Love Me Tonight Chapter 19: Jaiprakash Maheshwari’s Tribulations

Two days had passed since Nanu visit was cut short due to Deepika’s illness and he went back to Ahmedabad. Sameer refocused on his work refusing to talk about his family, though unknown to anyone he did make a call to the biggest private hospital in Ahmedabad in which Rohan had been admitted few years ago, and requested a copy of Deepika’s lab reports as well. When he told Naina about it, she asked about the purpose. He had stayed silent for several moments before answering, “Rohan and Deepika are innocent as far as I know. I don’t like how Vishakha Somani uses them to break my relationship with Nanu. Yeh reports proof hai unke crimes ka… I know, shayad yeh kabhi kaam nahi aayenge, but if someday something happens then I hope these can be used as evidence.”

 

Naina didn’t need to be explained further that despite not sharing a sibling bond with Rohan and Deepika, he was concerned that their mother’s selfishness could drive them into severe illness that can affect their future or God forbid could even lead to their death. She had given the matter a bit of thought and then asked, “what about their business?”

He looked puzzled, so she elaborated, “Mr. Somani ka business. Loss ke wajah se woh Ahmedabad shift hue the na? Have you investigated about it? Aur abhi jo bhi kar rahe hai uske baare me kuch pata kiya?”

Still perplexed he asked, “unke business ke baare me jaanke kya karu main?”

She tried to explain, “unke business ke wajah se hi tum Nanu se alag hue. Warna shayad tum London jaate hi nahi. Aur London nahi jaate toh Shaili se nahi milte. Shayad tumhari life ka direction kuch aur hi hota. Mr. Somani aur tumhari mum… uh… Vishakha Somani yahi business ko use karke Ahmedabad aaye, aur ab tak wahi pe hai. Agar woh apne hi bachcho ko aise use kar sakte hai toh kya pata business me bhi kuch kar rahe ho. Sir bata rahe the mujhe ke Mr. Somani alag alag clients ko ghar pe bulate rehte hai, aur mujhse sunke aisa laga ke unhe yeh baat pasand nahi lekin woh kuch kar nahi sakte iss baare me.”

Sameer gave it some thought, and deliberated, “tumhare kehne ka matlab hai ke possible hai ke unn logo ne jo bola apne business ke baare me woh sab sach na ho… Aur jaise woh log yeh allergies ko use kar rahe hai Nanu aur mere rishte ko todne ke liye waise hi business me bhi kuch gadbad kar rahe ho… par kyun… to control Nanu?”

She shook her head, “Sameer… agar tum alag nahi hue hote toh aaj Nanu ke saath kaam tum seekhte… Unka business me saath tum dete… Maheshwari Industries ke malik Nanu ke baad tum hote… Lekin sirf Mr. Somani ke business loss ke wajah se tumhari jagah Rohan ko mil gai. Agar woh log kuch gadbad kar rahe hai toh Nanu ko control karne ke liye nahi, balki unki property pe control paane ke liye kar rahe hai. Tumhare paas SJM hai, toh Nanu ke liye next possible insaan jo sab handle kar sake woh Rohan hi hai.”

 

He perused his wife for a moment, and then simply took out his mobile and dialled the most frequent number he used, “Aman… Mujhe Ahmedabad based Maheshwari Industries aur Delhi based VS Securities ke baare me saari information chahiye. VS Securities kuch saal pehle loss hone wajah se bankrupt declare kar diya gaya hai. But I hope we can still find some information.”

 

Aman agreed to investigate the matter. Sameer wrapped an arm around Naina’s shoulders, tugging her closer, “thanks sweetheart. Main do din muh sadake ghum raha hun lekin phir bhi tum bilkul naraaz nahi hui.”

“Isme naraaz hone wali koi baat thi hi nahi”, she assured, “I understand ke Nanu ke aise chale jaane se tumhe kitna dukh hua hoga.” After a paused she added, “Deepika theek hai?”

He nodded, “aaj discharge ho jayegi. Mixed berry milkshake peeya tha usne kisi shop me.”

“That’s so strange”, she observed, “yeh toh sabko pata hai ke mixed berry me strawberries bhi hote hai. Toh phir usne order hi kyun kiya woh drink?”

He shrugged his shoulders, “no idea. Anyways… Tum tension mat lo itna.”

 

Couple of days went by; Dr. Suchitra confirmed that there was no risk in a journey by flight, though any international trips were off the plan as it was simply too long of a travel. She had wanted to laugh at the idea of an international trip, but Sameer nodded solemnly stating that he didn’t plan to travel out of India as of now. She blinked at the easy way he mentioned this, surprised once more at the thought that SJM required him to travel abroad for business. One morning as she was working in the library, Anmol kept humming the tune of “maine pyaar kiya”, and it somehow made her feel so utterly sad that she kept aside her cataloguing journal and simply leaned back in her chair closing her eyes. Her sombre mood continued at home and was immediately noted by Sameer who enquired about it. She dully confessed, “Anmol poore din ek gaana gun-guna raha tha… Woh sunke mujhe Preeti ki yaad aa gai. Usko bhi aisi hi aadat thi… Kuch kaam ya homework karte karte gun-gunaneki. Aur ‘maine pyaar kiya’ ke title song uska favorite hai.”

He tentatively asked, “tumne itne saalo kabhi usse baat karneki koshish nahi ki? Bua-dadi ke through phone call, ya koi letter?”

