The show must go on!

It was yet another winter morning. Pragati, who was the headmistress of the house, woke up and went about as usual with her daily chores. Her daughter, Samridhi, too woke up to the cukudukooo of her alarm she had set and was getting ready to leave for her duties when she observed something unusual.

It was 8:00 A.M. and her father was still asleep.

She turned around to see what day it was and then heaved, rolling her eyes and turning around on her toe towards her father’s room. Then tiptoeing into his room, she picked up an ear bud from the table nearby and murmured to herself,” It’s not Sunday Papa…wake up wake up wake upppppa!”

She tickled his ear with the bud and awaited a reaction from her Father.

“Not done. Now, strike two” Samridhi said and pounced upon her father to disturb his sleep.

With a thud, like a WWE fighter she flung herself upon him. No reaction.

She gathered herself and then, breathing heavy, looked at him closely.

No smile, no wink, no movement.

Closer she went to hear his heart. No beats.

Grabbing his wrist, she checked for the pulse. Still.

Samridhi fell on the floor as if something beneath her feet was pulled off with a sudden jerk and kept looking at her father who was sleeping peacefully to his left and smiling.

“Don’t play pranks Papa. Wake up!” screamed Samridhi.

Her mother who was in the kitchen by now, heard her scream and smiled as if she knew what her husband was doing and said, “Doctor Saab, try your tricks. He won’t wake up until you declare it.”

Samridhi, eyes wide open and in shock, choked and immobile by now, heard her mother but could not speak. She was not in a position to even recall what her mother was talking about.

With greater difficulty, Samridhi dragged herself to the bed where her father slept. Like a small kid trying to wake up a giant, she tried her level best to shake and wake up her sleeping Dad. With every jerk yielding the same result, tears started rolling down her cheeks in an inconsolable stream. Unable to shriek out loud, she banged onto her father’s chest and laid her head on his still heart with a hope that it would start beating again.

It did not.

The sobs grew louder. For a minute, Samridhi held her breath and releasing her embrace, she turned to the direction from where the sound of sobs came and realized that her mother had been witnessing the whole sequence since sometime.

Wiping off her tears and trying to put on a smile, she tried weaving a story.

“He…he won Mumma. Am trying to put up a fight with this strong man and win now. See, how I am doing it. See…Papa… Mummy…”and Samridhi fell as if she were a dilapidated wall collapsing upon slightest touch.

When Pragati noticed that her husband’s hand dropped as if it were a log of wood, she herself crumbled near the entrance as if she were but a sand castle.

For a few seconds, the walls of the house feared the silence before Samridhi recovered from her shock and cried aloud. Pragati, who looked so crumpled and trodden by this sudden shock, fainted.

Upon hearing the commotion, the chauffer who was cleaning the car, along with the neighbors rushed in to see the ladies of the house scattered and inconsolable around the lifeless giant who would have, by now, been ready for his duties.

Unable to figure out what happened and how, the neighbors called upon their ladies to take care of Pragati and Samridhi while they tried to help the lifeless man on the bed. One of them fished out his android and dialed a number. The other one tried to pump the heart while the third massaged the cold feet.

The news of Samar’s untimely demise spread like a wild fire and swept many off their feet.

With not so pleasant announcement of its arrival, the ambulance screeched to a halt in front of the house and Samar’s heavy but lifeless giant figure was hurriedly carried out on a stretcher. Samridhi rushed into the ambulance while, the elderly ladies from the neighbor stayed back with Pragati who by now, was a statue. She did not speak, did not sob, did not blink, and did not breathe. Alive but dead was her status. One lady grabbed her by her arms, shook her hard and shouted out her name. Pragati’s eye balls rolled towards her and then, she fainted again.

By the time Pragati came back to her senses, Samridhi was busy.

Samridhi started getting ready as if she was entrusted with a task to be executed on priority basis.

“Should I pack lunch?”

Even before Samridhi could answer, Pragati, who came slowly into Samridhi’s room, changed her gear and hurried to kitchen. The stove came back to life.

Samridhi walked into the kitchen to check what was happening and saw her mother cooking her father’s favorite food.

“Maa…”

“Bolo beta… waise ek kaam kar, tere Papa ko call karke pooch k kab tak aayenge. Flight se aayenge jab tak, he would be tired. Khaana tayyar kardeti hu, fir dono milke lunch karna… aur haan, aaj leave lelo, chalte hain kahin bahar… theek h na betaji?”

Samridhi hugged her mother from behind and cried inconsolably.

Pragati stopped cooking and taking her wailing daughter into her arms as if she needed attention, she asked, “What happened?” and while wiping off her daughters tears, she continued, “ I know you are missing your father but then his work is as such… too many trips abroad! Next time, I will ask him to take you along…”

Samridhi noticed that her mother paused and remained still as if she was asked to remain as a statue-expressionless and motionless! She immediately sprung to her feet and shook her mother. 

“Maa!”

A new beginning!

