The 3 Mistakes Of My Life Read Online Free PDF

'Satellite,' the elder boy said.
    Satellite was an upmarket neighbourhood on the other side of the Sabarmati
    river.
    'What are you doing in the old city?' Ish said.
    'We came to the temple. It is Harsh bhaiya's birthday,' the younger boy said.
    I realised we had struck real-estate gold. The temple was ancient and drew in
    people from the new city, too. And it was a birthday, every chance of pockets
    being loaded.
    'You want to see bats?' I asked from the cash counter.
    The boys shook their heads.
    Ish turned to me and signalled silence.
    'Happy birthday, Harsh. You bowler or batsman?' Ish said.
    Harsh looked up at Ishaan. A grown-up man asking an eleven-year-old if he
    was a bowler or batsman was a huge honour. It meant he was now old enough to
    be specialised, even though he may not have thought about it.
    'Er, I am more of a batsman,' Harsh said.
    'Defensive or attack?' Ish asked as if he was interviewing Tendulkar on ESPN.
    'Huh?' Harsh said.
    'You like shots?' Ish asked. Which kid didn't? Harsh nodded.
    'Show me your stance,' Ish said. He turned to nie and asked for a bat, I went to
    the stack of willow bats. I had bought them directly from a Kashmiri supplier in
    Law Garden. I picked the right size for the boy. Size six and two hundred bucks.
    Not top of the line, of course, but the best we could hope to sell here.
    Harsh took a stance on the empty space in front of the shop. Like every kid, he
    leaned his entire weight on the bat while standing. Ish moved over and gently
    straightened Harsh's back. He moved his wrist upwards, and told him to balance
    the weight evenly on the legs.
    'And now, whenever you attack, use the front leg to move forward but do not
    forget the back leg. That is your support, your anchor. Notice Tendulkar, he
    keeps one leg fixed.'
    An awestruck Harsh air-struck a few strokes.
    'Give me some tips, too,' the younger one whined.
    'First me, Chinu,' Harsh said.
    Ish turned to Chinu. 'What are you, Chinu?'
    'All-rounder,' Chinu said promptly.
    'Great. Show me your bowling grip.'
    Their parents finally found our shop. It was time to go to the temple.
    'Mummy, I want the ball,' Chinu said. 'How much?' his mother said. 'Six
    rupees,' Ish said.
    She took out a twenty-rupee note and asked me to give two. 'I want the bat,
    mummy,' Harsh said. 'You already have a bat.'
    'This one is better for my stance, mummy. Please.' Harsh took a stance again.
    He had improved with the lesson but his mother ignored him.
    'How much is this?' she said.
    'Two hundred rupees,' I said.
    'Too expensive. No Harsh, we are not getting a bat.'
    'My birthday present, mummy, please.' Harsh cajoled.
    'Yes but beta, why buy something from this temple shop. Old city doesn't have
    good quality. We will go to the Navrangpura market.'
    'It is excellent quality, aunty. We source from Kashmiri suppliers. Take my
    word,' Ish said.
    'Aunty' eyed us with suspicion.
    'I was the team captain for all municipal schools in the area, aunty. I have
    personally chosen the bats,' Ish said with as much heart as Omi's dad said his
    prayers.
    'Please, mummy,' Harsh said and tugged at her saree. The tug connectedto
    aunty's purse, which opened and brought out two hundred-rupee notes.
    Done. We had closed the deal of the day. The bat cost us a hundred and sixty,
    so forty bucks profit, I exclaimed mentally.
    'Goodbye, champ.' Ish waved to Harsh.
    'I'll come to your shop on my happy birthday,' Chinu said.
    'Yes! You are amazing, Ish,' I said and hi-fived everyone.
    'The kid is a quick learner. If he practices, he will be good. Of course, his
    mother will stuff him with studies the moment he reaches Class X. The only
    stance he will take is to sit on a desk with his books,' Ish said.
    'Don't be depressing, man,' I said. 'We made forty bucks on the bat and four on
    the two balls. We are forty-four bucks in profit,sir.'
    We sold some candy and two more balls in the next two hours. Our total profit
    for the day was fifty bucks. We moved the bats and the ball