Banim Boys Part 1 (*50th Post*)

It was raining heavily and Mr. Gopal was late for his meeting, he was supposed to be at the Shiradkar residence by nine thirty, and it was already forty five minutes past nine. As soon as he reached the big marble mansion, a servant led him to his employer’s room. His employer was bed ridden; he had not been keeping well for quite some time.

‘You are late Gopal’ said the old man sternly

‘Sorry Sir, won’t happen again’ said Mr. Gopal apologetically

‘Now, I have summoned you because I had to talk to you about my will and testimony’

‘Yes sir, what do you want me to do?’

‘I want to find my heir’

‘Your heir?’

‘Yes, I think it’s high time that I consider giving the empire to someone worthy of it’

‘Who do you have in mind sir? Your son?’

‘No’ with a pause he said with confidence 'My grandsons'.
***

Water clogged everywhere, it was impossible to get out and ask for help. The bus had broken down near the jungle, the passengers became hysterical and nobody was there to help them. Just then they heard a motorcycle. It was a black shining Harley Davidson that belonged to the richest house in town. The people inside the bus shouted for help. Luckily the young man stopped by, he was tall and dark faced. As soon as he entered the bus, the people greeted him with great respect; after all he was a Banim, the saviour.

‘A Banim for our rescue! Praise the lord’ said the bus conductor merrily

‘What is the problem?’ he asked the conductor unaffected by the cold winds and the water in which he soaked.

‘The engine is not starting, none of got outside because of the rain, please help’ cried the conductor.

‘Don’t worry I will help you’ said the young man

He opened the bonnet and examined the engine. With the help of the tools in the bud, he was able to fix the engine just in time, the rain had almost stopped. Soon the weather cleared.

‘Start the engine’ he said in his masculine voice. The driver obeyed his orders and started the engine. Fortunately it worked and the bus started. The passengers cheered with happiness. All of them thanked the man for his help and moved on. As soon he reached his home, his mother came out with fresh clothes and towel.

‘I knew you will get wet’ said his mother

‘Aryan, brother where were you?’ said a familiar face. He looked a bit taller than Aryan, olive skin and dark hair. His hazel eyes glistened with happiness.

‘Armaan? When did you come?’ said Aryan delightedly and hugged him.

‘Just an hour back, where is Ajay?’ asked Armaan excitedly.
***

‘Help! Help! My boy has stuck, please help’ screamed a helpless mother; her boy was stuck on the broken bridge which had the river beneath it. The water was moving very fast and the boy didn’t know how to swim. Nobody came for the wailing child’s rescue.  When the mother lost all hope, she sat down and started to cry with her hands on her eyes. Then she heard the crowd raising their voices in astonishment. A man had jumped into the gushing river. He swam to the point where the boy was stuck.

‘Jump!’ he said to the boy. The little boy hesitated and looked at his mother, his mother too asked him to jump. Without any second thoughts, the boy jumped and the man caught him, the crowd on the river bank cheered as if it was some India-Pakistan cricket match. The water was flowing at a high speed, so it was very difficult for him to swim along with the boy. But they managed to reach the river bank safely. The mother thanked the Banim for his noble deed.

The third and the mightiest, Ajay Shiradkar, the eldest grandson of Ashok Shiradkar and the rightful heir of his family empire. But Ajay’s grandfather never saw him worthy enough for that position. He had low intellect and a temper that had ruined many relations. His worst habit was to show off his indomitable strength.

‘Are you done being the hero?’ smirked Armaan, who with Aryan witnessed the entire scene with the boy.

‘Armaan! What a pleasant surprise, when did you come?’ asked Ajay and embraced his cousin.

‘Today. We saw your heroic stunt with the little boy’ beamed Aryan.

‘That was no big thing; I have done mightier things than this’ Ajay said boastfully.

But these three boys were unaware about the consequences that were going to occur in the near future. The next morning, all three of them were summoned by their Grandfather.

‘What do you think is this all about?’ asked Aryan

‘I don’t know, I’m not the one living here’ replied Armaan

The door was ajar, Ajay peeped while Aryan and Armaan went inside.

‘Ajay, come inside’ said their grandfather. Armaan bent down to touch his feet (sign of respect)

‘It’s so nice to see you Armaan after so long’ he spoke

With a few seconds of silence, their grandfather began.

‘So you three must be wondering why you have been called, that’s because I have an important thing to discuss with the three of you’

‘What thing Baba?’ asked Aryan

‘I think it’s time that you three assert some responsibilities in the family business and before bidding farewell to life’

‘Are you going to die Baba’ cried Ajay, Aryan and Armaan shot him with an expression that clearly said “shut up”. His grandfather as usual ignored his stupid comments and continued

‘I must choose one of you as the Chairperson for Shiradkar Private Ltd.’

‘Who?’ asked Armaan. Since he was the youngest in the family, he doubted if he would get any acclaim in the family business.

‘I haven’t decided and I want this as an equal opportunity for all of you, So forget the old square method, I shall award it to the person who has maximum caliber and  potential. Prove yourselves as true Banims’

‘How?’ they all asked together