Part 24

Part 24

Khushi, Mummiji and papaji took the beauty in and then papaji spoke. "Khushi, our Kolkata Fashion House will be conducting early summer fashion show in Kolkata with collaboration of a Delhi Based Company. I want you to take charge of this and do all the ground work. I know you are inexperienced but I am making you a part of the best team. You will assist them and I am sure you will make it a success. She kept looking at him..!”
“ Papaji, .. No! I mean… I don’t know anything in this. ..!” she blurted losing her confidence.

“I know, puttar! You work with the team and you will learn everything! “ he said confidently but Khushi had lost confidence in herself.
"Now Khushi, the starting point is we need to prepare the MOU between the two companies. I will give you some of the sample MOUs and you will prepare the draft, which we will send to the other company. And I want this to be done before lunch.."

"Which company, Papaji?" She asked.
Papaji hesitated a bit and then told "This is only a draft and you have to put blank space which will be filled by the other company the name under which they want to hold the show. We are doing this under Kolkata Fashion House. Is it clear?" She nodded in acceptance.

"Now the second task is ‘We need to decide on our logo for the show. Normally, I conceptualize the logo and our creative team does the rest. This time khushi will decide .." He looked at his wife, his eyes twinkling....
"But papaji, I know nothing about this" Khushi was nervous.

"That's why I have brought two of you here. Together you will decide and come up with the concept. Now I will have a walk around and you people finalize before I come back!" He dismissed himself.

Khushi kept looking unfocused and confused. 

Mummini smiled at her and said... "He only boasts himself that he conceptualizes, but its my ideas he picks up.. So don't worry, we will do it."
A broad smile appeared on Khushi's face. 

"Now tell me, This is Fashion Show for Girls. What is it that the girls always have on them?" asked Mummiji.

Khushi thought for a while and listed excitingly.. "bindi, Lipstic, Zumka… earrings, perfume, sandals, bangles, anklets, hairband.."

"Ok now draw a common factor, which one is for sure they have on them?"
Khushi could not think of any one item which girls always carry... She got up and paced around thinking hard and muttering to herself. And then suddenly it flashed. "A bag..!" She looked at mummiji excitedly.

Mummiji looked at her and thought for a while. Then she said. "No matter who the girl is.. but she always carries a bag- small or big, simple or fashionable, clutch or purse .......Good!" She kept thinking for a while and then said,
"So it will be a girl carrying a bag."

They waited for papaji to come. When they saw him coming from a distance.. Khushi ran forward and said excitedly .. "Papaji.. we got a concept... yeah!!" She looked happy. She came back with him, holding his hand. They explained him their concept. 

He thought for a while and then said. "Ok its now a silhouette of a girl with a beaded bag hung across her shoulder."
"Like what Khushi carries always... Her beaded bag across her shoulder" He thought to himself.

"I will get it designed by this evening. Our letterheads and other stationery will carry this as our logo and watermark. Yes,....its done."
"Now its time to go back to work. So lets go. But before that I want a photograph...." He smiled raising his mobile to take the photos.

ASR received the MOU sent by Kolkata Fashion House. Papaji had posted two hard copies of draft instead of sending it via email. Khushi had prepared the draft and he had finalized it. He gave it to Khushi that night to go through once again. She kept it on her dressing table after reading it and went to sleep. Papaji picked it up and sent it by post. 

ASR received it after a couple of days. He had reached his office early and was screening the mails. He saw the packet and ripped it open. 

He got lost in the deja vu feeling. He remembered the sweet smell he had taken in while riding with Khushi sitting behind her on her scooter. The papers gave him the same feeling. He took the smell in closing his eyes. He got lost in the memories, running his figures on the papers. Quivering, he saw them. The papers fell down from his hands when he glanced at the contents. There was a watermark of a outline of a girl with chudidar and an intricately designed beaded bag hung across her shoulder.

"Khushi...” he blurted... "This is Khushi with her trademark bag.. the bag is same... Khushi... this must be Khushi.." He stopped with the thought sounding it impossible…

"No... I am hallucinating ... This can't be... its only a logo... this can't be true. I am going crazy..." He tried to push the thought of Khushi away and then looked at the papers again. It was a simple outline with a beaded bag. That's all! 

He called Aman and asked him to call Aakash to study the MOU. He handed over one copy and kept the other with him. Somehow he kept on looking at it. He could not take his eyes off the girl. 

He dialed the number and Mr. Balwinder Singh took the phone smiling broadly, his eyes twinkling...

"Ab aayega Maza..!" he thought. ... Its interesting .... "
"Mr. Balwindar Singh, Good morning. I received your draft MOU. I will go through and get back to you." ASR opened up the talks.
"That's ok Mr. Raizada, can I expect your reply by this evening?" Asked Balwindar singh.

"Yes, sure" He hesitated for a while and then said "Your logo is interesting.." he wanted to ask more about it.. but

"Thank you Mr. Raizada. We will meet once the preliminary things are over. Have a good day, Mr. Raizada.." Balwindar Singh hung up.

Aakash came in with the copy of MOU. He said "bhai, everything is standard one. But I am little worried about a clause, which says profit sharing is 60% and 40% between Kolkata Fashion House and us. When we are managing the show, it must be the other way round. We need to change the clause."

