PUNISHED FOR BEING ME

CHAPTER 11

"YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?" I ASKED SURPRISED.

"I WANT YOU TO HEAD THE ORGANISATION, RAM."

"BUT I DONT HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE IN MANAGING ANYTHING, LET ALONE AN ORGANISATION."

"DONT WORRY. I HAVE A TEAM OF PROFESSIONALS WHO WILL BE HANDLING EVERYTHING. YOU JUST HAVE TO BE THE FACE OF THE COMPANY AND PLAN WHERE AND WHEN TO ORGANISE PROTESTS, RALLIES OR MARCHES. REST EVERYTHING WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF."

"BUT WHY ME?"

"IT ONLY SEEMS FIT THAT YOU HEAD THIS ORGANISATION AS YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE I KNOW WHO HAS BEEN AS CLOSE TO PRATIK AS YOU HAVE BEEN."

"BUT WHAT ABOUT COLLEGE?"

"I WILL TAKE CARE OF IT. A SIZEABLE DONATION MIGHT BE ENOUGH TO CONVINCE THE DEAN TO LET YOU SKIP THE COLLEGE AND STILL FINISH YOUR DEGREE. AND YOU DONT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE MONEY EITHER. YOU WILL BE PAID GENEROUSLY AND ALL YOUR EXTRA EXPENSES WILL BE PAID OFF."

"I DONT KNOW WHAT TO SAY."

" SAY YES BETA. IF NOT FOR ME THEN AT LEAST DO THIS FOR PRATIK. PLEASE."

"UMM YES. I WILL DO IT. IN FACT, I WILL BE HONOURED TO DO IT."

AS SOON AS SHE HEARD THE WORDS COME OUT, OF MY MOUTH, SHE HUGGED ME TIGHTLY. THERE WAS SOMETHING FAMILIAR ABOUT IT. IT WAS A CLEAR REFLECTION OF A MOTHER'S AFFECTION, SOMETHING I LONGED FOR AND SOMETHING SHE LONGED TO GIVE. IT WAS COMFORTING AND YET AT THE SAME TIME, THE TEARS IN HER EYES INDICATED HOW MUCH SHE MISSED HER ONLY SON. I WANTED TO CALM HER DOWN BUT WAS AT A LOSS OF WORDS MYSELF. I FELT THE WARMTH OF A MOTHER'S AFFECTION EMBRACING ME, SOMETHING THAT I HADNT EXPERIENCED FOR QUITE A TIME NOW.

A MOTHER'S AFFECTION CAN GIVE YOU COMFORT SIMILAR TO WHAT A BABY FEELS INSIDE A MOTHER'S WOMB. IT CAN MAKE YOU STRONG AND YET IT CAN BE YOUR WEAKNESS AT THE SAME TIME. A MOTHER CAN DO ANYTHING TO WATCH HER CHILD SUCCEED AND THAT'S WHAT PRATIK MOM WAS DOING FOR ME, THE CLOSEST HUMAN SEE HAD FOR A SON.

"I CANT EXPRESS IN WORDS HOW MUCH HAPPY I AM, RAM."

"I WILL DO ANYTHING FOR PRATIK, ANYTHING."

"THANK YOU RAM. I AM REALLY GRATEFUL."

"NO NEED TO THANK ME, ITS THE LEAST I CAN DO MOM."

SHE WAS VERY HAPPY THAT DAY. SHE BID ME GOODBYE AND OFFERED ME A RIDE BACK HOME. I DECLINED IT AND SUGGESTED THAT I WOULD BETTER IF I WALK MY BACK HOME ACCOMPANIED BY PRATIK'S MEMORIES. SHE AGREED TO MY IDEA AND WHILE LEAVING TOLD ME THAT SHE WILL CALL ME WHEN THE PAPERWORK IS DONE.

I WALKED MY WAY BACK A SMILE APPEARING ON MY FACE EVERY NOW AND THEN. I WAS READY TO GIVE ANYTHING TO BACK IN TIME AND SAVE PRATIK AND SPEND TIME WITH HIM BUT THE ONLY THING I COULD DO NOW TO KEEP HIS MEMORY ALIVE IS HEAD HIS MOM'S ORGANISATION AND NOT BLOW IT.

IN A FEW DAYS, WE HAD EVERYTHING WE NEEDED TO START AN ORGANISATION EXCEPT THE NAME. THE PAPERWORK WAS DONE AND THE BUILDING'S SALE HAD ALSO GONE THROUGH BUT THE ONLY THING LEFT WAS PUTTING A NAME TO THE ORGANISATION. WE NEEDED A NAME THAT WOULD EXPLAIN OUR MOTTO AND YET BE DISCREET ENOUGH NOT CAUSE HATRED AMONG THE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION. WE SCRATCHED OUR HEADS FOR DAYS AND EVEN TOOK HELP OF SOME OF THE TOP LAWYERS BUT WITH NO RESULTS. WITHOUT A NAME, MOVING FORWARD WAS NOT CONSIDERED TO BE A OPTIMAL OPTION. OF ALL THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE ORGANISATION'S WORKING, MANY WERE HAVING SECOND THOUGHTS ABOUT OUR GOALS. ALL THE MONEY THAT WAS PUTIN AS AN INVESTMENT WAS SOON GOING TO BE TERMED AS A MASSIVE LOSS.

LOOKING AT THE MENTALITY OF THE EMPLOYEES, IT WAS DECIDED TO MEET UP AND THE OFFICE AND PUT THE ORGANISATION'S FUTURE TO A VOTE. THE VOTE WOULD DECIDE IF WE WILL BEING SHUTTING DOWN OUR PLANS OR GOING AHEAD WITH IT. ALSO ON THE AGENDA OF THE MEETING WAS PICKING OUT A NAME OF FOR THE ORGANISATION AND FIGURE OUT THE ACTION PLAN IF WE WERE GOING TO GO AHEAD WITH THE ORGANISATION.