After a board meeting, everyone leaves the conference room, except him and a man with grey hair, a kind face with intelligent eyes covered behind golden rimmed glasses.
"I hope I did the right thing, Chatterjee uncle.", Sidharth asks, lifting his head.
Mr.Raghunath Chatterjee, the oldest friend and advisor of Dewan Groups.
"Did you see the newspaper today? Dewan Groups has made record profit this year. You being the Chairman after Sourav was the best thing that had happened to the Dewan Group of companies. Then why do you doubt it?"
Raghunath puts the paper in front of him.
The headlines read,
Youngest chairman's triumph
As one of the youngest chairman, Sidharth Dewan took over the reins of the Dewan Groups at the age of 27 after the sudden demise of his father Sourav Dewan. One year later the companies under the group have made substantial profit.
"This is old news uncle. Yesterday's facts. Today the news of removing the CEO of SD Pharmaceuticals will be the headlines. And I will have to face her questions.", Sidharth says, rubbing his temples.
"You are the Chairman first. You have to make decisions thinking about the companies first."
"I know.. but.."
His words are left in the mid air as his phone starts to ring.
"Hello.."
"..."
"Ok.. I will be there.. hmm.."
"Just as expected, she wants me to visit her tonight for Dinner."
Raghunath smiles and puts his hand on his head, "You know how to handle everything. So don't think so much. You know I had always supported Sourav's decisions, except this one. But I couldn't do anything."
Yes he couldn't do anything when Sourav had announced his decision on one fine day.
Sourav Dewan took the reins of Dewan Groups when he was in his early 30s. He expanded it by venturing into Pharmaceuticals, chemicals and education sectors apart from Garment that they were in. He and his wife started doing a lot of social work too. They had everything except their own child. One day they were at the temple when they found a few days old baby girl abandoned on the stairs. They took her with them and named her Saivi. Three years later, Mahima gave birth to a handsome baby boy. Life was good for the next 8 years. And then fate took a nasty turn and Mahima passed away in an accident along with her brother and his family.
Two years later, Sourav dropped the bomb that he wants to remarry. And a divorcee with a 14 year old boy, Nirupama entered the lives of 13 year old Saivi and 10 years old Sidharth. She was just the second wife of Sourav Dewan and never became the mother to his kids. She was just their choti mom who acted to be caring in front of Sourav. She joined the board and became the chairperson of The Dewan Centre for Women's Development.
A lady in a white chiffon saree and sleeveless blouse sits on the sofa. She is graceful and beautiful. Finding Sidharth entering, she smiles at him. He comes and gives her a peck on her cheek and sits down.
"How are you beta? You have totally forgotten that your choti mom stays here. You don't visit me unless I call you. I have asked the servants to prepare your favourite dishes, including that fish you like."
Sidharth sits down and says,"Choti mom, I don't eat fish. Perhaps you have forgotten. In fact I hate it. It is Darshan's favourite. Anyways, I won't stay for dinner. I have somewhere to go."
The lady, Nirupama says,"Oh! I forgot. Then have coffee."
"Choti mom, come to the point. You and I both know why I am here today. Stop wasting time."
A guy, a few years older than him enters the room. He is a tall, average looking guy with short hair and a trimmed beard.
"Oh, my little brother is here! How are you feeling after insulting me?"
"Darshan stop. I am talking na. Sid, why did you remove Darshan from the CEO post?"
Sidharth gives out a deep breath and says, "All companies except SD Pharmaceuticals have made profit. This year was great for all the pharmaceutical companies except ours. It was all because of his wrong decisions. And I didn't remove him, it was the decision of the board of Directors. "
Darshan says,"As a Chairman you had the final say. You sacked me and you made all the board members take the decision. You can not tolerate me. You never had. You can't accept that I can be a CEO of one of the companies."
Sidharth smiles, "Right. Is that all? I will leave now."
He stands up to go but Nirupama stops her by saying, "Sid, what you are doing is not right. I mean, you are brothers. He has earned this post. A few minor mistakes should not make you take such extreme steps. He should work with you. If you remove him like this, what impression will people get? They will say a thousand things about us."
