Part
THREE
___________
I
at Mathur Transport company
Dhiraj Mathur was a strong man, not merely by account of the fact that he had a tall and commanding presence, but also because he was well versed in a range of business related expertise. He had not particularly risen up the hard way, as his father had handed over much of the business to him, but he often had to fight to keep it. Mathur Transport had proposed a merger deal to Diamond Tours, the travel agency owned by Devyani Shah. They were old rivals, but Mathur Transport had clearly outdone its competition and was now ready to consolidate it into a new, thriving business. The terms of the merger would be worked out in 2 days at a mutual board meeting between the two companies.
Tanya entered the room.
"Dad, these people are not fit to be a 50% owner of Diamond Tours.. the amount of profit they have made is negligible. If we are going to merge, I want us to hold 60% of shares of Diamond tours, and give only 20% of Mathur Transport to them."
"That is hardly a fair deal, Tanya"
"Let them prove that it's unfair. After all, our revenue is bigger, and their company may well be sinking. They might find the deal most fair."
Mr. Mathur knew it would take some years for his daughter to become a seasoned businesswoman. She was calculating, but she didn't understand that that was not the basis of making deals. Deals were made for long term profit, never with merely the short term in mind.
"I would like to be in charge of handling this and dealing with them, dad, I have done a lot of research on their overall business profile," Tanya said matter-of-factly. She knew her father would have to agree. She had proved to be a competent businesswoman, even despite her trips and minor falls here and there. Ultimately, if her father had a weakness from a business point of view, it was his belief in her despite her sometimes hasty ideas and plans.
"Alright, but do an overview of your proposal with me before heading to the meeting," he said. Tanya nodded absently, looking away from his eyes. Eventually she made her way back into her own office.
What he didn't realize at this point is that Tanya would indeed do an overview of her proposal with him, but that it would not be the final proposal deals. She would show him one thing, and present another thing at the merger meeting. She didn't enjoy lying to her father, but she would have to do this to prove her capabilities. And when he does find out eventually, he'd be proud of her. After all, the details of these kind of deals are kept so secret until something emerges, so he wouldn't find out right away.
As Tanya stared into her computer screen, getting to work on this proposal, the bluish white glow of the monitor cast a familiar glow on her face. She had spent hours like this, with the sharp features of her face facing the screen. An entirely familiar sight. But the difference this time was the zeal with which she worked, as if she had to prove something. Her beautiful face acquired a new sternness, almost cold. This hid in it not only ambition, but a deep insecurity about her father. A long story which she was not willing to relive today. Today, there was work to do.
The surrounding chatter of the office slowly turned mute for Tanya. The only thing that spoke to her was the numbers she was working with on her computer screen. Of course, there was also another voice, one that never left her. A faint voice coming from the small rectangular photo frame beside the computer. The voice of a frail mother, once telling her daughter some words that she never forgot. A mother who had died too soon, before her daughter could ever understand, or recover from those words.
II
Diamond Tours
Akash and Devyani had spent all morning working through the merger details. He was trying to grasp all the details, and also realized how out of touch he was with all aspects of their business. But he owed it to his mother to make it up to her, and he resolved to make the merger his top priority. He would stop at nothing to make sure it was successful and profitable to Diamond Tours.
He had sent his mother home mid-way through the workday. She got another one of her severe stress headaches, and it hurt him to see the energy she was devoting to this while he was perfectly capable of doing it. Devyani smiled with relief when he offered to take on the work for the rest of the day. An unexplored, yet strangely satisfying feeling emerged in Akash. He was being responsible for a change. He decided he would have lunch at the office today instead of going out.
Before he could enter the small office canteen, he could hear faint echoes of subdued laughter. The voice sounded familiar, but the laughter itself was completely unfamiliar. As he entered through the door into the canteen, he came face to face with the origin of the laugh. Gauri. A mildly surprised Akash smiled at her. This was the first time he had seen her like this, truly unwinding, truly relaxed. She smiled widely. Not at him, but at the person who had cracked the joke which made her laugh in the first place. It was Mayank, who had his back to Akash. With the new awareness that Akash was in the canteen, a soft hush fell over the place. Mayank turned around to nod in his direction, wondering what Akash was doing there. Akash had almost broken an unsaid rule.
It's not only that Akash preferred to eat outside, but the office canteen was only for the small creatures. It was a modest little place, with fluorescent lighting, nutritious sandwiches, and maybe noodles if it was a Friday. He realized that his presence in the canteen made its occupants, not only Gauri and Mayank, but also the two men from accounting and the young woman from human resources... what was her name, Reena?... alert in a way that he enjoyed.
Mayank and Gauri awkwardly headed to their table with their trays of food.
"Should we invite him to sit with us?" asked Gauri
"He will sit with us if he wants to," answered Mayank. After all, Mayank was his PA, he knew Akash's arrogance. If only he knew that Akash's arrogance was the kind that was also sensitive, and that direct and indirect rejection was impossible for him to handle. He was just that kind of guy, who kept his insides well shielded with a generous dose of arrogance.
"I wonder what he's doing here," Gauri continued.
"Yeah, good question.." Mayank trailed off, hoping to restart their earlier conversation before Akash had entered the canteen.
But Gauri continued to remain curious about Akash's presence. What was it? Did she merely love challenges, figuring out people? If anyone among the staff had clued into Akash's insecurities, it was Gauri. She was his PA even before Mayank, and Gauri was a silent observer. She was far more insightful and intuitive about people than she herself was willing to admit. But her modesty about her qualities was often misguided, she was modest because she was shy, because she feared she might be wrong, or because she might come across as showing off. These were the kinds of tensions that her upbringing had left in her. Her mother had always indirectly taught her that a woman must somehow be embarrassed, almost ashamed, to stand out. A woman had to blend in, perhaps, even if she was skilled at what she did. Perhaps. Perhaps not.
Mayank interrupted her thought process again.
She resumed their light-hearted banter. Mayank was becoming a good friend, though not quite a confidante. She felt flattered by the attention he gave to her abilities, her qualities. There was something that prevented her from truly exposing her inner self to him. Maybe it was the way he made her feel... beautiful. The slight current of sexual chemistry, undetectable to either of them. The occasional flirting, the blushing. The little dance that they did. The way they both were caught between what they knew and what they didn't know.
Akash had sauntered off into his office a long time ago. He finished his sandwich in the quiet of his office. Without his mother inside to guide him, he felt a strange kind of loneliness. He didn't understand why he felt this way, but he didn't need to. There was plenty on his mind as it is. He returned to the merger files.
Edited by --arti-- - 14 years ago
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