PART 3
"Yes!
Yes, that's the exact pose we need Shyla!", Khushi chirped, encouraging her new model. She promoted new talent. The reason being that she empathysed with them.
Cuz that is exactly what she had been three years ago.
'New Talent', and were it not for Lavanya's contact, and her now best friend Dhruv, she wouldn't have made it this far.
She had met Lavanya before she had left Delhi. She had told her of everything that had been happening at her house, and the sweetheart that La was, she had offered help. She had given her the contact information of her old school friend, Dhruv Singhania, who worked in the fashion industry, and at various posts at that. He basically did whatever he felt like, making whatever he lay his finger on extremely productive. Those days he had taken to training Khushi, his new pet project on Lavanya's insistence. And once he had met her in person, they had immediately hit it off.
Not only had he polished her communication skills and worked on her language, but had also polished her persona. Though she was still as clumsy as she used to be, her simplicity had been groomed into a classy aura, that anyone who now met her felt deeply. Her dressing had sobered down, and the pom-poms removed. She had been taught to keep a leash on her tongue, think before she spoke, and change her ringtone[on much coaxing though].
Education had enhanced this rejuvenation that she had undergone, and anyone who knew her from her Lucknow or Delhi days would be stunned at the effect Mumbai had had on her.
Khushi hadn't removed the pom-poms cuz she had felt the need to change herself. But her experiences with Arnav Singh Raizada had taught her that the more naive you let yourself appear to the world, the more easily they hurt you. Her pom-poms had been a sign of that naivity, that child in her, that she had now concealed behind this sober, more mature look.
"Ma'am, Boss DS expects you in his office", Khushi's PA informed her while she had been correcting Shyla's posture for the next session.
"I'll be right back", she winked at Shyla reassuringly. The poor girl was a nervous wreck.
Khushi hurried up the stairs that led to the DS's cabin, and knocked on the door.
"Come in!", came a pleasant voice from inside.
"So how's the shoot going on? How's your new model doing?", he asked her as she settled herself in the chair opposite his.
"She's doing just fine! Just a lettle nervous, since it's her first shoot, but I know she'll do just fine!"
"Well of course you do! Jalebi Bai knows it all!"
Khushi scrunched her nose back at Dhruv. He was one of the most astounding people she had ever met. And so was his family history. It had been months after she had first met him that she had come to know that he was biologically related to the company he worked for, THE INDIAN FASHION HOUSE, a group of companies. To call it his family business would be wrong. He had a huge family, spread throughout the world really!
You see, the thing was, that his Great grandfather had fathered ten kids, then his grandfather had had eleven, but then his own father had had just one, but that did not mean that you got to ignore all the other leaves in the huge family tree, or forest really. The reason the business could not be named after Singhania, the family name that his Great Grandfather had held, was that, what had started as the Singhania family from him, had evolved into a huge number of different families, bearing different surnames. Then there were people who had sold their part to different other people, and so on. Hence, now it was a hybrid of all sorts of people, who together functioned as THE INDIAN FASHION HOUSE, a multi billion dollar cooperative.
Dhruv had inherited 5% partnership from his father, a huge amount to own in such a huge company, considering the numerous partners it had. And on judging Khuhsi's talent as extremely innovative and fresh, he had appointed her as the HOD of the sarees department. Although she had had no qualification back then, she did now. And her hard work had made their new brand Odhni, a huge success.
She had learnt this from him. The versatality of talent he possessed had taught her to think in all dimensions, and give her work a wholeness that she couldn't have given otherwise. And not just work, but also her life. He'd do anything and everything. From photographing models himself, helping out designers with their creativity, to blasting the accountant for poor sense of finances.
He had no designation in this office, as he'd be seen skipping in absolutely any department at any time of the day, hence they just adressed him as BOSS DS [Dhruv Singhania]. In a friendly way though. Another reason he had no designation was, that it was not his personal office, but just another one of the numerous head offices of THE INDIAN FASHION HOUSE, and several other share holders worked from there.
"You call me Jalebi Ba one more time!", Khushi threatened.
"Why? What are you gonna do, JALEBI BAI!", he shrieked as he dodged past a lived Khushi and rushed down the stairs of his cabin.
Indian Idol 15
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