PARADIGM is the Annual Alumni meet of Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management , held on the third Saturday of the month of December organized by the Events committee and Alumni Committee of the Bschool. Most of the incidents mentionedfor the years 2009-2011, in the story are true , except for the characters Avinash Sharma , and Ansuhka Chaturvedi . The story as a whole is completely fictional .Some names have been changed just for the heck of it . The character of Prakarsh Tiwari is based on…. it’s anyone’s guess.

THE WAGER FOR PRICELESS .

Three things he did on PARADIGM , one thing he did not .

Chapter 2

PLACE : IISWBM

DAY : PARADIGM 2009 . Time : 8.35 pm

Prakarsh skewed his face and looked at Koumudi’s Chakraborty , “What are we doing at the bar counter ?”

Paradigm, the alumni event of IISWBM , was a party to help the current students interact with the alumni of the BSchool . And any corporate party was incomplete without two things , alumni who arrive late , and Booze .. loads of it. This year too was no different. The Events team which organizes PARADIGM had allocated a separate room to station the Bar counter. Prakarsh was surprised that more than the food counter the crowd was beelining the Bar room. The students were perhaps more excited than the alumni. Every student was given two coupons, in exchange for which they got two glasses of beer . The events team took full responsibility of the counter. 8.30 pm – 9.00 pm was Prakarsh and Koumudi Chakraborty’s turn to man the counter. Prakarsh hated booze. The smell, the nausea , the froth .. It made him feel miserable .

Suddenly a hand popped out from the crowd, “ Two hard beers “ . It was Avinash Mishra . Prakarsh found it difficult to think what was worse, his duty at the Bar counter or Avinash Mishra.

“Why the hell do you need two for ?” , Prakarsh enquired?

“What the fuck is your problem dude ? I have given you the coupons haven’t I? “

Prakarsh was about to retaliate when Koumudi galred at him . The argument ended. Prakarsh asked the bar tender to give Avinash two glasses. As soon as Avinash disappeared, Prakarsh followed him .

The crowd at the bar and then the corridor obstructed him, but he found his way . Where had he gone ? He found Avinash in the lounge, and sure enough the second glass was for Anushka . She was reluctantly trying out the beer, her first time . Avinash was egging her on .

Prakarsh was livid. Why the hell was that goat encouraging her to booze? And why the hell was she drinking it.

The entire week that followed Prakarsh avoided Anushka , he just didn’t want to talk to her . The entire college was abuzz with rumors that something was seriously wring between the pseudo couple of the Bschool .

Finally Anushka stormed into the events room one day . Prakarsh was sitting with Noor , another events team member , wondering where to keep the left over booze. Noor rose and left. Before leaving he winked at Prakarsh and closed the door behind him .

“Why are you not talking with me Prakarsh ?” she demanded.

“I am a little busy.”

“It’s because you saw me drinking that night , didn’t you ?”

He didn’t reply.

“Tell me one thing. Are you angry because I drank the beer, or because Avinash brought it for me?” she asked.

“I am angry on myself. I should have broken his teeth when he was asking for the beer itself. One thing for sure if he ever asks you to drink again, I will kill him.”

…………………….

PLACE – ITC SONAR BANGLA, KOLKATA.

DAY: PARADIGM 2015, Time : 12.35 pm .

“You know it surprises me how a man can change and change so bad?” remarked Anushka Chaturvedi as she saw Prakarsh pouring himself a glass of wine.”

“Things are never what they seem.” he replied.

Prakarsh wanted to tell her what this was all about but he refrained. The last few hours had passed in a trance. At six in the morning Prakarsh had received a call from Avinash with instructions so specific and immaculate, Prakarsh marveled at how diligent Avinash was.

“Now that you have agreed to the wager remember, first Anushka lands at 10 am at the Dumdum Airport to attend the PARADIGM party tonight , You will take my car , meet her there . She has a room booked at the ITC , you will take her there . There you will be messaged about the first wager.”

Prakarsh was perplexed, “But she will be expecting you at the Airport? We have not talked for eternity. How can I just crash in and ask her to accompany me to the ITC hotel .”

Avinash replied, “First things first, I will not show her my face for today. I will message her that I have an important meeting with an investor. And as to the second part , does it look like any of my problem if she doesn’t accompany you to ITC ?But remember smart guy , everything that you do will be reported to me and a single smart move from your side , the wager will be void.”

