• “Thy get what thy give”

    Jaydeep was born to win. He was the only child of two doctors. They got him everything he wanted. Nobody could beat him in anything, anywhere. He had the charm to make his point clear in whatever he said. He wanted life to be in his hands, he never gave a thought to other’s feelings. Nobody questioned him and nobody knew how to.

    After school, he joined for Management studies in Chennai. Life was on full pace from then on. With his green eyes and attractive physique he got many followers. Eventually one of them became his lover. Few years passed, in early 90’s he passed out of college. One fine morning he married his lady love and took her home. The countries all over the world boomed with the prospects of globalization. Jaydeep got a lucrative job in the dreamland of USA. He took his wife along with him. Success followed him to US, within three years he had established a software firm to his name. Meanwhile his wife gave birth to a lovely girl, she was named Swetha. Back in India his parents were getting old, he put them in one of the most luxurious “care homes”. He couldn’t spare a thought for anything else. He boasted it as his success mantra “Spare a thought for someone else, spare the money for your rival’s pocket”. He went back to India only twice to attend the funeral of his parents. Even then some of his relatives mumbled about not taking care of his parents. Jaydeep personally dismissed that opinion, “I gave them the best care and facilities “.
    The year is 2030; Jaydeep is now one of the most successful Indian businessmen in California. He sent his child to the best school and college. His life was almost perfect. He and his wife loved their daughter more than anything else. In her case genes played well, Swetha was a brilliant, beautiful girl. She received a scholarship from University at Buffalo; she took that once in a life time chance and flew to New York.
    After she left, the couple felt lonely, Jaydeep could not get her on phone as he was not on her phone priority list. Months later, Jaydeep received an email message from Swetha. Overwhelmed with joy he ran to his wife with his laptop. He opened the message in front of her. It had a picture file as attachment and it had 3 words “Hi folks, I got married”. The picture—Swetha with an American named Martin. For the first time in his life Jaydeep found everything around him standstill. His one and only daughter, his dear sweetie has left him without saying a word. The first reaction was uncontrollable rage, he slammed the laptop on the floor. He didn’t know whether to cry or shout, his mind just reeled back to his own past
    APR 25 1985 the day when he joined college for the course which he liked.
    DEC 5 1989 the day when he went with his wife in front of his parents.
    SEP 16 1991 the day when he boarded the flight to US
    1995, 98, 99 the only 3 times he went to see his parents of which the last was to
    Cremate his mother and year before his father.

    May be his parents wanted him to succeed them in their profession, marry a woman they chose; be near them in their last years. Suddenly all the anger vanished he sat on his chair and scribbled a few lines in his Digipad. Jaydeep burst into tears.


    AVINASH