chapter 2

SerendipityEpisode-2 10 years later...Her fingers danced in unison on the keypad while staring intently at the laptop screen. She was preparing for the Sehgal Group's presentation, determined to get this project by any means.Preparing presentations for the new projects always seemed exciting and appealing to her. Her goal for this Saturday, actually probably every Saturday, was to complete all the minute, pending tasks from the previous week and design a schedule to plan for the next week.She never thought of Saturday as a holiday , instead she preferred getting as much work as possible done regardless of being at home and looked forward to start the new week with passion and vigour on Monday.In a busy profession like hers, planning played a very important role. She closed her eyes lightly and massaged them with her fingers.  There was still an hour's worth of work left.Her busy schedule since the morning included weekly meetings with all the departments for updates on the new projects, the online training of senior managers had been completed, she had compiled reports after checking the work about the three important clients, and so on.After a few moments , she looked away from the laptop to give a break to  her strained eyes and glanced out of the large window of her living room. From her house on the 20th floor, the tranquil Arabian sea was visible in the distance.This was her favourite place in the house. Sitting cosily on the sofa near the wide sliding window and working comfortably had its own charm.'He should have been here today... he would have loved this view... how crazy he was about the sea', she thought.During the evenings, watching the sun plunge into the Arabian sea as twilight slowly blends into the canvas of the sky while sipping her favourite masala chai refreshed her soul.Her phone nearby had been vibrating and giving notifications of new calls and messages continuously, but right now she was not in the mood to pick up any calls.She had kept her phone on silent for the past hour without any intention of looking at it until the work at hand was done. However, in the last five minutes , the phone’s vibrations had increased tremendously for some reason.She reluctantly picked up the phone to check what the emergency was and was bombarded with a huge number of unread messages.'Where are you, Megha?' 'Megha Ma'am, have you left?’  'Megha ma'am, we are waiting' 'Megha, are you on time?''Megha ma'am, please pick up the phone'‘We are looking for you, where are you sitting?''Megha, Award Ceremony, have you reached? The last message made a light bulb go off in her head and all of a sudden she was met with the realization that she was extremely late.'Oh my god... shit .. shit.. shit ... how did I forget the award ceremony?' Placing the laptop aside, she got ready with lightning speed and in twenty minutes, her cab was racing towards the 'Grand Hyatt Hotel'. Even though it was only a 30 minutes distance from her home, her cab was moving at a snail’s pace due to the Saturday evening traffic.‘God, are all of the Mumbaikars out on the road today?’She finally called Gupta sir. “I am sorry ... really, really ,very sorry ... but don't worry... I will reach on time .. I am in the cab.”She began apologizing before Sir could utter a single word. He merely said “Don’t worry , its ok” and hung up the phone.'Why do they hold this award ceremony in the first place? The winner has already been announced. Going there to accept it in front of everyone is just a formality. Instead, it would be better to just send the award to the person’s office. It will save a huge amount of time, money and energy.'Even though it may seem a bit strange to other people, she stood by her strong opinions.The idea of just looking at the camera with smiles which didn’t even hold an ounce of genuinity, giving countless interviews for being showcased in the limelight had never appealed to her.She held a firm view that the media did not need to sugar – coat her achievements and successes for the public. She knew that she was a pioneer in her field and other’s opinions held no value for her.Unfortunately , today , she was helpless. This award ceremony was very important for Gupta sir. Her phone rang again, “Megha ma'am, the award ceremony has started ... where have you reached?”She heard Akshay’s worried voice from the other end. Akshay Sharma, the senior manager in her team and her right hand in all the projects for the last six years.“Akshay, I am reaching in five minutes,  please, handle the situation.” she requested desperately. "Ma'am, not  5, it will take another 15 minutes. This is a taxi, not a helicopter that will fly" The driver poked his nose in the wrong place.“Aree Bhaiya! Please look ahead and drive fast.” She scowled at him. Akshay's faint giggles could be heard over the phone.“Megha ma'am, how can you forget the award ceremony?” His giggles faded into loud chuckles with the voices of some others mixed in it as well.