She shook her head, “nahi… woh zindagi peeche chod aayi thi main. Jab bhi sochti thi dard hota tha, toh sochna bandh kar diya. Pata nahi kaise lekin, uss din tumne jab mujhse apna dard share kiya tab mujhe yaad aaya ke Manav wale problem se pehle sab kuch itna bura nahi tha. Pyaar shayad bahot saara nahi tha, lekin koi badsaluki bhi nahi thi… Koi mujhe ignore nahi karta tha… School jaaneko milta tha, kapde milte the, cycle bhi mili… Jab bimar hoti thi tab doctor ke paas bhi le jaate the. Tyohaar pe ek jodi naya kapda bhi dilate the. Papa ko main pasand nahi thi kabhi kyunki mujhe Janam dete hue meri maa chal basi, lekin kamsekam unhone mujhe bhula toh nahi diya.”

 

Sameer understood what she meant to say but at the same time he felt that what Naina had received from her family was bare minimum. Parents are responsible for providing for their children, aren’t they? Her father hadn’t even done that, he had simply handed her over to the extended family, not taking any personal accountability in raising her. And Naina was being grateful that at least she hadn’t been ignored or worse hated by her family before the fiasco with Manav. But he wondered how strong the family ties were if it had only taken one stranger to destroy everything for Naina.

 

Things were moving rapidly at the work front; even Ashray’s problems were sorted although they had had to serve a restraining order to Priya’s parents. Thankfully, Priya had agreed to file a case of abuse and threat to her child against her parents, based on which they were able to convince the court to serve the notice. Aman had been instrumental in driving this through, even going as far as to visiting Ashray daily in the evenings to ensure that the staff over there didn’t face any kind of issues or harassment. Sameer had also increased the security detail for Ashray.

 

On a personal front, it was as if he had reached a détente with Naina. There was a routine to their life, but he felt there was no progress. After the brief talk about Naina’s family few days back there was no further discussion. He had hoped that their talk would lower her walls a little and maybe she would confide about Manav to him. He was practically itching to use his own resources to do a thorough background check on Manav, and then systematically destroy his life for hurting Naina. But he had told Naina that he won’t do it, that he would wait for her to tell him… And it was a promise he meant to keep.

 

Unknown to the couple, there were quite a few things happening in Ahmedabad. Jaiprakash Maheshwari had been unable to sleep in peace ever since he came back from Mumbai. Despite being asked frequently, he had not confided in his daughter about the reason of his visit. Rather, he had started to notice things that he had wilfully ignored in past. Rohan had asked about the well-being of Sameer and left it at that. Deepika, the poor girl, still weak after being discharged from the hospital had also asked after Sameer, and playfully chided her grandfather for playing favourites as he had come back rather than staying in Mumbai as was originally planned. Her playful statements had been like a sharp jab against his heart. He had recalled Sameer’s disappointment, his silence, and his resignation at the state of events. He remembered Sameer hadn’t even asked if he wanted to go back, rather only asked about the flight timing. Sameer had known that he would be going back. He didn’t want to believe that he was playing favourites among his grandchildren, but upon the recent knowledge he had acquired of Sameer’s life, his struggles, his pain, he was forced to evaluate if he had unknowingly abandoned one of his grandchildren. It seemed like a case of out of sight is out of mind, only it shouldn’t have been like that.

 

He also noticed the obsessive gleam in Vishakha’s eyes as she pestered him repeatedly about his purpose of visiting Sameer. He had even asked his daughter as to why would he need a reason to visit his grandson. Vishakha had scoffed, “Sameer ne yeh ghar, yeh parivaar aur hum sabko peeche chod diya hai. Agar woh sach me ek layak aur zimmedar insaan hota to London chale jaane ke jagah yahan rehta hamare saath. Wahan se aaneke baad bhi woh Mumbai chala gaya. Usko sirf aapke paise me interest hai, aapke saath kisi rishte me nahi.”

He had been shocked, “Vishaka… Sameer ne mujhse koi paise nahi liye hai. Uska business start karneke liye jo paise maine diye the woh bhi wapas kar diye usne.”

“Dikhava hai”, she had stated adamantly, “aapko Mumbai bulaake fasa raha hai taaki aap apni saari jaydaat uske naam kardo. Lekin yaad rakhna papa… Mere bachcho ka haq iss jaaydaat pe zyada hai. Rohan aur Deepika yahan rehte hai aapke saath… Aane wale saalo me woh dono hi hum sabka dhyan rakenhge, khaas karke Rohan.”

He had queried, “tumhare bachche? Sirf Rohan aur Deepika tumhare bachche hai? Aur Sameer kaun hai?”

Vishaka had shrugged, “ek mare hue rishte ki anchaahi nishaani.”

 

To say that Jaiprakash Maheshwari had been shocked would be an understatement. He had known that Vishakha had been involved with Vivek in college, but he had thought she had accepted her marriage to Alok. Now he wondered if that had not been the case. He had been so happy when Sameer was born. He remembered Alok also being happy, but Vishakha had always smiled demurely, quite a contrast to the excited demeanour when she was pregnant with Deepika.

 

Sameer’s entire childhood rushed in-front of his eyes in kaleidoscopic lenses. The neglect. The way he was dumped in the hostel. The way he was never a part of Somani family. The way he had never been given an option to shift to Delhi and stay with his mother. The way he had been subdued and silent whenever Vishakha visited during his stay in Ahmedabad. The way he had begged to be moved to somewhere else to study as soon as the Somani family had decided to shift to Ahmedabad. The way his eyes had been dead when he came back from London. The way he had breathed in relief upon getting permission to start business in Mumbai.

 

It was Sameer who had asked him to stay and study in Ahmedabad just before he had turned 16. His grandson had wanted to live with him. However, the Somani family had encroached on the only safe place Sameer had managed to find for himself in their family. As a result, Sameer had left. He felt incredibly guilty thinking about all this. Somehow, with the flow of life he had failed to pay attention to the one person who needed it the most.

