Soni's Slander

Aparajita opened her whatsapp and read the message

“What do you think we should do if we find out that an employee is not behaving quite ethically ? No I don’t think that is the right word.. “

She read the message a couple of times but could not understand head or tail of it.

Finally she wrote back.

“What do you mean boss ? Is anything the matter ? Should I call you ? “

Aparajita got a prompt reply.

“No! Nothing very urgent , You are coming here on Monday , Right ?”

“Yes . I will be in Delhi on Monday”

“Ok. Will discuss then !”

Aparajita worked as an Advisor and Global Head IT for an organization headquartered in Delhi.  She had an impressive career, 24 years of rock solid experience ,rising from the level of a developer to  Head of IT. 

Two years back, when her husband got transferred to Calcutta, she decided to hang her boots and take a sabbatical and study.  But then this offer had come up. The arrangement suited Aparajita. She visited the Delhi corporate office for a week in a month and the rest of the days, she worked from home using Skype, Video conferencing , emails etc.  She could adjust her routine and work to attend her M.Phil classes. 

*

Soni was very happy that the weekend was over. Aparajita Mam will come today. 

She breezed into the office , opened her laptop and while it booted, she went around the floor as usual  greeting everybody and smiling deeply.

Soni was like a gush of fresh air.  Bubbly. Chirpy.

And  highly efficient at work.

Soni liked bright colours. Orange was her favourite colour.  Her dusky complexion and straight hair went well with the bright hues. She spoke fast and got exasperated when the people with whom she was interacting did not follow her at one go.  She did not like inefficient people and got impatient with them.

“Mam ! “ She would tell Aparajita  “Why don’t they understand ? How many times do I have to explain ?” .

Soni worked as the Quality Coordinator and reported to Aparajita.  Aparajita depended a lot on Soni. It is rare to find employees where you can be assured that once you delegate a work , it will definitely get done. Aparajita knew that and trusted Soni and Soni looked up at Aparajita as a mentor and a guide. 

Soni’s efficiency, initiative and hard work was visible to everybody. Inevitably she would get pulled into various kinds of work , mostly which were critical and there was a deadline to be met. Like arrangements for the annual day , planning and coordinating the recruitment drive or arrangements of the leadership offsite training and many such things.  

“Hi Mam ! How was your trip ? “ Soni peeped.

“Come on in Soni . How are you ? All well ?”

Somehow Aparajita felt that all was not well … something about Soni’s face… maybe she is just imagining things .. she brushed aside her feelings.

Though both of them talked almost everyday over phone, still Soni always had a lot to say .She was  a bit indulgent towards this charged up subordinate of hers. Though Aparajita tried to camouflage it, it was evident to everybody in the office. And several people on the floor envied Soni’s proximity to Aparajita.

“Mam, when can we sit with our to do list ?” said Soni . 

“Uh … huh … “ Aparajita pulled down the lid of her laptop and got up from her seat.

“Yeah Soni, let us meet after lunch. I have some important discussion with the CEO” . Aparajita was eager to meet her boss and solve the mystery of the whatsapp message.

*

Mr. Jaideep Saluja, the CEO was a self made man. He was in his fifties.  He had started this organization with two PCs and now the firm employed about 10,000 employees. 

“Good Morning Jaideep !”

“Hi ! Come , come Aparajita ! It is always a pleasure to see you in office".

“Boss, can we talk about the whatsapp message ?” Aparajita came to the point.  “I could not make head or tail of it “.

Jaideep looked away and fiddled with his pen. He looked uncomfortable. It was so very uncharacteristic of him that Aparajita now got worried.

“Boss … “

“Er… not so very urgent … we can talk later ..” Jaideep fumbled. He shiftily looked at the paper kept on his table.

“Uh … Actually it is about … er… it is a bit sensitive …”

“Tell me”  Aparajita was prepared for the worst. Is the company shutting down ? She is getting fired ?

Jaideep looked at her and blurted “It is about … er … Soni and her ways”.

Aparajita was completely taken aback.

“Soni’s ways ?? What about that ? “

“Well, my wife got a call last week from Mr. Dey’s wife… “

“Ok … but what did she say ? “ Aparajita was curious.

“She sent two photographs of our Leadership summit in the Dolphin Resort in Gurgaon which happened three months back. His wife was really upset and cried and … “

“And ? Why was she upset ? What photographs ?”

“Photograph where Soni was in the swimming pool . Mr. Dey was also there … ”

“Swimming Pool ? “ Aparajita could not help but repeat like a parrot.

“Well … er… she found it objectionable … had a big tiff with Dey and then she spoke to my wife so that we take some action against Soni “  Jaideep said in one breath.

“Did you see the picture ? “. Aparajita’s voice was grave.

“Hmm… Maya showed it to me. It was a bit dark, but I could see Soni , Dey, and  few more people “.

“So, it was just not Dey and Soni. There were others too … And did you find it objectionable ? ”

“Well … “ Jaideep gave a pregnant pause and then looked directly at Aparajita.

