Part 5
Ramesh sat silently, with closed eyes, listening to his heart beat. He slowly poured another drink, and looked at the dark blank sky in front of him. He watched it without blinking his eyes, his eyes slowly getting encased with tears, numerous thoughts engulfing his mind. He gulped down his drink and banged the glass on the floor, covering his face in anger and frustration. No...It was sadness and disappointment...No...He couldn't understand what he was feeling, but this turbulence was something he couldn't bear. He could hear several voices ringing loudly in his mind, several incidents flashing brightly in his eyes, and several emotions hitting his heart hard.
"You will become a great singer, one day..." told his music teacher in school, handing over his trophy and ruffling his hair with pride and love.
"Wow! This is a great recording...I am sure this would get you through so many auditions..." supported and commented his friends with pure happiness.
"You are fit for nothing. This singing and music would take you nowhere" his brother gave a snide remark.
"I will become a successful singer one day, and prove to the entire world what I am capable of..." he promised that to himself with determination.
"If you choose music over family...that would be the end of our relationship..." his father passed his judgement.
"I have full confidence in you...You are a great talent and you will definitely be rewarded," told Lakshmi with love.
"Please don't do anything that would ruin the family, Rames..." implored his mother.
"We have seen many talents like you...Get lost..." shooed off a musician. "There is no soul in your voice..." "You need more training..." "Come after two weeks..." "Just leave your recording...I will call you if needed..." "Please leave..." "You are good...but not what I am looking for..." "Who told you, you can be a singer?" "Don't waste my time..." "Just wait...I will come in 1 hour..." "Get me a better recording..." "Talk to my manager..." "Do you have money to pay for the chance?"
"Bhaiya...Can you send me some money...Please?" "Can I speak to Maa..."
He could see the music directors, musicians all laughing at him, mocking and loud. He could see his father's angry and disappointed face. He could see his mother's face- sad and turning away from him. He could see his brothers' face shaking their heads in dissatisfaction. He could see his relatives, friends, neighbors all laughing at him for his failure, for his foolishness to run away from home.
Ramesh clasped his face tightly, pulling it down, trying to stop all the noises in his mind, wiping his tears, putting all his strength to control his emotions. He was churning. He wanted to yell, cry out loud. He felt battered. He remembered the days he lived on the benches, days when he went without food because he ran out of money. He remembered the days when he simply stood looking at the ocean, boiling in frustration and crying because of his inability. He remembered getting acquainted with similar people, who had come in search of their luck. They became his family, but he could never take off the picture of his own family from his mind. He wanted them, to be with him badly. He knew their absence was making all the difference. Yes. He was homesick. He had days of contemplation, if he should just leave off everything and get back. But the determination to prove his metal, kept him going in search of opportunities. His friends introduced him to drinking. Unable to refuse, he got used to it. It was the time he used to let off his guard and talk to himself and others openly about his emotions, about his path to nowhere.
"People take years to make a mark...You have been here only for a few months..." remarked one of his friends. That friend had been trying to get a chance for 2 years now. He remember his brother telling it wasn't an easy route. He too knew it wasn't an easy route. He was strong, probably not strong enough alone.
Ramesh, calm, looked back at the blank sky again. It seemed to reflect his blank life.
"Bauji asked me to bring you back...Enough is enough Chote. You have ruined your life...but not anymore. This singing career is not for you...If not for us, at least come back for Maa...Do you know her condition after you left? Did you ever think about her?"
That was the final straw.
Ramesh closed his eyes, letting the tears flow. But the pain continued to pierce him.
"You will be joining the business from tomorrow. You will be a regular employee...and you will work under Viren. Got it?" Dadaji informed him when he returned, when he was brought back home after 6 month of struggle. His mother was happy seeing him...but his father? He wasn't even looking at him. All he could do was be silent and nod his head for everything. He had lost right in the house. He had lost right to make decisions for his own life.
He poured another drink. He couldn't let go of his habit of drinking. He felt the bottle was the only thing that he could share his feelings with.
"Enough Chote..." Ramesh turned to see Mohan walking in. "If Viren Bhaiya..."
"Leave it Bhaiya..." told Ramesh wearily, wiping off the tears and sweat on his face. Mohan snatched the glass from Ramesh's hand and took away the bottle. "Talk to me..." he said. Ramesh looked at his brother and smiled sadly.
"There is nothing to talk Bhaiya...I don't recognise my life anymore..."
"Chote...Life keeps changing...You have to change accordingly. You have joined the business now. Slowly, I am sure you will start liking it too...Just give it a chance..." He patted his younger brother's shoulder with assurance. "Come on...Get some sleep now..." Mohan helped Ramesh walk back to their room.
*******
Ramesh was staring at his watch his father had given him when he entered the business, lost in thoughts.
"Ramesh Bhaiya..." one of the employees snapped him back to the present. "Bade bhaiya is calling you..."
Ramesh went in to see both his brothers and father scrutinizing him. "What happened?" he inquired.
