The Boy with the Stolen Stories...
I was waiting for a friend outside a metro station when I noticed this boy- couldn’t be older than 14 or 15- selling books on a small mat laid out on the pavement. He had maybe 20-30 books, not a huge collection, mostly old and worn out. But one book caught my eye instantly. It was this book by Prajakta Koli. I’ve been following her since the time I first understood what YouTube really was, and this book had been all over the internet recently. But the condition of this copy? Honestly, terrible. Wrapped in a plastic cover, barely looking presentable, its corners looked like someone had kinda torn them apart while snatching it. Curious, I asked the boy about it. “ Didi, bohot purana book hai na… isiliye aisa dikh raha hai... ” he said. But I knew it wasn’t. This was a new release. So I half-jokingly asked, “ Par yeh toh abhi-abhi market mein aaya hai, aisa kyu lag raha jaise tune chhin ke laaya ho? ” He looked at me, smiled, and lowered his eyes. “ Le lo na didi, mehnat se jugaada hai m...
