Born Again - Chapter 1

"Your Coffee Sir",

The waitress puzzled muzzled....perplexed that she might disturb the club's most respected and expensive guests, and so she did. Certainly if not disturb the voice did stir up one Mr. Anubhav Bindra who seemed to be lost in the world of his own thoughts & the waitress's voice brought him to ground zero and when he touched down to the real world the impact of the thoughts could still be felt.

"Good Morning Sir, Your Coffee." the waitress smiled apologetically, left the coffee and went away. For a few moments Anubhav just stared at his coffee wondering where to collect his thoughts from. For some time everything seemed unreal to him.

"Sir, your Coffee has cooled down, would you want me to reheat it." - The waitress said coming back again.

"Yes please, thank you" Anubhav replied calmly as if he didn't care.

"And would like something else as well...” the waitress inquired

"YES, another cup of hot steaming coffee and a Henry IV sandwich" said a loud and cheerful voice from behind. The waitress turned around to find Mr. Sanjay Solanki standing there.....

"Oh! Good Morning, Sir how was your US Trip..." the waitress said...

"It was very good Sweetheart." Sanjay replied.

"That's so great, I'll get you your stuff." The waitress said and left.

"Hey AB..." Sanjay said as he held his friend in a bear hug. "Hey Sanju.." Anubhav replied as he greeted him.

The two then settled down on the table and Sanjay asked.......

"What's the matter with you AB. You don't seem to have slept properly last night, also you didn't drink your coffee, is there something bothering you...." Sanjay asked.

"Nothing, We'll discuss that later....First you tell me how was the trip. Did the Yankees Yield?" Anubhav replied...

Sanjay: "OH YEAH! we got'em square and round" he paused to sip his coffee and then continued. “We cracked the USD 120 M deal with NBC with 50% paid in advance & the job gets done at our terms."

AB (Elated): “Oh that's Super Sanju, these calls for one of your Royal Celebrations.”

Sanjay: "Yeah that does gonna happen soon as soon. When would you want to start working?"

AB: “I hope to begin from the first of next month. I'll need to take that time to put the team together. We'll deliver the first package by the end of next month. Don't worry technically I've worked it out all. We'll deliver the best."

Sanjay: "Yeah I know, you’re gonna do a great job. I trust you on that one as a matter of fact my job with this deal is now over, it's all your show now, so now tell me what was it that was bothering you."

AB: “Nothing my Friend, I was lost in the past years of my life. I could remember everything. The College, the Chai ketli where we used to sit and chill out, Mom and Dad, their death, Our starting of Infogleam, our first contract, your first girl friend, your marriage etc. some how my memory goes blank for the last 5 yrs. All I can remember is nothing........ That’s what is perplexing me. I don't know what happened to the last five yrs of my life."

Sanjay: "Come let’s go for a walk."

The two friends leave the sidewalk cafe and go for a walk at th

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e jogging track of the Karnavati club.

Sanjay: "So tell me more"

AB: "Sanju, my life is all about Ideas, Ideas that have propelled us ahead. The idea to provide IT Enabled Services when the whole world was going bonkers on the DOT coms. However, for the past few days these ideas seem to have deserted me. I couldn't think anything new; anything ground breaking, anything that would take the world by the storm as we did almost five years ago. This made me go back and think in my past to investigate this further and somehow I'm still struggling figure it out what is it, why have I become so monotonous, so singular, so much in the box that I can't think of anything out of the box....." Anubhav shrugged and continued " If we don't come up with anything new I fear we will die into obscurity all these mega million deals are fine but we need to do things differently and that's what we are unable to do right now. I am not thing about the present but I am thinking about the future...."

Sanjay: "Hmmmm...... Yes you are right we'll need to invent and reinvent, engineer and reengineer always and I think I know the solution to the problem."AB (Happily): "Really, please tell me..."

Sanjay: "The solution to the most complex problems lies in the simplicity of addressing it. Sometimes when we think hard, we tend to complicate our thought process so much so that we tend to forget to stick to the basics. You need to ask yourself are you sticking to the basics, are the solutions to complex problems simple enough and is the effort enough....."

AB: "Go on I am Listening..." his face lightening up

Sanjay: "AB, your problem is that you've hardly had a break in the last five years, hence the thought process is very much the same. You need a break, maybe just for a few days, this will help you to recollect your thoughts maybe. Also, you need to spice up your life a bit. You have got into the monotony of the routine life. Look at your dressing style seems as though a man of sixties."

AB: “And how will that help...”

Sanjay: “Don’t undermine them. These small changes like going for a holiday, socializing, dressing up as per the trends will add a variety to your life, and variety my dear is the spice of life. They help one to rejuvenate which is not happening in your life right now. So let's plan for a holiday. How about Goa."

AB: "Oh common Sanju, there's hell a lot of work that we got to do."Sanjay: " Oh just don't worry everything will be taken care of. So it is all settled we are going to Goa next week. Even Bhumi will love break. Please yaar you need it....."

"Oh the two of you are here! I have been searching for you in the entire club." - Before Anubhav could reply he heard a feminine voice and it was of Bhumika Sanjay’s wife. "Anything wrong guys. You seem to be having a serious discussion."

Sanjay: "Nothing Honey! we've decided to go on a holiday next week to Goa."

Bhumi: "That's gr8; I'd love to go to Goa. It will be gr8 fun, but how did Anubhaiya agree..."

Anubhav: "Well it's not right to say no to your Boss, isn't it?"

Sanjay (Sarcastically): “And the Boss is always right."

And they all started laughing heartily.....

Bhumi: "Chalo, let's go or you guys will be late for the office...”