40 Stress Busters for Executives

by Atul Sharma

  “We have the habit of having dinner early,” said Balaji.

  “What time should we serve it?” asked Raghav.

  “7.30 p.m.,” replied Balaji.

  “I hope that you’ll like the south-Indian cuisine prepared by our chef,” said Raghav.

  “Oh really! I’ll then place the order of my choice,” said Balaji.

  “Raghav, ask your parents to join us for dinner if they are willing,” said Sharda.

  Vijay and Neha were happy to meet the person who provided a platform for their son to exhibit his talent.

  “You seem to belong to south,” Balaji asked Raama.

  “Yes Sir, I’m from Kerala.”

  “Raghav, you seem to have south connection. Your chef prepares delicious south-Indian dishes and here’s a man from south to serve us food,” said Balaji.

  “Sir, my south connection is getting stronger by the day as you are the one who published my book,” said Raghav as Balaji hailed from Karnataka.

  “We would like to go for a morning walk tomorrow,” said Sharda.

  “You’ll enjoy your walks here. There are a plenty of trekking routes in Devpur,” said Divya.

  “The route towards the Trekkers Hut is the best,” said Ishaan.

  Next day Raghav took them for the sightseeing trip of Devpur. They went to Hanuman Ghat first. Balaji and his wife were spellbound by the breathtaking views from that place. They spent ample time there before leaving for other places. They bought many Himachali items from Him Prabhat.

  “I never thought that a small place like Devpur would have such wonderful tourist points,” said Balaji when they visited Pushp Vatika.

  “Devpur is an unexplored place. People predominantly visit Shimla as it is a famous hill station. Only few visit Devpur which is just ten kilometres far from Shimla,” said Raghav.

  “They went to the waterfall point and Vihar Vann the next day.”

  We’ll leave tomorrow, informed Balaji after three days.

  “Why are you leaving so early?” asked Raghav. “Enjoy the pleasant weather of Devpur for few more days.”

  “I don’t have the luxury of time, otherwise I would have stayed here even for a month,” replied Balaji.

  “Raghav, do you have any subject ready for your second

  book?” asked Balaji when they were sitting in the garden in the evening.

  “I have something in my mind but I haven’t penned it yet,” replied Raghav.

  “Fine. Just tell me the title and the theme of the story,” asked Balaji.

  Raghav thought for a while and came up with an answer.

  “‘Friend.’ This is the title I have envisioned for my next story,” said Raghav.

  “What the story is all about?” asked Balaji.

  “It’s not a fiction story. It is about two special friends who came in my life and transformed me,” replied Raghav.

  Raghav had Nandini and Babaji in mind.

  “A real one! Such stories draw huge readers,” said Rahul.

  “Can we meet those special friends of yours?” asked Balaji.

  “No Sir,” replied Raghav. “One has gone so far where we can’t reach while the other one comes only when He desires.”

  “You are sounding very emotional. I liked your concept. How long will you take to write the complete story?” asked Balaji.

  “About three to four months,” replied Raghav.

  Just when they prepared to leave the next morning, Balaji asked Raghav to get their bill ready.

  “What are you saying Sir? You all are my personal guests. Don’t embarrass me,” said Raghav and refused to take money from them for their stay in the villa.

  “As you wish,” said Balaji. “But I have something for you which you can’t refuse.”

  Raghav and others were surprised when Balaji handed over an envelope to him.

  “What’s this?” asked Raghav.

  “Open it and find it yourself,” said Balaji raising the anxiety level of all of them.

  Raghav opened the envelope and found a cheque inside it. He pulled it out and was astonished to read the amount and his name on it.

  It was a cheque on Raghav’s name with an amount of ten lakh rupees.

  Raghav was speechless for a moment.

  “Ten lakh rupees!!! For me???” asked Raghav as he was shaken by the antic of Balaji.

  “Yeah! This is for you,” said Balaji.

  “What for?” asked Raghav.

  “This is the signing amount I’m giving to you to obtain the right to publish your second book.”

  “Why such a huge amount?” asked Raghav.

  “You are a successful writer now. Money follows talent and success. And it’s not the final payment. We’ll discuss your royalty when you’ll complete the book,” said Balaji.

  “Sir, I’m honoured but do I really deserve it?” asked Raghav.

  “You are the first one to ask me this question. Others ask me why I don’t deserve more. Now concentrate on your book. Take your time; we are not in a hurry. I understand that you have to look after your business. Can you complete the book in six months?” asked Balaji.

  “Surely Sir and thanks a ton for reposing so much faith in me,” said Raghav.

  “Best of luck. We’ll meet in Delhi then,” said Balaji.

  Rahul and Divya couldn’t hide their excitement before leaving for Delhi. They congratulated Raghav and wished him success.

  Raghav rushed to his office after they left. He looked at the cheque again and again. He looked at it from every nook and corner. It wasn’t that he had not seen such a big amount before. After all he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. But this was something special for many reasons. It came at a point when it mattered the most. He was now a few days away from getting back their orchard. At last he had seen the light of the day after a long dark night.