Prakarsh had somehow managed the first part of the wager. Anushka had been livid when she saw him , but he begged her to accompany her to the hotel . On their way she didn’t talk. As they entered the hotel lobby, Anushka turned back, looked at Prakarsh and remarked, “ Now please leave .”

Prakarsh was about to turn back when his Blackberry beeped . The message was from Avinash . The first wager. “YOU WILL HAVE TO MAKE HER DRINK WINE. I hope it reminds you of the past”

Prakarsh took a moment to realize what was to be done. It did remind him of the past. For a moment he had no clue what to do. Then he thought of something. He looked around. A plump guy wearing a tweed jacket and a panama hat was looking at him. No wonder Avinash was kept informed twenty four seven.

Avinash messaged Anushka . He just hope some of the feeling that she had for him, was still there .

“CAN I HAVE LUNCH WITH YOU ONE LAST TIME . FOR OLD TIMES SAKE. AM WAITING FOR YOU AT THE DINING HALL NEAR THE LOBBY .”

Now as he sat with her , he felt how different things would have been if ..

The waiter brought lunch for both of them . He then looked at Prakarsh . Minutes later , he came back with a bottle of wine .

Prakarsh took the wine and poured two glasses . He pushed one of the glasses towards her .

“What the hell is this ?” she asked.

“ I think we need to celebrate our meeting . “

“ I can’t believe that you are asking me to have wine . Remember on that night..”

“I remember everything.”

Anushka still was dumbfounded.

“Very well then. Let me drink it.”

Prakarsh looked at the corner . The man with the panama hat quickly turned around .

“Trust me on this one Anushka .” Then he took his glass and raised it . Anushka didn’t react.

“To faith.” He remarked.

And Prakarsh gulped the drink in one go . Anushka sipped the drink .

Almost immediately there was a flash followed by a click . Anushka however didn’t notice that . She stared at Prakarsh .

“ Prrakarsh , this is not wine . This is Pepsi. “

“ I know . Just wanted to show that it’s not always what it seems . Had you realized that , things would have been very different.”

…………..

In one of the ITC washrooms, Raman Singh, the cleaner at ITC was peeing when his eyes fell on a bottle of Pepsi at the corner of the loo. He quickly looked around . Nobody . He grabbed the bottle and drunk it . Two hours later, the manager suspended him for a week on the imputation that he had been drunk . Raman Singh kept pleading “ Par sir main toh sirf Pepsi peeya tha .”

……………………………………….

At 1.30 pm the dormant fax machine of the chairman’s office sprung to life . Avinash quickly looked a the paper that it had blurted out . Anushka Chaturvedi , drinking wine with the man he hated most .

“Bitch .” he muttered .

He then typed something on his Blackberry .

Minutes later , Prakarsh received the second message of the day from Avinash . He smiled.

“ BASTARD .DNT BE TOO HAPPY . YOU HAVE NO CLUE WHAT YOU HAVE GOT YOURSELF INTO.”

Prakarsh just remarked to himself, “Even you don’t.”

……………………………

PARADIGM is the Annual Alumni meet of Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management , held on the third Saturday of the month of December organized by the Events committee and Alumni Committee of the Bschool. Most of the incidents mentionedfor the years 2009-2011, in the story are true , except for the characters Avinash Sharma , and Ansuhka Chaturvedi . The story as a whole is completely fictional .Some names have been changed just for the heck of it . The character of Prakarsh Tiwari is based on…. it’s anyone’s guess.

THE WAGER FOR PRICELESS .

Three things he did on PARADIGM , one thing he did not .

Prologue.

He pushed her against the wall of the lift. Thud came the sound. She tried to resist but he held her hands tightly . He turned her around. For the first time he was so close to her . He pulled off the shawl in one go . His eyes fell on the back strings of her blouse. He moved her hair across her neck and licked it . The whiff of her fragrance enchanted him. She smelled great .Untill now he had no clue about the truth. But now that he knew it, he wanted to let it go . He moved closer to her. His left hand touched her waist and raised her from the ground. He pushed himself forward. She moaned .He slowly raised his right hand over her backand pulled off one of the back strings of her blouse.

“ Aaaarghh .. , “ she turned around vigorously.“Get off me will you? “ , she pushed him away from her . Even he, did not expect this retaliation. Women generally did not push him that way. . But then she was different. She always had been.

