Chapter 24
The making of the Great Wall
This was her daily routine before calling it a day she always came to check on the four of them in their usual place, Om's room. She would also enjoy their light-hearted banter for a few moments otherwise the entire day she hardly got to see them. Pinky's entire world revolved around her family, her favorite was Rudra. It was Pinky who had sheltered Rudra from a very confusing childhood. His parents never had a marriage full of love and trust. Tej Singh Oberoi was an ambitious man and in his early days had got quite a few successes. He then had fallen for Janhavi only daughter of a fellow business Tycoon. She had been looking after her family business which dealt in pharmaceuticals. She was a very smart lady and they had a whirlwind of an affair. Once married every-thing remained hunky dory till Omkara was born. Their marriage had seen many women come in and go. Every woman that went took a piece of Janhavi and Tej's marriage with her. At the time of Prinku's birth Janhavi had started the Oberoi Airlines. Om was the worst hit by the happenings between their parents. By the time Om was 15 he started consuming recreational drugs. This took a toll on the entire family Shivay 18 at that time suddenly grew up by at least a decade feeling responsible for not taking care of his younger siblings. Prinku's overall personality took a deep dive due to all this. She lacked confidence and stammered. Her academic performance was suffering. Her results started becoming an eyesore. They all responded differently to both Janhavi and Tej. The only person who remained undeterred in all this was Pinky and since Rudra was excessively close to Pinky he too remained strong. Janhavi though had to withdraw herself from business to help Omkara and Prinku. A new CEO was appointed for Oberoi Airlines. The CEO Mr. Arjun Kapur had a daughter Svetlana fit to be called a siren. It did not take much time for Svetlana to literally pull Tej into her net, trap whatever you deem it fit to call. He was the whale she had been looking for. While most of Tej's flings had been just that, fling this one became not only notoriously popular amongst the paparazzi but also became the reason behind Tej's downfall thereby causing the entire family not only their peace but also their business. Svetlana was still in the picture just taken a back seat, since Shivay took over the business operations. Shivay's rise to the fore also was taken with a bit of salt by Tej. Shivay had done away with Svetlana in a very diplomatic way. Since most of the Oberoi industries had taken a fall, so had Oberoi Airlines. Shivay knew sacking Mr. Kapoor would be like locking horns with badey papa in the open. He pushed Mr. Kapoor to take a position as director, though he had the smallest amount invested in Oberoi Group hardly 2 percent thus he was able to ward off a war at home in every capacity. With Mr. Kapoor now no more an active business decision maker he did not have to be present in the office every day and hence his daughter too had to take a back seat. No more papa's lunches were converted to couple lunches. No more came to see papa to socha tumhe bhi hi bol doon, no more afternoon interludes. Janhavi took back her position as the CEO and founder of Oberoi Airlines.
Meanwhile, to bring Svetlana's real face in open, Shivay casted his own net, pulling her towards him. She was atleast 9 years his senior but Shivay played his cards with such accuracy and spontaneity that she never got a chance to think. As if hypnotized, she did what Shivay wanted her to do. He shuddered when he recalled his intimate interlude with her on that Sunday afternoon, It had sickened him to the core because in his mind it was literally incestuous, a sin actually. After, all she was his Badey Papa's mistress. He had arranged for that interlude to be recorded. All the crass that was in her mind in relation to Tej, Shivay had made her confess. He still recalled every detail to the last letter. He had used the recording to make Mr. Kapoor surrender his share in favor of Janhavi, Gave him retirement fund and a humble abode in Queens, New York. He had helped him open an Indian grocery store in New York and shipped his daughter along with him. That snake of a woman though had showed her fangs for one last time, before leaving, an edited part of the video she had released to the media, that too just an hour before he was about to declare the public issue of Oberoi Inficom.
At twenty two years of age, Shivay bore that ignominy and pain with a stoic silence. The entire house hold had experienced Tej Singh Oberoi's uninhibited wrath that day. Shivay had borne all the abuses and insults with meditative silence and closed eyes. It was as if nothing bothered him anymore, neither ignominy nor honors, neither pain nor deliverance, neither anger nor equanimity, neither bliss nor agony. In that single day, he had aged atleast by 20 years. Pinky had been a pillar once again to the family that day, even though Tej had sliced her heart into bits and scattered it all over and she would never be able to collect those pieces back. Since that day while the Oberoi Empire achieved new skies and soared higher but her home remained shattered. Shakti had raised his voice in his son's defense and not only his voice for the first time he had raised his hand. The gap between the two brothers reached a point of no return that day. Shivay had slyly been preparing for all this since quite some time. He had sent Omkara and Rudra off to USA and there also they were put up with Mallika his childhood sweetheart. They had broken up even before they could come together in any sense of reality because Mallika was clear that she would never be able to be that half that would shoulder the broken home. Shivay needed much more of a woman than Mallika or he needed merely an arm candy which to him Tia was. They were best of friends still and she was happily married to a software giant in Silicon Valley.
Prinku was with her grandparents duly concealed and protected from the barbs of the world. Shivay remembered vividly when that night after all the drama was done with, he was trying to sleep or rather faking sleep Pinky had entered his room. She had silently cried he knew that, he also knew that his mom had tried to be strong. She had placed her quivering hands on his forehead, Shivay had wanted to tell her that he was alright and she should not worry about him. Instead he stay put without any movement. He even held his breath as if trying to push her away. That night he once again had blamed his mom for all that was happening to him. He was but a human who was flawed, who was weak, who was judgmental, who expected things from people most dear, and who hurt them without a second thought. That day Once again Pinky felt defeated for while Shivay had raised his stature as a son realistically, he was emotionally as far away from her as Sun was from earth. His warmth did warm her up but he was so hot that his proximity always left her scarred and charred.
