Cultivation

Amid a roar of frantic clapping, the excited voices cheered, "Try with 6 now Jaggu". He did. More clapping and more cheers followed as encouraged and surprised by his own little talent, he tried successfully with 7 and 8 also.

The small herd of little kids was getting ecstatic. They were all shouting in unison, "We want Naaine, wee~ want naa~ine". Twelve year old Jaggu was skeptical now. Could he do it? Could he juggle all 9 for a minute without letting any fall? Or rather, should he? Because if even one fell...

Vacillating between his irrepressible excitement and duty, as Jaggu picked up the ninth apple from the thela he was monitoring, at a distance, his angry father could be seen stomping with a thick bamboo stick towards the commotion to give him what was to be 'Jaggu's first lesson'.

Jaggu the juggler was to be Jaggu the Apple seller.

Workstation

Overwhelmed with emotions, wiping off the saline taste of tears from his mouth, he thought, "But whats Hardware without its Software anyway?".

Just then, with a hint of threat in it, a stiff voice called out, "You've been out too long. Get back to work. Work. Work like a robot."

In a haste, he stepped to open the dustbin flap, crushed his drawings, filled his mug with yet another shot of caffeine and went back to his cubicle.

Chasing Deadlines.
Chasing Life.