"Did you calculate the quotation for Mr. Rawal's order?" questioned Dadaji. Ramesh took the papers on the table to check. "Yes...I did it according to the rate list provided by Viren Bhaiya..."
"I gave you the new list...but you have made calculations according to our old rates..." told Viren in a tone of over confidence.
"There are two lists?" asked Ramesh surprised. "I don't even know that...I thought the list you gave..."
"ENOUGH!" interrupted Dadaji. "If you don't know there are two lists, how did you calculate using the old rates, when Viren had given you the new rates?"
"Bauji! Bhaiya must have given me the old rates instead of the new ones..."
"Because of you, we have lost 5 lakhs..." replied Dadaji completely ignoring Ramesh's justification. "We know who is careless, who is irresponsible, and who lies...and it's not Viren."
"Bauji! I accept, I made a huge mistake last time. I was irresponsible with the work then...But I didn't do this..."
"Stop it Ramesh..."
Ramesh remained silent. He looked at Viren, who didn't seem to think anything was wrong with whatever was happening.
"From now on...every loss will be deducted from your salary, Ramesh! So focus on your work..." told Dadaji dismissing the conversation.
********
"This month's sales are really high..." informed Viren happily to Dadaji who was looking at the reports with happiness.
"How?" asked Dadaji without taking his eyes off the file.
"I don't know Bauji..."
"Apart from our loyal customers, we have a good number of new customers too..." told Dadaji curiously.
"Must be our designs Bauji...Remember...I had given you a catalogue of new designs...? We had a batch manufactured...and people must have liked it and recommended it to others..." explained Viren.
"Hmm..."
Mohan looked at Ramesh dealing with a customer. He knew the difference to the business was Ramesh. He had been handling customers with so much care and ease and had been able to convince them to buy their jewels. The conversion rate of new customers to buying their products had been high this month. It wasn't the new designs. The old designs had been sold the most.
"Mohan...What do you have to say?" asked Dadaji.
"Actually..." began Mohan. "Viren Bhaiya is right...It's the designs."
Viren gleamed proudly.
********
"As if Bauji is going to believe my words..." aggrieved Ramesh as he recounted another of the instances when he wasn't at fault but was slandered for a mistake in the business. He was slowly getting attuned to this treatment.
"I can't believe I am sitting in the shop..." told Ramesh with frustration. The last thing he thought he would end up doing in his life was join business. He didn't expect that to happen so early in his life.
Lakshmi listened. She knew Ramesh needed only that from her, someone with whom he can share his feelings. She took a sip of tea silently.
"I have again started boring you, haven't I," asked Ramesh embarrassed.
"Ramesh! How many times have I told you...You can always share your feelings and thoughts with me...After all...I am going to be your wife..." she told with confidence. Ramesh smiled.
Ramesh and Lakshmi had met in college, where after a good stint of friendship, they had realised they were in love. They didn't hesitate to express it to each other, and had no doubt they would marry each other in the future.
"That would be World War 3," laughed Ramesh and Lakshmi joined. They weren't scared or skeptical.
"Did you speak with your brothers?" Lakshmi asked.
"You think they will support us?" replied Ramesh with another question.
"They did help us a lot when we wanted to meet during exam times..." winked Lakshmi and turned shy.
"That was different. That's when I wasn't a "runaway"." Ramesh answered sarcastically. "I don't think they are going to help us...Do you think they care about this "failure"" he asked pointing his finger towards himself.
"Ramesh!" Lakshmi took Ramesh's hands. She knew Ramesh still couldn't get off from his struggling days. She couldn't digest the fact that his family has given him the tag of "failure". "Everyone meets failure in life, on their way to meet their goal. There are different ways to achieve it. Few ways may lead to failure. You just have to find the right path. What if you have failed now? Another time you will definitely succeed. I am sure of that. If not now...I am sure you will take up the music career later in your life..." She reassured.
Ramesh looked at Lakshmi, his sole strength in his life. Her words and her mere presence gave him a motive to live his life. He knew there would be many problems and objections for his marriage with Lakshmi. But in this case, he wasn't going to accept failure at any cost.
*******
(Present)
"Dadaji! Dadi! Our lawyer has come to meet you..." Rukma informed. Dadaji and Dadi looked confused as the lawyer entered.
After taking the seat offered, their family lawyer understood from the confused faces of Mr and Mrs Gangwal that they had no clue what the matter was about.
"Actually...Mr. Gangwal had asked me to come, to discuss about the division of property..." he informed.
Dadaji and Dadi were surprised and shocked at this news. "What!" Dadaji exclaimed. "I never called..."
"It was your son..." the lawyer clarified.
Dadi immediately knew it was Rupan behind this idea. "Rukma...Call Mohan..." she ordered. She can't believe the extent to the problem was being aggravated.
"Ramesh Gangwal..." the lawyer corrected. "It was Ramesh who called me..."
*******