“Akshay, don't rub salt in my wound, just please , take care of it for a little  while” she pleaded.As soon as she entered the Grand Hyatt, she started running towards the banquet hall but it was difficult to run grasping the folds of her saree as well as her clutch in her hand.Her run turned into a sprint as soon as she saw the award ceremony board. Just as she was about to make a smooth , graceful turn around the corner, a handsome, tall, muscular figure wearing a gray suit suddenly appeared blocking her path.He was walking while looking down, completely engrossed in talking on the phone. Megha tried to slow down but failed miserably causing both of them to suddenly bump into each other.His phone fell from his hand and her clutch fell down scattering all the meticulously arranged things on the floor.Annoyed already at being late , she shouted with a tinge of irritation, “Can't you atleast look up while walking!” She bent down and started collecting her things.“Then why are you running with your eyes closed?” He also replied angrily. His dark eyes remained fixed on her, with an expressionless face as he picked up his mobile silently. His face felt very familiar. She wondered where she had seen it before.“Sorry, but I'm not running a marathon here in my free time, I'm late for the award ceremony” She threw all her stuff in her clutch haphazardly and glared at him.“Oh really! If you are part of the organizing committee or the hotel staff, you should have been here before the stipulated time, the ceremony has already come to an end. Now, there is no need for you there”He answered with a smile overflowing with sarcasm causing her anger to double instantly. Just as she was thinking of giving him a sharp remark to put him in his place, her phone vibrated again.Akshay was calling. Deciding that arguing with such egocentric and self-centered people would not achieve anything, she threw him a disdainful look and closed her clutch with a sharp snap as if to put an end to this conversation.There was no shortage of judgmental people in her life and he was just another unwanted addition to that. Backing away from him , she took a deep breath , composed herself and opened the door to the banquet hall.‘Just find your office team, smile widely ear to ear and say sorry to everyone.’Her team had been waiting for the last 30 minutes. Sitting on the chair next to Gupta sir, she once again apologized to him with a smile.He lovingly moved his hand over her head knowingly. He knew the reason she was late. He was sure that she must have been preparing some report till the last moment.The words of that rude person echoed in her head. She definitely looked the 'odd woman out' here in her cherry red coloured Tassar silk saree with hair in a low-bun at the nape of her neck, without even a hint of makeup on her face.Among this sea of elite suits in the banquet hall, a woman wearing a silk saree was mismatched.  But she was so ... different .. unique .. fantastic. She knew why that arrogant person thought she couldn't be invited to this grand ceremony.These views were not new for her. In the male dominated financial industry, her journey to the position she held today was not without countless struggles. That road had been spiny and rough lined thorns at every nook and corner.The struggle for women to prove themselves and survive has been going on for hundreds of years. How could she be an exception to it?Discrimination against women , prejudice , managers who did not support her views based on her gender, favouritism and ego conflicts were common for her.But none of these could ever lower her confidence , her tenacity , her determination and unceasing hard work.Today, she was firmly established in the male-dominated profession of M&A Consultancy (Merger & Acquisition).She stood strongly, without any compromise and with utmost dedication. She was happy but not completely satisfied. She couldn’t be satisfied just yet. The most important goal of making her company the No. 1 position in the M&A Consultancy sector still remained unfinished.“Our next award, Vice President of The Year, goes to Ms. Megha Joshi, Vice President, SWC & Co. for her extraordinary contribution in the last 10 years in the financial sector.”The announcement broke her train of thought and she stood up happily. She bowed and touched Gupta Sir’s feet. Bhaskar Gupta, her beloved teacher and mentor, the Founder, CEO and Chairman of SWC & Co.. With his blessings, she walked towards the stage amidst resounding applause and cheers from the entire team.Her confident walk was accompanied with her bright and watery eyes and her intelligent face and sweet smile. She looked indescribable.“I request Mr. Rajiv Mehra, CFO (Chief Financial Officer) of Supreme Group to come up on stage to present this award.” The announcement echoed in the hall. No one from the audience stood up.She waited impatiently on the stage. She wondered where ‘Rajiv Mehra’ had disappeared from the crowd of men in the hall.The lights constantly flashing on her eyes , the lens of the cameras which had been zoomed to focus in on her and the fixated gaze of the audience which was directed towards her made her feel even more uneasy.She would have preferred to give an impromptu presentation in the board room rather than stand here looking at the audience. She looked at the narrator with confusion etched on her face.The host had also been scared by the sudden disappearance of Rajiv Mehra. Megha couldn’t waste any more time by merely standing here and waiting. She took the mic from the announcer's hand and asked her, “Young lady, what is your name?” Already confused and scared, the host replied stuttering between words , “Um , my - myself V- Vishakha Shetty”Megha declared without a moment's delay, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to accept this award from Vishakha Shetty in honour of the recently celebrated Women's Day”.