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Like all struggling artists and writers I too have sent several short stories for publishing right from my school years. An incident from those years remains fresh in my memory.

Malar was my friend in school who used to be my critic and constantly hoped along with me that my story would be published in the short story monthly to which I regularly sent my work.

A story if published would get me Rs.150, a princely amount and I was hoping to win it very badly in order to buy a paint set. I painted too.

Malar was always the first to read my work before I mailed my entry to the publisher. After one such story she laughed and laughed at my attempt to sound humorous in my story. However, it didn't get published but both of us had a good laugh over it. Or rather my sense of humor.

Examinations were up in a few months. We were busy. Back in India, before our exams we are given ten to 15 days off. We call it "study holidays". Meanwhile students were supposed to collect their "hall tickets" (an identification for the student) necessary to write the tests.

Usually we set up a date to collect the hall tickets, so that we could meet. Since we didn't live close by, we never met during the study holidays. Malar didn't have a telephone at home so we couldn't chat either.

The day before I went to school, I received a check for Rs.150 for the short story I had sent two months ago. I was thrilled. I was waiting to tell my friend.

However, the day I went to collect my hall ticket, Malar never came. Later in the evening, I checked with the office clerk who said Malar's name had been stuck off the rolls as she had failed to pay her examination fees. I was shocked. Malar was a good student. The check in my hand smiled at me. I paid her fees and the office said they would communicate with her to enable her to write her tests.

On the day of the test, Malar never arrived. Later, I heard that due to family compulsions, she had joined as a shop clerk to help feed her large family.

I didn't get my paint set but Malar's story did go to the press and earned me another check. I could never spend that check on myself and it went towards fees for another needy student.

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