Father In Law's Pride

‘It gives me great pleasure to announce the Chief Technology Officer who will be succeeding me and I am confident that the organization will grow to great heights under her leadership,’ said Dr. Rajiv Sarin. All members in the boardroom waited with bated breath and hushed whispers discussed the possibilities. Finally breaking the suspense Dr. Sarin called out ‘ Please join me in welcoming Ms. Naina Sen, the new Chief Technology Officer’. Suddenly all eyes turned towards Naina who looked elegant in black and cream ikkat saree. She looked surprised and at a loss of words to express her gratitude to Dr. Sarin and her team members for their trust in her competence and abilities. She stood up and walked towards the podium with moist eyes and folded hands, on the way gathering congratulatory handshakes. She had always visualized this day a million times and today as it unfurled, she was overwhelmed with emotions. She reached to where Dr. Sarin was standing and bowed down with folded hands. as a mark of respect and gratitude. Dr. Sarin said’ So proud of you, Nisha. You are here purely on merit and years of hard work and diligence. The board room echoed with thunderous applause. However, there were a few disappointed faces who had tried their level best to suppress her rise and subjected her to humiliation on unreasonable grounds including her being a widow.

As Naina took the mic to express her gratitude, she tried hard to hold back her bottled emotions but they found an outlet through her big brown beautiful eyes. She was choking and could not get herself to express the emotions that engulfed her. She gathered herself and said ‘ God has been very kind to show me this day but the one person I owe it all to is my father in law Mr. Alok Sen. He has been my pillar of strength from the time I married Rohit and became Mrs. Sen and has stood like a rock through all the tough and testing times. They say a daughter is her father’s pride but I am lucky to say that I am also my Father-in-law’s Pride. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Sarin, my team, and all those who were instrumental in my journey. I promise to do my very best to carry the legacy of Dr. Sarin forward to take the MS Informatics to new heights.

Naina went back to her cabin with the bouquets and a mixed bag of emotions. As she sat in the newly furnished cabin of the CTO, she looked at the vast Mumbai skyline from the large ceiling-down windows. Her thoughts wandered to 4 years back when her life came to a screeching halt, as she lost her husband to a massive cardiac arrest. This bolt from the blue changed the course of her life, she was immersed in grief and found no reason to live. Naina’s confidence and self-esteem had taken a serious beating owing to the detractors at work who constantly marred her proficiency by picking faults in her proposals and processes. Rohit’s sudden demise was the final blow to her motivation to stand her ground and fight for equity.

All her personal and professional goals or aspirations meant nothing to her. Her self-imposed exile would have sucked her into oblivion, had it not been for her father-in-law, who disregarded his own anguish and heartache of losing his only son and committed himself to bring her back to light from the dark tunnel. He gave her strength and said that Rohit left her in their care and protection. He warded off the negativity of the so-called well-wishers, who often suggested sarcastically that she should return to her maternal home. He reinforced his faith in her brilliance and competence as an IT professional. His nudge, reassurance, and constant motivation was the sole reason that Naina inched back to normalcy. He also ensured that her mother-in-law also gave her the same warmth and love.

They had nudged her to go back to work with vengeance and achieve all her professional goals. Today, as the CTO she had proved her mettle and her merit was recognized and acknowledged.

The ringing of the phone bell shook her out of her thoughts and she briskly walked to receive it. On the other side was Mr. Alok Sen who said ‘You have made me so happy and proud with your achievement, you are truly my Pride’. These words of her father-in-law gave purpose to her life and she said that she would spare no effort to keep his flag flying high. Nothing meant more to Naina than being her father (in-laws) Pride. All that Naina could say was ‘ Baba, you are my Rock’.

A bond of love and trust can be nurtured beyond the stereotypes of society. One can find love and warmth in any relationship that is nurtured.