1

It was a Monday just like any other. The sun was rising and through the window panes which had been left slightly ajar, the rays had started filtering in. 

Kriti, asleep directly facing the window, always liked the morning sun to fall on her face. She had chosen that side also because it opened up to the front lawn of their house. A house built and completed a couple of years back, in which she and Preet had poured in a lot of money and affection. 

They had moved to a bigger home from their earlier apartment to accommodate the growing needs of their family. Jahnvi was growing up and needed her own space. And with work from home a new option, they wanted their own office setup as well. Plus the fact that their parents visited often, had prompted both to choose this bigger place. 

The place hadn’t come cheap but then both Kriti and Preet were doing well in their respective careers and they had saved enough to afford it. After all, they wanted to enjoy the pleasures of life while they had the time and not wait for that sweet retirement to kick in. 

As Kriti woke up, she had a smile on her face. Mondays were her favorite days because she got in on the action. After the weekends, which they usually spent at home, she always looked forward to the office. She had been working for over two decades and more than seven years in the current workplace. 

Kriti had constantly risen up the ladder and was now the leader of a business unit for the company, one of the established names in the consumer sector. She had always been a rising star and now that she had gotten to a leadership position, she was able to work towards things that she had always wanted to do. 

Preet on the other hand had been in and out of jobs over his career. He had never stayed in a place for more than five years and while he had done well for himself in the accounting and financial sector, he was a junior partner at a big four firm. With two decades of experience himself, he should have been higher up but owing to a break in between, when he joined a startup that failed massively, he had suffered some setbacks along the way. 

He was however a forever positive person and always looked at things glass half full. He was happy with the work he was doing and that is what always mattered to him more than the title he held. 

As he felt Kriti’s hand on his head, tossing his hair, he turned toward her side, and they pecked each other. This was their morning routine every week, unless one of them was traveling. 

2

The usual hustle of the morning had started in the Singh household. 

Kriti had woken up Jahnvi, who was now busy getting ready for school. She was now in 6^th standard and had been studying in the same school since her childhood. Having grown up into an independent girl, she was always a low maintenance kid and took pride in doing things by herself. 

Not that she didn’t like her mom or dad helping her, in fact she was very attached to them. But she knew that they had a busy morning always, with multiple things to take care of and she therefore had learnt to do every thing by herself quite early on. 

Today, the maid had logged in on time and the cook was busy in the kitchen. Both Kriti and Preet were also getting ready for work. 

As was customary, the family got ready and met over the breakfast table every morning. Breakfast and dinner was non-negotiable family time and they spent time talking about things, without any distractions. This was when they caught up with each other’s day in their otherwise busy lives. 

Jahnvi reminded both, “Hey Mom, Dad. Remember I have the chorus performance this Wednesday at the school annual function. And we have an after party at the club house. I hope you have it on your calendars and will make it”.

Preet and Kriti looked at each other and burst out laughing. They of course had put these events down on their phone calendar but hearing it from their daughter was always amusing. They both nodded in affirmation. 

They both knew that Jahnvi was also going to get a special award from the school for helping out on the philanthropy project this year. She had led a team of students in identifying and distributing clothes and other essential items to kids in a school located in a slum area. They had got the email from the school last week but wanted it to be a surprise for Jahnvi. 

Preet had an early morning meeting that day and asked Jahnvi to finish off quickly, so that they could leave earlier than usual. 

With commute times in the city increasing forever, they had resorted to an arrangement. Preet used to drop Jahnvi to the school, while Kriti would pick her up post her French classes. Jahnvi had a pickup ride from the French class, which had made the arrangement easy. 

As they finished their breakfast and rushed out of home, Preet and Jahnvi kissed Kriti and said their byes. Kriti could hear the car being pulled out from the driveway as she took some more time to finish her breakfast in solace.

3

Driving towards the office, Kriti was already going through the day’s appointments in her mind. She had an important review with the CEO on Tuesday and wanted to ensure she gets off the right foot and doesn’t waste her time before that meeting. 

She knew that as a woman, it was always difficult to prove your worth in a male dominated world. However, right from her first days, she had chosen to take that challenge head on and put in the extra hard work. 

There were always folks who looked at her drive and determination with questions but she knew that she was doing what she wanted. She did not like people being unfair to her just because she was a woman. Therefore, she had worked extra hard and proven most people wrong and risen up the ranks confidently over the years, purely based on performance.

The thoughts of her success at work always came in with the thoughts of her family though. 

This week was extra special as she was really looking forward to Jahnvi’s annual function appearance and award announcement. She was proud of her daughter and had already imagined her name being called out in a jam packed hall, to a loud cheer from Preet and her. 

Preet had been a darling husband and had always supported her in all endeavors. He had also been a good father to Jahnvi and taken care of her in the early days when Kriti was required to travel quite a bit due to the nature of her role. 

And while he had stumbled a bit in his career, she was proud of what he had achieved for himself. She was aware that Preet’s interests lay in the arts. He was an avid painter and a music aficionado and spent some quiet time every weekend on these pursuits.  

