Chapter 3: Not utilizing one's intelligence for the betterment of the society is deemed selfish?
"How is Rahul taking it?" Anjali asked Atul as they were getting ready for the day. Atul sighed. Anjali, who never bothered with the affairs of Gupta Steels unless it was annual report of balance score card, was unnaturally persistent about knowing everything that involved Armaan.
"Rahul seems to be having fun. I have never seen him this enthusiastic before. He is the only person who speaks with Armaan more than handful of words", he didn't bother hiding his jibe against his wife. She was being unfair to Armaan. Not that she would listen to him.
"Rahul needed someone of his age to play with besides Armaan is now on probation. Once Armaan gets to be one of the main players in the board, the dynamics between the two would change."
"You are awfully confident that Armaan would pass his probationary period with flying colors", Atul didn't lose an opportunity to mock his wife.
"I am not blind Atul. Armaan is intelligent. The way he speaks ' the slow drawl with a hint of detachment, the way he observes and listens to everyone before he talks and the way he presents his ideas are all signature of my grand pa; at least that's what dad said. His old job was not something a man of his age would be offered very easily. He has proved to those people and that is why he was entrusted with his job." Anjali replied.
"So you think this companionship between Armaan and Rahul is not going to last for long?"
"I don't think so Atul. Rahul is a very sensitive guy. If Armaan plays cheap political and mind games with him, Rahul would simply quit whatever he is doing and do something entirely new. You have seen him Atul. He may be sensitive but is also aggressive when it comes to getting job done. But he will not play games to cement his position in the company. He is much more than that. Whatever is the intention of dad is to bring in Armaan at this phase, no one is sure of. Like everyone else, we have to speculate. "
"Anjali you are simply assuming that Armaan is here for power and inheritance which is not true. The man doesn't give that aura. He seemed to be well grounded and genuinely nice."
"Can you guarantee that Atul?"
"I cannot."
"That's precisely the point. Armaan coming in is going to ruffle up feathers which are unwilling to be disturbed. Not to mention attract unnecessary attention", she looked at Atul pointedly.
Shashank had made sure that he had kept many of the relatives at bay. In the beginning many people seemed tried to befriend them and when Riddhima derived a correlation chart along with verifiable statistical data that the visiting of relatives directly reflected Gupta Steels market value, Shashank had laughed and told her that he always knew that.
"It is natural Riddhima to be closer to people who have power."
"Why is that? I mean whatever you have achieved is because of the work you have done and you are entitled for the entire credit. Why allow people who want to ride on your success?" Riddhima who was all of eighteen year old had questioned. It wasn't a naive question but an honest one. Shashank had laughed. Riddhima had led a sheltered life and hadn't seen intra-familial politics and rivalry.
"They aren't trying to ride on dad's success Riddhima. They want to remind him that they are around and that there would be one day they would be at our doorstep asking for our help. They are only looking for themselves Riddhima, what is wrong in that? It's a matter of survival for those small companies." Anjali had patiently explained while buttering her toast. She knew that relatives were those people who had to be entertained but never allow them to get too close. It was a sticky situation to be in.
"Has either of the two made any statement?" Atul asked Anjali who was now packing her bag for the day.
"If they had, then there would have at least a dozen reporters hanging around the Gupta steels or our outside the residence. Abhi and Nikki aren't reckless. They would behave as if dad bought a new plant. They wouldn't make a big deal out of it."
"I have to agree there. If Abhi wasn't a successful commercial actor, then he would have been an amazing entrepreneur. I am surprised if he wasn't approached about this topic. It involves his half brother after all." Atul added as an afterthought.
"Abhi has respect for dad Atul. He knows that however we deny publicly, we all acknowledge that we are family. Of course rumors have never died down since years but not many bother us as much as they bother Abhi. To an extent, I feel sorry for him. Even though he maintains a distance from us, he ends up at the receiving end of embarrassing questions", Anjali responded.
"You think dad will invite Abhi and Nikki during welcome party for Armaan?"
"I think so. Dad's principles are very intact however naively believes that every person in that party would have his or her integrity intact", Anjali replied with a scorn and walked out of the room arm in arm with Atul for breakfast.
--o00o--
It was unnaturally quiet at the breakfast table. Atul and Anjali had rushed through breakfast even before Armaan and Riddhima could join and had barely spoken dozen words to Rahul.
"How was your first week as a probie risk analyst Armaan? Must have hurt since you are kind of devalued at Gupta Steels" Riddhima was the one who started the conversation. She didn't look up from the newspaper which she was reading and also eating breakfast. Armaan hesitated for a moment to respond. The girl was not even looking at him and was breaking at least half a dozen table manners.
