Of Names & Legacies
(Apologies to all those that expected "steam" too much steam happened while in Jaipur so we are back to the meaty story now,
I put a lot of thought into this one, hope u will love it. Sudhy asked about Chachu's this one has R&B going down memory lane, since u guys want his POV, I spun it into this one. I think its a powerful part😃 I will let u guys disagree)
The meeting with Mr Jha the Commerce Minister's PRO/Liaison went until 3 PM, the guy wanted to take R&B out to lunch at an expensive Gurgaon restaurant, throw in a case or two of alc smuggled in from Kathmandu...
R&B thwarted the attempts, just told him they would "focus on what needed to be done, and that did not include lunch"
Asked Mrs Sagar to order some treats and sandwiches from The Perk downstairs.. Mr Jha was at first quite taken aback with R&B's appearance, expecting some no nonsense stern looking man like Ranjan in a serious biz suit, he expected someone over 6 feet tall... but didn't expect someone 6'3" and lanky and in cargos and Lacoste... a pale orange one... showered, but unshaven
Jha refused to shake hands at first, looking around waiting for some pot bellied 30 something with glasses and balding head to show up suddenly? R&B wondered
"U are his son?' he asked him twice
R&B wondered if he would have to reach for his driver's license to prove his credentials
He nodded instead...
"Hamey laga koi family man rahenge, aap to ekdum Mumbai ke film star lagte ho, aap India nahi rehte kya? he asked with the familiar sweet Bihari drawl
(Are u in the movie biz?)
"No I don't act in movies" "I live in Paris usually" R&B said smiling
"Aap ke Daddy keh rahe the humse, ekdum lamba hai aur dher saare baal hai, aap to ekdum hero ho" (Ur Dad said his son was tall and had lost of hair, but u look like a movie star) the late 30s man openly stared
R&B: would u like coffee?
Jha: Sure Sir, Sure!
R&B: U can call me R&B?
Jha: AARENBHEE? Who kyon?🤣
R&B quickly scrawled the letters with the ampersand in the middle😃
The man looked at him oddly... "Bahar mein log apne naamo ko lekar kya kya Karen hai aap bhi waise kariyegaa? the "aa" at the end a distinct drawl
(People that live overseas do funny things to their names are u one of them?")😆
R&B chuckled...
The man expressed great joy at having been given an opp to work with a company the size of Excelsior
"Patna aayega, kabhi, bahut sundar hai"
(You must visit Patna)
"Yes I will" R&B said politely
"I will arrange a meeting for
"I will arrange a meeting with the Commerce Minister and you and your Dad, whenever you want me to"
"Oh sure! Thanks"
"I heard you are getting married?" Jha asked curious and nosy
R&B looked startled as to how the news of HIS wedding had reached Bihar, he personally hadn't told a soul except Mihir and his partners at work.
"Aapke father bahut khush hain... ur Dad is very delighted. He was telling me ladki TAAMIL Nadu se hai"
R&B nodded wondering how that has to do ANYTHING with the Patna showroom
"U shud go to Kathmandu for your honeymoon and come visit us in Patna we will arrange for the CM's circuit bungalow for you, aapki ekdum badhiya khaatir karenge CM sahib, the Chief Minister will fete you"
"Can we look at plans? please' R&B asked softly
"Jee jee sir... u must be very busy"
R&B didn't say anything, Mrs Sagar came and went wheeling in a cart with coffee sandwiches and treats... the man ate as much as he could R&B ate his fave chicken sandwich and drank two cups of coffee
When Mr Jha left he went to the window and stared out
Chachu had sent an email today explaining HOW he would pay for the stock R&B "will/should/could/must" sell to him. He hadn't said any of the words in quotes, but R&B knew that's what he wanted... Chachu was very easy to figure out that way
There were bank account references and deposit details.. and payment plans
He talked about the "grand plans" he had for the workshops in the next 3-5 years, and how he would make the Excelsior flag flyy high all over India by "providing strong support to Bhaisaab" (Ranjan). How his sons were eager to do "seva".🤢
"A politician in the making" R&B concluded... of the first paragraph
"Chachi is very excited you chose a "middle class" girl. "She was sure you were going to marry the French lady (yes Chachu actually used the word to take a dig at the fact that she was older than R&B), But its good you changed your mind...
"Chachi cant wait to show her the boutiques and jewelry showrooms she goes to, in fact she is having a designer work exclusively for her making a diamond set for her three bahus. She will make a identical one for your wife also. your Chachi is so wonderful isn't she?"
The email was 4 paragraphs long... he quit after the second...
The last he spoke to the woman was 4 years ago after Ma's passing...
He looked up from the phone, at the traffic down below and let his thoughts wander...
