Actions and Re-actions
Karthick looked at himself in the mirror. He was nervous but that was to be expected. He was about to present the keynote address at the graduation ceremony at his alma mater. Karthick Somasundaram, serial entrepreneur, millionaire and Chairman and Managing Director of the nation’s largest venture fund, was as nervous as he had been when he made the first pitch for his company to an investor decades ago.
Many things had changed in the twenty-five years he had been in business but despite everything, he had achieved, he carried a burden. He prayed for courage to unburden himself with grace that evening. He had arrived prepared to make the standard motivational speech but now he knew that the moment of truth was upon him. Taking a deep breath, he walked out of the men’s restroom. The time for hiding was over.
[image error]
The Institute Director was waiting for him at the reception. An hour before he had participated in the high tea hosted for the proud parents of the students passing out that day. The parents were overwhelmed with joy and expectation for the future. Their children’s success, the cushy jobs they had earned, the culmination of years of penance on their part, everything was evident in each word they uttered.
With the Director leading the way, the duo proceeded to the ceremony hall. Packed with over five hundred guests, students, media persons, faculty, alumni, and others, the auditorium descended into pin drop silence as soon as they entered. The solemn walk to the stage was excruciating with every gaze in the room taking each step with him. At long last, he was seated on the high stage facing the glowing audience.
The ceremony began with the usual prayer and soon, too soon, his name was announced and he was invited to speak. His breath was coming in short pants now and his chest was heavy. As soon as he reached the podium, he drained all the water in the glass placed on it. Everyone watched in fascination. What jewels of wisdom was he about to deliver in his keynote address?
The first bit of his talk was easy. He said good evening and addressed all the dignitaries on the dais with him.
[image error]He was at the brink of the precipice. One more word and he would be unable to undo his action. The loose robe he had been given to wear for the ceremony was choking him now. Perhaps ripping it off would help, but his sane mind dashed that thought before he could act.
Closing the prepared speech, he commenced his story. Four hundred and seventy-five, he told the audience was his lucky number. That number had changed everything for him. Many times over the years, the media had suspected that he was superstitious about the number. From his mobile number to the registration number of his Mercedes, everything had four hundred and seventy-five in it.
That day, standing in the temple of learning which had paved the way for his first overseas job with a shamelessly exorbitant salary tag, he spoke about his lucky number. The audience was stunned. Wasn’t hard work supposed to be the reason for one’s success?
But he continued, without remorse.
Four hundred and seventy-five had been the marks on the tenth mark sheet he had submitted to the government higher secondary school for admission to the eleventh grade. In those days, those marks spoke volumes about the brilliance of its bearer. It earned him medals and cash awards. It fetched him a scholarship for an engineering entrance-coaching course, which eventually helped him pursue an engineering degree at a prestigious college.
Right after his degree, he was placed on campus in his dream job. A few years later, his employer sponsored his management education, which he undertook at the same institution where he was speaking. While a student there, he fell in love and later married a former classmate. Together, they had a beautiful daughter who had made them proud parents several times over.
Many years after graduating from his masters, he had become the CEO of a multinational corporation and eventually started his own company. One successful venture led to another and soon he became known as a serial entrepreneur. Money kept flowing in and his fame spread far and wide, winning him more laurels. If failure and mistakes form a vicious circle, success and fame form a magical one, he told the audience.
Everything had begun with that first four hundred and seventy-five. His audience remained puzzled by his obsession with the number and his odd standpoint. Despite his mounting stress, he could sense the audience getting bored at his tale. But they would love what was to follow. Would they love him after that? He couldn’t imagine how they would.[image error]
What was Karthick intending to day that would shatter his audience’s faith in him? Why was it important for him to say the words when he knew what lay ahead?
To read the full story for FREE visit my weekly Free Short Story link here
