The last puff of my cigarette
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ISBN: 978-93-88797-81-8 Fiction Book First Edition Published by Booksclinic Publishing 2020 Copyright © Md. Ikbal 2020 Price: Rs. 200/-
Printed in India ii
The
Last Puff Of
My
Cigarette Train, Travel, Tragedy
Md. Ikbal iii
“Compulsion and constraint lead to lies, It breaks the trust and lets your relationship dies, one stays and revolves around this love game, another one moves, but memories remain the same”.
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Dedicated to....... My Father Mr. Deen Mohammad, My Mom. My God Mother Mrs. Kavita Sharma. My God Father Mr. Krishna. My Mentor, Teacher and Motivator Md. Zahid Sir. I am always indebted to you until my last breath.
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There exist some love stories wherein one person promises the other with the journey until the doom’s day...... Ours was divergent, that ended with one’s graveyard, impelling the other waiting until the doom’s day. Love stories are about a journey together or holding back throughout life. Life gives you immense love when you don’t desire, But when you really crave for it, it deceives.
Train, Travel, Tragedy
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Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere gratitude and deep appreciation to the following people, for helping and trusting me in the journey of writing this romantic fiction. Amu, my beloved wife for hearing this story for the very first time and motivating me to take this ahead, I still can‟t forget that day, when I was reciting this story to you and it gave you goosebumps. Suraj, my younger brother, thank you for pushing me to pen down this story, I could see your curiosity. Kajal and Mumtaz, my younger sisters, thank you so much for your love and support. Deepak and Jordan, my room partners, my brothers and my family away from family, thanks a lot for helping me out day and night, thanks a ton for always supporting me in living this dream project of writing.
Md. Ikbal
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“Smoking cigarette is injurious to health” “ ”
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Md. Ikbal
A Chain Smoker…….
“C
igarette is injurious to health”. This is what
is written on every pack of cigarette, but completely ignored by smokers. Millions of advertisers showcase severe and incurable diseases because of cigarette, but hardly get any attention by smokers. I am also one of them, a chain smoker who believes that sharpness and focus of the mind get opened by lighting up a cigarette. All these saviors and advertising agencies that leave a message to ban smoking are just a bunch of bonkers in my comprehension. Yes, it causes cancer, but what about the fact that it relieves stress, tension and reduces entire mental pressure with the puff of a cigarette.
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The last puff of my cigarette
I usually witness that so many Engineers, Bankers and People who work in BPO‟S would be easily found hanging out in smoking zones, looking as if a mountain of burden is removed just by that one puff of their cigarette. “One can be a fool but not so many”. This philosophy makes me enhance my lust towards cigarette. I like “DJARUM” BLACK, my favorite one. Friends say it is more harmful than a regular cigarette, but I barely give a fu**k. What matters to me are style, standard and class! Black cigarette looks different and it gives me it all, high standard, class, and style. My boss used to have packet of Black always handy. I used to copy his looks, style, English and specially the Black Cigarette. It‟s sweet and real taste of tobacco and the best part is, girls pay attention to such a young, dashing and handsome smoker.
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Md. Ikbal
A Banker in the Mist……
M
y name is Imran and I am a banker who
works with a Nationalized Bank and gets a healthy remuneration which a banker can receive. I am from Delhi. I came to Bangalore for my MBA. I completed it hastily. However, I got a campus placement in a good Bank. I too have a bunch of friends, but two of them are very close to my heart. We used to share everything including cigarette, beer, food and clothes. Only our underwear was not meant for exchange. Gautam and Manoj, they are also bankers by profession who wake up like me, get dressed then move to office after having breakfast. We have our tea, lunch and handle work pressure together at office. Saturday is the only day
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The last puff of my cigarette
wherein we sit together and contribute some amount for drinks. We smoke, we enjoy, we abuse and we speak world‟s best English after one bottle goes in. This is how a bachelor celebrates his life.
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Md. Ikbal
The Train and Travel….
I
go to Delhi where my parents live, once in a
blue moon, because it takes 37 hours by train. It hits our budget if we plan by flight. It‟s always mesmerizing and adventurous while travelling by train. I prefer train and love it, because it creates, so many different memories through new people, new friend, new stories and different types of interactions. We meet people only for 2 days, a very small bonding develops by sharing food, tea and other eatables until the journey ends. The last puff of my cigarette
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The last puff of my cigarette
After that, everyone leaves each other for their destination and hardly get in touch in future. Anyway, “rules are rules” my friend, I also smoke in the lavatory like others. “Improvement is not possible in perfection” my greatest thought while doing bad activities like smoking. The month of November is commenced, my mom called in the morning asking my plans to visit her. It‟s because it‟s been so long and I haven‟t visited my home. My younger brother and I have planned to celebrate my birthday and mom‟s together. 30th of November when I was put on earth to please a bank, a boss, mom, dad and this murky world. No problem! I am happy, the way life is coming onto me. I too have dreams and I dare to achieve all. So many people, so many fights and the irritating Bangalore traffic. Sometimes, I feel that except my job, targets and going back to the room, nothing is interesting in my life. I have so many groups of boys and girls to spend time with. But sometimes you need no one, except that‟s you and your cigarette.
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Md. Ikbal
I narrated my plans to my boss and applied for 20 days leaves. I have a good ledger balance of leaves and good amount of money, I can go home, I can buy gifts for everyone, I can show off and put on a different swag after throwing so many parties at my native place to my childhood friends. Its 5 „O‟ clock in the evening I am trying to get my tickets booked through IRCTC website. As always, it's a herculean task to get the ticket booked through IRCTC website. I got nothing and had to switch off my computer after receiving so many waiting list tickets, I decided to talk to the agent and get a ticket to my hometown through him. In our country you can‟t get anything without “jugaad” so I went for it. A guy, tall dark and with unshaven face called me by 5:30 in the evening to hand over the ticket booked with side of window in coach No S-11, birth 36 in Karnataka Express. I paid a hefty amount for the ticket having actual cost of INR 900. But you must know that, if you are eligible to pay more will get more you get more in our country. I thanked that Moron and hopped on an autorickshaw for the railway station. I got down in front of the railway station‟s main entrance. I knew that if I buy a packet of cigarette and smoke here that would be an expensive affair. If these “Mamu” get to know that I am puffing, would charge me hefty fine, so I decided to smoke outside only. It was 6:15 I had enough time as the boarding time was 7:15. I lit 3-4 cigarettes there as if it‟s the dooms day for smoking.
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