Ira Trivedi [Trivedi - Gumrah: 11 Short Teen Crime Stories

Human beings are social animals. To interact with other people is almost our basic need. We need to engage with other humans in order to live our lives. This necessitates the need for us to trust others, and let them in our lives. However, we humans also have another need. We need to feel safe. Which means we cannot trust just about anyone and everyone. For if we are not careful about whom we trust, we could be used or even harmed.

It is the above two contradicting needs that drive much of our social lives. To have lots of people in our lives, but to also remain safe. These two conflicting needs also makes it important for all of us to have a good sense of judgment about people. Does the other person deserve my trust? It is not an easy question to answer. Sometimes, it takes decades to be able to gain the wisdom of choosing people wisely. Sometimes, even decades are not enough. Some of us are more trusting by nature and so we fall into the same traps and heartbreaks again and again.

The situation becomes even more pronounced at a young age, when you are in your teens and twenties. You have just come out of the protection of childhood and the responsibility of choosing people is thrust upon you. Your hormones rage, your desire to be popular peaks, and your judgment is not yet formed. In such a scenario, it is easy to get swayed by what seems tempting and risk-free, while in reality it is not.

The problem is that there is no one set of rules that one can follow to remain safe, and yet enjoy a good social life. Each case is different, and requires a keen sense of judgment. Hence, one can learn more from actual stories and cases, than from a list of preachy dos and donts.

This is where this book comes in. Gumrah, consisting of stories based on an already popular TV series, are all stories of when someone took advantage of someones trust or poor judgment, in real life. Sometimes the consequences were a nasty lesson for the victim, and sometimes far more disastrous.

The purpose of this book (or the TV series) is not to scare you, far from it. It is merely to tell you of the dangers out there, if you dont keep your wits around you. In most stories, you will see the early signs of upcoming trouble were there, but because the victim was so lost in the moment, he or she couldnt keep an eye out for them.

In your life too, most times, things will be safe and there would be no reason to worry. However, there may be a rare time when something will alert you. The situation may be different from what is mentioned in these stories, but certain aspectsearly warning signs, unanswered questions and chance of potential trouble will be there. If that happens, seek help, tell others and protect yourself well before it is too late.

I congratulate Channel V for their successful show, which is not only entertaining to watch, but also serves a purpose in todays society. I also congratulate Ira Trivedi, for translating the episodes of the show into easy-to-read stories, that people can now carry with them and read them over time.

I wish you all the best.

Stay social. Stay safe.

Chetan Bhagat