 

A call from the principal Pandey led him to visit PVKM to discuss certain financial matters. After finishing his meeting, he decided to walk along the school for a bit. He greeted a few students who were loitering in the corridor, spent a bit of time talking to the teachers in staff room, and then he went to the library. He had only intended to check if the books were being maintained properly, and ask if there was any need for new supplies. It hadn’t even occurred to him that the librarian was Naina’s father until he was face-to-face with the man.

He stood stumped, not prepared to handle the situation. Rakesh meanwhile seemed to be irritated but hid it as he wished, “Namaste sir.”

Shaking off his stupor, he returned the greetings, “Namaste Rakeshji. Kaise hai aap? Sab theek chal raha hai?”

“Haan library me koi problem nahi hai”, Rakesh replied, “main apna kaam bahot dhyan se karta hun.”

Jaiprakash nodded, “haan bilkul… mera matlab woh nahi tha. Main to aapki sehat aur parivaar ke baare me puch  raha tha.”

The irritation on Rakesh’s face became more prominent, and it perplexed Jaiprakash Maheshwari. Rakesh replied, “parivaar me sab kaisa hoga…? Achcha hi hai sab.”

Thinking to use this opportunity for sating some of his curiosity, he cautiously ventured, “main bahar topper list wali board dekh raha tha. Aapki beti ka naam dikha… lagatar kitne saalo tak. Kaisi hai Naina ab? Shaadi ho gai hogi na uski toh? Kuch saal pehle suna tha uske mangni ke baare me.”

The lines around Rakesh’s mouth deepened as he scowled, “meri koi beti nahi hai. Sirf beta hai – Arjun. Uski shaadi ho chuki hai.”

The older gentleman was taken aback by the fierce tone, “kya matlab koi beti nahi hai? Naina isi school me padhti thi… Sabko pata tha ke woh aapki beti hai… Phir aap…”

Rakesh interrupted, “maine kaha na meri koi beti nahi hai… Aapko ek baar kahi hui baat samajh nahi aati? Jo ladki saare samaj me hamare khandan ka naam kharab kare woh kabhi meri beti nahi ho sakti… Mar gai hai woh hamare liye. Aur mujhe koi farq nahi padta woh kahan hai, kaisi hai, zinda hai bhi ya nahi… Mar hi gai ho toh achcha hai. Waise bhi jeeke konsa izzat paane wala kaam kar liya usne…”

Jaiprakash took a physical step back in the face of such vile abusive words, “yeh aap kaisi baate kar rahe hai Rakeshji? Ek pita hoke aap aisi ichcha rakhte hai ke aapki beti zinda na ho?”

“Beti hoti toh jahan parivaar ne kaha wahan muh bandh karke shaadi kar leti”, Rakesh spewed, “sagai todkar, police ke paas jaake, samaj me hamari naak nahi katvati. Aage se school aur library ka koi kaam ho toh hi mujhse baat kijiyega. Mere neeji zindagi ke baare me aapko janne ki koi zaroorat nahi hai.”

 

Jaiprakash Maheshwari watched in shock as Rakesh stormed out of the library. He couldn’t believe what he heard. How could a father wish for his daughter to be dead? How could a father hold such venom in his heart for his child? And police? He had heard about the engagement being broken, Sameer had also told him the same, but why would police be involved in this? The matter seemed to be more complex and serious that he had anticipated. And while he had struggled earlier to believe that Naina was so scared of her family that she would have panic attacks, he now thought it to be entirely possible. He had talked to the one person from her family who was supposed to have the utmost compassion and love for her, and he had instead only heard venomous insults. If her father was talking like this then how did her other family members treat her? He left the school, but spent the remaining day and night in a restless state… No matter what Naina had done, even if it was her fault that her engagement was broken, no one deserved to be treated like this by his or her family.

 

Next morning as she sat down to a breakfast of gobi paratha, he wrinkled his nose. He never liked the smell of cauliflower. In a vegetable, the smell was masked with spices, but when stuffed in paratha the smell seemed to be prominent. He sighed and commented, “Ramdhari… kabhi aloo ke parathe bhi bana diya karo. Hamesha ya toh paneer banta hai ya gobi… aloo hai, lauki hai… kuch bhi aur banao.”

Vishakha tutted, “koi zaroorat nahi hai kuch aur bananeki. Aapko pata hai na papa, ke Rohan ko aloo ke parathe pasand nahi hai. Phir aap kaise keh sakte hai ghar pe woh bananeko. Aur lauki Deepika nahi khati.”

Rohan looked around at his family, “lekin mummy, agar Nanaji ko aloo ke parathe pasand hai toh unke liye Ramdhari alag se bana sakta hai na? Sirf stuffing hi toh alag hai.”

Vishakha smiled at her son, “beta subah subah sabke liye alag alag breakfast toh nahi bana sakte na. Time waste hoga.”

“Toh phir kisi kisi din main Nanaji ke pasand ka breakfast kar lunga”, Rohan tried to assure, “isme koi badi baat toh nahi hai.”

His mother frowned, “tum kyun aisa kuch khaoge jo tumhe pasand nahi? Koi zaroorat nahi hai life me compromise karneki tumhe aur tumhari behen ko.” Looking at his father she said, “aur papa aap… kya bachcho jaisa complain kar rahe hai? Aapki toh itni umar ho gai hai… Samajhna chahiye aapko. Bachcho ki pasand ke saath adjust karna chahiye. Aur agar nahi kar sakte toh chai-biscuit ya bread-butter kha lijiye.”