“Aparajita. I know that you and Soni go along very well. I want you to talk to Soni so that she … well …er …”

“What ? “

“She can amend her behavior”

Aparajita felt her anger start as bubbles inside her heart. 

Aparajita had a strong personality. Everybody , including her boss were intimidated by her. Maturity had made Aparajita a seasoned professional and unlike her junior days, she knew how to control her anger and when to show her anger to get things done.

She took a deep breath and looked squarely at Jaideep.

“Jaideep, first I need to know what behavior you are talking about , what behavior Soni exhibited and yes, I want to see the pic you are talking about”.

“Hmm… I will forward that to you in the evening and I know that you will keep it to yourself.  But …”

“What now ? “

“It is just not Dey you know !”

“What do you mean ? “

“Siddharth has been doing some talking around … “. Siddharth was their HR manager.

“And ? “  Aparajita’s expression was tense.

“She was seen with … er someone … at the domestic airport arrival, about 4 weeks back …”

“So ?  And let us cut out the pronouns and the fill in the blanks boss ! Who , where and what ? Please spell it out”.  Aparajita was getting impatient now.

“I think a few weekends back, she was spotted by Saira . Soni was getting into a taxi with Laxman, our new Chartered Accountant . “

Aparajita tried hard to control her anger. But she knew that her fair face was flushed pink . 

She stood up .

“And Siddharth has been going around asking for data like this and now the whole floor must be aware of this …  ! “

“Hey ! Don’t get worked up ! I had asked Siddharth to be very discreet about it and maintain secrecy ! Sit down”.

Aparajita was fuming and she showed it.

“How can we insinuate such things without going into the depth of things ? And you know how strong the grapevine is ! Do you really believe that no one knows about what is going on in our conversations ?”

“Aparajita, Aparajita … that is why we need your help ..” Jaideep tried to pacify her.

Aparajita did not sit down. She knew that if she stayed even a minute more in the Boss’s cabin, she might end up saying something unprofessional which she will regret later.

“Boss, I have a meeting with the IT Managers now. I will talk to Soni and check things with her and let you know.

*

Aparajita came inside her cabin, sat on her chair and turned the AC on.There was already a nip in the air but suddenly she felt claustrophobic .

Soni was standing outside the glass door, waiting for her.

“Mam, I want to talk to you … regarding something …” . Just like Aparajita, Soni always came directly to the point.

Aparajita looked at her quizzically and said “I too want to talk to you , something not quite related to work . You go first Soni .”

“Mam … last week Priya talked to me … she told me something very vague … she said that I should not get too friendly with people … er.. “  Soni faltered.

“People .. ? “

“She said that my way of talking and behaving is being noticed by everybody. That I should keep my dignity. And that I should not cross limits. When I asked her to explain what she meant, she said that she cannot say anything more and if I had any question, I should talk to Siddharth, since he had asked her to talk to me because she was my best friend… Mam, I am very perturbed with this … “

“Did you talk to Siddharth ?”

“No.. Actually I wanted to discuss with you first. What dignity is she talking about ? What limits ? What have I done ? “

Aparajita did not speak.

Soni looked at her fingers. Her lips were trembling.

Aparajita cleared her voice.

“Soni, I have a few questions before I answer yours. I know you will tell me the truth, however bitter it might seem”.

Soni nodded.

“OK. Let me tell you bluntly. And let this be between us and these four walls. There has been some allegations around you .  Tell me the truth Soni. In our Leadership Summit, in April, did you .. er… have any fling with Dey ? Like, were you in the swimming pool with Dey … ? “

Soni looked dumbstruck .

“Pool ? Dey Sir ? Yes, I did … … “

“WHY ? “ Aparajita’s voice was stern. ”Tell me in detail Soni “.

“It was a bit warm that night and Dey Sir, Gehlot Sir , Rajeev and Abhi were there. They wanted to swim. I was very tired aftert he grueling day and I was tired. So were Preeti and Priya , who were sharing the room with me. We were all relaxing in our room when Dey Sir knocked and he said that he wanted to keep his laptop in our room as it had some confidential and important data and his room’s lock was defective.  As he was leaving, he asked me  Soni, want to come for a swim ? I said no, I am tired. Preeti said that she wanted to go swimming and will do so only if Priya or I accompany her. You know Priya … how obstinate she is .. she did not go so I had to agree. I went inside the pool and was waiting for Preeti. Dey Sir, Gehlot Sir and the other two were already in the pool.  Preeti damn her, did not come ! She suddenly had a bout of migraine … Finally, I too came back to the room … after about 20 min or so ..

But … what about it mam ? Why are you asking this ? “

Aparajita threw up her hands in exasperation.

“Soni ! You must be a bit careful !! We are in a corporate environment AND we are females … ”

“Huh … what ? I …”

“Who clicked photographs of the pool ? “

“I think Dey Sir’s son.. he had accompanied him to the meet … he was using an iPad to click .. “.

 “Soni, Sen’s wife has called up our CEO and said that you are creating a rift in their marriage . She has a couple of photographs of the pools which she has forwarded to Maya, his wife “

Soni was stunned.

“But …”

“No buts … Someone has also well seen you at the airport … “

 Now Aparajita fumbled for words. She did not know how to tell this . 

