The prayer song was the first program for the day and everybody duly stood up as the team sang the prayer song. Lamps were being lit next, by some of the senior officials including DCP Chitrole and ACP Pradyuman. Once the basic formalities were done with, it was the ACP's turn at giving a speech on Daya's commitment and contribution thus far, to CID and the country in general.
Just as Divya sat down comfortably to listen to the speech, she noticed that the person sitting next to her fater was, Sonali. She nearly fell off her seat in surprise. "Papa, why her?" she whispered into Daya's ears. He just gave her a perfunctory nod. Sonali, who had by then noticed Divya, and vaguely recognized her, came over to enquire about her studies. After exchanging formal pleasantries with her, Divya settled down with the quizzical expression still on her face.
"You will soon know. Just have patience," Daya replied.
The speech had just ended and the applause was almost deafening. Divya was just opening her eyes, which had automatically shut tight owing to the noise around and she saw Shreya walk towards them. She looked absolutely stunning in the peacock blue sari that she was wearing. Her encouragement had been instrumental in instilling quite a bit of self-confidence in Daya. He gave her an admiring glance as she addressed Divya in her pleasant voice, "How have you been Divya? Enjoying your holidays? Aha! You must be chilling out with friends the whole day."
She then turned her attention towards Daya and said to him "Sir, it would be great if you and Divya can come home tonight for dinner. I have arranged the perfect dinner for the two of you. Would you accept my invitation?"
And before either of them could reply, her name was called out for the group dance and she rushed on to the stage. Divya sat looking at the departing figure. She knew Shreya aunty, like she called her, quite well. She had come to visit her at her boarding school a couple of times when she was unwell and had even taken her out. She also knew that she was her Papa's special friend.
Daya on the other hand was thinking about something else. He had met Shreya's parents earlier in the day at the mall and they were on the lookout for a suitable groom for Shreya. "That's nice," he had told them then, but wasn't very sure sure about it.
…..
As he sat musing over his past, it suddenly struck him that although he recollected the events quite clearly, there was neither a single tear in his eyes nor any bitterness in his heart. It was almost as if he was watching a movie and not recollecting instances from his life. Every experience had taught him something new and they all made him tougher in their own special ways, so much that he now felt empowered enough not to be affected by his past.
He was enjoying life currently and knew that inadvertently or unintentionally, Sonali was responsible in getting him where he was today. ACP sir's speech was a testimony to that – he had, in his speech about Daya, mentioned that his first notable performance was in the case where Sonali and her aide Raaka were captured. It was a case where the team had received no lead whatsoever and if it weren't for Sonali's timely confession to him, the case would have always remained unsolved. If she had not cheated on him and left him in a lurch with a small girl to look after, if he had not seen the darkest depths of despair, he would have probably never realized the extent of his own abilities as an officer and talents as a father.
In a strange metaphorical way, he acknowledged her role in his success.
He felt a sense of closure with his past and it was this sense of detachment that gave him the strength to sit next to Sonali with absolutely no ill feelings in his heart. And this was the reason that he had called Sonali in today. But how was he going to explain all of this to Divya? And even if he did, would she understand?
…
Suddenly Divya's loud clapping brought him back to reality. His name had just been called out. She gave him a big hug and stood up allowing him to go.
Daya walked up the stage confidently, his head held high with dignity. He felt the same excitement in his heart that he had felt as a little boy going up to receive his first school prize.
DCP Chitrole who for once, seemed to be immensely proud of his team had presented a beautiful medal to him. He turned around to face the audience and walked towards the microphone. He could see his team members clap for him like a bunch of crazy teenagers. Nikhil, Freddy and Pankaj were almost jumping in joy. ACP and Salunkhe were giving him a standing ovation. Abhijeet and Shreya had tears of joy in their eyes. Divya's face was beaming with pride.
After the thunderous applause had died down, Daya thanked all of his team members for their support and good wishes.
"First of all, I would like to thank all of you – my senior ACP sir, my colleagues and my team members without whose support I could not have achieved all this." He soon realized that he had forgotten the speech that he had already prepared, but decided to continue anyway.
"I would now like to share with you, a few things that I learnt during my years of struggle. Life is very uncertain and you may find yourself coming face to face with things that you can never even imagine. You must therefore have a positive approach so that you will be able to bravely face any of the challenges that life decides to throw up," he paused and found all eyes focused on him.
"Keep challenging yourself and test your abilities in directions you would have thought of exploring," he continued. "Learn to respect your own selves and recognize your own talents and take the trouble to develop them. It may mean that you have to repeatedly do the same thing everyday. Nevertheless, do it without complaining."
"Sometimes, we wait for the untoward to happen before tapping our hidden potential and at that juncture our laid-back attitude and the fear to tread the unknown path could prove to be the biggest obstacle to overcome," he smiled and added, "When I started out, I found all doors in front of me closed. But I found my soul grow stronger with every struggle as I learnt to accept my situation and work towards finding a solution. My solution is this: if you cant open doors, break them!"
He waited for the laughter to die down, before he continued, "So friends, I urge you all to come out of your cocooned existence, uncover your hidden potential and savor every moment. After all, we only get to live once."
"And remember that sometimes, the brightest ray of hope, emerges from the darkest phase of life. We should always be optimistic. Everyday is a little life, so live it, otherwise, it will disappear forever," he concluded with a smile.
"Thank you once again" There was a big round of applause yet again.
He felt a spring in his shoes as he walked down the dais holding on to the medal that had been pinned onto his chest. Everyone congratulated him. Sonali caught his eye, smiled and disappeared into the crowd, never to be seen again – in his life, and otherwise.
Divya hugged Daya excitedly. "Congrats Papa! You deserve it! Every bit of it!" she said looking at the medal on her father's chest, "There is one more thing," she added, "Papa, please accept Shreya aunty's invitation. Please go and have a nice time with her. I know that she is a sweet person and cares for you deeply. Atleast for tonight, relax and enjoy her company. Don't worry about me. I'll pick up a burger. See you after dinner at home"
Giving Daya one last hug, she smiled at Shreya who was waiting nearby and ran before either of them could say a word.
….
"So, shall we leave?" Daya asked Shreya.
She gave him a warm smile and nodded. As he looked at her smiling face, he couldn't help, but wonder where this phase of life would take him.
The car started and for once, he was glad that he wasn't driving. As he sat at the back, with Shreya by his side, he was content with what life had to offer him just then, and he knew in his heart that he was ready to embark on this new ride…
...
A/N: That's it! Yet another Dareya for all those who requested for it.
To those of you who wrote in to ask if this is a Dareya story, yes it is! Sorry if it wasn't up to your expectations.
Like it? Leave in a review to let me know that you did. Didn't like it? Leave a review to let me know that as well.
So until we meet again, Live well!