"Yes, very deserving indeed. Missing some of the very important meetings, reaching office late almost everyday, losing some big clients and firing some old and experienced employees. A few minor mistakes. Right. Right."
Sidharth turns towards Nirupama and says,"He is still a member of the board because of your shares. He can be in the advisory board. I can't give him any other big role in any of my companies. And about people, well kuch toh log kahenge, logon ka kaam hai kehna. I will take your leave now, choti mom. Do feed Darshan the fish you prepared for me. Bye."
He walks out of the living room towards the exit. Darshan stops him by grabbing his hand while he is out on the patio.
"This is just wrong, Sid. You can't take away everything from me. I have rights too. I deserve to be a part of the company. I have contributed a lot."
Sidharth removes his grip, "Rights? Which right are you talking about? You have got more than you deserve. Yes, you had contributed and that's why you were the CEO. But perhaps you felt everything was your own. You were just an employee and so you were fired."
Sidharth smiles while saying the last words.
"You are enjoying it, isn't it? You can't take what is mine. This company is mine. I have given years to it. Papa wanted me to run it. You can't take it from me. I am Darshan Chowdhry. I will not lose so easily."
"Exactly! You are Darshan Chowdhry. The son of my Dad's second wife from her previous marriage. Step son. Dad had trusted you and given you the job, I may repeat, Job of running this company. And you failed him. So as his son and the Chairman of this group, I had to make things right and I did it."
He steps closer and says right at his face, "Talking about taking away what was yours, nothing was yours ever. All the companies of Dewan Groups were Sourav Dewan's. He gave everything to me and Di. You are a leech. Feeding on us for years. Dad knew that and so he didn't leave anything for you. Tujhe jo mila tha, khairat mein mila tha. Aur khairat pe haq kaisa?"
"Sid! You!"
"Shh.. yeh ghar pe jo khada hai, woh bhi mere Dad ne teri mom ko di hai. You have nothing to claim as your own. So stop wasting your energy on screaming at me. Chal relax kar. Now you don't have to wake up early to go to the office everyday. Do some meditation. Apna gussa kam kar. It's not good for your health. Bye."
Nirupama sits on the bench with his son Darshan and his wife Pritha. Sidharth enters the room with a lady in a light pink cotton salwar suit. She is a little older than him, beautiful and elegant. She is fair, tall with long brown hair tied into a pony. Walking behind him is a man in a simple striped shirt and grey trousers. He is fair, tall and good looking. He is cleaned shaved with short hair and wears rimless glasses. He is accompanied by Rahul and Mr.Chatterjee.
The court session begins after the judge enters the room. Tanushree stands up and calls her next witness, Saivi Mehra.
Tanushree asks, "So, Saivi, can you explain who Sidharth Dewan is to you?"
"He is my younger brother."
"How was your relationship with him?"
Defense lawyer stands up,"Objection My Lord! Here there is no requirement for such questions. Saivi Mehra is the adopted daughter of Sourav Dewan. They had grown up together and it is obvious that they had a good relationship. This is just a waste of Court's time."
Tanushree smiles, "My Lord, if my friend, Mr.Bhaskar Ganguly doesn't let me speak, how will the court know if this question is relevant or not?"
"Objection overruled. Mr.Ganguly let Miss. Roy Chowdhury, speak."
"Thank you My Lord."
Tanushree nods her head and turns towards Saivi standing in the witness box.
"So please explain your bond with Sidharth Dewan."
Saivi stares at him, sitting beside her husband and smiles.
"Sidu has been everything to me since he was born. I knew I was adopted but nobody had made me feel anything less even after he was born. He was not just my brother but also my best friend. I used to tell him everything and he did the same with me. We were inseparable. After Mom passed away, he became like my kid. I consider him my first born. I understand things even before he even speaks. That's our bond."
Tanushree nods her head, "What had happened three years ago?"
Saivi looks at the judge and says, "Sidharth had left for a holiday trip. He loved to trek on mountains and he had been to Uttarakhand for the same. I had talked to him before he got there. He was supposed to leave with a few of his trek partners the next morning. After two days, I got a call that he is missing in an accident. Darshan and Barun had gone to find any information. Three days later they informed us that his body has been found."
