Living in Hope

for convenience, was divided into four separate departments, each one being placed in the charge of one of his brothers. For a time, they all lived happily together in a joint family although, in their respective spheres, they worked independently of each other. But after some time, Rahim Bux felt that his brothers were not taking as much interest in the business as they should. At first, only two options appeared to be open to him. Either, as the eldest and owner of the business, he could continue to keep everything firmly in his own hands and remove his brothers from their positions of trust, thus incurring their immediate wrath and unending hostility, or he could allow things to go on as they were and then ultimately face the consequences of allowing a joint-family concern to be irresponsibly run. Inevitably it would mean mutual grievances coming to a head, great deal of bitterness and a final splitting up of the business. Rahim Bux gave this matter careful consideration for several days, then a third option having become clear to him, he gathered his bro­thers together and put the whole matter before them. His suggestion was that the best course would be for each brother to become the proprietor of his own department and then to run it independently of the main business. “In this way,” he said, “Our father’s spirit will be at peace and it is my