Pinky unlike Janhavi was not well educated. She had mostly kept herself at home. Shivay always felt had, she not been the way she was probably his father would have been a different person. She lacked grooming always decked in garish jewelry and gaudy clothes. Her language peppered with illogical and grammatically wrong words made her entirely unsuitable for social circles. The way Pinky conducted herself inside and outside home, made Shivay shudder with repulsion at times. It is not that he did not love her, he believed she just did not try hard enough. She gave up much too soon. Then came the fact that even under her vigilance Om resorted to drugs and that broke whatever little faith Shivay had on his mom.
"Mujhey pata hai tu is sab ka responsibles mujhey manta hai. Shayad main hoon bhi par Shivay aisa nahi hai ki maine koshish nahi ki. Tu nahi dekh sakta na sahi, tu nahi samajh sakta na sahi par aaj jo kuch tune kiya mujhey tujhpar bahut prouds hai. Shivay tu shayad nahi manega ki teri parvarish mein mera haath hai par aaj mujhey meri parvarish par bahut prouds hai. She had said that and left. Her voice had been damp and shaky and had soaked Shivay to some extent, but the problem was in an effort to protect his heart from all that broke and shattered around him, he had placed his heart in an iron casket and buried it there, where, it could never be located again. It is not that he did not love her or did not care for her but it is just that he grew apart from her. He always wondered had she been better educated and better groomed possibly his dad would have been more into this world. Had he been into business, perhaps times would have not taken such a dip. He did not blame her but he was excessively critical when it came to Pinky. The worst part as well as the best part for Pinky about this entire issue was that this equation between her son and her was between them alone. For the world they were the best and envy worthy example of mother and son.
He still vividly recalled every one's reactions when he had expressed his desire to join business at a very young age of nineteen.
His bade papa had mocked him instead of being supportive of his Idea,
"You think managing business is a kids game? What qualification do you have to shoulder such responsibility? I mean literally. Just a commerce graduate hahaha even our peon is commerce Graduate Shivay His jibe and insult reverberated in his heart even today.
"Shivay I have never stopped you from anything that you have wanted to do. You have excelled in every thing that you done till date I am sure you will this time too. This came from his cool and composed dad who did not think twice before putting him in an ocean full of sharks. He did not even care to see if his son had the ability to swim let alone defeat the raging sharks.
"Shivay tu mera gurur hai mujhey confidence hai ki ab sab theek ho jayega. Pinky in her hopes and desperation had forgotten that Shivay was merely nineteen. He had wanted to go to Harvard to study Business administration. He had confided in her before but she conveniently forgot. He felt betrayed even if for the sake of saying had her mother tried to stop him he would have had a sense of belonging.
It was only Janhavi who had tried to stop him from joining business "Shivay I have no doubts about your abilities and intelligence but you are too young and you still need to complete your education. I cannot let you do this to yourself. For a minute Shivay had thought he heard wrong so he had stuttered for the first time in his life.
"Ba..badi Ma Mujhey lagta hai ki main handle kar loonga.
"Mujhey bhi aisa lagta hai Shivay but you are too young, still a teen I would want you to enjoy this age. Go for higher education. Then come back to this nest of ours no matter how broken it is. It still can wait.
"Badi ma I have made my decision.
"Jethani ji mujhey lagta hai Shivay jo kar raha hai wo sahi kar raha hai.
"Mujhey aisa nahi lagta Pinky. Janhavi had insisted but then she saw a retreating Shivay She knew there was no use fighting a lost battle. Shivay had taken every one by surprise when he had floated his own company Oberoi Inficom the next day he joined Oberoi industries. Within two years it became profitable enough to sustain not only itself but also to provide funds to help the other ailing Oberoi industries. In the third year, Shivay had launched the public Issue of Shivay Inficom. In these three years, he had also saved many of his sick companies and turned them around. He had an inherent understanding of business. He was a quick learner. Under the tutelage of Janhavi he had not only honed his skills but had sharpened his business acumen so much so that he could foresee and predict the outcome of any decision much in advance. He understood the pulse of the market and knew how to channelize his resources in the right direction. The profits grew, and the small house of industries became an Empire. Shivay reveled in his victories but he slowly lost touch the with human Shivay was.
Not only Janhavi but Omkara Rudra and dadi had tried to stop him from joining business so early. Omkara had also promised him that he would join a rehab and rid himself of Drugs. He had expected all of these people to support his decision but they had not. Shivay was one who stood for family and this concern of Om and Rudra for him had made him a sworn protector of his siblings. He treated them like his own babies. There was not a day now that Shivay discreetly did not check on Om some times even going through his drawers and belongings. Om was 3 years his junior and Rudy six years and Prinku nine years, but he treated them like they were three, six and nine. The trio instead of protesting against Shivay's unnecessary meddling actually enjoyed and relished it. Thus Shivay became the great wall of Shivay Singh Oberoi, a stone, a wall and iron man in every sense.
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Edited by samiksha1993 - 7 years ago
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