 

Once again, something outside the realm of imagination had happened in Jaiprakash Maheshwari’s life. He had never thought his daughter could talk so rudely to him. It was such a simple matter of food, but coupled with the realizations and revelations happening in his life recently, it seemed to be something bigger than food choices. Vishakha seemed to be obsessively driven to revolve everyone’s life around Rohan and Deepika, whom she considered to be her only children. Sameer was an outsider, a stranger to his own mother, never completely cut off but also never accepted. And it seemed as if Vishakha wanted him to be a grandfather only to Rohan and Deepika, hating his relationship with Sameer and somehow Naina’s words were starting to make sense to him. How was it possible that a mother who seemed to love her children so much that she tried to orbit everything around them, had made a mistake to let them eat something they were severely allergic to?

 

He didn’t talk anymore, but he also didn’t eat the paratha, recalling the two jovial breakfasts he had had with Sameer and Naina. The way they had taken care of his food preferences, of his health, it made him miss them more, and he wanted to apologize to them for leaving so abruptly.

 

As he sat outside in the garden lost in thoughts, Rohan came to him with a plate and newspaper. He offered the dish, which held a sandwich, “paratha banana nahi aata mujhe lekin Ramdhari ke help se yeh sandwich banaya. Aapne breakfast me kuch khaya nahi, yeh kha lijiye please nanaji.”

Despite being hurt by his own daughter, he did love his grandchildren, and as such he couldn’t ignore Rohan. He took the plate from his hands, “thank you beta. Lekin iski koi zaroorat nahi thi.”

Rohan sat on another chair next to him, “zaroorat kaise nahi thi? Aap davai lete hai na… Kuch khaye bina davai kaise lenge aap? Please kha lijiye na…”

He took a small bite, trying to smile in reassurance. But Rohan didn’t smile, “I am sorry nanaji… maine kabhi notice nahi kiya ke aapko nashta pasand nahi aata. Aur… Mujhe achcha nahi laga mummy ne jis tarah se aapse baat ki.”

Nanu sighed, keeping the dish on the table, “mujhe bhi achcha nahi laga. Lekin woh tumhari mummy hai… Usko apne bachcho ke pasand napasand ka khayal hai.”

Rohan glanced down at the newspaper in his hands, “bhai ko bhi aloo parathe pasand hai na? Mujhe yaad hai mummy kitna daanti thi unko jab woh paratha roll karke khate the. Chota tha tab mujhe mazaa aata tha ke mummy mujhse zyada pyaar karti hai… Lekin ab woh baate yaad aati hai toh unfair lagta hai.”

Nanu’s heart clenched at the thought of his oldest grandson. He didn’t… couldn’t… say anything about Rohan’s observation. Had Vishakha really scolded Sameer for just the way he enjoyed a food he liked? It seemed that he had been clueless about many things in Sameer’s life. Suddenly Rohan said in a chipper tone, “main bhi kahan purani baate leke beth gaya… main toh yahan aapko nashta karwane aur aapka mood theek karne aaya tha. Aapko pata hai aaj paper me kya chapa hai?”

Nanu shook his head, “nahi… maine ab tak paper padha nahi.” This was another change in his life that he hadn’t paid much attention to. Usually, he read the newspaper first, but after the Somani family shifted to Ahmedabad that honor was bestowed on Vivek, as he had to go to office early so he deserved to read the news first.

Rohan grinned, “the great SJM ke baare me news hai aaj paper me… Aur itne saalo me first time bhai ke taraf se direct quote print hua hai. Can you believe it?”

Nanu’s eyes widened, “Sameer ne media se baat ki?”

“Baat ki ke nahi woh toh pata nahi”, Rohan mused, “kyunki koi interview nahi hai. Sirf quote hai. Ho sakta hai unke PR team ne bheja ho print karne ke liye.”

Nanu nodded, “possible hai… Kya hai news?”

Rohan showed him the front page, and there was his grandson whom he was missing so much. It was an upgrade from the previous news articles he had read about SJM. Earlier, they had been using an older photo of Sameer, something from around the time he had won his first award as an upcoming businessman of the year. But it seemed along with sending a direct quote, Sameer’s PR team had shared a recent photo of him as well. The background showed it was from the SJM Enterprise’s year-end event. The article talked about the revolutionary changes SJM had made in his company in the new year, and also the continued good things that made SJM a aspired company to work in. It stated how SJM enterprise had the biggest pool female employees, and how it paid special attention to the comfort and safety of its staff. There were company buses for daily commute of any staff, male and female, that wanted to leverage the facility. This ensured the staff was safe and saved commute time, as they didn’t have to rely on public transport. There was mention of the pool of cars that were available along with driver for any meetings, especially the ones that stretched into overtime, with priority given to female staff in such cases. It highlighted how SJM – the boss, understood that staff didn’t want to mingle every time, and so there were was a common break room but also separate break rooms for male and female.

And finally it discussed at length about SJM’s vision and bravery in introducing ground-breaking changes that no other company probably had in their radar even ten years down the line. The article praised Sameer for building a crèche in his company that enabled working women to keep their children close instead of leaving them in day-care centres. It reflected encouragement for women. In a society where women were often forced to leave their career after marriage and especially after motherhood, SJM displayed that motherhood was a not an end for a woman’s aspirations, but rather a new beginning. If a woman wanted to continue to work, SJM had given them an option to care for their children along with focusing on their career. Another decision that had sparked debate was the half-day leave granted by the company on Saturday from this year. It was stated that several industrialists and influential people from business community had expressed concern about this decision, citing that it created a bad example as employees were paid for working 6 days a week, and this decision meant that for almost 52 days employees were getting salary for hours they have not worked. Additionally, it could lead to employees being lax about their work, and planning their leaves on Saturday so then they won’t have to travel to office at all, instead they would get an extended weekend to enjoy. Moreover, if they do come to work then they would just laze around for the few hours they have to spend in office rather than actually working.

