt it on his arms and he couldn't ignore it any longer.

He was visiting the same place where he had spent many memorable moments with her and today, when she was not with him, he was getting goosebumps all over his body.

Theme: Quintessence

Salil got his big break when he secured the role of Vice-President in a leading MNC. But he was surprised at the culture of the company, where even Vice-Presidents couldn't have a difference of opinion with the CEO. This was quintessentially coming from the subconscious mindset of Indians due to years of ruling by the British.

Theme: Social Media

I knew I wanted to do something like this. There was always the urge, but wasn't aware of the source. A place where like-minded people could talk on a similar topic but with different perspectives. Social Media got me on Twitter and made me find the #55wordstory theme and have been addicted to it since then.

Theme: Date

The argument was heating up between Sonu and Bhola.

"Mango is the best fruit in the world" said Sonu

"No. Watermelon is the best fruit in the world." argued Bhola

"Let us ask Radhika. She knows better." spoke Sonu

"There is no fruit better than date." said Radhika and walked out of the room casually.

2013: #55wordstory Themes: Week 1

Theme: Illusion

He woke up with a startle.

Was this a nightmare? Or was this real?

Was he really lying on the hospital bed? Or was that also part of a dream that he was still having?

What was reality and what was an illusion was something he had to decipher.

The hash brownies had played their trick.

Theme: Passion

For ten years, she went to the beach every day. She felt the waves talk to her and come close to her, sometimes touching and caressing her body and sometimes teasing and going away. This was pure passion.

She stopped going to the beach, the day she realized that these waves will always go back.

Theme: Children

The first raindrop was enough to send us into a frenzy. Rushing out with our paper boats, ready to jump into puddles without a care about the world. No stress of daily rigmarole nor the rigour of the daily grind. Free spirit and a clean and creative mind.

Childhood was a great stage of life.

Theme: Sand

Ranbir was born with a silver spoon. All his wishes got fulfilled, making him believe that owning everything was his birth right.

When he started dating Radhika, he started getting possessive about her, which suffocated her.

He did not realize that a relationship is like sand – tighter the grip, sooner it goes out of hand. 

Theme: Dust

It was brought home with great fanfare. The entire neighborhood came to congratulate us. Soon, it became an integral part of our lives, with all events happening around it. It was witness to our joy and sorrow over the years.

Today, the black and white TV is gathering dust with no-one willing to buy it.

Theme: Invent

Churning out stories from thin air!

Creating something on a page, where nothing existed moments ago. With every word, a chain is formed. A series of such chains is what leads to a creation. Sometimes the word limit of 55 keeps the chain small. But, if this is not an invention, then what is?

Theme: People

There were hundreds of them. All had come together to show their humane side. Each of them believed that they were a good human being. As soon as they entered the alley, they were greeted with a row of mirrors. Not a single reflection of people. Each mirror reflected a beast, their inner evil! 

#55wordstory: Themes: Week 9

Theme: Platonic

It was a small seed at first. Too small to even notice. But soon, the roots took their place. With every passing day, the roots grew stronger. Uprooting them now was impossible. This small seed of 'Doubt' grew so big, that it stopped differentiating between physical relationship and platonic friendship and ended a beautiful journey. 

Theme: Noise
Rajeev: "I am buying lots of noise making crackers for my son Sid. After all Shor Na Machaya toh Mazaa Nahin Aaya"

Sail: "That is good but ask him to be careful. I still feel sad for Rahim. After last year's incident, the deafening sound of silence is the noise that bothers him a lot." 

Theme: Angst
It was a momentary lapse of judgment and Rajan's short-temper, which led him to hit Roshita.

She went to another room and closed it to decide her next set of action between her sobs.

The choice was between calling the police or forgiving Rajan.

She decided for the latter by hanging herself from the fan. 

Theme: Brazen
Having always been a topper Derek didn't want to miss it this time either. But this time it was different.

He was caught cheating. Instead of being brazen about it, he broke down. The death of his mother a month back didn't allow him to prepare and his first attempt at cheating had fallen flat.

Theme: Furtive
Sitting at a cafe in Paris, Raul kept giving furtive glances to Lolita while sipping his cup of coffee.

Anyone noticing this would have thought Raul to be shy and not being able to walk across and speak to her.

No one knew that Raul was a detective hired to keep a watch on Lolita.

#55wordstory - Themes: Week 7

Theme: Kill
For miles and miles, all one could see was the pure white expanse of snow like a canvas. The mountains stood tall and proud with no hubris or arrogance.
But it all changed 13 years back with blotches of red spoiling the pristine beauty and taking away the silence.
Kargil – something we will never forget.

Theme: Damage
Being teenagers, their emotions were fragile. A trip to the amusement park got her heart in her mouth. The roller -coaster ride made her scream and he laughed at her. The relationship was damaged there and it was a closed case. She was just trying to understand love and all he had was lust for her.

