A Football Match

Paalaram has scored the only goal in the football match, and everyone is cheering him. Slight correction here: it isn't everyone who is cheering Paalaram, it is only the rival team members and their supporters who are cheering him. His own team members are not in a cheerful mood. Despite scoring the only goal in the match, Paalaram is hiding behind the bushes. What could be the reason?

Bengali writer, Narayan Gangopadhyay, created the characters of Tenida, Paalaram, Habul, and Kaabla. Tenida is the leader of the group; he is a loud-mouthed bully, but a lovable one, to his three friends. Paalaram is the narrator of the stories. Tenida and Paalaram dislike studies; Kaabla is the intellectual in the group; Habul speaks with a characteristic accent that is a delight to read. The four friends, wittingly or unwittingly, get involved in adventures, which are hilarious to read.

"A Football Match" is also a hilarious story, but Paalaram is not enjoying it one bit! Paalaram is a member of the Potoldanga Thunder Football Club, but not as a player; he is always there to cheer for his team. An important match has been scheduled, but two good Potoldanga Thunder Football Club players have opted out at the last moment. Tenida, the captain of the team, has asked Paalaram to play as a substitute for one of them. Tenida doesn't take no for an answer, so Paalaram has to play. In fact, Paalaram, who has never played before, impresses everyone with his play. He even scores the only goal of the match only seconds into stoppage time, but the less said about it, the better.

(This story is being republished)

Read full story

Unsound Advice!

I can only speak for myself. For me, getting a job has been difficult and, after getting a job, keeping it has also been difficult.

During the initial struggling days, I did manage to find myself a few jobs, often as a salesman, but could not keep them for long. I wasn't a competent salesman and hardly sold anything!

No! I couldn't be a salesman, I must try something else. But what could I do? I didn't have any technical skills.

One day, I met a friend whom I had not seen for a long time. The conversation naturally veered to what we were doing. It turned out he was pursuing a course in journalism. That, of course, set me thinking that journalism was the only career for me; I had never written an original sentence ever in my life, but that did not deter me from believing I was cut to become a journalist.

So, I enrolled in a journalism school. A few months after completing the course, I did find employment as a cub reporter with a local newspaper. The work offered me a lot of freedom; I did not have to stay cooped in an office for eight hours every day. I fell in love with the work...

(This story is being republished)

Read full story

Pipes and Pipe Dreams

"If a narrow pipe fills up a cistern in 40 minutes and a wide pipe fills up the cistern in 20 minutes, how long will it take for both the pipes together to fill up the cistern?" Questions of this kind in school always had the effect of leaving my head swimming.

After finishing school, I thought pipes had passed out of my life. But, no! That was only a pipe dream. The pipes made their appearance in aptitude questions later in life.

After crossing that stage of life also, I was sure pipes will not trouble me anymore. That, again, was wishful thinking...

(This puzzle is being republished)

Please solve