It seemed Sameer’s statement was in reply to these critiques. The print stated his grandson’s eloquent words in daring bold fonts – “As a businessperson, I am no stranger to bold decisions that may challenge conventional norms. Growth requires risk and intuition, and at SJM, we view our employees as key contributors to our success – not as mere labourers. We value their creativity, intelligence, passion, and dedication, and compensate them for the talent they bring, not the hours they clock in. If they complete their work on time, there’s no harm in taking longer breaks or enjoying a half-day on Saturdays.

 

I recently recognized how vital personal time is, not just for me as the founder but for everyone at SJM. Employees often work long hours, leaving little time for family, hobbies, or self-care. By allowing a few extra hours on Saturdays for personal tasks, we can ensure Sundays are reserved for activities that support mental and physical well-being. In just a few weeks, we have seen employees return to work on Mondays with a more positive outlook, and I am confident this will lead to improved efficiency over time.

 

SJM is committed to being a pioneer in both fashion and employee work-life balance. This decision may spark debate, but to me, every criticism is simply proof of challenging the status quo.”

 

Jaiprakash Maheshwari breathed in deep, his chest swelling at his grandson’s thoughts and courage. Sameer had taken up his name because he wanted to be like him, but today after reading this article, he felt proud that his name was associated with such a brilliant man.

Rohan took the newspaper back, and once more handed over the plate of sandwich to his grandfather, “main soch raha hun iss article ko cut karke frame karwau. Do badi frames… Ek hamare office ke liye aur ek ghar ke liye.”

Nanu took a healthy bite of the sandwich, munching on it with a vigour that had been absent before, “bahot achcha idea hai… lekin ghar pe kyun?”

Rohan shrugged, “kyun nahi? Koi maane ya na maane, bhai iss parivaar ka hissa hai. Hamesha mummy ne mujhe aur bhai ko compare kiya hai… bhai ko jataya hai ke main kitna perfect hun aur unme kitni kamiya hai… School aur college ke exams me toh main topper raha, lekin life ki exam me bhai top kar rahe hai. He is my inspiration Nanu… My idol… Aur apne idol ki photos aur articles main apne ghar me display kar sakta hun, right?”

Nanu patted his head, “tumhara jo man hai tum kar sakte ho beta. Aur mujhe yaqeen hai ke SJM ki tarah tum bhi ek din kamyaab businessman banoge.”

Rohan smiled slightly, “nanaji… aapko bhai ke paas wapas jaana chahiye. Sirf do din me aap wahan se wapas aa gaye. Bhai ko bura laga hoga.”

Once more Jaiprakash Maheshwari experienced pride, this time in his second grandson, who seemed to be stepping above his family’s influence and thinking on his own. Yes! He did indeed need to go back to Mumbai. He had left a decision hanging, matters unfinished, relationships complicated. He needed to go back, but first he needed to do something else.

 

On 23^rd January 11am when Sameer was in a meeting with a new client that wanted to do a Summer collection launch in London, the doorbell at Number 12 Vedanta Villas pierced the tranquil environment inside. Bhavna Tai had both her hands in flour she was kneading to make masala puri, so Naina stood up leaving her half-finished plate of poha, and went to open the door. She knew it couldn’t be Sameer, most likely it was the flowers that he had promised to get delivered as they hadn’t been able to visit a florist to buy them for the vases she kept in the house. However, her eyes widened and mouth dropped open when she saw the person at the door.

Jaiprakash Maheshwari greeted, “good morning Naina.”

She gasped, “Nanu?”

His brows lifted in surprise at being addressed like that, but she immediately corrected herself, “mera matlab sir… aap…?”

He smiled, “andar aa sakta hun?”

“Oh”, she fumbled, quickly stepping back, opening the door wider to let him in, “aaiye na please.”

As soon as Nanu kept his bag down, she knelt to take his blessings, which he immediately gave, and admonished lightly, “kaha tha na peechli baar ke aise jhukte nahi hai.”

She blinked, “jee… sorry.” After a moment of stunned perusal, she shook her head, “uh… aap… aap bethiye na. Main paani leke aati hun.”

Nanu spotted a journal, and a big book that looked like a sketchbook on the table, and also a half-eaten plate of poha. Naina came back with a glass of water, offering it to him. Once he had drank his fill, she asked, “aap chai peeyenge? Subah ki flight thi toh breakfast nahi kiya hoga na?”

He smiled at her thoughtful questions, “flight me sandwich diya tha lekin mujhe kabhi uska taste achcha nahi lagta.”

She nodded, “Sameer ko bhi pasand nahi…” Suddenly she slapped her forehead, “aree… main toh bhul hi gai… abhi Sameer ko phone karti hun.”

He stopped her, “rehne do beta… aaj waise bhi Saturday hai toh Sameer jaldi aa jayega na?”

She seemed confused, “jee… lunch time me aa jayenge.”

“Bas toh… Koi zaroorat nahi hai abhi phone karneki”, he assured, “thode ghante hi toh hai. Kyun usko pareshan karna abhi… Aur phir, tum ho toh sahi yahan.”

She nodded, “theek hai… main Tai ko chai ka bol deti hun.”

 

Naina came back few minutes later, and he gestured towards the books, “tum sketch karti ho?”

She looked puzzled, but then chuckled, “nahi nahi… yeh scrapbook hai. Jab pregnancy ka pata chala tha tab yeh journal kharida tha, baby ke baare me sab details likhne ke liye. Lekin abhi kuch din pehle Anmol ne mujhe yeh scrapbook gift kiya aur Sameer ne craft ki sab cheezein laake di. Maine socha ke journal ki sab information scrapbook me transfer kar du…”

He smiled, “bahot achcha idea hai… bachcha jab bada hoga toh uske liye kaafi achchi memory hogi yeh.”

Her smile widened, “haina? Mujhe bhi aisa hi lagta hai. Sameer ne promise kiya hai ke woh bhi help karenge.”