“What are you saying Mam ?” Soni’s voice was steely.

“Soni, Did you go anywhere with Laxman on the weekend of 15^th August ?”

There was pin drop silence. No one spoke. The minutes seemed like eternity. Both of them understood the undertone and innuendo of the question.

When Soni broke the silence, she could barely whisper.

Soni’s face was expressionless. 

“Soni, where were you ? “ Aparajita asked her softly. “If you don’t want to tell me, that is also acceptable  .. it is your personal matter …“

Soni could not control her tears. Neither could she speak. Aparajita let her cry. Soni got up and said “Mam, it is already 5 pm and I want to leave for the day.  I am not feeling well “

Aparajita nodded, she too was unable to speak.

As Soni went outside her room Aparajita saw the people sitting on the floor look at Soni’s swollen face and exchange glances. Some shrugged. A few quirked their lips. Another bunch winked.

*

At 8.30 pm, when she reached the company guest house, Aparajita felt unusually tired.  She had seen the photograph Jaideep was talking about. The pic was taken in the evening and it was dark. She could only see Soni’s face and Rajeev’s face. And the pic was not objectionable. But Soni was the only female in the pool.

Too many questions bothered her.

She had heard stories about Dey and his affairs. Why was Dey not asked to give an explanation ?

Why was Laxman not quizzed about his trip on 15^th August ?

Just because Soni was a female, all eyes were towards her ? And even if she had had an affair, it is her personal matter.  Has it hampered the office work? 

What she does on weekends is her lookout. Why should others be bothered ?

Just because Sen’s wife shrieked and cried to the CEO’s wife, he becomes the martyr and Soni is the villain ? Why can’t she keep her husband around her little finger ?

Damn everybody !

Just then the phone buzzed. It was Soni .

“Yes, Soni ?”

“Mam, if I don’t answer your question, I will not be able to sleep.”

“Go ahead girl “ Aparajita tried to sound normal.

“On the weekend of 15^th August, I went to the airport to pick up my cousin brother who was coming from Bangalore ..”

“Oh … “

“When I went to the airport, I came to know that the flight was delayed by 6 hours and I decided to go back home. It was raining very heavily and after waiting for a long time, I got a taxi. Suddenly I saw Laxman waving at me. He had returned from Bombay but due to the rains he was unable to get a taxi. He requested me whether I could give him a lift till the Dhaula Kuan Metro station from where he could go home easily. I kept his request …  ”.

Aparajita took in her breath sharply. He could feel Soni’s pangs of pain in her heart when she heard Soni’s sobs.

“Mam .. where did I go wrong ? How have I crossed my dignity ? Why are my colleagues looking at me that way ? “.  She sobbed.

Aparajita let Soni cry. 

*

At 9 am next morning , when Aparajita reached office, she met Ajita Gupta , the Legal Manager in the elevator.

“How are you Aparajita ? Your sari looks so ethnic and elegant ”.

“Thanks Ajita !”

“Did you talk to Soni ?” Ajita came close to Aparajita and whispered. “ She will definitely listen to you and mend her ways ..”

Aparajita gave a stony look .

“Talk about what ? Is there anything to mend ? “

“Oh… Jai Bhaiya did not speak to you ? “ Ajita was distantly related to Jaideep and she never missed a chance to call him Bhaiya and let others know about it.

“Jaideep did talk to me about it , but I think everything is just bullshit !”

So forceful was Aparajia’s voice that Ajita recoiled for a second.

“But you know, Saira  saw … ahem… “ she looked around her “Them together , leaving the airport , in a taxi ! Soni stays in Dwarka you know and Siddharth near Munirka, which is away from Dwarka !” She said in her typical sing song manner while going towards their respective cabins.

Aparajita stopped . Ajita too stopped involuntarily.

Aparajita looked at her and smiled sweetly.

“Ajita,  the other day I saw you going with Siddharth in his car towards Sushant Lok. Siddharth stays in Sarojini Nagar, right ?  “

Ajita’s face was red.

“What are you trying to say ?  My car was in the workshop and Sid offered to drop me home .. “

“Sid !… oh …” Aparajita rolled her eyes.

Ajita paced away towards her cubicle.

Aparajita walked slowly and confidently towards her cabin.

.

*

Soni came late to office.  She kept her laptop on her desk and went straight to Aparajita.

“Mam, I want to quit !” She blurted out.

Aparajita did not speak but kept on working on the appraisal excel sheet. Without looking ar Soni she said “Why ? “

“Mam … you know why !”

Aparajita looked at Soni. Her face was swollen. There were dark circles under her eyes. She had not slept.

Aparajita took her time to speak.

“Soni, if you resign now, the false statements will be proven true . Do you want that ? “

“But Mam, I will not be able to work here. I feel so demotivated , insulted and hurt … “

“I understand dear lady. I know the feeling … trust me.  You will leave, but only when you find a better offer and a better place to work. You will leave under your own conditions , not any condition imposed upon you, do you understand ?” .

Aparajita paused. She spoke softly.