“We have already waited here for a long time. Vishakha is standing there nervously. So, instead of adding to her fear, let's give her this chance to lift up her mood and cheer her up.” She continued.As she spoke looking through the audience, her gaze stilled on Gupta sir, "Gupta sir, Do you agree with me?" The whole hall echoed with joy and praise. Gupta sir sat there smiling and thinking, 'What should I do with this girl. She always comes up with some weird yet wonderful solution and makes out-of-box decisions every time. Oh well, maybe that's why she is my favourite. Just like a daughter to me.'The main door of the hall was opened just as Vishakha had started walking towards Megha to present the award with uncertainty.That rude person she had unfortunately crossed paths with earlier stood before her once again.His brows first furrowed and then rose in surprise, his smirk slowly turning into a faint smile. Vishakha excitedly requested, “Oh wow, Rajiv Mehra sir is here, Sir please, come up on stage.”Megha glared at him, 'Oh, this is Rajiv Mehra. That’s why his face looked familiar earlier. The face of the man that is frequently mentioned in the Economic Times and countless business magazines, CFO of the Supreme Group' That same arrogant person who thought that she was a hotel staff. That same rude person who thought that she couldn’t belong to the successful and eminent society which he was a part of. That same disrespectful person who thought that she couldn’t win an award. He is still merely smirking.'Her anger crossed all the limits. She ignored him completely and once again focused solely on the audience.“Ladies and Gentlemen, I have already announced that I will accept the award from Vishakha Shetty and I always stand by my decision”“I hope Mr. Mehra will understand” She looked at him once more. There was a blazing fire in her eyes. She expected that arrogant person to climb up on the stage and give her a sharp retort but she was not going to back down easily either.Just then, he advanced a few steps and stood quietly near the stage. Thrusting his hands in both the pockets of his Armani suit, he looked at her for a moment, a faint smile slowly taking shape on his face, curling the right corner of his lips.He kept staring at her eyes which were glowing in the bright yellow light. There was anger in her eyes but somehow, it looked charming.“Miss Vishakha, please do the honours. Please present  this award to Ms. Joshi on my behalf” His deep voice echoed in the huge hall.People spoke in hushed whispers. Many prominent people from the financial sector were sitting in the audience. It was unexpected that 'Rajiv' would take such a decision despite being the CFO of the Supreme Group. The anger on Megha's face was suddenly, replaced by surprise. She hadn’t expected this either. On his request, Vishakha awarded the trophy to Megha and congratulated her from the bottom of her heart. The hall was filled with a roaring applause."Ma'am, thank you for giving me this opportunity, you can't imagine how happy I am today to meet you. The fact that you accepted the award from me has made today an unforgettable day." Vishakha said overwhelmed by everything that had taken place in the entire event."One day Vishakha, I would like to see you succeed like this and on that day, hopefully , I will present you an award. I would definitely love to experience that day. So, my dear Vishakha, dream big and work hard" Megha replied as both of them smiled at the camera.After completing the formalities of photography, Megha took one last look at the main door. Mr. Mehra was nowhere to be seen. She came down from the stage and walked to her team ,once again being enveloped by their cheers and heartfelt congratulations. She thanked everyone wholeheartedly as the team surrounded her and started chanting her name.She strongly believed that behind every successful team leader there is always a great team. Today, it was only because of her team that she had been able to win this prestigious trophy. She was nothing without her team.She touched Gupta sir’s feet once again and he gave her a loving, warm hug and put his hand on her head , blessing her to achieve every success the world had to offer.Both of them had tears in their eyes on this momentous occasion. He had been her supporter and guide on every step of her professional journey , a father – figure and someone she looked up to at all times.Megha was least interested in the party and dinner organized for everyone after the award ceremony. She was now longing for her warm nest where someone was waiting for her eagerly.She wanted to see the overflowing happiness in their eyes. She wanted to be embraced in their tight hug. Her heart yearned for a loving touch.She started her journey home.   To be continued....© ®️ Meghna_Yadav 2021Special thanks to friend Gayatri....and Loving Daughter Rutu....Hello Readers,Illuminate the five stars of ratings with your gentle touch. Do let me know your thoughts via comments..Thanks and Regards,Meghana Yadav... Â