As they chatted about the ideas for maintaining the scrapbook, Bhavna Tai came back with a tray, and served him a cup of tea, biscuits, few mathris and a small plate of poha. She smiled at him and said, “achcha laga aapko wapas dekhke sahab.”

Nanu nodded, “shukriya. Aur wapas toh aana hi tha. Peechli baar raha hi kahan zyada.”

 

As Tai went back to the kitchen, Naina queried, “aapne decide kar liya tha ke aap wapas aayenge?”

Nanu sighed, “nahi… jab gaya tha tab sach me kuch socha nahi tha. Lekin dukh bahot hua tha ke aise chodke jaa raha hun… Uske baad samajh nahi aa raha tha ke kaise baat karu Sameer se ya wapas kaise aau. Lekin kal jab newspaper me SJM ka article padha tab khudko aur rok nahi paaya.”

She grinned, “kitna achcha article tha na. Maine to paper me se cut karke rakha hai.”

He laughed, “Rohan bhi wahi karne wala hai. Woh toh frame karneki baat kar raha tha.”

“Frame?” She asked. He nodded, informing her, “haan… kehta hai uska bhai uske liye inspiration hai. Isiliye ek frame office me rakhega aur ek ghar me.”

As she contemplated this information, he took an invigorating sip of the hot tea, and made a relieved sound. Naina parked her thoughts for later, “poha bhi khaiye na. Sameer ne banaya hai.”

He was surprised, “Sameer ne? Sach me?”

She gave an enthusiastic nod, “haan… meri bua-dadi ke ghar me jaisa poha banta tha bilkul waisa hai yeh taste me. Pata nahi kaise… Lekin jis din se Sameer ne banake khilaya hai main har week me ek baar toh demand karti hun.”

He tasted a spoonful and was surprised at how fluffy and flavorful it was, despite being light on spices and oil, “bahot hi tasty hai yeh toh. Main jab tak hun yahan pe utne dino me Sameer ko kahunga wapas banake khilaye. Aur ek baar tumhare haath ke aloo ke parathe bhi khane hai phirse.”

She happily agreed, and then enquired, “aap kitne din rahenge sir?”

“Kuch sochke nahi aaya”, he stated, “tum logo ka Kolkata jaana final ho gaya?”

She nodded, “jee… 1^st February ki flight hai. Dopahar ko 2pm ki flight hai.”

He felt relieved that they were not leaving in the next few days, “phir toh waqt hai. Kuch din beeta sakta hun tum dono ke saath.”

“Bilkul”, she generously agreed, “book club bhi jayenge iss baar. Reh gaya tha peechli baar.”

 

They chatted amicably for almost an hour, and then he went to the guest room he had previously lived in, to freshen up and change. Tai came in once to ask if there was any change in lunch menu, and informed that she would fry the puris later after lunch. Naina told him that they had plan to visit an orphanage today evening to distribute food and donate some money. This pleased Nanu and he asked if he could also join, and Naina agreed saying the more the merrier.

 

Sameer had had a hectic half-day in office. Back-to-back meetings for wrapping up the week, clients, and a new supplier had taken up his time. Despite spending less hours at work as compared to other days, he felt tired, and was really looking forward to an afternoon nap. He hoped this weekend was good, and he had decided to bring up the topic of family once again, wanting to know more about her past. After Naina’s last check-up and consultation, Dr. Suchitra had told him that he needed to make more effort to know her past, as it was still consuming her thoughts and not letting her enjoy life, as she should. Hopefully, his planned attempts wouldn’t setback the relationship they had started to build.

 

He rang the doorbell, and waited to be greeted with a hug from his wife. However, when the door opened, he froze, wondering if he had come over to a wrong house, or maybe the wrong city or probably some alternate universe. Because… The person holding the door open for him wasn’t his wife but rather his grandfather who had returned to Ahmedabad already.

“Sameer”, Nanu greeted with a smile “andar aao na.”

Shaking himself out of the stupor, he stepped in, “aap?”

Naina came out of the kitchen, grinning at him, “hi… aa gaye tum?”

He shifted his attention to his wife, walking forward to give her a hug, and ask about her well-being. She murmured a reply to his questions, and then swatted his hands away, “sir aaye hai… unke paav to chuo.”

He stood at his wife’s side, and stared at the older man, asking in a polite but indifferent tone, “aap yahan kya kar rahe hai?”

Nanu had come to visit his grandson, but instead he was greeted by SJM, and he felt guilt consume him. It was his own fault. The way he had left had made Sameer think that just like his mother, his priority were his other grandchildren. He hadn’t even called to apologize and assure that he would come back. Ever since yesterday morning, he had felt so happy at his decision to return, thoughts of seeing Sameer being overjoyed upon seeing him. But none of it was happening…

Naina looked at her husband is shock, “Sameer… yeh kya puch rahe ho?”

“Theek hi toh puch raha hun”, he stated, “achanak yahan wapas kyun aaye hai?”

Nanu swallowed his disappointment, and met his grandson’s eyes, “kyunki peechli baar jaise main gaya waise nahi jaana chahiye tha… Ya at least Ahmedabad se tumhe phone karna chahiye tha. I am sorry Sameer.”

Sameer wanted to reach out and hug his grandfather, to let bygones be bygone, but he couldn’t forget the hurt he had experienced. He didn’t want his grandfather to apologize yet hearing it felt like a healing balm on his heart. He had ignored his own hurt feelings, choosing to focus on work as he had to think of Naina’s health and happiness. She was his priority, and his own feelings had taken a backstage in comparison. But suddenly seeing his Nanu in his house reminded him of everything again. The memories of his mother’s neglect overlapped with the way Nanu had ignored him and rushed to Deepika. Logically he knew it wasn’t the same, that Nanu would never deliberately hurt him. But, emotions often tend to ignore logic. And, even though Nanu apologized he held back, some mental guard stopping him from reaching out and embracing his grandfather, warning him to exercise caution and protect his heart from hurting again.

