Good People: Chapter 9: Contemporary

All the Chapters

Chapter 1: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-path-breaking-novel-and.html

Chapter 2: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-classic-novel-and-classic.html

Chapter 3: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-romance-with-difference.html

Chapter 4: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-unique-story.html

Chapter 5: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-contemporary-romance.html

Chapter 6: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-story-of-subtleties-of-life.html

Chapter 7: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-interestig-reading.html

Chapter 8: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-global-perspective.html

Chapter 9: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-contemporary.html

Chapter 10: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-romantic-scenarios.html

Chapter 11: http://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-professionally-right.html

Chapter 12: http://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-expanding-thinking-horizons.html

Chapter 13: http://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-modern-romance.html

Chapter 14: http://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/11/good-people-serious-reflections.html

Chapter 15: http://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/11/good-people-story-of-human-paradigms.html

Chapter 16: http://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/11/good-people-dilemma-and-solutions.html

Chapter 17: http://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/11/good-people-romance-and-tough-decisions.html

Chapter 18: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/11/good-people-tale-of-disaster-and-anxiety.html

Chapter 19: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/12/good-people-prejudices-and-conflicts.html

Chapter 20: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/12/good-people-anxiety-and-love-story.html

Chapter 21: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/12/good-people-love-triangle-jealousy-and.html

Chapter 22: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/12/good-people-interesting-climax.html

Chapter23: http://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2014/01/good-people-love-story.html

Chapter 24: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2014/01/good-people-finally-love-knows-no-bounds.html

Chapter 9

Shaan decided to concentrate on his career. He also decided to forget Medhavi. Forgetting Medhavi wasn’t easy but he knew, “Time is a great healer.” He also thought that he was in love with an image and the real Medhavi was not even closer to that image.

When Shaan graduated in computer engineering, information technology (IT) and Internet wave caught up the entire world. It was Shaan’s strong point too. 

He started his own software development company ‘Soft Act’. He had decided not to attend any more employment interviews in his country. He had no time and inclination to explain to every recruiter why he remained religion less.

Around this time American IT companies were on look out for low cost IT service providers all over the world. They were identifying the countries where there was talent and in addition those talented experts also had a good grip on English language. After an in-depth and extensive search they zeroed in on India as one of few countries in the world that could provide such deadly combination- the talent that could speak and write English and provide IT service and expertise at a low cost. 

Shaan’s company ‘Soft Act’ found this thinking of US companies as a potent opportunity. It started scouting around for some good professional tie-ups with the American companies. 

That’s how Shaan got in touch with Kelly. ‘Super Soft Technologies’ of USA was on look out for an outsourcing partner from India. It had shortlisted few companies of India. Shaan’s ‘Soft Act’ was one of those few.

Kelly was in charge of the project for which ‘Super Soft Technologies’ was on look out for an outsourcing partner. They had been exchanging some preliminary correspondence on this issue.

Now she wrote an email to Shaan saying, “Hey Shaan, how about a teleconference the next Monday, your 10 PM?”

Shaan was quite pleased to receive this invitation; in fact he was keenly looking forward to this kind of communication from Kelly. He responded immediately, “Hey Kelly, it’s OK with me.”

He keenly looked forward to the next Monday 10 PM.

On Monday at 10 PM in India, Shaan’s phone rang. He picked it up with a greeting, “Is that you Kelly?”

“Yes, Shaan. Let us get down to business. Is that OK with you?”

“Perfect,” Shaan replied.

Then they exchanged a whole lot of business related information with each other. It lasted almost forty minutes. Towards the end of the meeting Shaan asked her, “Do you need anything else? Like my more detailed personal profile.”

Kelly was surprised, “Why, you gave me everything about you and your company. I know your professional background and your technical and business strengths. I think that’s it. I have full picture of you. Thanks and bye.”

“Thanks Kelly, bye.”

After the conclusion of the teleconference, Shaan was almost shocked to realize that Kelly genuinely did not want to probe into any of his personal details. It was so much different from what he had experienced in his various interviews in India. The interviewer always got interested to know petty personal details of the interviewee. Some did it blatantly and others did it indirectly. But they did. And Shaan’s background of being an orphan, being an adopted son and legal parents having two different faiths did not go in his favor. On top of it he always declared that he was religion less. Finally it did not work out most of the times even in his business meetings. Earlier it had never worked out during his college days too.

