Junak Baruah wants to win the prestigious short film competition in his university. But with hundreds of participants and a stellar jury on board, winning means making a film that's never been made before.
And that means breaking the rules and taki...
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We congratulate you on your appointment and wish you have a long career ahead with us.
Dikhou stared at his laptop, the beat of his heart too loud in his ears, and read the email once. Twice. Thrice. Nine times before it finally registered.
He got a job. In Delhi. Away from this place. These people.
Come with me.
Y-You can stay with me. And – and you're smart and y-your English is great, you'll surely get a job.
Oh god.
He ran a hand over his face, breathing heavily. He felt dizzy. And crazy. And so happy in such a long time, the strangeness of that emotion unsettled him.
He had spent innumerable hours imagining a life away from here, in a place where he could be himself, unafraid and unabashed. It mostly weaved from the stories he had heard from Junak, about dates and pride marches and hill stations. He dreamt of it, so much, all the time, yet he knew, somewhere deep within, that he would never really get to live that kind of life. He was stuck here, with his family, his responsibilities and he had almost grown to accept that.
But now he had an email. Telling him he could get it, that life he imagined. Sure, in his dream world, Junak was with him, but it was still the next best thing.
He only had to send a reply saying yes. Yes, thank you, I accept.
Oh god.
He rose from the chair and walked out of his room.
His mother was sitting on the porch, reading a book. It was a pleasant morning, with thin rain pouring down the sky, sharpening all the colours in the world. Lohor, ready to go to school, was sitting on the steps, eating jolpan from a large brass bowl.
"Ma."
"Hmm?"
He swallowed. "I... got that job."
His mother's face lit up with joy, immediately but also... unsurprisingly. She closed the book and beamed up at him. "Congratulations! I knew you would get it."
Her reaction unsettled Dikhou. Maybe she had forgotten where the job was located, so he said, "It's in Delhi, Ma."
"I know. Wasn't I the one who asked you to apply?" She clapped her hands. "This is such great news! Lohor, did you hear?"
"I did," Lohor replied through a mouth full of food. "How much is the salary?"
Dikhou ignored him. "Ma–"
"Did they send an email? Show it to me. When do you start?"
"Ma!"
She blinked at him, like he was being weird. "What?"