As she drove in to the parking lot, she was smiling radiantly, thinking about her family and how far they had come together with each other’s support. She got out and walked in to the floor, one of the early entrants to the building as always.

4

Preet, on the other side of the town was also filled with similar thoughts. After dropping off Jahnvi, he had put on his rock classics station and humming the tunes loudly in the enclosed car, was almost going to reach the meeting location. 

He was extremely proud of Kriti’s professional rise and knew she had aspired for it and richly deserved it. She had been extremely supportive of his choices and passions and he was equally committed to see her succeed in hers. 

With a usual week in the office, he had nothing major to look forward to. This was the slower quarter of the year and Preet always took time to relax and unwind during this quarter, to recharge himself for the others with heavier workload. 

His love for painting had increased significantly when he was in the college and he had spent countless hours bunking classes to go to the nearby mountain passes and paint those landscapes. His favorite pastime was to put on music and get lost in the world of colors. 

Even after college, he had continued investing time in his passion and even taken a couple of sabbaticals in between to go learn from a renowned artist and to live in his favorite mountains for a couple of months. 

This, and the not so pleasant episode with the startup, had affected his career in the eyes of his peers. The comments from them did rattle him from time to time. They looked at Preet as someone who could have achieved so much more. But to him, these were essential breaks and experiences that he had cherished and he had made peace with where he was in his professional journey. 

Parking his car at the reserved spot, he got out and swinging his bag while singing the last tune, he got in the elevator with his effervescent smile on his face. 

5

It was Wednesday. The morning had been busy and as they got out of the home, Preet had called out to Kriti, “Remember we are meeting directly at the school at 4 pm sharp”. Kriti had replied with a loud yes and waved at them.

Finishing off their work, both Preet and Kriti did meet up at 4 pm at the school. They wanted to be in the front rows to cheer for their girl and would have given anything away to be there on time. 

Let in on time, they made way to the auditorium and seated themselves comfortably. The function had started on time and with a hall full of parents and friends, students had outdone themselves this year. 

Finally, it was time for the awards and the announcements started one by one. The parents of the student being awarded were also being called out and asked to come over to the stage to convey their feelings. It was specially arranged by the school, for they realized how much efforts the parents had to go through to make their children successful. 

As Jahnvi’s name was announced, there was a loud cheer from Preet and Kriti. Jahnvi was surprised and as she came on stage from the student enclave, her eyes were fixed on her parents. The host announced, “We would also like to call Mr. Preet and Ms. Kriti on stage”, both the proud parents walked up and stood there, waiting for their girl to be awarded. 

The citation began with the usual detailing of how Jahnvi had led a team to do some amazing work. Amid cheering, what Kriti heard next wasn’t very pleasing to her. 

The host had mentioned, “This has all been due to the support of Jahnvi’s parents. Her father is a partner at a big accounting firm but has ably assisted his wife to raise such a fine human being”.  

Kriti could hear everyone clapping. Jahnvi was brimming as she accepted the award. But Kriti was dumbfounded. The host had conveniently ignored her own identity and reduced her to the title of a wife and a mother. 

It wasn’t that she didn’t want those titles. She wanted them as much as anyone else. But she knew those didn’t complete her. She was a successful business person on her own and the announcement felt stereotypical to her. 

Not to be outdone, she gathered herself and smiling and breathing heavily, she moved along with Preet in Jahnvi’s direction and both of them hugged her. Then, she waited patiently as Preet thanked everyone in the school and mentioned how they were proud of Jahnvi. 

What happened next was something that Kriti hadn’t planned. But she felt she had to explain the anomaly to everyone present. She took the mike from Preet, and started.

“I would like to thank the school and am extremely happy for Jahnvi, our daughter. She has not only made us all proud, she has also shown how a determined girl can conquer anything she sets her eyes on”. Then, she dived in.

“I would also like to take this moment to mention something important from this stage. I heard the host call out that Jahnvi’s success was due to us but he missed on an important part. As much as Preet is successful in his professional life, I would like to add that so am I”. She took a pause as some parents gasped in the audience. 

She continued, “Am not calling this out to make a point for myself or put myself on a pedestal. The reason I am calling this out is because it is not just that Preet, a successful professional, has ably assisted his wife to raise our child. It is also Kriti, me, who is also a successful professional, who has ably assisted her husband to raise our child”. 

“In today’s world, when most of us are working, it is absolutely necessary that both the partners support each other in these joint responsibility areas. And we as a society need to understand and recognize this. It is no more the case when only one of us works. And yet, we conveniently forget the contribution of the mother, who may have had to go through much more to take care of the child, while also being a good wife, daughter, and a professional”. 

