A Slick Life

It is soon after India’s independence and the dust has just started to settle after the humdrum of the freedom struggle. Satish Chandra Bhatt had an in-absentia father involved in the fight for independence even as his mother was left with the duty to raise her own as well as the extended family that made the full house Satish shared with. That made for the most fertile ground for much happiness, laughter, banter, struggles and strong bonds that got translated into societal relations, making lasting friendships, and living life in the moment. As the common man carried on living on a day-to-day basis while hoping the government to deliver the dreams of a strong, prosperous and scientifically advanced India that would be based on the ideals as set by Mahatma Gandhi and the practical wisdom of Pt.Nehru, they are faced with a reality quite different from what they had envisioned.
Satish gets actively involved in the school and college dramatics playing flute and getting much popularity which alarms his parents and he is forced to take up law to stay away from such distractions. His outgoing and adventurous nature feels stifled under these circumstances. He wants a way out somehow and he gets that with an opportunity to work in a tube well company. That is the beginning of his tryst with deep drilled wells that lead him on to the nascent indigenous oil company the Oil and Natural Gas Directorate (now Corporation) that turned into one of the finest economically strong companies of the country. While being a small cog in the wheel in the building of this company, Satish proved himself as an endearing and a good role model for young men as he lived a simple yet passionate life. A Slick Life!