"Did you see his dead body?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Darshan informed us that his body had decomposed and it is not possible to bring it to Kolkata. They performed the last rites there even before we could reach there."
Tanushree looks at the Judge,"Point to be taken, My Lord. Sidharth Dewan's closest surviving family member, didn't even see his dead body. His allegedly decomposed body was cremated in Uttrakhand itself even before anyone could reach there. This is very strange. Isn't it highly unlikely that the decomposed body could have been somebody else's and not Sidharth Dewan?"
"Objection My Lord! Miss. Roy Chowdhry is taking the case to another angle."
"Mr.Ganguly, that's our job. We need to find angles to a situation. My Lord, on the very day Sidharth Dewan went missing in an trek accident in Uttarakhand that claimed the lives of 4 people, injured 5 and 6 people were missing. The whereabouts of 2 people are still not known even today. Is it impossible that Sidharth Dewan is among those two people. Isn't it too unlikely that he might be alive today?"
"Objection overruled. Continue."
Tanushree thanks the judge and gives him the document on the accident.
She turns towards Saivi, "Do you believe Sidharth died in that landslide?"
Saivi shakes her head, "I never believed the news. We didn't see his body. How could we just accept it?"
Tanushree nods her head, "So what did you do?"
"My husband Abhijit and I decided to continue the search. We tried to take the help of local police but they didn't provide any support or cooperation. In fact they even stopped us from visiting a few areas where we doubted he could be present. Finally we hired a detective for the job."
"Then?"
"A few months ago, we got a call from him, asking us to go to a tiny village in the Uttarakhand. There we saw him. My brother was right in front of my eyes living at an old man's house."
"Why didn't he contact you if he was alive? Why was he staying away from his family for such a long time?"
She takes a deep breath and says,"He had lost his memory in the accident. But when he saw me, he called my name."
Tanushree goes closer to the stand, "How can you be so sure he is your brother?"
"I know him. We might not have the same blood running in our veins but our hearts are one. I can recognize him from afar. I knew he was alive. I knew it was him."
Tanushree says, "I get that the Court never considers the conviction of someone as evidence. But what is the evidence that the body found in the gorge was that of Sidharth Dewan? "
She turns to the Defense attorney, "You can question her now."
Bhaskar Ganguly stands up and coming closer to the stand says,"Very emotional, I must say. Mrs.Saivi Mehra, you are one of the directors at Dewan groups and also the MD of SD Fashions. But as per the will left behind by Sourav Dewan, you have less shares than Sidharth Dewan. So the ultimate decision making power remained with Sidharth. Am I right?"
Saivi nods her head and he continues, "As there was no mention in the will what would happen to the shares if anything happens to him, no decision would be reached regarding its ownership. Correct?"
"Yes."
Bhaskar nods his head and comes a step closer to the stand, "Most Directors of the board decided to make Mr. Chatterjee as acting Chairman as he had the Power of attorney. So now he has the final say. Was it difficult to work like that?"
"No. Why should I have any problem? Mr.Chatterjee has been with us since Dad's time. He had been the chief advisor to the group."
Bhaskar takes a piece of paper and submits to the court, "My Lord, these are some newspaper cuttings. In the articles you can find there had been a tug of war among three groups, Saivi, Mr. Chatterjee and Mrs.Nirupama. "
"We all have professional clashes. But that doesn't mean anything serious."
Bhaskar smiles, "Who knows? My Lord, Sidharth Dewan loved his sister and he valued her opinion the most. After his death, Saivi didn't get that importance. So before Mr.Chatterjee took over the permanent position as Chairman, she had to find a way. And on a trip to Uttarakhand, she found this look-alike whom she brought to Kolkata dressed him up as Sidharth Dewan."
Tanushree stands up, "Objection My Lord, Mr.Ganguly is putting false accusations on my client without any proof."