Instead of replying to his grandfather, he looked at Naina, “main fresh hoke aata hun. Bhuk lagi hai.”

She nodded, “khana ready hai. Tum change karke aao.”

Jaiprakash Maheshwari felt devastated at being ignored like that, but he tried not to let it show on his face as his grandson walked past him. As the door to Sameer’s bedroom closed shut, Naina gently said, “aap fikar mat kijiye sir. Sameer aapse zyada der naraaz nahi reh sakte.”

Nanu smiled, “uski narazgi jayaz hai. Maine tum dono ko taklif pahonchai hai. Sameer ne mujhe yahan khaas phone karke bulaya tha tumse milvane, apne life ke baare me sab batane, aur main sab adhura chodke chala gaya.”

She shook her head, “haalat aise the ke aap ruk nahi sake. Sameer samajhte hai iss baat ko. Lekin… Shayad sirf aap hi hai jinse ruth sakte hai  woh befikar hoke. Woh jaante hai aap unse muh nahi ferenge. Baki sab toh…”

As she trailed off, Nanu asked, “aur tum? Tumse ruth nahi sakta woh?”

“Shayad”, she mused, “lekin mera dhyan rakhna unhone apni priority banali hai. Toh mujhse naraaz nahi hote.”

Nanu queried, “aur tum mujhse naraaz nahi ho?”

She looked genuinely puzzled, “mera kya haq banta hai aapse naraaz honeka? Main toh bas Sameer ke behalf pe upset thi.”

 

Dropping that statement perfectly nonchalantly, she went to the kitchen to help Tai bring out lunch. Nanu stood stumped. She was married to Sameer and yet she felt she had no right to be upset with him for what he did? He realized how spectacularly he had messed up. Sameer had wanted to build a family for himself; he had wanted to provide Naina with the security and confidence that’s associated with a family. Him leaving like that had made her feel that he probably didn’t think of her as part of his family, and so she felt she didn’t have any rights. He gathered that Sameer was right in ignoring his apology, as a simple sorry was not going to fix this.

 

The lunch was a contrast to his previous visit. Sameer stayed silent, only talking to Naina if needed. She tried her best to carry on the conversation, but the atmosphere stayed tense. Finally, after lunch she just asked Nanu to rest and let him know that they needed to leave by 7pm for the orphanage. Sameer’s head snapped up in surprise, and for one moment Nanu thought that he would refuse to bring him along, however he just stared at his grandfather and then his wife, nodding once before going back to the bedroom.

 

Naina asked Tai to take a bit of rest as well, and then followed her husband, wondering how to comfort him. He was sitting on the bed, seemed to be lost in thoughts. She sat beside him, leaning her head against his shoulder. After a couple of minutes, he asked, “kab aaye Nanu?”

She replied, “subah 11 baje ke kareeb.”

“I didn’t expect”, he whispered, “mujhe laga ab wapas nahi aayenge itni jaldi. Phone bhi nahi aaya tha unka…”

She hummed, “lekin ab toh aa gaye na… Aur tum baat bhi nahi kar rahe unse.”

He wrapped an arm around her, “I was shocked on seeing him… I don’t know what to talk about. Last time unko maine apne taraf se sab bata diya. Mere life ke baare me, mera past, tumhare baare me… Phir woh chale gaye. Ab achanak yahan wapas aaye hai… Samajh nahi aa raha ke kyun.”

She stayed silent, as she also didn’t have answers to any of those doubts. He queried after few minutes, “what should I do Naina?”

She gave it a thought for some time, and then suggested, “take your time. Parivaar me usually hum expectations me ulajh jaate hai. Sochte hai ke humse bade hai toh hamara farz banta hai unki har baat maane aur saamne kuch naa bole. Lekin yeh sab me hum khudke dil ke ghaav pe dhyan dena bhul jaate hai.”

He nodded, “let’s see woh kya kehte hai, kya karte hai… I expect ek-do din me call aa jayega wapas. Just hope iss baar Rohan ya Deepika hospital na pahonche.”

She looked at him, her eyes clouded with worry, “Sameer… tum… tum baat nahi kar sakte Rohan se? Tumne bataya tha na ke ab koi problem nahi hai tumhe usse. Aur… uh…”

Puzzled by her hesitation, he asked, “kya hua? Why are you hesitating?”

She bit her lip, debating mentally for a minute, “actually… tumahre office se aane se pehle hum SJM Enterprise ke news ki baat kar rahe the.  Aur sir ne bataya ke Rohan uss article ko cut karke frame karwane wala hai.”

He was taken aback, “kya? Kyun?”

“Rohan ka kehna hai ke tum uski inspiration ho”, she informed, “aisa sir ne bataya mujhe.”

He shook his head, “Rohan ke saath mera rishta kabhi theek nahi raha. Tumhe dhundta hua Ahmedabad gaya tha tab bas thoda theek se baat kiya usse. Woh bhi ginke 5-10 minutes. Utne me main inspiration kaise ban sakta hun. It’s just not possible.”

She took hold of his hand, “rishta theek nahi tha lekin phir bhi jab woh hospital me admitted tha tumne uske baare me information nikalvaya tha. Shayad main reason Vishakha Somani thi. Lekin tumhe fikar toh thi ke Rohan ki life ko risk hai. Waise hi ho sakta hai ke Rohan bhi tumhe admire karta ho, as a brother, as a businessman… Lekin baat nahi hoti toh tumhe pata bhi nahi.”

