Yakshagni - An odyssey of unbroken devotion

An Artist's Delight

The Present Era:

The ownership of Index Fashion House changed hands and it was now part of the big enterprise called Krishna Industries. The heads of various departments like Merchandising, Finance and Accounts, Quality Assurance, Human Resources, and a few others of Index Fashion were present in the corporate office of Krishna Industries for a meeting with the new Chairman. As the head of Human Resources and Administration, Sonia Mittal was elegantly attired in a formal grey skirt suit. It had been three weeks since Maurya Verma had come to their office and finalized the deal. The outgoing chairman and founder of Index Fashions had announced their acquisition after the last board meeting and he had also lauded the competency of the new chairman. Known to be dynamic and successful, Maurya Anurag Verma quite easily captured Sonia's fancy from the moment she laid her eyes on him. There was indeed an irresistible aura about him that made one desperately seek his attention and approval. Tall with aristocratic features that were befitting a prince, he radiated indomitable energy and strength. Not that she had come across any prince, Sonia caught herself thinking in amusement. Blessed with a high forehead, straight nose, and square jaw, his eyes were his best features. They were a blend of raw sensuality and icy disdain that women found excitingly challenging. The certain air of command that he exuded also had a tag that screamed, stay the hell away from me...

Still lost in thought about the new big boss, Sonia told herself with a sigh that she would gladly swap roles with Maurya's secretary, Rita who was bustling about the office.

Just then Maurya arrived, dressed in a pale blue formal shirt with sleeves rolled up and tie loosened, a picture of the quintessential over-worked urban executive.

He apologized, "Sorry, I had to finish a conference call." Taking the seat at the head of the table in the conference room, he waited for others to settle down. Two more executives from Krishna Industries joined the meeting and Maurya introduced them. He asked Sonia and others to give a brief about their work at Index. After they came to the end of their self-introductions, he asked them frowningly, "Where is your head designer?"

The head designer Lekha Mehta and her team were not available at the office today. "They had to meet the event manager for an upcoming show in Chandigarh," Sonia replied.

Nodding, Maurya began the meeting with an assessment of the last season's sales and profits. He continued with reviews on the financial status of Index Fashions, methods of cost-cutting, and finally, retention of key staff.

"You are already aware that we are retaining all of you as the heads of the departments, and in case you want a change of role, you can let me know. The new managing director of Index Fashions would be Rashika Krishna. You will be reporting directly to her."

Sonia's burgeoning hopes of working with him were quashed by his announcement.

Maurya continued, "Rashika will join after the next board meeting." One of his assistants passed a set of documents around the table. Taking a look at the sheet, Maurya waited till everyone had read it.

"You can see last season's dismal sales figures. I want each one of your take on it. Why did Index Fashion's sales continue to fall every season?"

After some contemplation, the woman heading the Sampling department voiced her opinion first, "I think it was a combination of low promotion and outdated designs..."

"If you see the trend in purchase figures, it has been on an upward curve," Suresh from Merchandising of Index Fashions added.

"Well, if you ask me, the production cost exceeded the budget and we failed to cover it with up-to-the-mark designs," said Pradeep Nair, the head of Finishing and Packaging.