He still kept his gaze over her . She was panting.

“If you want me to go I will, but not before telling you that I love you . .. I love you.”

For a moment she wished the lift started moving again. But he had stopped it moments after it had started ascending.

“I will leave you and never disturb you, but I want you to know that I would not be living.”

She felt a sense of desperation engulfing her .

“Why are you doing this?” she pleaded.

“Because I cannot live without you.”

For a moment they kept looking at each other, hoping that the other would relent.

“ Aaaaarrgh .. I hate you.I just hate you .” she shouted , and pulled him over her . This time she did not resist.

His right arm found its way again. But just then something came over his mind. He stopped.

“Hey , I just want you to know that .. on that Paradigm night I had ..”

She stopped him mid sentence.

“Shut up and kiss me.” He bit her lip . His hand caught hold of what it was looking for and the second lace of the blouse came off. He mentally counted the number of clothes that would have to come off her today. Phew….. What an exertion! He kissed her again.

…………………..

Shambhu Nath, the head of security at ITC Sonar Bangla had a secret ritual not many knew about. At nights he would take his long cherished collection of smart cards and try to barge in the rooms of the foreign tourists who would be busy marveling over the beauty of Victoria Memorial and the hospitality of the Indians. As he was about to swipe one of the cards on the door of room number 1342, he stopped. Opposite to it, in room number 1322, he could hear faint noises, just like the rats squeaking . He went near the door and glued his ear to the door. He heard someone moaning inside the room. The last time he had heard that sound was when he had made love to his 15 year old wife 40 years ago. But perhaps because he lost his skill or she lost the interest, they never made such passionate love again. He tried to fantasize about his past, but could not. He cursed, but decided to shun the fourteenth floor for today. Atleast two people in room 1322 were having a good time.

……………………………………….

He stared at her bare back. She was feeling a little cold. He pulled the blanket over her . She had finally fallen asleep. But he could not. He kept staring at her. How different things would have been if only he had not made the biggest mistake of his life that PARADIGM night. Today as she lay beside her , a pang of guilt made him uncomfortable . Suddenly his cell phone beeped. It was his message.

“You have just 10 minutes to hand over the proof . “

The proof … He looked around. On the other side he found it . He felt her lingerie. Silken.. Smooth .Almost innocent. The proof …..Twenty four hours ago.. all he wanted was to see the shame of defeat on his face . But now ….. The victory seemed hollow. Unless….. Unless…..

He started typing furiously over his Blackberry.

………………………………………….

CHAPTER 1

“ Koumudi Chakraborty – 12 votes , Nooruzaman – 5 votes , Avinash Mishra – 3 votes , Neha Jain – 1 vote , Dolly Ghosh – 5 votes , Dipro Sengupta – 2 votes and Prakarsh Tiwari is yet to start his account .” Six years had passed but he could still hear Tony Paul Edwin , the senior Events Coordinator’s voice announcing the result of the much hyped Committee Election at Indian Institute Of Social Welfare and Business Management .

Prakarsh’s thoughts were interrupted when Preeti Suchanwala knocked at the door . She entered.

“ Soye nahi abhi tak ?.” Preeti said and smiled.

“Even you did not, did you ?” Prakarsh said as she looked at the baby she cradled in her arms.

“Well she keeps me on my toes all right.”

Prakarsh went near her. The 3 month old baby twitched. He looked at her face. Innocent … serene. Oblivious to the fact that she was growing up in a very cruel world.

“Is there a problem? “ Preeti asked Prakarsh .

Prakarsh did not want her to know. When she had learned that Prakarsh had been staying in make shift motels for the last three days , she had been very hurt . Prakarsh did not want her to know about his problems and what was written in the paper he held in his hand.

He said, “No no , koi baat nahi hai .”

“Which means you don’t want to talk about it “, she smiled. “ You know I have been waiting for tomorrow since God knows when. “

Prakarsh understood what she felt . Had his life taken a turn for the better , he would have felt the same. But he didn’t. When he was doing his MBA, Prakarsh Tiwari had a cool gang of friends , Badmaash Company . The fellowship had parted ways after completion of the MBA but the friends in the group had made a promise which each of them knew they would have to keep. TO MEET ON PARADIGM 2015. Come what may.