  Vijay and Neha were watching television when Raghav came there. He switched off the television.

  “Why are you smiling?” asked Neha.

  “I think you have some special news to tell,” said Vijay.

  Raghav didn’t say anything. He asked them to dance with him. The child in him had born again.

  “I want to give you a gift,” said Raghav and gave the envelope to Vijay.

  “What’s in it?” asked Vijay.

  “See it yourself.”

  “It’s a cheque of ten lakh rupees on Raghav’s name,” said Vijay.

  “Ten lakh rupees! What’s all this?” wondered Neha.

  “Your son has earned this amount. Mr. Balaji gave it to me before leaving as a token of signing amount for my second book that I’ll now write for his publishing house.”

  Vijay and Neha were speechless. Only the parents can feel the joy when their child steps into their shoes. There were smiles and tears but they seemed to be friends today.

  “Does this mean that we’ll soon clear the debt now?” asked Neha.

  “Only five or six lakh rupees are required to clear the whole loan amount. We’ll still be left with huge money,” said Raghav.

  “Raghav, you have undone my mistake today,” said Vijay.

  “Papa, no one made any mistake. Our fortune had deserted us for a while.”

  “What should we do now?” asked Neha.

  “I’ll get this cheque deposited in my account. Then we’ll pay the balance amount to the bank,” replied Raghav.

  “I think we should inform Vineet first. His presence is must when we have to get back our documents from the bank,” suggested Neha.

  They delivered this news to all their relatives. Vineet decided to come there very soon.

  

  Vineet arrived there with his family within a week. Everyone was now again radiating with self confidence. Next day, Vineet and Raghav went to the bank
to clear the loan. The whole process took a couple of days. The bank manager, Anil Sareen, called them again when the documentation work was complete.

  “This is the bank clearance letter and this is the registry of your property,” said Sareen while handing over the documents to them. An employee of the bank will go with you to hand over the keys of the orchard. And I’m sorry if you don’t find the orchard in a proper shape. We couldn’t maintain it like you did.

  “I understand. Your job is to run the bank and not the orchards or other businesses,” said Vineet.

  “Chachu, let’s go to the home first. I want to hand over the papers to papa. I want him to open the locks of the orchard.”

  Vijay couldn’t control his emotions when they gave him the property papers. His tears showed his happiness.

  “It’s not a matter of getting back my property, today I have got back my self respect too. Otherwise what face would I have shown to Bauji when I’ll meet him up there?”

  “It wasn’t your fault. You were entrapped by your friend who took advantage of your innocence,” said Raghav.

  “Raghav, you have made me feel proud today. It’s heartening to see that my son has fared better than me in the exam of life,” Vijay said and hugged Raghav.

  Everyone was filled with emotions.

  “Let’s go to the orchard first,” suggested Vineet.

  The glow on Vijay’s face returned when he entered inside the orchard.

  “A lot of work needs to be done here,” said Vineet.

  “Leave it to me. I’ll bring it back in a proper shape soon,” said Vijay as he moved from one corner to another. “You’ll definitely get apples to eat next year.”

  “Do you still want to operate villa as a hotel or move back inside?” asked Vineet at home.

  “What do you suggest?” asked Vijay.

  “What’s the need to close it if it’s profitable? Your earning will increase manifold,” suggested Vineet.

  “The guest house is not big enough,” said Neha.

  “There isn’t paucity of land inside the premises. You can construct a portion adjoining to the guest house or raise one floor of the guest house,” said Jyoti.

  Vineet left after a week.

  There was a great sense of comfort and relief for them after clearing the bank debt. They could now plan for the future since no financial liabilities rested on them. Money was not the major issue anymore. Their financial express was back on track. Raghav started writing for his second book.

  One morning Raghav visited the Hanuman Ghat. He thanked God for bringing them out of the financial crisis. Babaji’s advice of turning the villa into a hotel had worked wonders for his fortune. He pondered a lot over his future. His dream of becoming a writer was fulfilled but deep down in his heart he was not fully satisfied. He wanted to do something which could give him a reason to live happily. The whole day passed in contemplating about the future.

  Suddenly, an idea crossed his mind. That thought seemed to be a ray of hope for him. He closed his eyes and remembered God.

  A lot of questions were surfacing in his mind. His inner conscience was providing answers to every query of his mind. He felt that his search for a meaningful life had ended.

  He came back to the villa. He went to his parents who were sitting in the garden.

  “Papa, maa, I want something from you.”

  “Anything for you dear. Tell us what do you want?” asked Vijay.

  “My desire is ambitious but my intent is right,” said Raghav.

  “Why are you hesitating to speak up your mind?” asked Neha.

  “I want to stop this hotel business here,” said Raghav.

  “I knew from the beginning that you won’t like to continue this work forever,” said Neha.

  “Your decision is right since we are through our debt and the orchard is with us again,” said Vijay.

  “I felt odd when our relatives had to stay in the guest house,” said Neha.

  “I’ll start working hard in the orchard and from next year onwards we’ll earn sufficiently from there,” said Vijay.