"huh..? " he blurted absentmindedly, and then looked at the MOU papers for a long time. His eyes were moving on the contents but he was unable to read or take in anything written in it. 

He said finally, "Do not change anything. Fill in our details and send it across."

"But Bhai, we will be losing 20%... This is not our normal practice. We work on our terms... I think, we have to negotiate and make them change this term.."

"No! keep it as it is and send it.."
"Ok. Bhai, as you say..!" Aakash went off.
Arnav did not know why, but he did not want to change anything.. the papers reminded him of Khushi, and he was ready to forgo his 20% for her memories." 

Earthen pots were crashing down… Deep buried Arnav was peeping in.
“No.. I am not an earthen pot.. I am strong… strong enough to endure… I don’t care… I don’t miss her!” he kept saying with moist eyes cutting himself off from his family and burying himself in work.

*********  *********
Khushi's work started and she literally had no time to think about anything other than the coming up fashion show. During one of the meetings she used to attend, she came to know that the collaboration is with A R group. She had looked at papaji in apprehension. She was hurt that papaji had not told her about this. But later on papaji had convinced her that it was necessary to keep her away from the bitter memories of that group. And now that she had risen above her sorrows she could handle it efficiently.

Papaji himself along with his other team members had visited Delhi during this preparatory work, several times. He had avoided to take Khushi with him and Khushi was happy with his decision, because she had a parallel mission to accomplish when mummiji had poured her heart out in front of Khushi. Mummiji had told her about her son Tej who had died in a car accident clutching a photograph and was about to tell her who the fourth person in the photograph was. 

Mummiji, took the photo, stared at it and with tearful eyes said...
"He is our eldest son" She kept looking at the photo. Khushi got up and silently took the photo from mummiji to have a good look at it. Mummiji and papaji looked very happy. She wore a beautiful salwar suit and Papaji in a three piece suit with matching turban. The two children were very young and wore suit and tie. It was like a studio photograph taken on a special day.
Khushi kept staring at it. This was such a nice photo of a very happy family. Then what happened?

Mummiji said "Tej was a sportsman and had won many trophies. He was fascinated by bikes and speed. Papaji had never given him the vehicle. But on his 18th birthday, we gifted him a car. He was so happy. We all were happy for him. His team had won junior hockey championship. Papaji, warned him to be careful. He was a responsible kid. He always kept himself within limits. That day, he was invited to a celebration party. Papaji advised him to take the car but his friend brought his bike and both of them went away happily....never to return home. Their bike collided with a racing car on their way to the party.." She wiped her eyes off.

"Our eldest son..." she paused as if she did not want to take his name "Rajendar Singh, was a brilliant student. He always stood first in the class. He had a good academic record. He graduated from IIT Kharagpur. But his intelligence and his highheadedness took him on the wrong path. Since childhood, he had a misconception that his intelligence has no value in India. He kept on telling this to everyone. Papaji, tried to persuade him. But the more he was told more he became adamant. He was ready to do anything to take admission abroad. He was two years older to Tej. Both loved each other very much. They were always together, as if they could not be separated. Though they had altogether different interests and tastes, they used to share everything they had. They were inseparable"

"But when Tej .." She could speak out that word. She continued "Raj, changed completely. He stopped talking to anyone. We never knew what he was doing outside and what was going on in his mind. Papaji, wanted him to assist in business and continue his higher studies. But he refused. He wanted to explore the land of opportunities. Papaji opposed this idea. He wanted him to be with us and help in business. One day, he came home and said he is leaving for US the next day."

"We were shocked. He had sold out all his belongings to collect the money. All those things we gifted him from time to time, even the house at river side which we had bought for him. He even had sold his shares in the business. Papaji was furious. They had a big row over the issue. Both of them were stubborn and firm on their stance. They went to extremes. He told us that he is never going to come back and Papaji, told him never to show his face again and that he was dead for us.... . No one asked me. No one bothered to know my feelings. Raj was too adamant. "From Now on.. We do not exist for each other..!" Raj yelled and went away that night and never came back. I tried to contact him through his friends but he completely ignored my requests. Both of them were so self centered that they did not care that my life was ruined. I had a paralytic stroke and since then I am on wheel chair."

Khushi was so shocked by this that she could not even speak for a long time. Then asked in a small voice "Where is he now?" 

"Don't Know... Everyone in this house is forbidden to discuss anything about it." Its Papaji's order. No one takes his name in this house. But my heart cries for him. Someone said he is in USA..! Its his birthday today....."She could not control herself. Khushi got up. Hugged her and stroked her head like a small girl. She did not know what to do. How to console her? How to reassure her that everything will be alright? The damage was done beyond repair. The situation was irreversible. 

She said to herself. "I will find him out.. I will bring him back... " She said aloud "Ek Bar hum thaan lete hai to kar ke hi dikhate hai! (I will do it and I will rest only after doing it !" a smile appeared on her face.. Mummiji gaped in disbelief.

She went out and dialed the number of Avinash remembering that he was abroad for his higher studies...."The parallel mission has started" She thought, preparing herself mentally for this Herculean task.