“Soni,  I am speaking to you not as your boss, but as a mentor , a female mentor. Understand that we females have a long way to go. Yes, we have crossed many bridges. We have had our wins . We are coming closer.  But we have to cross lots of deserts, storms and torpedoes.  We have to fight. “

“Mam … “

“Yes Soni. We will win. We have to win. Someday or the other. We will not give up !”

“But I am feeling so weak … “

“You are not weak. WE are not weak. It is just that millions of years have passed by and we have been trampled … slandered … But we will win … yes, we will … and we can !”

“But to win, we have to tread carefully. Soni, will you follow my advise ?”

“Mam… have I ever not done so ? “

“See Soni,  from today, you will talk to only the people with who you have work. If you meet someone, just greet them and nothing more .  Be careful … people are watching you ..“

“But Mam, I will feel so stifled like this … “

“I know … but you have to follow this … but remember again, we have to tread a slippery path and we don’t want to slip . We have to be extra cautious …"

Aparajita’s heart was breaking into pieces. She knew that Soni will lose her natural sheen working like this.

“Ok… now let us get to work. Open the To-do list “ Aparajita tried to make the atmosphere normal.

After finishing their work,  Soni stood up to go.

“Mam, I want to talk to Siddharth. How dare he talk about me like this . Everybody is talking about me, staring at me strangely. I will give him good.  He should know that I am not on the wrong”

“Soni.  Cut it out. Will you be able to stop the tongues wagging ? It will put more fuel .. “

“Mam… “ Sony paused and thought for a minute  “ I have some pictures of  Dey Sir … I want to show it to … Jaideep Sir .. “

“NO . You will not do anything unprofessional.  Remember, this is a very small world and everything comes back one day or the other . No need to take revenge. Just do as I tell you to do “

Aparajita wanted to add and find a good job soon but professional ethics stopped her from doing so .

A dejected Soni left the cabin.

*

After lunch, Aparajita went to Jaideep.

“Jaideep, I have spoken to Soni and all these loose talks are, to be polite , shit of the bull !”

She narrated Soni’s version of the story.

“Jaideep, I am sorry to say, but Soni can file a Sexual Harassment case against the organization ! And then we will be in deep trouble !”

Jaideep’s eyes were wide and round .

“Did she say so ? “

“No … not quite , but she has a very good lawyer friend “.

“Oh no ! I don’t want any trouble. We have the launch of the e-commerce site next month and  I want good publicity “.

“Well … let’s see  what happens . And on top of that we might lose a very very good employee … “. Aparajita smiled contemptuously and left the worried CEO to himself.

She knew that there was a very thin line between the slur hurled at Soni and the abstract nature of the vilification for the Sexual Harassment case to be filed. But she derived a sadistic and a very satisfying pleasure in putting the fear of God in Jaideep, which in turn she knew will be transmitted to Maya.

*

Aparajita started loading Soni with more work.  Soni did not get any time to get involved in other activities, much to the chagrin of the other Managers. But Soni lost her sparkle. Her natural ability and quality of collaboration and communication was smothered.  

Aparajita’s heart wept for her.

*

4 months later

“Mam, I want to talk to you . Is it a good time ?”

“Sure Soni ! Go ahead” . After a long long time Aparajita could sense some joy and excitement in Soni’s voice.

“Mam, I have got an offer letter from a German Company. I have received a 40% hike and a leap in my designation ! Should I take the offer ? I know that the audit is planned for next month and you need me .. “ She trailed off.

“Go for it girl !! And don’t worry about anything . I will manage. Just go !”

Aparajita was very happy.

Soni put in her resignation on Monday and wanted a release after 15 days – her due notice period. Aparajita booked her flight to Delhi for next week so that she could be with Soni in her last days in the organization.

Jaideep called up Aparajita and asked her to talk to Soni so that she could stay back.  Aparajita smiled . There would be a huge gap in the organization with Soni’s exit.

“I know Jaideep.  But she will not stay. And I don’t think we deserve Soni !” 

*

Soni hugged Aparajita. There were tears in her eyes.

“Mam, I will never ever forget you … You are my mentor … in several ways.. and you always will be…”

Aparajita’s eyes were moist.

“All the best Soni ! I know you will do well in life !”

“I will now send my Goodbye mail to everybody ! “. She smiled mischievously. That smile … again after a long , long time !

But Aparajita understood the significance of that smile later …

*

Hello everybody ,

Today, in fact this hour, is my last hour in the organization. I have enjoyed working here. I have learnt a lot during my 4 years of tenure here. I have seen ups and downs , I have taken lessons both from the good and the not so good.  I have known whom to emulate and whom I do not want to become.  I have interacted closely with so many different people and everybody has  left a mark on me and made me a better and a more mature professional. I have received lots of accolades and recognition for the work. At the same time I have undergone a few different type of experiences which  I will never forget. I want to learn from all the experiences so that I can become not only  a better professional but a better human being too.

I wish you all the best and as a token of love and remembrance, I am sharing a few pictures which I have collected during the course of my journey here.

Adieu !

Soni

Soni had pasted  4 pictures in the email.