He squeezed her hand, unable to comprehend his step-siblings even thinking about him. How was it possible? Vishakha Somani left no stone unturned to destroy his life, then how could her children think anything positive about him. Rohan believing him to be his inspiration was completely outside the realm of his imagination. Slowly he asked, “tumhe lagta hai mujhe Rohan se baat karni chahiye?”

She nodded, “haan… bhai banne ko nahi keh rahi. Lekin kisi tarah agar bas use warn kar sako ke apne aur Deepika ke khane pe thoda zyada dhyan de jab tak sir yahan pe hai… Toh shayad Vishaka Somani apne planning me kamyaab na ho.” Sameer seemed so lost just at the thought of talking to his step-brother, that she tried to assure him, “abhi ke abhi faisla karna zaroori nahi hai. Maine sirf ek sujhaav diya hai. Thoda socho… Aur phir decide karo.”

He sighed, agreeing to think, “okay. Chalo filhaal thoda rest kar lete hai.”

 

In evening, after they had tea, they started the preparations for the orphanage trip. The masala puri, aloo sabji, dal fry and jeera rice were packed in big steel containers, and Sameer loaded them in the car. The drive to the orphanage was spent in silene once more, Nanu sat in the back, watching the city pass by. He kept thinking how he could fix the damage he had done to the relationship with his grandson.

 

Shishu Bhavan housed 35 children at the moment, ranging from ages 5 to 13. The small 2-storey building was built inside a compound that housed an equally small garden. Some children were playing a game of tag in the garden, but when the car stopped at the gates most of them rushed inside. Soon a middle-aged woman came outside followed by another woman and two men. Sameer held Naina’s hand as they walked up and greeted the staff.

The middle-aged woman folded her hands in welcome, “Namaskar… शिशु भवनात आपले स्वागत आहे. मी इंदिरा जोशी.”

Sameer smiled, “Namaskar. Main SJM… Aur yeh meri wife, Naina aur yeh mere nanaji.”

The woman greeted them both, and gestured to the people around her, “Yeh hamara staff hai Gayatri, Prashant aur Rajeev. Aap log andar aaiye na.”

“Car me khana rakha hai”, Sameer informed, “aap nikalne me help kar denge?”

Indira nodded, pleased, “haan bilkul. Rajeev aur Prashant sambhal lenge.”

 

The small group trooped inside, their movements followed by several curious eyes. Naina smiled at a few children she could see, and they promptly hid behind a pillar. They sat down in an office room with spare furnitures, and Gayatri brought in water for them. Indira smiled kindly, “aapka jab phone aaya toh mujhe sach me ascharya hua. Aur sach kahu toh agar kuch din pehle paper me aapka photo nahi dekha hota toh abhi bhi mujhe lagta ke koi SJM ka naam leke hamare saath mazak kar raha hai.”

Sameer frowned, “aisa mazak koi kyun karega?”

“Hote hai log”, Indira replied solemnly, “hamara orphanage chota sa hai. Kisi political party ya famous socialite se associated nahi hai. Ek-do baar kisine waada kiya donation ka lekin phir na woh khud aaye aur na koi cheque. Aur ek baar toh ek news reporter ne bachcho ko khilane ke bahane se unka interview lene ki koshish ki.”

Nanu was perplexed, “lekin bachcho ka bhala kya interview?”

Gayatri huffed, “besharam insaan tha woh… bachcho ke dukh aur durbhagay ko paper me bechna chahta tha.”

Indira explained further, “uski nayi naukri lagi thi… news kuch mili nahi toh usne socha ke anaath bachcho ke baare me likhega toh sab padhenge. Kaise anaath hue, kahan se mile hume, kitna yaad hai unko apne mata-pita ke baare me.”

Naina fiercely scowled, “dimag aur dil dono kahin gutter me chod aaye hai.”

Sameer shook his head, “kuch log apne matlab ke liye kuch bhi kar sakte hai.”

They talked a little bit about the condition of the orphanage, how funds were arranged, what kind of help they needed. Sameer handed over a cheque for the amount he had promised over phone, and additionally stated, “main koshishi karunga ke regular funding ka kuch arrangement ho sake.”

Indira honestly didn’t expect much, but still she thanked him graciously for the donation and the hope he tried to give them.

 

When the dinner gong rang, the food was lined up on a table, and the children formed a queue. Either of the staff assisted the younger children. Naina, Sameer and Nanu served the food, smiling at each of the children. After spending a bit more time at the orphanage, they went back home. For dinner they had the same items that they had taken for the children, however, Nanu skipped the puris. He cautiously inquired, “kal toh Sunday hai. Iss baar kya plan kiya hai? Kahan jaa rahe ho ghumne?”

Naina readily answered, “subah toh siddhi-vinayak me darshan karne jaaneka plan hai. Aur shaam ko Sameer keh rahe the koi movie dekhne chalenge.”

Nanu smiled, “achcha plan hai. Maze karna…”

She frowned, “matlab? Aap bhi toh chalenge na.”

Nanu chuckled, “naa baba… mujhe yeh movie vagera ka koi shauk nahi hai. Tum log jao. Haan, agar koi aitraaz na ho toh main subah mandir zaroor chalna chahunga.”

Before Naina could argue about Nanu not going to the movies, Sameer voiced his agreement, “theek hai… subah sab mandir chalenge. 7am ko niklenge. Breakfast bahar karenge, kyunki Naina darshan karne ke baad khana chahti hai. Lunch ghar pe. Phir shaam ko main aur Naina bahar jayenge, Nanu ka dinner Tai bana degi.”

Naina bit her lip, instinctively wanting to object at leaving Nanu out of their evening plans, but she decided to trust that Sameer would know best how to handle this surprise visit from his grandfather. Nanu meanwhile smiled, knowing in his heart what he had to do tomorrow. Hopefully, it would be the first step towards filling the chasm between him and his grandson.