A week later, Shaan got a detailed formal email from Kelly inviting him for a personal meeting in her office. Her office was located in the famous Silicon Valley. The exact place- San Jose.

All along Shaan carried in his heart a strong desire to travel to America and particularly visit the great places that literally are the beacons to the whole world in terms of information technology. In Shaan’s opinion San Jose was definitely one of such places. 

Shaan’s secretary put forth the following preliminary facts of San Jose to Shaan.

Located in the west coast of America, San Jose is the largest city in Silicon Valley. It is also the third largest city of California after Los Angeles and San Diego. It is the tenth largest in the entire USA. It is in true sense a global city as it attracts people from all over the world. And all of them live in harmony in San Jose.

San Jose got its name as Silicon Valley because it is the hub of many IT companies, computer and microprocessor companies and the companies belonging to high technology and engineering.

Shaan felt excitement with the idea of going to USA and San Jose.

(Get your copy of the novel "Good People" as an eBook from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009BHH37G  only for $ 0.99. You may also like to get its Printed Book from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Good-People-Dream-Boundary-World/dp/1479333085/ref=sr_1_8_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380916602&sr=1-8&keywords=shyam+bhatawdekar%27s+books)

Novels and Stories

Novel "Good People" http://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/
Funny (and Not So Funny) Short Stories http://management-anecdotes.blogspot.com/
Stories Children Will Love http://stories-children.blogspot.com/

Good People: Chapter 8: A Global Perspective

All the Chapters

Chapter 1: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-path-breaking-novel-and.html

Chapter 2: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-classic-novel-and-classic.html

Chapter 3: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-romance-with-difference.html

Chapter 4: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-unique-story.html

Chapter 5: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-contemporary-romance.html

Chapter 6: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-story-of-subtleties-of-life.html

Chapter 7: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-interestig-reading.html

Chapter 8: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-global-perspective.html

Chapter 9: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-contemporary.html

Chapter 10: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-romantic-scenarios.html

Chapter 11: http://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-professionally-right.html

Chapter 12: http://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-expanding-thinking-horizons.html

Chapter 13: http://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-people-modern-romance.html

Chapter 14: http://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/11/good-people-serious-reflections.html

Chapter 15: http://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/11/good-people-story-of-human-paradigms.html

Chapter 16: http://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/11/good-people-dilemma-and-solutions.html

Chapter 17: http://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/11/good-people-romance-and-tough-decisions.html

Chapter 18: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/11/good-people-tale-of-disaster-and-anxiety.html

Chapter 19: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/12/good-people-prejudices-and-conflicts.html

Chapter 20: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/12/good-people-anxiety-and-love-story.html

Chapter 21: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/12/good-people-love-triangle-jealousy-and.html

Chapter 22: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2013/12/good-people-interesting-climax.html

Chapter23: http://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2014/01/good-people-love-story.html

Chapter 24: https://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/2014/01/good-people-finally-love-knows-no-bounds.html

Chapter 8

Kelly was the adopted daughter of a couple recently immigrated in USA. 

The husband Arun- an Indian and mother Yin- a Chinese became the citizens of USA some two years ago.  They got married while doing their research work in a reputed university of USA. Before coming to USA Arun lived in Delhi and Yin lived in Beijing. And they were destined to meet in USA some day later and they did. They had almost similar points of view as far as nationalities, religion, race, ethnicity etc were concerned. They were not much concerned about such peripheral issues. They were quite broadminded. It was good enough for them that they loved each other. 

After their marriage when they found that they were not capable of having a child of their own, they adopted Kelly. Plus they had promised Christie that they would adopt Kelly. 

Kelly’s mother Christie was their very close friend and colleague. She worked in the department where they were pursuing their research work.  But as luck would have it, Christie died of cancer and before she died she entrusted Kelly in the care of Kelly’s present legal parents Arun and Yin. Kelly was fourteen at that time.

In due course they adopted Kelly as their daughter.

Kelly’s biological mother was a single black American, an orphan brought up by an orphanage. Christie was born out of wedlock. She did not know her parentage and her religion. She soon turned into an agnostic. So she gave very little consideration to any religion. She further moved away from any religious inkling after her fiancé, a white, ditched her in favor of a younger girl and without any of her own faults. 

She once commented to Kelly, “Being associated with any organized religion or race does not compulsorily make you a necessarily good person. There are good and bad persons in every religion despite every religion’s commandments. And good people are good because they follow the real good commandments of life irrespective of the imperfections of the commandments of their own religions.”

