Story of the Week [for the week 25.02 to 02.03.2008]

Sangeeta whispered, “I wish he would stop showing off his Asus P735. He’s told me about a million times that it costs $875 and though that is a steep price even for a PDA phone, it is worth every single penny because it has GPS and that helps him navigate around in India with ease”
“You haven’t been listening to what he’s saying. It’s an Asus 750 and it costs $879.30!” chuckled Ratish, before mimicking Arnold’s Texan drawl “It’s quite a machine, you know”
Sangeeta was still fuming. “Still, we could do without his infatuation with the instrument. God knows we need him to be able to mark all the places right for us to get the World Bank loan. I wish we get this over with soon”
Arnold was the World Bank representative, checking all the villages where Sangeeta’s NGO planned to work for the upliftment of the beleaguered masses. Her NGO wanted to improve the milieu that the poor village folk dwelled in. The three of them were traveling in the NGO’s Ambassador. Accompanying them was a local World Bank employee, Ashutosh and the driver of the vehicle.
Ashutosh, in a low voice advised Arnold to stop flaunting his machine. He warned him that it was susceptible to envy and that envy in India had negative connotations. Envy could lead to harm coming to the person who was being envied.
“Nonsense! Why would anyone be jealous of such a device? Why, it is helping me do your work so efficiently. In fact, just now, with the touch of this stylus, an email will be sent to the World bank, approving your loan…”

Just then the car hit a bump, and Arnold drove the stylus into the heart of the Asus 750. The machine beeped twice and conked off.