The Cultural and Sports Meet was supposed to be a joke to Karthik. He had managed money deals before so he did not care about a plastic trophy or a school certificate. To him the old playground was a place.. Then he saw Anjali. She was standing by the line her ribbons flying in the air cheering for the team. They were led by Gautham, a bowler with a mean streak.
Anjali asked Karthik "You are not playing?" as he walked by. Her voice was. It got to him. ". Is cricket too boring for you now? Too busy for a game with us?"
Karthik felt bad. The old Karthik wanted to say something but the young Karthik in his heart wanted to play.
"I am playing " he said, his voice as he picked up a old bat.
Karthik went to the pitch and the smell of soil and sweat reminded him of times. He took his place. Tapped the bat on the ground like he used to. He knew Gauthams style. He remembered that Gautham always tried to scare the batsman with a short ball.
Karthik thought about the balls path. He saw everything in motion and his mind planned the perfect shot. He would hit the ball over the boundary for a six. It would be a statement.
Gautham threw the ball. It hit the ground. Rose like Karthik expected. His mind saw the shot and his brain timed the swing.
His body was not the same. His wrists were not strong. His reaction was slow. The bat turned in his hands. The ball met the edge. Of a big hit the ball flew weakly and Gautham caught it easily.
The school laughed. Karthik stood in the pitch panting hard. His glasses were. His shirt was untucked. He looked defeated.
Karthik walked off the pitch. People were laughing at him. His ego was hurt,. Then Anjali came to him. She was laughing,. It was a friendly laugh. She gave him a cold water bottle and the condensation dripped on his shoes.
Anjali said, "You are thinking much Karthik. You tried to play like a pro. You are just a kid. Stop trying to win all the time and just play."
Karthik took the bottle. Pressed it against his forehead. He looked at his hands. They were small and shaking. He realized Anjali was right. He had been so focused on his future that he forgot to live
He wiped his face. His ego was still sore but he felt light. He had. He was mocked, but he finally felt like himself. He was not the boss of a company he was Karthik, a boy who was bad, at cricket and that was okay.
Karthik went back to the Emerald Towers office. What he saw was a scene of controlled chaos. His father, Sundaram was walking back and forth on the marble floor waving a government notice.
"Karthik they are saying the Trust is not legal " Sundaram said. His voice was high because he was scared. "The Tamil Nadu Land Reforms Act of 1961 says we have much land. The MLA is going to take it all from us."
Karthik took the paper from his father. He did not even need to read it. He remembered this trick. The MLA had used this trick before to take land from three villages.
Aditya Varma from GlobalNexus was already on the phone. He looked pale. "If the government takes that land our Letter of Intent is useless Karthik. We cannot fight the Land Commissioner."
"We are not fighting the Commissioner " Karthik said. He sat at his desk. He thought about a seminar he had attended in 2018. It was about the history of Indian Special Economic Zones.
"Aditya, the Special Economic Zone Act was introduced in Parliament a months ago. It is not fully approved,. The draft policy has a clause to protect big projects that are good for the country."
"That is a shot, Karthik " Aditya said. "No local court will listen to a draft policy over a state law."
"A local court will not " Karthik said with a smile. ". The Union Ministry of Commerce will. If we say Siruseri is a technology hub the state law does not matter. It is a problem that the MLA cannot win."
An hour later the office doors opened. Ravi, the MLAs man walked in. He did not bring any thugs with him. He brought a stamp.
"The order is signed " Ravi said. He threw a folder on the glass table. "The Siruseri salt pans are now government land. You have to leave the Trust office in twenty-four hours."
Karthik did not look at the folder. He pushed a fax paper towards Ravi.
"Tell your boss to watch the news this afternoon " Karthik said calmly. "I just sent a report to the Ministry in Delhi. I said Siruseri is the site of Indias special technology zone. I already got a response from the Under-Secretary."
Ravi laughed. "Delhi is far away."
"Not far as the Central Vigilance Commission " Karthik said. "The MLA is trying to stop a company from investing in India. That is not right. If the Ministry investigates the MLAs career will be over by Friday."
Ravi looked at the fax. He looked at Karthik. Karthik was talking about business like it was easy.
"You are playing a game " Ravi said quietly.
"I am not playing " Karthik said. "I am building something. Tell the MLA to stop trying to take our land and start working with us."
After Ravi left Karthik turned to his computer. The SEZ plan would give him some time. He needed something else to protect himself.
He thought about the Stock Market. He looked at the date. It was May 2004. The markets were going to be very volatile because of the election results. He knew which companies would do well and which would not.
He also thought about the Internet. He called Vignesh. "Vicky forget about the CD burners. I need you to find all the Internet Cafe owners, in South Chennai. Tell them K.M. Strategic is offering a Digital Management System. We are going to build a data network before Google even knows what is happening in India."
As the sun set over the Bay of Bengal Karthik felt like he was finally himself. He had the heart of a boy and the brain of a grown man.
He looked at the water bottle Anjali had given him. He realized that to keep her he could not just be a man. He had to be the boy who was lucky to have a father.