Sujay woke up to a morning of new light. The life he had been living for the past 26 years had come to a drastic change.
Sujay’s paternal grandfather Mr Raghunath Thombre had left for the afterlife a few weeks ago. He had amassed a significant amount of wealth as a manufacturer of plumbing products such as PVC, CPVC, UPVC pipes and fittings.
Mr Thombre wasn’t a very social person, especially after his son decided to run away and marry a girl Mr Thombre had outrightly rejected. He lived in his three-floored well-furnished house with a dog and two helpers.
Sujay’s father was never allowed back in the house. Sujay met his grandfather a few times at family events where his grandfather took a certain kind of liking to him that he never showed to Sujay’s elder brother.
“You should keep your son away from that man. Who knows what does he have in his mind,” Sujay heard one of his maternal uncles say to his mother, but Sujay did not care, he had somehow naturally come to dislike his mother’s side of family always so intrusive like they had all the love and care in the world and at the same time trying to despise and discriminate over petty things. They had made every decision in Sujay’s life, unlike his elder brother who was more under the influence of his father, it was like his mother making sure one of the sons should be on her side.
What no one knew was that as Sujay grew, he started visiting his grandfather on his own, and they developed a bond which wasn’t too deep but was better than any bond Mr Thombre had felt with anyone else. But, no he never once asked Sujay to work for him or with him or offered any financial or career wise assistance. Sujay was welcome to visit but never to stay. Somehow Sujay found more comfort here with his rigid grandfather than at his home where his father was least bothered with him and his mother wanted to make him something only she knew.
Sujay’s mother had almost forced Sujay into working in the sales department of a popular confectionary making company and the department was led by his maternal uncle, yes, the one who was mentioned above. One could say Sujay spent his life pleasing his mother and his maternal uncle. His father did not have much say in the matter and was rather more focussed upon Sujay’s elder brother who had chosen finance as his working field just like his father.
It was a surprise down to every corner of both the families when Mr Thombre passed away and left it all to Sujay. Sujay may have taken a day or two to realise what had happened. Sujay’s father as usual did not pry into the matter much but Sujay’s mother and his uncle, they had a lot to say coincidentally what they said led some of the wealth to them.
After a week, Sujay packed his bags and went to live in his new home. It was a great satisfaction when he told his uncle at the office that if he wanted to work for Sujay, he was welcome to do so and Sujay made sure everyone heard it. He left his mother with some words devoid of love and thanked his father for being who he was after all that is what had allowed Sujay to get this life as a surprise gift one could say.
Mr Thombre has instructed some of his trusted to groom Sujay to handle the business or help him sell it if that was his intention and Sujay took everything in with open arms.
Written by Anuran Chatterji
Where life led
Early Morning Memories 
One response to “Where life led”
This is a wonderfully layered and compelling narrative! ✨
What stands out most is how you’ve woven together family dynamics, generational conflict, and hidden bonds into a story that feels both deeply personal and universally relatable. The contrast between Sujay’s cold, controlling maternal family and his stern yet strangely comforting grandfather creates a powerful tension. It highlights how human connection often blooms in unexpected places—sometimes even with those who seem the hardest to reach.
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