She continued as the audience clued in to what she was saying. “I am not saying that the role of a father is any less important. In fact, Preet is as much responsible for Jahvni’s success as he is for mine. My intent is to highlight that in today’s world, we need to recognize and call out that both the parents put in equal efforts to make their child successful. And whether you are a girl or a boy, all of you children also have an equal chance at achieving your dreams, while still raising a family and carrying on with your other duties in life”. 

Concluding, she added, “Thank you for listening to me but I felt it was my responsibility to raise this point from this stage today. Am sorry if you don’t agree with this point of view but it’s mine. Thank you again”. 

First, there were a couple of claps. And then, everyone in the audience started cheering. Kriti looked at Preet, who was reassuring in his smile and she could see Jahnvi’s eyes full of pride. As they walked back to their seats, many people shook her hands.  

6

The after party was right after the school function. As they drove to the club house, Preet and Jahnvi were gushing about how Kriti had owned the stage and the mike. Kriti had taken her own car and asked Jahnvi to accompany her dad, so that they weren’t late for the party. She had to do a small grocery run, with an urgent list of items sent across by the cook in the afternoon. 

When they arrived at the club house, Preet knew that he will see some of his colleagues there. Many of his peers had their children studying at the same school as Jahnvi and he had seen them in the audience. He didn’t like spending a lot of time with those peers but today he had no choice. 

Entering the party area, he could see a couple of them already sitting together. Jahnvi was anyways going to go and hang out with her classmates and without Kriti accompanying him, Preet had no reason to avoid them. So, he went over. 

Ashok and Pranesh, the two peers whom he had noticed, had also seen him arriving. They had good intentions at their heart but always wondered about why Preet chose to indulge in the finer arts when he was very strong with numbers and could do so much more at the work place.

Starting with the usual banter, they soon got down to the function and how the kids had performed. Ashok then broached the topic. “I was equally amazed at how Kriti reacted and responded. Absolute respect for her. She stood up and made sure people acknowledge the important role women are playing in our workplaces today”. Preet smiled. 

Pranesh added, “I know. It was quite a revelation. I say, we all ought to bow down to her. She knows how much hard work she is putting in and is proud of it. I believe she is also very clear about what success means to her and is not going to take anything being thrown at her lying down. Absolute respect!”. 

Preet smiled some more and responded. “Thank you guys. Yes, it was amazing to see her reclaim the respect that hadn’t been given to her. You see, why I am so proud of her”. 

A couple of other colleagues had also walked in by now and had joined the group. They were just getting into the conversation when Ashok launched into his tirade. 

“But tell me one thing, Preet. I have always had this question for you. Why don’t you also have this same pride and clarity about what success means to you? And why are you not doing more than you should to rise up further? After all, I can vouch there are not many better people at our firm than you”! 

Preet was stunned. He knew that Ashok respected him as a colleague but didn’t know that he viewed him as not so successful. As he saw Pranesh and others nodding to what Ashok was saying, he became aware that it was probably a general feeling within his peers. 

He didn’t feel that he warranted a reply to anyone on this topic. After all, this wasn’t the first time it was coming up in their casual chats. In his mind, how he defined success for himself was up to him. And he had always seen his life as successful, without the need for explaining it. 

He however, also knew that this question rattled him. For whatever reason, he didn’t like others asking this question of him constantly. And he resolved to clear the air once and for all.

Politely, he replied. “It is not that I am not putting in my best, Ashok. I am, every single day. But I don’t view my success as only rising up the corporate ladder. I have other things that I am passionate about and I have always viewed life as a balance. I do my work to the best of my abilities and I enjoy working on my passion outside of work. I balance them both because they are both important to me. And while you or someone else may say that I could be more successful than I am by doing more at work, I see my life beyond work also and I am already successful in my own eyes and in the eyes of those who love me”. 

There was a stunned silence. No one had thought Preet would respond like this. He had ignored this line of conversation for long and was far too amenable a person. People had got accustomed to making their point to him, time and again, and moving on. 

Pranesh intervened to lighten up the atmosphere. “That is amazing, Preet. We absolutely respect what you do buddy and I guess Ashok was just egging you on. Now here, let’s get some appetizers, shall we?”

The next half an hour or so went by with other small talk between the group but everyone had newfound respect for Preet. They had known about his passion for painting and music but had never realized how important they were for him. Having understood this, they knew they were among someone who was clear about what he wanted out of life and was going for it. And that made everyone respect him that much more. 

A while later, as Kriti entered the party area and greeted the group, she could see everyone looked at her and Preet with respect and awe. It seemed as if they were the power couple of the evening! 

7

As they reached home and sat down after changing, Preet narrated the incidence to Kriti. They both had a hearty laugh at the manner in which they had taken it upon themselves today to clear the air. And how their upfront and confident take on what success meant for them and how it should be viewed by the society, had thrown people off guard. 

They knew what they had said today in public always. Not just for themselves but for each other also. But they hadn’t told it in the open to others.  

Now that they had blurted it out, they realized they were that much more confident in their approach. And so much more clearer in their heads. 

Not only that, they felt so much more lighter. After all, they had the monkeys off their back finally…