Showing results by narrator "Ali Asif" in All Categories

Poems of environmental advocacy, human observation and life contemplation written for the climate of today's world. The intention is to utilize the amazing form of expression that is poetry in order to spread environmental awareness, encourage love and human connection, promote community, and inspire introspective assessment of ourselves in relation to each other and the natural world. May the words spark gratitude for this unified experience we all share on this incredible planet.

A "Blue Carbuncle" is stolen from a hotel suite, and a former felon is soon arrested. However, an acquaintance of Holmes discovers the carbuncle in the throat of a Christmas goose. Holmes traces the owner of the goose, but soon determines that he was not the thief by offering him a replacement goose. The detective continues his search, first to an inn and then a dealer in Covent Garden. The dealer refuses to provide Holmes with information about the source of the goose, but Holmes observes another man trying to find the same information, and confronts him.

'The Rain' Collection of short stories centres on the destructive and regenerative force of rain—physically, emotionally, psychologically and as a metaphor for life. From human cruelty to human determination, stories set in several locations, each showcasing the universality of anger, loss, fear, sadness, joy, hopes and dreams.

Mohanaswamy has just lost his long-time partner, Karthik, to a woman. Even as he scrutinizes himself, the choices he's made, the friends and lovers he's gained and lost, Mohanaswamy dreams of living a simple, dignified life. A life that would allow him to leave, even forget, the humiliation and fears of adolescence, the slurs his mind still carries around–gandu sule, hennu huli–and the despair that made him crave to conform.

"The Signal-Man" is a story by Charles Dickens. The story begins with the narrator calling "Halloa! Below there!" into a railway cutting. The signalman standing on the railway below does not look up, as the narrator expects, but rather turns about and stares into the railway tunnel that is his responsibility to monitor. The narrator calls down again and asks permission to descend. The signalman seems reluctant.

A short story by Leo Tolstoy first published in 1885 as part of the collection What Men Live By, and Other Tales. The story takes the form of a parable, and it concerns a king who wants to find the answers to what he considers the three most important questions in life.

Nautch Boy is Manish Gaekwad's account of being born and raised in a disrespected environment at odds with his privileged education. He finds his vocation as a reporter, screenwriter, and a novelist, and eventually replaces that flower vase of fake white daisies with colourful stories of love, laughter, and decay from the kothas.

A fantastic dramatized version of one of the most celebrated classics of all times. Shere Khan, a man eating tiger, is out on one of his hunting escapades, when Mowgli, a man's cub, manages to escape and ends up with a wolf family. The family including the Father Wolf, Mother Wolf, and their cubs, go on to take care of this young baby. When Mowgli grows up, he befriends Baloo, the sleepy bear, and Bagheera, the black panther, who help him at every turn.

Crystal has worked as a Registered Nurse in the city for more than 30 years, caring for many of the homeless during her career. She has written this collection of small poems to share in snippets, the complexities and consequences of homelessness.

Krish has to give a speech at school. But how can he, when he stammers? And what's worse, his partner is the Big Bully! Will Krish get out of this mess?

Petu Pumpkin is always eating. When he starts emptying his friends' tiffin boxes, they form a secret society to save their lunches. But the magic potion is a flop and the super glue is a disaster ...

The Gap Club has challenged the Fourth Standards to a football match. But they cannot practise unless they get a football! The fate of the match rests on Petu Pumpkin's tooth. Will it fall in time?

An engineer, Victor Hatherley, attends Dr Watson's surgery after his thumb is chopped off, and recounts his tale to Watson and Holmes. Hatherley had been hired for 50 guineas to repair a machine he was told compressed Fuller's earth into bricks.

Shah Jahan, the Great Mughal Emperor, is hopping mad. Someone has replaced the precious Timur ruby on this throne with .. a plum! What's worse, plums are suddenly turning up everywhere. Who can help the emperor solve this mystery?

The great Mauryan emperor Ashoka is furious. Someone is messing with the messages he wants inscribed on rocks and pillars. What's worse, the messages are now the opposite of what Ashoka wants to say. Who can help the emperor solve this mystery?

An 1865 short story by Mark Twain. It was his first great success as a writer and brought him national attention. In it, the narrator retells a story he heard from a bartender, Simon Wheeler, at the Angels Hotel in Angels Camp, California, about the gambler Jim Smiley.

Razia Sultan, the dynamic ruler of Dihli, is enraged. Someone is sending her pesky presents—girly dresses and soppy poems on sultanas. What's worse, they come with notes challenging her right to rule, as a woman. Who can help the sultan solve this mystery?

A short story by the American author Washington Irving first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who falls asleep in the Catskill Mountains and wakes up 20 years later, having missed the American Revolution.

On Mahashivratri, when the moon casts a crimson glow and bats scurry across the night sky, the Vetaals appear from the shadows to take revenge against an ancient custom led by a sadistic demigod. The only one who stands between them and the future of humankind is Vikramaditya, the king of Avantika. But to battle against these dark forces, he needs an ally. An ally who whispers with blood between his teeth, the one who speaks in riddles—the original Veetal. Will Vikramaditya be able to convince the Veetal to help him defeat this unbeatable enemy?