Where do we go? Muthu was full of admiration for top managers and administrators who were in the news for putting through big projects like building a huge factory or organising a well attended international event. He appreciated that these leaders would have to deal with so many opinions and suggestions and select the best ones for executing the project and co-ordinate all the required activities to make sure men and materials would be available exactly when needed. He especially admired the upright leaders with an ability to identify and root out corruption in their projects.
Here, his family was having problems doing a simple thing like going on a holiday. It was not often that Muthu's family took a vacation together. This time his father had a week off. His sisters' holidays and his own had coincided for once. Muthu noticed his mother was also very excited to take a break from her usual routine. The only outings she ever had were for attending relatives' marriages or sicknesses. But for all that, she never complained to anyone.
Muthu felt more than anyone she deserved an outing with her family. As for his father, for once he had a supervisor who believed that everyone working for him should take a compulsory holiday every year. As his father explained to Muthu, a holiday from work for an employee is like a recharge and rejuvenates him. Muthu wanted to meet his father's superior and shake his hands for having such family-friendly ideas!
As for the choice of destination, as in almost everything, there had been differing point of views between Muthu and his eldest sister. She wanted to go to Shimla.
Muthu tried to reason with her, trying hard to suppress his irritation, "Why Akka? We live in a hill station and that too one of the best in India! We have been to Ooty and Kodai on vacation in the past and they are also hill side tourist destinations. We must try and see something new. Like some river side or some beach or even a historical place. And the hills will be really cold now."
She reasoned that the hills in the North were different from the ones in Southern India. "Also Muthu, we must go during this chill winter season as there may be chances of seeing a snow fall!"
Hmmm... Snow seemed like an interesting dimension - an attractive incentive, thought Muthu. He started imagining what he could do on snow. Maybe I will get to slide down the slopes. Or ski fast around trees. Have a snow fight with my sisters. Make a snowman even. And yes, wear gum boots and interesting mittens and overcoats and look smart like the Hindi film heros when they sing songs in the Alps. And take the famous train ride up and down the hill.