The first one caught Aparajita’s attention very fast.  Dey with another woman. Both Dey and the women were at a beach . Both were in swimming trunks and they were almost embracing each other.

That very second another rejoinder to the goodbye email came from Sony.

Hello everybody,

I apologize for pasting the wrong photograph of Dey Sir. That is not me in the pic but from his previous organization.  I had received it from their HR person, a friend of mine , who was asking whether I knew Dey Sir  or not and somehow it got saved in my photo repository.

Sorry Sir !

Regards

Soni

Aparajita grinned. 

Soni had done it with elan, without being nasty or unprofessional.

Even if anyone had missed seeing the picture, now they will definitely look at it. Let Dey manage his wife now.

Through the glass door of her cabin, Aparjita could see Soni packing her bag. As she left her seat for ever, Soni glanced back, waved at Aparjita and winked.

Aparajita made a face and waved back.

Soni was having the last laugh, her last hurrah !

***

Rani Gets a Diwali Gift

Rani got off from the bus and hurried towards her home.  There were no auto or any rickshaw in sight today.  So she would have to walk about 20 minutes to reach home. She increased her pace. She was not used to wearing sarees. She held her sari with an hand so that it did not tangle with her legs.  Her shoulders felt sore. 

But she did not complain. 

Along with her laptop, there was the Diwali gift in her laptop bag !  She smiled to herself.

This was Rani's first job and it was the first time she had received any gift from the office ! She felt so good !

The excitement had started two days back when she received the email from  HR that today will be an "Ethnic Day" and the employees should come in ethnic attire.  There will be prizes for the best dressed male and female.  That night, she whispered to Shekhar "Which sari should I wear ? The red one with Golden motifs or the peacock Blue silk sari with green pallu which Rinky Mausi had given as the wedding gift ? "

"Uh ... " Shekhar mumbled. "Arre , you look good in any sari !"  He turned towards her, put his arm over her stomach and kissed her. "Now go to sleep. I have an important meeting tomorrow and have to reach office early".  

Within 5 minutes, Shekhar was fast asleep. 

Rani and Shekhar got married about a year and a half back.  It was an arranged marriage. Before they tied the knot, Rani had told Shekhar that she would like to continue working. She was a compute Engineer and had got placed in an IT firm .  Shekhar and his parents did not object. 

Rani's friend Anju was indignant when she heard this . 

"You took permission for working ?? Shoudn't that be your own right and decision ? "

Anju was a rebel.  But yes, Rani too felt that she should be independent to take her own decision. But that is not how arranged marriages work ..  The females still have a long way to go . Rani knew that Shekhar and her in-laws actually want her to work.  They know that the money will come into their household. And nowadays, it is really impossible to maintain a decent standard of living on a single income. On top of that, the uncertainty of  private company jobs loomed large on everybody's mind. 

As usual, Rani had got up in the morning at 5.30 am an prepared tea for everybody. She prepared lemon water for her father-in-law .  At 6 am, she took two cups of tea and the glass of lemon water , knocked on the door and heard her mother in law's voice. After serving them, she quickly poured two cups of tea and went inside her bedroom to wake up Shekhar. He was still fast asleep. 

"Get up ! You said you had to leave early. I too need about 15 minutes more time to tie the sari " Rani was really excited.

She decided on the Red and Gold sari. It was more manageable than the heavy Peacock blue one.  It will be easier to travel in the bus in the red one.  She had first decided to take a cab to work, but thinking about the expense , she dismissed the idea. 

After finishing her tea, she rushed into the kitchen.  The maid was late today. So she started cutting the vegetables. After her marriage, her mother-in-law had made it clear about the responsibilities. Everyday i the morning, Rani prepared the breakfast - usually sandwich or paratha or poha . She prepared the vegetable which Shekhar and Rani packed for tiffin and her in-laws had for lunch. Extra things like Dal or salad and Roti or rice , Shekhar's mother prepared when they had lunch. 

The maid usually helped Rani by cutting vegetables , washing utensils etc. But today, she was late. Rani grimaced. Twice a month, this maid took unplanned leaves. 

"God ! Let it not be today ! " She whispered to herself and almost cut her fingers while cutting the potatoes She had rarely ventured into the kitchen before marriage and her mother-in-law sometimes passed snide remarks about her inexperience and mistakes.

Somehow she had managed to save about 7 minutes and draped the sari.  She put kohl in her deep , big eyes. Put a small red bindi on her forehead. She rummaged through her trinkets and found a small red jhumka. After contemplating whether to wear it or not, she decided against it. It would be too "dressy" and with all the people in the bus and jostling and standing, she would feel really uncomfortable. 

The office looked festive. There was a huge Rangoli in front of the reception.  The cubicles were decorated with strips of coloured ribbons of different colour.  Tiny stringed lights were lighted on the conference room doors. 

"Happy Diwali Rani ! You look gorgeous and ... different !" Alok , her team mate quipped. Rani blushed.

Shekhar had also given her an appreciative look.  "Hey ! Be careful ! Don't let any male come near you !"  Rani had shoved him lovingly. 

The females were in sarees or salwar suits and the males were in Sherwani , dressy Kurta etc. 

