Tsunami

|"Shaabaashiyaan.."|

“A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.”
– Nelson Mandela.

"The best way
to not feel hopeless
is to get up and
do something.
Don’t wait for
good things to
happen to you.
If you go out and
Make some
good things happen,
you will fill the world
with hope,
you will fill
yourself with hope."

-Barack Obama

2018
Investigation Bureau

Kehte thhe log jo 
Qaabil nahin hai tu 
Denge wahi..
Salaamiyaan!

Dil thaam ke jahaan 
Dekhega ek din 
Teri bhi..
Kaamiyaabiyaan!

"Enter!" The voice of the person present inside the cabin resonated in the quiet hallways, as soon as she had knocked on the wood paneled-door.

"All the best, Monu bro! I know you will wing it, like always!" Her best friend's last minute encouraging words echoed in her ears, though they did nothing to calm down the nerves she had been feeling from the moment she had received the summoning. 

And as she finally set foot in the room that she had both dreamed and dreaded to enter, she silently caressed her mother's brooch pinned on her jacket, asking for both good luck and courage, to bear whatever fate God had decided for her.

"Jai Hind, Sir!" She saluted, rising on the tip of her heels to show her respect  before braving a tiny smile on her face in greeting. 

"Jai Hind, Mahajan!" The Chief replied blankly, before breaking into one of his infamous smiles. "So, I think you know what you are here for, don't you?"

"I-I may have thought about, sir, but I am not sure." She replied, stammering at first, before letting years of training wash over herself, molding her into  the confident and composed person she had now become.

"Well, let's not keep you thinking any longer, hmm? I am here to formally declare the completion of your training, and certifying that you have succeeded in your quest. You are now an official Secret Agent of IB. Congratulations, Monami!"

The words didn't sink in at first, and though she could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest, almost as if it wanted to come out, she remained shockingly still, almost paralyzed to the spot, unable to gather her bearings.

It was only when the Chief got up from his chair, to give her a pat on the back, that she regained her senses, letting a broad smile take over her lips.

"Thank you so much, Sir! I promise to never disappoint you!" She finally uttered, her words rushed and frantic as she tried to gain control over the situation, once again.

"Calm down, my child. There's no need to thank me, it's all your hard work that has borne fruit." 

"Sorry, sir! I apologize for my out-of-line behavior." She murmured sincerely, her head bowed down, embarrassed of the fact that she had let her emotions slip through so easily.

"Don't regret that, Monami! Always remember, your sensitivity and sentiments are a sign of your strength, not your weakness, okay?"

"Yes sir, got that." She answered professionally before hesitatingly voicing out her query, "Umm, what would be my code name, sir?"

"Hmm.. That an interesting question, Let's see... How about "Tsunami'?"

"Tsunami." She murmured out aloud, letting the word seep over herself, as she remembered all those times, when she had faced problems as huge as a typical cyclone, but still had managed to emerge out in one piece; the whirlwind of feelings that had hit her when she had entered the Bureau for the first time, an innocent and confused mess; how her father had disowned her, refusing to accept her as his daughter, just because she had wanted to pave her own path and walk on it; the tornado of guilt and inadequacy she had felt after her mother's martyrdom, something would still feel, but only sometimes, because of Sid's advice of channeling those feelings into something positive and constructive that she had ultimately begun to follow.