“…Am all fine. Your father left behind a legacy to be taken care. We can’t mourn for more than this.” Pragati wiped off her tears and regained her self, breathed deep and walked away from kitchen.

Samridhi understood what her mother wanted to convey and clearing her tears grabbed the car keys and started for office with her mother.

While on road, her mother started updating her daughter about the challenges their business faced and how her father handled them. Samridhi did not utter a word. She shifted gears, spun the wheel, blared horn to clear the path ahead and saw what the future held for her.

Upon reaching the office, she called for a meeting of all the staff members and apprised them of the situation and what her plans were. Pragati stood by her side and kept looking at her daughter with pride. A tear trickled down her cheek as she shifted her gaze from Samridhi to the vacant seat in her husband’s cabin.

Pragati on the other hand, did not give tears a chance to roll down. Her father wanted her to be strong and bold. She could not fail him- not at least now!

“You all have greatly contributed to the growth and development of this firm” said Pragati in a slow but emotional tone with folded hands to show her gratitude, “I request you all to be with us in this difficult time and help me and my daughter to let the firm operate smoothly.”

“My father was a great visionary and I have no doubt about it. I now understand why he used to ask me to accompany him on his business trips and meetings…” Samridhi paused to wipe a tear and then continued “from today onwards, I will manage his chair and the business. I expect total cooperation and work in the same order as it used to happen. Sharma ji, bring in the files and update what all appointments are fixed for the day. Rinki, please ensure that you focus on your front office operations with greater focus and minimize your talks and excuses… I hope am clear!”

“Yes Ma’am!” echoed the staff in unison as the ladies walked away into the chamber.

The first few days were tough for Samridhi and her mother. While for Samridhi, the work environment, the work and the staff management was a new task, for Pragati, watching her daughter toil hard at this tender age was a difficult sight.

Rumors started going thick and fast that this firm would now be sold. A few proposals came forth. A few resignations came too. A huge clientele base was eroded when the competitors cashed onto the situation. The stock prices got into the red zone as did the attempts of the ladies.  A few loyalists stood up and a few revolted against the female management. Meetings, discussions, arguments, agreements, summons from courts, notices from vendors, repairs and maintenance- these were the order of the day. The buzzer used to ring very often than not. The attendants’ staff was the busiest of the lot as were the Personal Assistant, the HR and the Accounts department.

Samridhi was transforming herself. From being a sweet daughter who adored people, she now was a manager with abilities to fire and hire without an emotion. All her meetings and communications were short and to the point. With patience she learnt how to deal with tough nuts in the industry. Pragati used to handle court summons and business beyond the firm’s boundaries while Samridhi managed the internal environment. Within 6 months, the firm changed its systems to a greater extent. A few new clients got added to the  list because of the consistent effort Samridhi made, the stock prices ticked northwards slowly and though the practices Samridhi asked the employees to adopt to were not typically corporate, there was a stability in the working system which brought back the confidence so lost after her father’s demise.  The external challenges however, were incredibly humongous!

“How was Dad able to manage all these with a smile Mumma?” Samridhi asked one fine evening when both the ladies sat in the office garden sipping coffee. “It’s beyond business. A thousand emotions, a million gazing and predatory eyes, corrupt officials, internal politics, external politics, and laws to abide by, bureaucracy, diplomacy and what not!” Samridhi gasped as she paused.

Pragati smiled at her daughter and said, “It’s never easy to lead, manage and let your dreams flourish Samridhi. It’s a messy sea which you will have to wade through every time you feel you have cleared the mess and start from the point zero at times! Your father was a man with a bag full of tricks. He was not gifted but he learnt how to pick them while working towards his goal. Being a part of the service industry is not an easy task. Customers, Clients, Vendors, Government employees, Judiciary and what not… all of them- all of them are important. If you know how to time your actions and words, you win. Am with you, keep going dear” Pragati placed her hand on her daughters hand and gave her an assuring squeeze.

The phone buzzed and the silence broke. Sipping her coffee, Samridhi answered the call and walked around in the garden. Pragati looked up into the skies and smiled.

“Mumma, I think we have to go to Noida tomorrow for a meeting with Mr. Patel…”

The ladies continued their talks while walking towards their SUV. The day ended. The shift buzzer hooted and in the darkest of the night, the Moon showed the way ahead.

Samridhi was now five years into the system. Her skills developed with every passing day and so did the business. Pulling it from the verge of extinction, Samridhi and Pragati ensured that they held their grip tight. Addressing the challenges which arose every now and then, they started pulling out rabbits from the magicians’ hat. 

Samridhi learnt how to identify potential business units and started to hunt for the smaller fishes. Acquisitions were her hobby now. Balance sheet analysis was much easier for her than a bye pass surgery in OT. Celebrations were now business oriented than emotion oriented. While a few meetings lasted for a minute or two, a few important ones lasted for hours. She understood how to bargain and how to get a deal finalized.

Samridhi was nominated as the youngest leader by the business experts and congratulated for the turnaround she and her mother initiated. 

"Remember one thing dear- the show must go on!" her father once said. 

Samridhi never forgot his words.