Bhaskar smiles, "Miss Roy Chowdhry, I am just presenting another angle to the case. My Lord, Sidharth Dewan, had no living family member with whom he shares blood relations. His parents are dead and so are their respective families. Saivi Mehra is his adopted sister, Nirupama his step mother, Darshan his step brother and Mrs. Gayatri Parmar, his father's governess. So conducting a DNA test to prove this guy sitting here is Sidharth Dewan is just impossible. I think considering this point, Saivi could have brought him here and asked him to pose as the heir of Dewan Groups. It is possible too."
"That's a lie. I never influenced Sidharth in taking decisions of the company. I never asked him for anything. I just wanted him alive. And he is. That man sitting there is my brother, Sidharth. I know him. I just want him to get back what belongs to him. That's all I want."
Tanushree stands up, "My Lord, the court case relies on evidence rather than on assumptions. So my friend here should present more valid proofs instead of providing his angle."
Bhaskar comes to face her, "And you think you have the proof that this guy sitting here is Sidharth Dewan. Then present it to the court. What are you waiting for?"
Tanushree smiles, "If you put an objection on everything I say then how will I present my side? For that you need to wait."
Tanushree walks to the stand and says, "My Lord, I would like to call upon my next witness, Mohan Niyal."
A thin short man with short curly hair, thin moustache and two tiny eyes gets up from the bench at the back. He wears a full sleeve cream shirt over a matching pair of trousers and a pair of slippers. He nervously comes to the front and stands in the witness box.
Tanushree comes closer to the stand and says, "So can you tell your name to the court."
"Mo..Mohan. Mohan Niyal, Champagaon, Uttrakhand."
"Do you know the man sitting there?"
Tanushree asks pointing at Sidharth.
He nods his head, "Ratan Kumar. I mean Si..Sidharth Dewan.."
Tanushree says,"It's okay. You know him as Ratan Kumar. Is it true that you saw him first?"
Mohan gulps saliva and says,"Hmm.. I mean.."
"This is the court, Mohan, you have sworn to tell the truth. Tell us everything."
"I was returning to my village when I found him lying unconscious in the stream behind the temple. He was injured. I called my friends Bhola, Hari and Ram. And we carried him to the district hospital."
Tanushree nods his head, "Good. Mohan, can you tell us when this incident took place?"
"Teen shaal pehle."
"Did you know or see him before?"
"No."
"What happened then?"
"At the hospital, doctor said that he had a deep wound on his head and he remained unconscious. On the fourth day, Gajendra kaka, who was in the town, came back and heard the news. He claimed that this is his missing son Ratan. Actually they both do look similar but it is difficult to ascertain. He had run away from the house when he was only 12 years old. When he woke up after 7 days, he didn't remember anything. Kaka took him home and we all accepted him as Ratan."
Tanushree turns to the judge, "My Lord, the time frame when Sidharth Dewan went missing and Mohan found that guy sitting in the courtroom is the same. Nobody had seen him before and Gajendra Kumar's claims had no substantial evidence. It was just a belief of an old man who lived in guilt and was waiting for his son to return someday."
She continues, "This guy who is here to prove himself as Sidharth Dewan was not a resident of Champagaon. He was found injured, most probably by the accident during the trekking. The gorge where he fell has a connection to the stream. There are chances that he must have drifted towards the village through the flow of the river. This is clear evidence that this man sitting in the courtroom is no one but Sidharth Dewan himself."
Bhaskar stands up and goes to the stand, "Mohan Niyal, what do you do?"
"I.. work in the shop in the city."
"I have found that you used to live in Mumbai 5 years ago. Is it true? What were you doing here?"
"Main hero bane aya tha."
Bhaskar nods his head, "So we have an actor among us. Why did Ratan run away from home?"
"He was never interested in studies but always used to sing and dance. He too wanted to be an actor. Kaka used to scold him and beat him. So he left one day. Kaka had shed so many tears after he was gone. When he came, he took care of him. He didn't allow him to do anything till the day he died."
Bhaskar smiles, "Thank you Mohan."
He turns towards the judge, "My Lord, this case is very simple yet it is very complicated. Gajendra Kumar, the father of Ratan Kumar died six months ago from a stroke. He had no surviving relatives. As a result another DNA test to prove this man is RatanKumar is also not possible. So we again have to present another angle possible in this case."