Theme: Envy
Radheshyam's car was getting scratches daily and he reported to the police, who caught Manekchand red-handed.
On interrogation, he revealed his jealousy on seeing the new 32-inch TV of Radheshyam and so he did this.
When police realised the brand of the TV, they had a hearty laugh. The brand was Onida - 'Owner's Pride. Neighbour's Envy'.

Theme: Death
Meera and Sameer exchanged their vows and said “Till death do us apart” amidst friends and family. Theirs was a love marriage after three years of courtship.
Meera’s bad dream turned out to be her premonition when Sameer met with an accident.
The words that rang in her head were: “Till death do us apart”

Theme: Supernatural
Everyone thought that Karim was alone and lonely. He did not think like that. He had an unwanted companion with him for years.
It seemed as if there was some supernatural power that ensured that he was never alone and pain was his constant companion.
Karim longed for solitude, at least without this companion.

Theme: Blue
It was the first art class of the six year olds. The teacher asked them to draw and colour a river.
Everyone except Ameya coloured the river blue. He coloured it black.
When asked, he replied " But madam, I've always seen the Yamuna as black and never blue. My house is on the river bank".

#55wordstory - Themes: Week 5

Theme: Taste

It seemed like a case of murder for robbery, but the autopsy report revealed poison in his blood. The police found no evidence of poison in the house. They didn't check the wall plaster that was coming off. His brother knew he loved the taste of chalk from childhood and hadn't given up as yet. 

Theme: Words

He got into a relationship early in life. It was game of scrabble which led to the initial sparks. What followed was knowing each other more. Love blossomed further while graduating in English Literature. Its been years and they're still going strong. As a writer, today, words are his addiction and his companion for life. 

Theme: Alcohol

Being a car race driver was a thrill and a passion for him. Every win was celebrated with a success party with a glass in hand throughout the evening. Soon addiction took over and now every loss also follows a similar pattern. Only difference is that the word 'success' is missing and he parties alone. 

Theme: Seduction

Ice cubes: Check

Strawberries: Check

Honey: Check

Chocolate sauce: Check

Ragini was pleased with her shopping list. Rajan looked at it and smiled. "I am impressed sweetheart and am looking forward to a night of passion and seduction".

"Oh Shut Up Rajan. This is for the birthday party of our four year old." Rajan sighed. 

Theme: Fight

8.01 am. The fast local to Churchgate was packed. A push here and a shove there was leading to arguments and fights. This was the kind of opportunity Suleman looked for. Picking pockets in such a scenario was pretty easy. He did not know that CCTVs had been installed last night on the Western Line. 

Theme: Possession

While playing, Jhanvi hurt herself. Her mother took her tears in her hand and said "These are pearls. Don't waste them."

Few days later at the mall, Jhanvi innocently went to her mother and told her "Mom. If Papa is not buying you that pearl necklace, please use my pearls that are in your possession." 

Theme: Irony

Growing up in a middle class family with limited means had made Michal stingy. This nature of his caused a lot of stress in his marriage to a girl who liked to live the good life. Michal has changed now and he indulges and pampers himself often. Ironically, this change happened after May left him. 

Theme: Taste

It seemed like a case of murder for robbery, but the autopsy report revealed poison in his blood. The police found no evidence of poison in the house. They didn't check the wall plaster that was coming off. His brother knew he loved the taste of chalk from childhood and hadn't given up as yet. 

Theme: Games

It was raining heavily and Sonu was getting bored. His father made a paper boat in front of Sonu and put it in the puddle. Sonu saw this as an exciting game. When it rained next, Sonu made many boats while his father was asleep. He thought the money in his father's wallet was paper.

Theme: Name

He was being felicitated for his phenomenal work in cancer research and he dedicated his prize to his mother who had succumbed to the dreadful disease ten years back. But even after such success, filling a form that asked for a father’s name made him cringe. Living the life of a bastard was a curse. 

Theme: Bollywood

"Were you a barber in your past life?" asked the brawny actor.

"What? No! I mean how do I know? Why do you ask?" said the famous action hero.

"Because you love using the scissors a lot on the editing table!" said the brawny actor and walked off.

The action hero was stumped and speechless. 

Theme: Distance

Adnan proudly posted his half-marathon pictures on Facebook, and there were 55 comments. Adnan running a distance of 21 km was unexpected. People asked him when his philosophy - ‘Live to Eat’ had changed and how had he managed the weight loss. The word Liposuction was not mentioned even once by him in any comment.

#55wordstory - Themes: Week 4

Theme: Obsession
Fifteen years had passed since they met last. They were inseparable in college. Binge drinking on graduation night followed by the bike ride home turned fatal. Rajeev lost his vision and his love. Today, he knew she was sitting next to him in the flight. He knew that smell. She always wore Calvin Klein Obsession.

Theme: Suitcase
He saw his parents slog for 25 years and letting go off all their joys to pick up a rat-hole in the suburbs of the city that was bursting at the seams. He knew his path since then. When asked, ‘What do you do?’, ‘I'm a vagabond’. ‘Where do you stay?’. 'Always in a suitcase'.