Whole day passed away just like that and Rani could hardly work on her piece of code. She knew that she would have to stay back late day after tomorrow to compete her task. She made a face. 

"The day after Diwali ... uff ... why could they not get two days off ? It would have been a long weekend. The people at onsite ... they never miss their Christmas, whereas we have to slog it out even on Diwali ... "

These trains of thought could have made her gloomy , but then suddenly the HR team came to her cubicle and handed over the Diwali Gift . It was a small box, wrapped in a shiny cover. 

"Happy Diwali !" Shruti, the HR associate smiled. 

"Thanks"

Her team mate Pooja  and many others had already opened the gift wrap. It was  box of dry fruits. Pistachios, Cashew nuts, raisins and a few Cadbury chocolates. 

Rani did not open her box. She wanted to gift it to Shekhar. It was their first diwali together. She wanted Shekhar to open it.  As Rani was keeping it carefully in her laptop bag, suddenly there was a lot of commotion towards the conference room. 

"Rani ... come quickly ! The best dressed male and female will be announced"

Rani's heart missed a beat.  

Will she , will she not ?

The conference room was choc a block.  

Damini, the HR manager was standing on the raised platform with a piece of paper in her hand. 

"Come on Damini ! Break the suspense ! Announce !" 

Damini looked arround her , her eyes bright and a big smile on er lovely face. 

"Ok ! Ladies and gentlemen ! Here we go ... "  Damini said. The crowd cheered.

"Well, the best dressed male prize goes to ... Abhishek !! " Abhishek almost jumped and went on the stage to get his prize. Loud clapping !!

"Now for the best dressed female ..." 

Rani's heart thudded. "God , God , God ! please ....!"

"The judges were in a real fix on this one because there was a tie" Damini announced. There was silence on the floor. "After a lot of debate, the judges came to the conclusion.... Had it not been for her jhumkas, Rani would have won this prize.  The prize goes to ... Preeti ...."

Thunderous round of applause greeted Preeti. Rani's eyes smarted and tears made her vision a bit hazy. 

"Bad luck , Rani " the person beside her said. "Next time do not forget the jhumkas ..." he said. 

Rani tried to smile. 

It was almost 8.30 when she finally reached home.  Shekhar's mother had started arranging a few diyas for the Choti Diwali. Shekhar was also back. 

As she entered the drawing room, she saw four huge packets of dry fruits kept on the centre table. Shekhar was sipping tea. 

"Oh ! You are so late ! Mom prepared tea for me "

"Rani ... come and arrange the diya's please ..." Her mother-in-law bellowed.

"Finish you work and come soon to the bedroom... It is Diwali tomorrow , a holiday ... we can get up late ...."

Shekhar winked. 

Rani went inside the kitchen to pour herself some tea, but the kettle was empty.  Rani suddenly felt very tired. She loathed the idea of preparing tea just for herself.

"And see , these dry fruit packets. The big one I got from my office. This one was given by my client. And the other two were gifts from my subordinate .." 

Shekhar gloated.

Rani went inside her bedroom and removed her sari and changed into a plain salwar kameej. She cleansed her face. removed her kohl. 

She looked at the mirror. 

"Who am I ? What am I ?" She asked herself. Rani slowly opened her laptop bag and took out her Diwali gift. 

She put the gift on top of the four packets. 

Shekhar was watching TV.  He glanced at her. 

"What is that ? Dry fruits ? Gift from office ? Such a small packet ? " he laughed. Her father in law looked up from the newspaper , looked at the packet and gave an amused look. 

"Anyways, don't worry ! The packets which I have got will see us thru for at least 3 months " Shekhar said. 

Was her excitement about  the "Ethnic day" at office, her decking up in a sari so inconsequential to Shekhar ? Will he ask her about it before going to sleep ? Or was her contribution and importance just like thesmall diwali gift ? 

Rani went inside the kitchen and started warming up the food for dinner and arranging the plates on the dining table.

Tomorrow is Diwali. It is a holiday for both Rani and Shekhar. 

Shekhar will get up late. 

But Rani's day will start at 6 am. 

She will prepare tea and lemon water for Shekhar's parents. 

6 Unmistakable Ways to Destroy your Organization

I have seen organizations during inception, growth, maturity and also decline. 

I have seen organizations accelerate in their growth path. Unfortunately I have also experienced the death pangs of  organizations.  I have seen the roaring tigers turn into meek mouses. And I have tried to learn from the experience.  In this blog post I have jotted down some key points leading to destruction of organizations. 

• Put all your eggs in one basket : Have only one major customer who contributes 95% of the revenue.  You will never know when the "cash cow" becomes a "dog" and things will come crashing down. Rely so much on that one Golden Goose and become complacent about your success that you do not put adequate marketing effort to gain another big account or diversify into other areas. One fine morning, while having your morning cuppa, you might realize that the ground under feet is shaking and you are bound to fall !

