The Birlas' - IKSHANA

Chapter - 19: Rooh! The Rockstar

At Aradhna's Restaurant, 'Moon':

The lighting has been modified to give the space a concert vibe. The setting was so magnificent and it was one of its kind in the entirety of Udaipur. This was Ms.Bansal's first venture in her hometown after seeing much success in Mumbai. She wanted to replicate her success story with the same idea in Udaipur and contacted the best people to get the job done. It took almost a year and a half to design this, build it and get the interiors done before it was opened for the public. 

Aradhna's family was in hospitality industry for a long time and they had a lot of restaurants and hotels in and around Udaipur and Jaipur. She wanted to do something different and came up with this idea of having a space for musical concerts every evening apart from the regular dine-ins. Her idea was dissed badly by her family. She, then set out to prove her credibility by raising funds for her unique concept in Mumbai and making sure that her idea saw the light of the day. She became successful very soon and she opened two more places in Mumbai. 

Her family has been requesting her to launch one in Udaipur and after 3 years, she finally agreed. Choosing the right man to do the job wasn't tough for her. She casually once interacted with Neil, earlier at a party and they hung out long enough to know how capable the other is. That informal meeting led to her hiring Neil's Company for the job and he just smashed it out of the park. She fell in love with this one, more than the ones in Mumbai. Everything was so thoroughly thought out that she literally had to only approve the designs without much deliberation.

Neil's talent and efficiency definitely does justice to his title of being One Of The Most Eligible Bachelors Of Udaipur. She was grateful to God for making that meeting happen. If not for that, she wouldn't have known that gentlemen like that do exist in reality. He made her look at men differently after she was all cynical, coming out of a bad relationship with a traumatic break up. She heard someone calling her to get on the stage to introduce the artist and instantly composed herself. She walked up to the elevated platform with a mike in her hands.

"A very, very good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I am your host today, quite literally. I am Aradhna Bansal and thank you for gracing us with your presence. Also please don't judge me for my hosting skills, I don't do it for a living, so do cut me some slack." She sassed on stage. 

She grabbed the audience's attention in seconds. 

"I have to admit that this place is definitely a step ahead when I consider all my past ventures. I have one man to thank, apart from me of course, for making it possible with his impeccable professionalism and talent, the MD of Birla Constructions, Mr.Neil Birla." 

She guided the crew to throw the spotlight on Neil and everybody hooted. Neil was beyond shocked. He was not expecting this at all. 

Akshara saw this and sighed. She could see hearts in Aradhna's eyes for Neil already. No one does that for a mere architect or an interior designer. There is definitely more to it. It clicked to her that may be Roohi got this chance because of Aradhna's interest in Neil. She smiled sarcastically. The oh so righteous Abhimanyu Birla didn't mind that. That looked strange, even to her. Her interest in the concert dampened because of the realization.

She hated mediocrity when it came to music and she definitely detested Nepotism because she lost out on too many opportunities due to the same. She strongly believed that nepotism and mediocrity went hand in hand. Only mediocre talent needed backing while the genuine talent like her can make inroads on its own. She saw Abhimanyu but the vision wasn't very clear. She could only see him clapping and cheering for Neil and her blood boiled. There was not an ounce of discomfort amidst them when they both hugged. She wasn't liking what she saw. She immediately ordered two vodka shots. The restaurant didn't serve alcohol. But they made a special exception for their special guest.