Witch at the pond: Stories from real life stories

In praise of the book ; ***Timmappa M S, Former Vice Chancellor, Banagalore University *** I just picked up your book to read after I got some respite from my physical discomfort, read first four stories and the last on Gopal Valecha, would continue to read the remaining, my health permitting, as I just cannot take off my hand from the book! You are a great story teller with fantastic literary skills. Your narration is earthly (I can smell it!), vivid and evocative; reading is a visual experience. Congrats. Best wishes. ***Naresh Malhothra - Former CEO Café Coffee Day*** I did not know Sheshagiri has a literary genius in him. I finished half of the book on the same day I received it. I intend to carry it and read it on my flights. *** Prakash Hegde - Director at Deloitte Haskins & Sells *** I got your book today. I have already completed five stories... they are awsome!! - - One of the Big 4 consulting firms in the world *** Arnab Pandey Head of retail Turtle Ltd *** Sheshagiri Hegde is a genius, some of these stories are hilarious..... I had tears in my eyes ------------ I grew up in a cluster of four to five beautiful villages, amidst, once a thick forest. These villages can put some of the best of our city layouts to shame. Small hills one behind the other, lush green all over, thick woods covered the either side of the hills, spritely brooks gushed out at the foot of magnificent trees, torrential rain poured on the green pasture, and young sun rays warmed my back when I walked couple of miles to my school, every day. I was happy under the shades of huge trees, enchanted on the edge of the ponds as the sun set, and my heart was filled with thousand tender feelings when I walked in the moonlight, at times, in the forest - all alone. This is an attempt to share with you, some of those that happened there, those wonderful experiences so that I could, through these stories, make you experience them. Many of you would have had something similar in your childhood too. It is the childhood itself, not the trees and the ponds, nevertheless, it is nice going through them again, however, with renewed freshness, as we experience ourselves through others much like some babies bring to our mind experiences of babies of our own. This is a collection of short stories based on my real life stories. Most of the stories are set in the backdrop described above, the village, the forest, countryside and community of Havyakas, a set of people who once held your passport to the gates of Gods. I have made the stories bit colourful by adding little fictitious details, changed names of people, changed names of places - but in essence, they are real incidents involving real people. - Sheshagiri Hegde, author of the book