“Ankita just called. She has landed in Kolkata.” Preeti exclaimed. “I just can’t believe that I will see all of us together tomorrow.”

There was a lull.

“Prakarsh , she is coming tomorrow , isn’t she ?”

Prakarsh knew that she was. Otherwise he would not have been holding the paper in his hand.

He just nodded.

“You still haven’t got over that night, have you ? “

Prakarsh didn’t answer. Preeti looked at the baby. She had fallen asleep. She left.

After she walked away Prakarsh stared at the piece of paper again. It was almost as if Avinash had asked his lawyers to come up with the draft. It was so meticulously written. Or perhaps he had. Prakarsh was surprised when Avinash had called him 2 days ago. How did he know that Prakarsh was attending PARADIGM 2015? But then, Avinash was a tough nut , always getting what he wanted . The meeting had been instantly arranged.

Avinash was the chairman of Futurecorp , an IT service provider , that provided back end support to FMCG companies in many South East Asian countries. Prakarsh arrived at his swanky office in Laketown .

The receptionist did not even ask his name. A lanky guy took him to the boss’s cabin . AVINASH MISHRA … Chairman Furturecorp .

Avinash did not stand to welcome him. But then Prakarsh never expected him to. After explaining him the reason for the meet and giving him the draft that he held now, Avinash remarked, “Remember, in case you win, you will be given 3 percent shares of Futurecorp , and the property papers of your ancestral house .”

As Prakarsh was about to leave, Avinash chuckled. Prakarsh turned back.

“You know who provides Wi- Fi infrastructure for our regional offices?”

Prakarsh did not answer. Avinash stood up and pointed out at one of the routers nearby. OZONE.

“Yes, Shahid Pervez’s OZONE. He is the Regional head of OZONE now, isn’t he ? You know what? I am thinking of cancelling the contract with his company.” he sniggered.

For the first time after they had met, Prakarsh shook his head. “This is between you and me. Don’t involve my people.”

Almost instantly Avinash threw himself at Prakarsh and screamed, “No fucker no . That’s what I hate about you, you bastard. They are not your people. No one is. You are all alone. You are a fucking loser who is all alone.”

After he had relaxed his grip over Prakarsh , he continued.

“Anyways the boy deserves this. Remember I selected him for the Alumni Committee first, but he chose your Events team.”

“He did not choose events committee. I was the one who asked his name to be struck off the Alumni Committee because I wanted him in the junior events team.”

This time Avinash lost his temper completely. He hurled the coffee mug at Prakarsh but it missed him. He shouted. “That’s is my problem with you , you asshole . You do not own IISWBM you bastard. You cannot ask Vibha Keshri to strike the name of a candidate I choose. Do you get me? You cannot be the stud. You cannot fall in love with someone I ….” He stopped midway.

Prakarsh looked at the piece of paper in his hand and said,”It’s all about her isn’t it ? “

“You never had her Prakarsh . She was always mine. “

She was yours on the night of PARADIGM itself. But Prakarsh did not say it to him. The meeting was over.

…………………………………………………….

Prakarsh read the draft again. Was this a legal draft ? He looked at the front but did not find the Government of India seal. No it was not legal . But he knew that if he were to accept the wager, every word on the draft would have to be complied with. Gentlemen’s swear. Screech.. ….came a noise . He looked outside the window to see if it was a red Sumo. It wasn’t. He gave a sigh of relief. He wondered how long could he keep them off his tail . Prakarsh took out his bank account details . Nothing . He had take a lot of credit from a lot of people and now they were chasing him for his life . If he won the wager, everything would change. Everything. But at what price ?

He took an hour more before he arrived at his decision. He messaged Avinash the same. It was short and terse. “IT’S ON “

Minutes later Avinash replied. His message even more poignant .

“Your bad time has started.”

Prakarsh stared at his face in the mirror. Avinash Singh had taken everything in life to be a competition. Every happy moment was a victory, every sad one, a defeat . On PARADIGM 2010 , Avinash had taken something away that meant the world to him. Now, he would not get the chance .

Prakarsh looked at the mirror intensely and then at his wrist watch. 24 hours from now.

“No ...now your bad time has begun. “

He walked towards the window, and looked at the moon. Tomorrow was PARADIGM 2015 . He had 24 hours now to get back what he had lost that night …. Anushka Chaturvedi … the girl he would have died for any day .

.