Please also read my earlier post. Need your help. 🙂

—

Geet entered the factory and asked the first person she came across, “Suniye. Kya main Gurcharan ji se mil sakti hoon?”

“Ji zaroor. Aayie mere saath,” he led her to one section of the factory.

“Chacha ji. Aapse koi milne aayi hain?”

Gurcharan Singh came forward and he appeared trying hard to remember who Geet was.

“Sat Sri Akal ji. Aap mujhe nahin jaante hain. Mera naam Geet hai. Mujhe aapse thodi baat karni thi.”

“Ji kahiye.”

“Hum kahin aaraam se baith sakte hain.”

“Aaiye.”

He took her to an open space. There was an old wooden bench there. Both of them sat on it. Gurcharan called a boy and asked him to get tea for both of them.

“Kahiye. Aapko mujhse kya baat karni thi Madam?”

“Aap please mujhe Geet bulaiye. Aap mujhse bahut bade hain.”

Gurcharan smiled, “Theek hai puttar. Jaise aap kaho. Batao kya baat hai.”

“Ji. Aap please meri baat shanti se suniyega. Mujhe Yash ne yahan naukri par rakha hai,” she saw tension building up on Gurcharan’s face and hastened to add, “Dekhiye, mujhe pata hai ki aap logon ki Yash se nahin banti. Aur isliye main yahan kaam shuru karne se pahle, aap logon se milna chahti thi. Unke bade bhai ke saath to aap logon ka kaam bahut achchhe se chalta tha. Phir unke baad aisi kya problem ho gayi hai?”

Gurcharan was silent.

“Gurcharan ji. Main koi is factory ki malik nahin hoon. Agar main yahan kaam karoongi to aap logon ki hi tarah ek employee ban kar. Mujhse baat karne mein aapko jhijhakne ki koi zaroorat nahin hai. Aur main waada karti hoon ki agar aap logon ko mere yahan kaam karne par koi bhi aapatti hui to main aapke oopar apne aap ko zabardasti nahin laadoongi.”

“Yahi to badal gaya hai na puttar yahan par. Bhaiya ji jab tak the, hum yahan employee ki tarah kaam nahin karte the. Woh hum sab ko apne ghar waalon ki tarah dekhte the. Hum sab log yahan ke malik ki tarah kaam karte the. Customers sirf Bhaiya ji ke nahin the, hamare bhi the. Unka order samay par pahunchaana hamara kaam tha. Aur uske liye agar hamein aadhi raat tak bhi kaam karna padta tha to karte the. Lekin hamare aur hamare parivaar ke sukh-dukh ka bhi dhyaan rakha jaata tha. Ab apne Pandey ko dekh lo. Uski Maa bahut beemaar rahti hai. Uski ghar waali subah kaam karne jaati hai kuchh aas paas ke gharon mein. Ab jab tak woh wapas na aa jaye Pandey ghar se nahin nikal sakta Maa ki wajah se. To pahle woh dus baje tak aata tha, aur uske badle shaam mein der tak kaam bhi karta tha. Lekin ab in naye zamane ke maalikon ko ye manzoor nahin hai. Unhein yahan har koi subah aath baje chahiye, chahe kissi ki zindagi mein kitni badi museebat kyon na aayi ho. Lekin ye sab tumhein kyon suna raha hoon main? Tum bhi pahle ke supervisors ki tarah Amrica mein padhi hogi, ya koi MBA kiya hoga. Hum sab ke ghante ginogi kaam karne ke.”

“Nahin, nahin Gurcharan ji. Na to main MBA hoon, na hi main Amrica mein padhi hoon. Balki main to Hoshiyarpur ke ek chhote se gaon mein pali hoon.”

“Tum Hoshiyarpur se ho? Are mera nanihaal bhi wahin hai. Bachmein mein khoob gaya hoon main. Ab to kai saal ho gaye. Koi raha bhi nahin ab.”

“Achcha? Kaun se gaon mein hai aapka nanihal?”

