Old tracks, new ways - Not every prayer is answered by god.
There was a lot of work to be done and half the day seemed to have flown away with the wind. Mrunal looked at her planner as she stepped out of the last door out of the lab floor when she ran into Nalini. Hungry and tired, Mrunal looked rather anxious and Nalini was surprised to see Mrunal so worked up.
"Mrunal, you good?"
"Yeah", Mrunal blurted in a hurry.
"Mrunal, we have a townhall meeting at 1:15. You coming right?"
"Who said that?" Mrunal raised an eyebrow at Nalini, holding onto the last strands of her patience as her hunger pangs clawed at her stomach.
"I haven't had a morsel since I woke up this morning and now there has to be a meeting which could easily be a mail. Dear lord" Mrunal gave out a dramatic sigh and looked at Nalini like a child who dropped their ice cream on the pavement.
"You were working all morning? No wonder you missed out the gossip." Nalini could barely contain her excitement to share the latest piece of gossip.
As for Mrunal, she could care about the new scandal any lesser, what she did care about was stuffing her face with food. It was a thursday, so lunch time meant her favourite food Rajma rice would be served at the cafetaria. That was a meal, Mrunal would never miss.
Setting her laptop and diary on the table, Mrunal looked around her work station, everyone seemed to be engrossed in their screens like they usually did when some big scandal broke out. Reading her blankness and disheveled expression, Karan on the opposite desk offered her a bite, of food and the commotion.
"Ek aur kabootar udd gya" Karan exclaimed as Mrunal chewed onto the oatmeal cookie with relief.
"Good riddance, everyone deserves a better life. What's wrong if they chose it." Mrunal remarked grasping the idea that another co worker had resigned and it ws the fourth within her short stay of three minths with the firm.
"But aise kaise? The guy could have easily stayed longer. He was good"
Exactly the reason why they probably left. Maybe their priority changed, maybe they realised their worth. Cool, more room for us newbies, Mrunal winked and grabbed another cookie as she shoved her notebook and laptop into the drawer to lock them and leave.
"You are crazy. Who says such a thing? People are gossiping about disciplinary action and his past misdemeanors being linked to the resignation." Karan searched Mrunal's face for expressions as she waited impatiently for the elevator while tapping her feet.
"I don't know most people here, how can I know what they were like. I care about my food and my work both of which have been deceiving me today."
"You are pretty mean and a little crazy you realize that?"
"I care about what I am paid to do. Toodles" Mrunal walked away gesturing a little goodbye, seeing that the lift skipped the floor.
Sitting down to eat Mrunal shoved food into her mouth like a worker on a coal train hurrying to make it on time. After what seemed like a few bites to her and half the food on her plate gone, Mrunal now felt much better and decided to look around her surroundings which so far she had been ignoring. It was a pleasant autumn noon, the sun was bright outside, fully visible through the glass walls. Mrunal now took smaller bites and stared at the colourful butterflies outside trying to calm her thoughts and hoping to gather her patience. Completely oblivious to the fact that an old gentleman sat across her, smiling serenely like a parent looking at a clumsy toddler.
"Some days are tougher than others, looking at nature helps a lot child" The old man muttered.
"My apologies I did not realise." Mrunal grabbed a tissue, feeling concious of herself now. She knew she was a messy eater.
"Aren't you the Dr. Krishnan, the famous scientist and storyteller?" Mrunal asked wide eyed.
The old gentleman nodded and gestured her to carry on with her meal and he'd talk afterwards. Both ate in silence as most of the floor cleared out. Once done with the meal, Dr. Krishnan smiled and asked Mrunal how she knew about the story telling aspect, most people in the building appreciated pathbreaking studies in chemical composition and industrial design. That was what he was famous for and why he had been invited by the senior board to take up an honorary advisor position; given his experience and accolades anything else would have been an insult. And yet here he sat in front of a young girl in her twenties who barely knew his work, and recognized him for one of his side projects.
"Yes kid, I am the face behind dadu ki kahaaniya; Simplified stories for a complicated life." With a serene smile, the gentleman acknowledged his other identity. "I started that project after my granddaughter came into my life" he added, reading the puzzled expression in Mrunal's eyes. A renowned scientist of international fame, writing short stories suitable for children is not an everyday affair to be honest. Mrunal introduced herself and since her blood sugars were back, her chirpiness was returning to her usual as well. Being an avid reader, Mrunal was fairly acquainted with the knowledge of Dr. Krishnan's storytelling career and a brief mention of his scientific accomplishments, but seeing him in person was quite a pleasant surprise. She felt like her day was now much better.
"Aah, I see you have met one of our new trainees Professor" boomed the deep voice of the senior manager from behind.
"I guess I have. Lovely kids I would say, given my age I believe I can call them that" Prof. Krishnan smiled as Dr. Aarav greeted him with open arms.
"I'll leave you to socialize with the team at your own convenience, and I hope my trainees will show you around the facility well" Dr. Aarav nodded at Mrunal as he took leave, making her realize she was now one of the assignees for the task. This meant she could easily skip the townhall meeting without any consequences and enjoy the company of an author who's writing style and creative side project had inspired her more than once.
Walking around the state of the art production facility, around shiny machinery and over polished floors, Mrunal felt very small in the presence of a an esteemed industry professional and as if having read her mind Prof Krishnan started " I was also a student before I became the teacher. You will get there, with hardwork and patience. Never undervalue yourself child", apparently the man knew what effect he had on young career professionals and tried his best to dispel their fears. Discussions came up one after another, some about industry, others about his work and a few more asking anecdotes on how to succeed like he did in life. Prof. Krishnan found his sense of humour returning as he shared life lessons through funny stories and made everyone smile.
Mrunal tried to hide her astonishment and failed. "Its okay." Prof smiled and looked at everyone around him. "We all are human, we are all part of nature. Just like a caterpillar takes time to become a butterfly, so do we" Mrunal beemed at the simplicity of the example and went back to her work.
Late in the evening when walking to his car escorted by senior management, Prof Krishnan saw Mrunal hopping around the lawn while on her phone. He saw a glimpse of his granddaughter in her smiling face, she would have been almost the same age if not for the tragic accident. He realized that every time he helped cheer up someone, the memory of his lost heir blossomed like a fresh flower and gave him a sense of happiness. He did not take up the offer, for he never needed the money. The ability to touch lives with his work was the reason he became a storyteller and seeing Mrunal helped him recall that once again. Without realizing, these two strangers crossed paths and helped each other in ways they needed but never knew.
Comments
Post a Comment