Of Chacha's 4 three were married... Vaibhav the youngest and was the most deviant... the 1st, 3rd and 4 th were the same, got arrested various times for assault drunken brawls at posh South Delhi pubs... for speeding and crashes and Vaibhav was recently arrested for car jacking one night in Vasant Vihar, and for "suspect" behavior with a 18 year old
"Must run in the family" R&B cursed between gritted teeth, reminded of Ranjan
The familial connections were flimsy and patchy at best, with only Ranjan visiting them frequently, Chachi had no desire to associate herself with Ranjan or Savita or Savita's kids... partly because Chacha was still considered "an employee" at Excelsior which she wanted to change somehow... she wanted to be "rich and famous" as her jethaani, Savita Bhalla
The conspiracy to buy out/own/seize/acquire/control R&B's Excelsior shares were as much hers as it was Chachu's.
By nature Chachi was no Ma. And that said it all
When the kids floundered after Savita's sudden passing, Chachi had sent dinner one night!!!
Each coped in their own way, Sam went on to have Lasya by "accident" , the most positive outcome ... because she had Tan by her side...
R&B flitted from continent to continent, dating a woman 5 years older, and Manny's husband walked out on her alleging "spousal abuse".
Chacha's oldest and the third were a complete deadbeats, Samar darting from business to business every year or so...
the next Trehaan and him were college drop outs from ARSD and Dayal Singh... wore at least 5 lbs of gold between them... drank at every meal... both were older than R&B
Samar went from owning travel agencies, to Web cafes, to photo copy shops, to "boutiques" to used car stores in Arya Samaj Road/Karol Bagh area to plain hanging around at the Gurgaon workshop and Mehrauli workshop all day
"meeting with parts suppliers" undercutting them, and making deals for shoddily manufactured parts. He had had offices bigger than Chachu inside the workshops
and split ACs on every wall... drew up fictional org charts... had random shop floor/repair technicians even "reporting to him" to flatter his ego... in what R&B considered a "joke"...
Trehaan went to a fully paid "Biz Mgt" course in London, . offered by a fly by night British "University" Chachu claimed all funded by Ranjan...
"Biz education hand crafted BY crooks for the crooks they already were" R&B sniggered. Tanmay and Trehaan now "worked" on something R&B did not know what... didn't care to know...Trehaan lacked ambition and was lazy.. but he was "OK" among the 4 Chacha had...
Utkarsh the third one was married twice at 28, once at 19 to a "college party mistake" as Chachi claimed proudly... and then now at 26 to a "wannabe movie starlet".. he "managed her career" he claimed... which R&B thought must be nothing short of running the United States.
Seema did two bit Hindi infomercials and plugged dubious nutritional supplements like V---- on late night TV... and did "whatever else" starlets with "ambitious husbands" did at night, went to Mumbai once a month with husband in tow... hanging outside Filmcity & Filmistan studios with riff raff, chasing down Producers cars.. or getting Ranjan to "hook them up" with Bollywood bigwigs
Ranjan knew them all and met many when he went to Mumbai...
He did not like asking for favors, Chachu would arm twist him, "Bhaisaab, Seema bahut talented hai" (she is gifted) "Bhalla parivaar ka naam roshan karegi " (She will bring fame to the family)
R&B had a fair estimate of "how much" fame she had brought the family already.
Ranjan was frequently denying requests to "produce" a film starring Seema. A "request" Chachu and Utkarsh made quite shamelessly every few months... expecting between Rs.50-100 crores as "loan" for producing a "big budget" "in house" "launch" for that woman..
"Utkarsh is like Raman!! Bhaisaab!! He will not take anybody's money, bahut pakka hai who Raman ki tarah usoolon ka... you will get it all when box office collections flood"
The cousins DIDNT have to do anything useful actually, when their Dad was such a good swindler, all they had to do was come up with ways to spend money, and all 4 did that job well... they were a good team.
He turned away from the window disgusted, walked out told Mrs. Sagar he would go get some coffee ... and stepped out to the elevator.
Ma was a peace maker, she was a activist, she wanted the family to be together. Diwalis and Holis and Raksha Bandhans and Lohris Ma would host events at Malcha Marg... chachi would rarely attend.. making her resentment obvious, but the kids would show up in full force, and walk away with gifts like cars and motorcycles. Every new model the show room carried or M Co. released Chachu would drive off with the first or second one... between the 4 sons and Chachu they had 27 cars.
R&B had frequently overheard Chachu , Chachi and their worthless progeny refer to Excelsior as "Apna hai jee" ."Company apni hai jee" "Aaap chinta na karo jee Excelsior to family ki hai" "Bhallas own it jee, koi gal nahi" "We own it". It was not HIS, so he felt NO pain or outrage, It was all Ranjan's and Ranjan was a willful sucker.
R&B was the unconcerned, estranged, reluctant heir and that's the way he'd like to keep it.