And they talked for a while about the common places they knew. At the end of it Gurcharan felt convincced that he should give Geet a chance.

“Theek hai puttar. Shayad tum hamein samajhti ho. Kab se aa rahi ho kaam par? Tab hi baaki baatein karenge. Aur tum baaki sab logon se bhi mil lena.”

“Ji zaroor. Main kal subah hi aa jaungi. Aath baje yahan aate hain na zyadatar log?”

“Tum bhi aath baje aa jogi?”

“Aur nahin to kya? Jab sab log aayenge, tabhi to main bhi aaungi. Warna kaam kaise hoga?”

“Achchha. Theek hai. Kal milte hain,” Gurcharan was smiling. This was clearly not something he had seen the earlier supervisors or managers do. Geet had just scored another point with him, without knowing about it.

“Aur ek baat. Aapko yahan sab Chacha ji bulate hain na? Main bhi bula sakti hoon?”

“Bilkul puttar,” Gurcharan’s smile became broader.

—

“To Ms. Geet Handa Indian Paints join kar rahi hain aaj se,” Maan looked at the report his detective had sent and said bitterly. He had come to the office after one week. He had neither slept, nor ate properly this entire week. He had to get back at Geet. He had to prove to her that she could not manage without him. Why was it so important to him? He did not bother to ask this question to himself. But where the hell was she? The detective finally had the answer.

He surprised Adi when he asked him to gather all possible information about Indian Paints.

“Sir. Ye a..a…achanak Indian Paints mein interest k.. k… kyon Sir?”

“Adi. Tumse jo kaha hai woh pata karo. Mujhe is company ke baare mein jo bhi latest information hai woh chahiye.”

“Yes Sir,” Adi backed off as was his usual reaction to Maan’s unreasonable anger.

—

Later in the day, Yash Malhotra was surprised to receive a call from Maan Singh Khurana, the MD of Khurana Constructions. He was interested in buying out his paint factory.

“Lekin aap suddenly paints business mein kyon enter karna chahte hain? Woh bhi meri factory khareed kar. See, I want to be honest. Labour situation achchhi nahin hai is factory mein,” Yash told Maan when they met soon after the phone call.

“Main kyon khareedna chahta hoon, ye mera kaam hai. Aap ye bataiye ki aapko bechna hai ya nahin aur aapki price kya hai?”

“Woh bhi discuss ho jayega, lekin main aapko sabse important baat bata doon. Ki jo bhi ye factory khareedta hai, use ye ensure karna hoga ki ye factory chalti rahegi aur workers ko fire nahin kiya jayega.”

“Agar factory nahin bhi chalti hai to mera apna business bahut bada hai. Main workers ko usmein absorb kar loonga. I hope ye tumhare liye kaafee hona chahiye.” Maan was impatient and arrogant. Yash could help noticing how he had come to “tum” from “aap” without bothering with any formality of confirming with him if he was fine with it. It was difficult for him to understand this man, supposedly a very successful business tycoon, at least in the construction industry. But he was the first and the only potential buyer, who was assuring him of workers’ future. So, he decided to take the opportunity and get himself out of this mess.

“Theek hai Mr. Khurana. Meri asking price 20 crores hai, lekin agar upfront payment nahin bhi milta hai to mujhe koi problem nahin hai…”

Maan asked him to shut up with a gesture of his hand and took out his checkbook. He signed a check for 20 crores and gave it to him, “Mere lawyers tumhein call karenge. Saari formalities aaj hi shuru ho jayengi aur jitni jaldi close ho jaye utna achchha hai.”

Yash was shocked. Was this really a business tycoon? No negotiations? Upfront payment before even completing the formalities? Did he really run his business like that? And it survived? Even became the market leader in the industry? Yash had to pinch himself to ensure that he was not dreaming. But the check was real and Maan Singh Khurana was still sitting in front of him.

“Okay…” Yash mumbled, not knowing how to take the conversation further.

“Lekin meri ek shart hai,” said Maan.

—

To be continued