"My Lord, young Ratan Kumar wants to be an actor. But his father wants him to study. When he disobeys, he is scolded as well as beaten. So one day, out of anger he leaves the home and reaches Mumbai. There he does odd jobs, acts as extras but never gets a break in movies. Life is tough in Mumbai. He meets Mohan one day, who is in Mumbai to become an actor too. He misses his home and decides to return back. On the way, he has an accident. Mohan calls his friends and takes him to the local village doctor. Ratan, scared of his father's reaction, pretends to have lost his memory or maybe he truly loses the memory. Life was good then as Gajendra took care of his long lost son."
Tanushree stands up and says,"The story was good but again this has no substantial evidence."
"And you think you gave one here. This guy is an actor and so is him."
Bhaskar says pointing at Sidharth.
"Memory loss is the best way to find out the facts and use it in one's favor. A common Bollywood story. Ratan Kumar used it to stay away from his father's wrath and later used it to learn more about Sidharth Dewan. This helped him to get into the character better. This man is a fraudster and he has paid this man, Mohan, to lie to the court."
"No. I didn't pay anything to anyone. I didn't know Mohan before I was found in that village. I am not Ratan. Please My Lord, these are all false accusations."
"You are not allowed to talk in the middle like this. You can talk only when you are asked.. Sit down. "
The judge says.
Saivi tries to make him sit but he continues, "I won't stay quiet. This is all a big lie. I am Sidharth Dewan. I remember everything now. I can tell you everything. Our childhood things which nobody knows but us. You tell the court di, I am not a fraudster. Tell them."
Judge says,"Mr Kumar. Sit down."
"I am not Kumar. I am Dewan. Sidharth Dewan."
"Fine. Mr. Dewan sit or else I will ask the police to get you out of the court. I will consider this as a condemnation of the court."
Sidharth sits on a bench outside the courtroom. He is breathing heavily and sweating too. Saivi sits beside him, running her hands on his head.
"Saivi di, I am Sidharth, your Sidharth. I remember everything now. Then why.. I have to prove things to the world. Why?"
"Sid, you are not proving anything to us but them. So that you can get back what's yours."
"Di, why are all these happening to me? Karma right? Jo bhi galti ki thi, shayad uski saza mil rahi hai."
Saivi holds his arm and says,"Tune kuch galti nahi ki hai. It's them who are wrong. They tried to get you away from everyone and now are saving themselves by proving you are not who you are. So stop getting upset."
"Remember the lines of Bhagwat Gita."
They heard a voice and turned to find her.
She stood at the steps of the courtroom with a sweet smile on her face. She had her hair tied and wore a white salwar suit with no make but just kohl and lip balm.
Sidharth looks at her, "Be a Braveheart and move forward to destroy the enemy."
She nods her head, "Exactly. You are fighting this for the right reasons. Like Arjun of Mahabharat, you will have to face your own people in this battle. You will be broken down every time. But you have to rise again. So you have to stay strong."
She stands up and embraces the lady in white dress and says,"Thank you for coming."
Saivi leaves and the lady walks up to him who stands there with a sad smile.
"How come you are here, Shehnaaz ji?"
Shehnaaz smiles, "I have missed your poems, Ratan.. sorry Sidharth ji. It made me come to Mumbai. Aadat ho gayi hai ab har shaam baatein karne ki, tum se shayari sunne ki. Kya karun ab?"
"Faqeer hun main aaj,
Mere paas mera kuch bhi nahi.
Naam bhi mujhse cheen liya hai,
Mujhe duniya ne abhi apnaya nahi.
Kya de sakta hun main tumhe,
Muflish hun main har lihaz se.
Yeh lafz jo hai, wohi sirf mere hai,
Iske siwa mera aur kuch bhi nahi."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I had imagined this real-life inspired story to be written in a different way. But lot of things happened after that. It made it difficult to think. I was suffering from writer's block for this story. I guess it has cleared now. I am starting again. Hope it will be presented the way I had imagined. Let me know if I m doing it right or I should stop?
Love💕💕💕💕