Deception by her fiancé left deep painful scar on her mind. 

Emotionally torn by this incident, the single mother decided to remain single and nurtured Kelly to become a confident and independent young girl. As per wishes of Kelly’s real mother, Kelly completed her graduation and later her PhD after her present parents adopted her. 

When Kelly’s mother Christie came to know that she suffered from cancer and it was already in the advanced stage she had met Arun and Yin at their home. Arun and Yin already knew about her worsening condition.

She said, “As a good friend can I request you to look after my Kelly as your own child? Perhaps this might be our last meeting at you home.” And she grasped the hands of Yin in hers with tears in her eyes. 

Yin squeezed her hands in affirmation.

“Also let her pursue her graduate studies. I also have a strong desire that she should ultimately get a PhD. I want her to be intellectually, emotionally and economically independent after I am gone. Higher education does good things to people. And don’t worry about the money. I have saved enough and you can use it for all of her expenses,” Christie urged to Arun and Yin.

They promised to look after Kelly as per Christie’s desire.

That was their almost last meeting. Christie could not keep good attendance in the office and Arun and Yin got very busy writing their thesis. They did meet Christie on a few occasions but only for a few minutes at a time as she was already hospitalized soon after the meeting at their house.

After the death of Christie, Arun and Yin coaxed Kelly to stay with them. Knowing her mom’s last wish she agreed. She also agreed to pursue her PhD and with her hard work she completed her studies in just about three years. She also agreed to be adopted by Arun and Yin as their daughter. She had started liking them lots. She thought that they were excellent people.

So by now Kelly was a beautiful and highly learned woman ready to launch her professional career. She was strikingly beautiful with sharp features of her mother and the color that was a perfect blend of the colors of her father and her mother. 

Most of all she was a good human being.

So here was a girl born to a black mom, a white pop and adopted by a couple consisting of Indian American and Chinese American. Perhaps such a thing is probable in very few countries of the world. US could be one such rarity. 

Obviously Kelly did not belong to any religion. Being an independent thinker she had concluded by now the futility of attaching herself to any religion. Her deep studies and keen observations on the subject more than convinced her that no religion could offer or add more value to her existence any more than what she was enjoying being only a human being and not being labeled a Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist or Sikh or any other. Additionally even her adopted parents did not make any fuss about her non-alliance with any religion because of their own thinking, clarity and broadmindedness in this matter.

And no one dared to ask or probe into her religious or ethnic identity in USA. On paper, since the 1970s Americans tended to agree about the constitutionality and justice of guaranteeing equality of civil rights and liberties to all individuals in the country, regardless of race, ethnicity or gender. 

However, in reality one could always question whether such equality was a real thing in USA. Yet many individuals, societies and organizations did believe in it truly and followed it in spirit and to the letter. Kelly found not too much difficulty in finding a high profile job in such an organization though it was not all that easy.

In four of her earlier interviews, the recruiters tried to pry or probe into her religious and ethnic backgrounds directly or indirectly. Kelly had point blank asked them, “Are you aware of the constitutional stand on it?” Then the recruiters retracted but did not recruit her saying that her profile did not match the job requirements. So there were always some smart and fishy ways of circumventing the spirit of constitution of USA by those who were bent upon doing it.

Finally she had stumbled on her present employer ‘Super Soft Technologies’. Her present employer had the record of disqualifying and blacklisting the interviewers who were found asking questions pertaining to race, ethnicity, religion, sex or other such things of the interviewees. She came to respect this company more and more in due course of her employment there.

And she had maximum respect for her mom who had once told her, “You are lucky to have three different people around you- me as your mother and you new parents-to-be as your parents. You can learn so many different and good things from three different people having three different backgrounds. But make sure not to pickup the wrong things from any one of us from anyone else.”

Kelly always treasured this conversation in her mind.

She promised to herself that she would forever remember the essence of this advice of her mom whether it was related to a person or an organization or an organized religion. Take in good of all and shun bad of all.

(Get your copy of the novel "Good People" as an eBook from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009BHH37G  only for $ 0.99. You may also like to get its Printed Book from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Good-People-Dream-Boundary-World/dp/1479333085/ref=sr_1_8_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380916602&sr=1-8&keywords=shyam+bhatawdekar%27s+books)

Novels and Stories

Novel "Good People" http://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/
Funny (and Not So Funny) Short Stories http://management-anecdotes.blogspot.com/
Stories Children Will Love http://stories-children.blogspot.com/