"She multi tasks very well Armaan and for the record, probie is probationary officer", Rahul replied with a grin. Armaan nodded in understanding. But he decided he wouldn't let it go. He basically didn't bother much for table manners and all such things. But the girl was too darn intriguing to let go without having a proper showdown. Rahul had spoken very highly of her and had also hinted at him that besides himself and it was probably only her who would speak to him more than handful of polite greetings. And after that he had told Armaan about Riddhima's lack of education which had surprised Armaan beyond the point of being fascinated. People though didn't believe in education system did end up having a graduation degree. And she came from a highly influential bureaucratic family which meant that money wasn't a problem and the fact that she was naturally brilliant also didn't add up to her dropping out of twelfth grade. Once he heard it, he was sure that he would get to bottom of the story since Rahul claimed that no one really knew the reasons for her aversion to study further.
"Multitasking is one thing Rahul but I always thought that it was considered to be rude to read newspaper at breakfast table and not looking at the person with whom you are starting a conversation." Armaan said and took a sip of coffee.
"Only two rules?" Riddhima neatly folded the paper which had Sudoku on top and picked up the pencil she had stuck in her ponytail and started solving the puzzle with her left hand. Rahul looked at Armaan and grinned.
"Two and counting", Armaan replied wryly. Riddhima looked up from paper and grinned at him. He couldn't help but smile back at her. The first time he met her he saw a childish innocence in her and had believed that she was the pampered girl of the family. Well she was the pampered girl of the family but she was no innocent when it came to economics or well anything for that matter. He never really had a chance to interact with her but he was truly intrigued by the girl who was always doing something or the other.
"On an average we live for, say, sixty years. That is sixty years without any major illness and all our limbs properly functional. I am already in my late twenties which mean I have only thirty years left. There are so many things to do in this world and there are so many things to learn and I feel that I am always running out of time. You know what I mean?" She asked Armaan.
"Don't you think you are overreacting Riddhima?" Armaan asked raising an eyebrow.
"Of course I am. It's a perfect excuse for me not to work", she grinned cheekily. He chuckled at that.
"Why don't you come with us sometime? Work can be as much fun", Armaan asked her. Rahul waited for an answer. He had cajoled Riddhima plenty to go to work with him. He knew that she wouldn't need much training to get into pace but she had flatly refused. Shashank had asked him not to force her much and Anjali had turned her eyes red. Rahul had dropped the subject after that point.
"I am not interested Armaan." She refused.
"Why?"
"I never really liked the idea of doing a work for a greater idea, you know? I mean there is an idea or a plan which a mastermind has. A mastermind here is Shashank uncle or board of directors or even your department. And based on way too much of data, certain action plans are prepared and are made ready for execution. And I get to do the execution in the most operational efficient way. I might as well feed the ducks in our pond rather than doing that sort of work where I have to work to meet a goal set by someone else." Riddhima replied. Rahul was surprised. She had given him a totally different answer about freewill and such and now with Armaan she was providing something totally new. Armaan looked surprised and didn't answer for couple of minutes.
"Is that so?" Armaan asked mildly after giving her words a thought.
"Not at all. I just made it up." She trilled and laughed at the two baffled faces and slapped newspaper in front of them.
"Four minutes and nineteen seconds; my new record along with the latest fancy reasoning I gave Armaan for not doing any work." She looked the two faces who still looked quite stunned and replied.
"We all have our reasoning for what we are and what we do Armaan. I wish you stop asking for mine", Riddhima replied in a flat tone.
"No." Armaan replied in a firm tone and stared back at Riddhima who was stupefied with his answer.
Rahul only stared at the two of them in open amazement. The ever polite good guy Armaan was purposely egging Riddhima and Riddhima who always maintained her cool was showing traces of aggressiveness.
"Why?" Riddhima asked in a challenging voice.
"Because it is wrong. You are depraving society a talent which can bring about changes for betterment of our future. You are bright, smart and intelligent and you have all the resources which can help you in every step of whatever plan you put forth for the betterment of the society. And whatever reasoning you have cannot be bigger than what you can offer to the society," Armaan replied in equally challenging tone. Riddhima was about to respond when Rahul interjected.
"It is time for us to go Armaan." He said and practically dragged Armaan by the arm.
"This conversation is not over Armaan. Your naive perspective of a man and his responsibility towards society just because he exists in it is flawed and is baseless." Riddhima's voice raised a notch as Armaan moved farther from the dining table.
She could see him nod and waved a goodbye to her after managing to rile her up. She waved back and knit her eyebrows in thought. Armaan was not what she had originally thought. There was something primitively untamed in him that gave him a shade which she had witnessed few minutes earlier. She smiled at the thought of meeting him again and continuing their argument.
To be continued.
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Edited by Ling - 15 years ago