  “Complete the formalities that are required to close this business,” advised Neha.

  “So when are we moving inside the villa?” asked Vijay with a smile on his face and shine in his eyes.

  “We won’t move inside the villa,” said Raghav.

  His answer was simple as well as complicated.

  “If we are not going to move back to the villa, where’ll we stay?” asked Neha.

  “We’ll stay in the guest house only. It’ll remain our permanent home forever,” replied Raghav.

  “Then what do you want to do with the villa?” asked Vijay.

  “I want to realise dadaji’s unfulfilled dream in the villa.”

  “Which dream?” asked Neha.

  “Dadaji wanted to make a charitable home in the land which we have lost now. He wanted to make an old age home and an orphanage there. I want to fulfil both his desires in our villa now.”

  Vijay and Neha could not say anything.

  “Say something. Aren’t you convinced with my proposal?” asked Raghav.

  “What do I say? Can it work?” asked Vijay.

  “How’ll we manage such a huge task? It entails enormous responsibilities,” said Neha.

  “Do you know what dadaji advised me when we discussed this issue? He asked me not to wait longer to start something good. Who knows if tomorrow comes or not? He advised me to focus on quality and not on quantity.”

  “I respect your belief but will it be wise to turn this expensive villa into a charitable home?” asked Neha.

  “The villa has more rooms than the number of people residing in it,” said Raghav. “What’s the harm if it becomes a happy home for some unfortunate people?”

  “Shouldn’t we construct this charitable home somewhere else?” asked Vijay.

  “We’ll be able to put all our attention to it if it’s started here. Moreover, we’ll need huge amount to start this project from the scratch. It may again take many years to initiate this. Here we have the complete infrastructure; we don’t need to construct anything new. Only few alterations here and there will make it a perfect place for our mission,” replied Raghav.

  “How many people can be accommodated in the villa?” asked Neha.

  “Dadaji wanted to make a place for children as well as old people. I have a perfect plan in my mind by which both these conditions can be met. There are eight rooms in the villa. I want to keep one child and one elder person in every room. This way there’ll be sixteen people in all, eight orphan children and eight old people. I don’t want to pack the villa with many people. If we can help sixteen people only, it’ll make our life worthwhile.”

  “From where’ll you bring needy people here?” asked Vijay.

  “One person is already in my mind,” said Raghav.

  “Who?”

  “Dhillon uncle,” replied Raghav.

  “Will he agree?”

  “He needs support at the moment. His family has discarded him. He’s a very wise man and can help us in looking after all other people.”

  “What about the rest?” asked Neha.

  “I’ll take help of Mr. Deep Das Mukherjee in finding other fifteen people. He’s a senior executive of the organisation Martinet Helping Hand. His organisation can certainly spare some people for our endeavour. There is no dearth of people who need shelter and love.”

  “What’ll these people do here?” asked Vijay.

  “The children must study. We’ll admit them in the school in Devpur. We’ll bear their expenses only till they get a job. After that they’ll have to move out to start a new life on their own.”

  “What about the older people?” asked Neha.

  “They’ll look after the children. Some people who like gardening
can assist papa in the orchard work. As far as their stay here is concerned, we won’t discard anyone. Only God will take them from here,” said Raghav.

  “How’ll we meet such heavy expenses? Will the income from the orchard be sufficient to run this big home?” asked Neha.

  “To start with, I still have six lakh rupees deposited in my account after clearing the debt. I’m also receiving the royalty money for my first book regularly. In future also I expect to earn handsomely from writing. Moreover, some institutions have put their proposal before me to lecture there as a therapist-cum-counsellor after they read my book. All this will provide us more than sufficient money.”

  “We need some time to think over this issue. It’s not an easy decision to make,” said Vijay.

  “Take your time. I want unanimous decision from us,” said Raghav.

  Neha took Raghav aside to ask him something.

  “Raghav, I have one concern in my mind. Is the guest house adequate for us in future after your marriage?”

  “Maa, you know that I have loved a girl once. No one can take her place in my heart. Marrying someone else is out of question. Now the new residents of the villa will be my family forever. I hope you’ll understand my feelings.”

  Vijay and Neha woke Raghav up from his sleep next morning.

  “Raghav, get up soon,” asked Vijay.

  “What happened?” asked Raghav. “I was seeing a beautiful dream.”

  “Forget that dream. The ultimate dream of your life is waiting to get fulfilled. Now get up and turn your dream into a reality,” said Vijay.

  Raghav understood from their smiling expressions that they had happily agreed to turn the villa into a charitable home.

  “Fulfil your wish because your happiness is the only dream that we see,” Neha said and kissed his head.

  “Our support is with you. Now initiate the process as soon as possible,” said Vijay.

  

  Raghav submitted his application to the Tourism and Hospitality Department requesting them to cancel the licence of his hotel.

  “You opened this hotel last year only. Why do you want to close it so soon? Isn’t it profitable?” asked one official.

  “Profit is not the issue. We have decided to do something else there,” replied Raghav.