• Management by Fear :  Just thing how much will an employee work if they fear that they might lose their jobs ? Well, only just about enough to keep their jobs ! The organization will NOT have the willing cooperation of the associates . When you manage by fear, you will not be able to keep good and productive people. They will stay and tolerate high handed bosses only when jobs are scarce. As soon as the market opens up they will leave for a more pleasant work environment . And we all know losing good employees is usually devastating for any organization . So ... 

• Be a control Freak : Do not trust the people and micromanage their work. You control each and every moment at work and want accountal of  their output.  This is sure to break the backbone of the organization. Conversely, if you want to grow your organization, and If you bring people on to do a job, LET THEM DO THEIR JOB! Yes, you started the company. No, that doesn’t mean you have to do every task. Give people freedom to operate. Get some benefit from having those talented people around. Use them as a force multiplier. If you’re paying them to do work, let them do work. They *want* to do work.  But for destroying the organization, you have to believe and do just the opposite of this.

• Do not heed the Golden Rule  : The Golden Rule is " Do unto others as they would have do Unto you ".  If you treat your employees well and trust them, it will be reciprocated. In an organization, when it was going thru a bad patch, the senior leadership had a heart to heart discussion with the key members of the company and explained the situation, told about their losses. He asked for pay cut and asked for their support. And surprisingly, 90% of the people willingly took pay cuts and stood rock solid with the organization.  In another organization, during rough weather, the senior management took arbitrary decisions, laid off people without taking them into confidence, treated them badly.  When the key people resigned, the organization expected them to stay back and support the activities. Do you think they cared ? No way ! Instead the reaction was "If you can behave like this, so can I !"

• Have "Yes " Men and Women around you :  As a leader, you only like to hear what you want to hear.  Surround yourself with people who say "Yes" to everything you utter. You like and appreciate people who worship you and do not contradict you.  You dislike and demotivate professional people who point out the mistakes and have constructive feedback and suggestions.  You do not admit or learn from mistakes.
  If you follow all these, then you company is surely doomed.

• Do not believe in appreciation : Believe that if you appreciate people, they will either become complacent or ask for a raise.  You point out their mistakes and failure - often in public but  not a word of praise when things go well . You continually find fault with your subordinates, gloat over their mistakes and express sarcasm.  You will never get willing cooperation of your associates and you and the other leaders will lose their respect . The employees will become demotivated and stressed . And your organization will crumble in the future. 

Do you want your organization to survive ? If yes, then never ever follow the above points. 

All the best !

Grandpa's Cross Stitch

Like every Sunday, yesterday too I had gone for my usual round of morning walk at the Rabindra Sarovar Lake. 

I enjoy the clear blue water of the lake, the different shades of green of the huge trees  , the cool breeze and the serene ambiance of the place.  

But the best thing I like about the place are the people there. People of different size and shape. Range of age anywhere between 2 years to 80 plus years. Senior people siting on semicircular cemented benches, enjoying their doze of "adda" (Bengali word for chit chat and gossip). Young people huffing and puffing , measuring their sprints around the lake. Groups of females, young mothers , a few elderly ones , talking, sharing their experiences, smiling and laughing. 

It is a happy place and I love to stroll there, observing people and their activities , enjoying the scenery, the birds and the breeze. 

Yesterday, I saw a group of people sitting under a huge tree in a circle and reading aloud. a book reading group. I sat down with them.  They had just finished reading out an excerpt on Socrates and Plato. It was very interesting. There was a dignified lady sitting beside me. She took out a tattered piece of cloth and opened it very very carefully and lovingly.  It was a cross stitch cloth , and the Alphabets A to Z were stitched on it . It was a bit torn and frayed and faded at the edges. The creases of the folds were flaky.

Her eyes were moist when she spoke. 

"My father passed away last year . He was 87 years old. Last week I was rummaging through his belongings and I came across this piece of cloth. I was just about to throw it away, when my neighbor's 6 year old daughter came inside the room.  She was my father's friend. They enjoyed each other's company and would share stories with each other till his last day.  The little one does not know yet that her Grandpa is no more. She believes that he has gone to his friend's place and should be back soon. So she comes to his room everyday,  fiddles about with his chair, his pipe, his spectacles . She misses him. 

She saw this piece of cloth in my hands and she exclaimed - "Oh ! That is Grandpa's !!"

"This is Grandpa's ? But this is a cross stitch work . He did not know how to embroider " I exclaimed. 

"No, no... Dadu knew cross stitch. He had told me ! He had promised that he will show me a handkerchief which he had made when he was in class 1 . This is that handkerchief ! Show me , show me ! " She danced in glee . 

I suddenly recollected that my father had studied till class 1 in an Anglo Indian girl's school, along with his sisters. Boys were allowed till the age of 5 - 6 years in the school.  He was the only male in a class of 25 girls. 

In the needlework class, he had learnt and made these alphabets using pale pink thread on this lemon coloured cloth using cross stitches. 

And I am sure he was proud about this  as he had talked about the handkerchief to his small friend. 

This tattered piece suddenly became precious to me. It was about 80 years old, in the British era ! And more than that, I came to know something obscure about my father even when he is not there in this world.   

Maybe this was his way of  keeping his promise to his sweet little grand child ! "

Her voice wavered. Her salt and pepper hair shone in the rays of sunlight which fell on her face through the creeks of the leaves of the tree. 

