Tale of two friends ...

I have two close friends who went to study engineering with me back in early nineties. Very talented ones at whatever they did and they do.

I ll have to name them for this short story. Sarath and Manas.

Sarath is dreamy and perfectionist. Technically strong. Painstakingly detailed. And for him, the pleasure lies in the journey and not at the end.

Manas is practical, business savvy, un-emotional and enjoys earthly things (good things).

Sarath is a strong believer of the devine, and can wash away all humanly pains by just praying for hours.

Manas is an atheist. When in a mess, he would rather plan a way out meticulously than praying to the questionable super power (God !).

Sarath is the innovator. Manas is the marketeer, the sustainer and the grower.

Sarath thinks he is the most superior creation of God ! Manas believes, supreme can be made and can be broken.

Back in late nineties, when reverse brain drain was not even born (as a concept), Sarath came back to a small town in eastern India (left a lucrative job/enterprise in USA that he was a co-founder of), to follow his dreams of empowering rural Indians. To guide the mass attention back to tradition and to bring back some values which are as dead as dodo in recent times. But he continued to work for the same company to fund his dreams, from the small city, with a premitive internet link that was available that time. Sarath's business was a single man telecommuting affair.

Time changed ! Big Indian brains in USA started looking towards home country starting 2002. Manas sold the idea of having off-shore unit for the same company. Came back to same city. Two friends joined again in work, this time in India.

Manas being the business savvy guy, moved the business ahead from a one man show to a decent size operation. Moved it from an innovation center to a business center. Moved it from cost to profit. He became the de-facto spokesperson of the India unit. People back at US, cheered him.

He had one issue at hand. For him to run at his pace, he had to get rid of Sarath - the creator - the dreamy innovator. His friend of years. Who even found him this job in US to start with.

And he did it ! Eventually.

Until this time, whenever I visited the city, I spent endless hours with both of them. I did the same this time too. But separately !

I am neither talented as Sarath nor business savvy as Manas to understand and apprehend the exact details of the rift.