"With popular brands today like Gucci or Louis Vuitton, fashion keeps evolving with new definitions. But the story of one young businessman will leave you incredulous. Recently honored as Forbes Businessman of the Year, 31-year-old Vihaan Khatri is emerging as a popular figure among people of all ages. His company, Viya, founded 6 years ago, is now one of the most popular apparel brands, not only in India, but around the world. Such a visionary young man, right? But there is a special someone, working hard behind the scenes, who will be making her rare appearance today on our show! So everyone...give today's guests for RitTalks an extra special round of applause!! Here they come...here they come! Aww!"
"Hey everyone! Really appreciate this invitation for your talk show, Ritika."
"Mr. Khatri--"
"Please call me Vihaan."
"Yeah of course! Vihaan, would you like to introduce the special person next to you? I don't think it would be just for me to," Ritika chuckled.
Vihaan flashed the nervous-looking person next to him a confident smile. "This gorgeous woman next to me is my wife, Jiya Khatri."
There were squeals from the audience.
"She's the backbone to not only this company, but my whole life. Many people know this by now, but she's the reason I left my position at Globex Organics to start Viya."
"How exactly did that happen?" the host, Kritika, questioned.
"Well, another fact many people know is that Jiya is an excellent fashion designer. I wanted to make this company special to her...and me. Her talent and my execution. The designing team she heads in Viya, is where the innovation and creativity comes from. That's what keeps Viya on and striving."
"That's adorable. A few words from you, Jiya?"
"I bet you all think I'm a blabber-mouth who just can't stop talking," Vihaan laughs. "Jiya, right here, is sort of introverted. She's just now starting to come out to the cameras. But I've always been encouraging her, right Jiya?...Did you just roll your eyes at me?!"
Laughter filled the air, as the moment everyone waited for arrived. Jiya cleared her throat, sitting up a bit taller. "First of all, thank you Ritika for inviting us," her sweet voice echoed through the air. "As Vihaan said-"
"Vihaan? Just Vihaan? I assumed you two would have cute names for each other!" Ritika playfully whined.
Jiya blushed, giving a look to Vihaan. At once, he took the lead again. "She remains quite professional on-screen. Do you have any cute names for your special one, Ritika? We would love to hear a few examples!"
Ritika laughed off the light-hearted counter. "Okay okay I understand. We've always heard from Vihaan's point of view about Viya. What about yours, Jiya? How do you see this company through your eyes?"
"Viya, for me, is not a company...it's a...it's a dream. 6 years ago, right after our engagement, when Vihaan randomly brought this idea to me, he sounded so passionate and insistent about it. And his passion was contagious. We worked together - day and night - to bring this dream to reality. We had supportive family members and friends. With our great, hardworking, and versatile employees we were able to deliver this new motive to the world."
"Great! What about the spread of your company? Not only in business but other fields."
Vihaan flashed a short smile, so short for anyone to catch. But Jiya did, spontaneously clearing her throat. "That's definitely true. One of our brand ambassadors and developing actress, Laila Raichand, has been phenomenal in bringing Viya to the spotlight. She's a star for us all."
"Wow. I've heard you guys are big on charity. Tell us a little more about that!"
Vihaan gently touched Jiya, an indication for her to take this one also. "We received this stance from the people who supported us. And we feel it's a necessity for us to support them as well. Along with that, Vihaan came up with a tactic to start manufacturing branches in poor areas, which will open up job opportunities and bring out people's talents. The rest of the board found that to be a sensational thought."
"Viya deserves to rise!" Ritika praised. "Any popular and developing business usually faces opposition. I think we've all seen slight hate being spread about Viya. Vihaan this one's for you: how do you, as a founder and CEO, face bigger business monopolies?"
Vihaan gave a snarky grin. "I don't face these monopolies as a 'founder and CEO'. I face them as Vihaan Khatri."
The audience erupted in cheers, as Jiya shook her head. Vihaan laughed, noticing his wife. "Jiya doesn't like when I do that; she thinks it's too immature. But back to the question, hate will just attract more attention. And that can be a good thing right? Because in that group of people, someone could be attracted to our company."
"Savage Mr. Khatri. Savage indeed. You've told us a lot about what we already know, is there anything exclusive which you two are willing to share live on this show?"
The couple looked at each other - a look that hides a hundred secrets to the rest of the world.
With a nod of approval, Jiya reached into her bag and pulled out a tiny designed shirt with the Viya logo. The air grew still and silent.
"The launch of a new size clothing line...associated with a new entrance in our lives."
~~
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Time for some brutal honesty:
We feel this story lost momentum a lot of times. We weren't very satisfied with our writing at times. Quality went down, originality went down. We don't have anything to blame. Maybe just the randomness going on in life. And we definitely do feel bad because of that.
But nevertheless, we truly appreciate the people who stuck until the end to finish this journey. You all know who you are and are special. I hope this story helped you all cope during these tough times. I certainly know the early posts helped a few gain some new habits lol.
Story writing and story reading create peace. It's like escaping reality to enjoy something blissful. I hope Clouded Crossroads created this opportunity for everyone. Thank you all for the love and support. Cheers to the completion of #4.