Theme: Wish
The phone beeped once again. Nirvaan rushed towards it. 'Hey dude! Happy Birthday. Have a blast. Cheers!'. Another birthday wish but not the one he was waiting for. Just one message from Ria is all he wished for. When together, they had dreamt and wished for many things. Divorce was surely not one of that.

Theme: Leather
Simran's promotion party at her penthouse was at its peak. Kamini dropped her glass of red wine on the plush white leather sofa at Simran's house. She didn't know that Simran loved animals and never bought real leather. Simran didn't know that Kamini did this because she was the other contender for the same role.

Theme: Mad
At the age of ten, it was evident that she possessed talent that even the 16 year old did not have. After few concerts, she knew this was her calling. Her first album itself was a platinum. She gave the nickname herself when she told her first interviewer "Don't call me Madonna. Call me MAD!".

#55wordstory - Themes: Week 3

Theme: Vintage

It looked like a scene from the 30s’. Amer Fort looked radiant and decked up like a new bride in its bright lights. Sherwanis and Jodhpuris adorned proudly by the erstwhile princes. Tonight was the annual bash after the Polo Cup, where Cadillacs and Buicks gave the Princes a chance to relive the vintage era. 

Theme: Dysfunctional

By the time Jonathan reached fifth grade, he was cracking the mathematics problems of ninth standard. On his 19th birthday, he was felicitated for getting an IIT degree and finishing his doctorate in Applied Physics. He loved his nickname ‘Einstein’. Ironically, people called him Einstein even after he was detected with Alzheimer’s disease at 35

Theme: Chemistry

Rajan was confused. He asked Sanjeev with a puzzled look "Please explain this article. 'Shahid Kapoor and Nargis seen together in Goa! The chemistry between them was evident.' How can that be? When two people come closer, it's the force of attraction, which is physics and not chemistry. Isn't it Dad?" Sanjeev didn't have an answer. 

Theme: Deception

Gareth was a VIP at Casino Royale. Blackjack was his game. It was his seventh visit and he had lost 10 lacs till now. The House loved such clients. If only they knew that he was nicknamed Lucky Seven in the Las Vegas circuit as that's when he would swipe the House clean in one night. 

Theme: Aliens

Krish joined work after a break of ten days. He had taken to seek psychiatric help as he had been dreaming of UFOs since the past few weeks. Today everyone was heading to Blue Frog and asked him to join. Alien Chutney was performing there. He did not want to go anywhere near aliens anymore. 

Theme: Hotel

It was past 2 am and the party ended abruptly. Neighbours had complained and police had landed at the door. People started leaving reluctantly when suddenly the speakers started blaring ‘Hotel California’. Saif wanted to have the last word as this was his success party and Chhote Nawab did it in style before getting arrested. 

Theme: Spices

"Why did you kill him?", asked the lawyer. "Because he loved spices." Everyone in the court room were bewildered to hear this. "What are you saying Ms. Dalal?". She spoke nonchalantly "I caught him in bed with his secretary. When I asked why he did this to me, he replied 'Variety is the spice of life'." 

Theme: Cafes

I finally got the collage ready. Choosing the best ones from the lot was quite easy.

The day I held her hand for the first time, my first appraisal in my career, and my meeting with her parents to ask for her hand. Yes, this was a perfect collage of the memories that I had collected at various cafes.

#55wordstory - Themes: Week 2

Theme: Job

"My job sucks man!" said Divakar while gulping his peg of whiskey. "Yeah man! Crazy hours, pathetic pay and a moron boss" chipped in Tulika. While heading home, they saw an old man without legs, at the signal and Rhea spoke "He is working in this condition, at this hour and we complain our work sucks!"

Theme: Paper

It was his fourth attempt. He tried his best but still found it difficult to manage it. He tried using various books, surfed the Internet to get tips to improve, even asked friends for help and guidance, but the result would just be the same. He never knew writing a love letter would be so difficult. 

Theme: Cafes

I finally got the collage ready. Choosing the best ones from the lot was quite easy. The day I held her hand for the first time, my first appraisal in my career, and my meeting with her parents to ask for her hand. Yes, this was a perfect collage of the memories that I had collected at various cafes.

Theme: Spices

"Why did you kill him?", asked the lawyer. "Because he loved spices." Everyone in the court room were bewildered to hear this. "What are you saying Ms. Dalal?".  She spoke nonchalantly "I caught him in bed with his secretary.  When I asked why he did this to me, he replied 'Variety is the spice of life'."

Theme: Hotel

It was past 2 am and the party ended abruptly. Neighbours had complained and police had landed at the door. People started leaving reluctantly when suddenly the speakers started blaring ‘Hotel California’. Saif wanted to have the last word as this was his success party and Chhote Nawab did it in style before getting arrested.

Theme: Aliens

Krish joined work after a break of ten days. He had taken to seek psychiatric help as he had been dreaming of UFOs since the past few weeks. Today everyone was heading to Blue Frog and asked him to join. Alien Chutney was performing there. He did not want to go anywhere near aliens anymore.