Gently Falls the Bakula by Sudha Murty

Author:Sudha Murty
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9789351183396
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2013-09-16T00:00:00+00:00

SIXTEEN

Shrimati was thrilled that she was going to the US. She had been in touch with Professor Collins through letters but had not met him. This was a good opportunity for her to go to Chicago and meet him and his daughter Dorothy.

Shrikant, now one of the seniormost in his company, was happy that he could understand the global market and explore global business.

He knew that if he worked harder and proved himself, he would be made a vice-president in a couple of years. Right now, he was posted as head of the American operations.

Shrikant had plenty of responsibilities. His boss Mr Kelkar was pinning all his hopes on Shrikant, so Shrikant made it very clear to Shrimati that life in America would be hectic and she was not to expect anything from him. He would like her to be on her own, he said.

When the Deshpandes arrived in Los Angeles, they were given a well-furnished two-bedroom apartment by the company. After a year, they could consider moving to another place. For Shrimati, everything was new and fascinating . . . the market, the roads, the people, everything. And she was keen to learn about all those new things. Since the public transport system in Los Angeles, or LA as it is popularly called, was not good, Shrimati and Shrikant had to learn driving. They purchased two second-hand cars, an absolute necessity, rather than a luxury.

After they had settled down and Shrimati felt more confident about travelling; on her own, she went to Chicago to meet Professor Collins. There she also met Dorothy. Dorothy had finished her Ph.D and was working in the University. Professor Collins’s home was full of books, journals, research papers and documents on history. The atmosphere in their home, the conversation, the fascinating work they did, was truly a treat for Shrimati.

As Dorothy was travelling to Europe, she suggested that Shrimati should join her. The entire tour would take three months.

Shrikant was most encouraging. He wanted his wife to be bold and independent. So Shrimati went on the tour and thoroughly enjoyed herself.

One year went by very quickly. Shrimati was beginning to feel quite at home in LA. But a sudden phone call upset everything.

They got the sad news that Vishwas Kelkar had died of a heart attack and Shrikant was required to report to the India office immediately.

Shrikant left Shrimati to wind up everything and returned to India alone. It would take her a couple of months to complete all the formalities. He knew she was capable of handling them on her own.

On his way back to India, Shrikant kept thinking about Mr Kelkar and his sudden demise. He had been a man of clean habits, always on his toes, working relentlessly all the time. He had suffered from a gastric ulcer, caused, as he used to say, by tension. He would dismiss it humorously as an ‘executive disease’.

What was the cause of the stress? There had been rumours that Vishwas was not happy at home and had some marital problems.

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