She passed the precious piece around the group. 

My fingers trembled when  I held it in my hands. His little friend had given a gem of a remembrance to his daughter. 

Cheers to the bonding between the 87 year old and the 6 year old child . 

I Love Calcutta : Rabindra Sarovar Lake

I love Calcutta !

Rabindra Sarovar lake .

Is One Child Enough ?

I have been planning to write this post ever since I received a request from one of my colleague from a former organization Let me call her Ms. Pretty for anonymity sake .  

This is for you Pretty , and I am sorry for the delay. 

Nevertheless, better late than never. 

Pretty, you have asked me a couple of questions .

Do you think having one baby has any disadvantages? 
Did your daughter ever feel the need for a sibling ?  
Did she ever feel lonely ? 
I am so confused with all the advise which I am getting ! Please tell me ...

Hmm ... I am sure  many women have the same dilemma . Let me write my point of view and share some personal experiences on this topic.

First and foremost, you should consider whether you are ready for another child or not.  It should be a decision which should be mainly taken by the mother. You should not be coerced or forced into taking any decision just because your mother, father, aunt, uncle , grandmother, mother-in-law or the whole world is telling you to have the second child . Well, to concede a bit, you can hear out your the husband's words , but beware, do not be swayed too much by it . 😅😅

It is your decision. Period. 

Couple of things to be kept in mind while taking the decision.  

Are you physically and mentally prepared for another baby ? You already know that it is a 24 X 7 job tending to a newborn , at least for the first few months.  There will be nights when you will not be able to sleep, tending and feeding the baby, changing nappies and taking care of the child. Remember that though the times are changing, it is mainly the mothers who take charge as the caregiver.

You know how the family dynamics changed when you had your first bundle of joy. You know very well how it turns your life upside down and everything revolves around the kid. It will change again . Now the dynamics of the elder sibling will also be there. The family routine will change again. As a mother , you will have to divide your attention between both the kids. Usually the elder one feels a bit neglected during the initial few months and this has to be dealt very softly and delicately.  

This is rather important because the psychological complexities during childhood, if not handled correctly, leaves deep scars in the personality and is carried forward as a baggage in the future years and in future relationships. 

Are you financially stable and will be able to handle the expenditure of the baby ?  A very basic but important point to take a decision.

Career is important. My personal take on this is that all the females should work. Not only for financial independence but for self fulfillment too. I have seen many females quitting their jobs saying that "My first priority is my baby and I want to do my best ".  Yes, your children, your family are very very important, but I think that the first priority is You ! If you are unhappy, then the full family becomes unhappy.  The children should be the father's priority too.  Have you ever heard a father saying " I will quit my job as the baby is my first priority ? " 

It is a collective unconscious which makes the females "guilty" on this topic. Both the husband and the wife have to share the rearing of the children. It cements the relationships solidly ! My own experience as a working mother furthers my argument.  It was a very very difficult time when I had to join back office. So many problems , family advice, chiding, asking me to quit. But I really wanted to grow in my career. I persevered. Went through the struggle.   But finally, when I look back, I am happy that I did not quit my job.  When I see my daughter taking her own decisions, much more confident than some of her peers, much more balanced , logical and self sufficient, I am happy that I did not quit.  I can write a book on this topic 😊.

Enough on the criteria for the decision making, now coming to your specific questions. Did my daughter ever feel lonely .. well , I don't think so. From her childhood, she was an avid and a voracious reader. I guess that must helped her not feeling lonely. She had lots of friends and the usual childish gossips, pains, happiness were shared with them. When she was in her early teens, she had become a bit of a recluse, the usual teenage and puberty signs. But that in fact goaded me to become extra communicative with her. I started treating her as an adult and shared my feelings , recounted my childhood pains and experiences. 

In fact after I came back from work, my husband, me and my daughter had a ritual. She prepared tea for us (oh .. it was so tasty !) and we used to talk for at least 30 to 40 minutes everyday.  She talked about her day, her school and we talked about work etc.  Whenever I used to get a chance , I talked with her.  As she grew up, I told her about my childhood, my infatuations, silly things , taboo topics and slowly we became friends ! 

Communication is so very important . But it does not happen in a day. You have to nurture it. There is no such topic on the earth which I cannot share with her and vice versa.  

Did my daughter ever feel the need for a sibling ? I don't think so. In fact sometimes she said that she is fine as the only child. But I do not take her word for that because she does not have the experience of having a sibling ! But she never complained !

But coming to think about it, sometimes I feel that it might have been a good idea if I had another kid. There are two main reasons. First, you can trust and share your innermost thoughts with your sibling. Yes, I did finally become my daughter's friend, but the equation between the siblings is a different dimension of the relationship.

Second , as the parents grow old, they need support. Usually not financial, but psychological. They want the proximity, the company of the kids. They want to talk. They want a bit of attention. If you have a sibling, this can be shared. There is a fallback for both of them. 

I say the above two points now, at this stage. But I know I took the right decision of having one child because some of the criteria which I have written earlier were not getting fulfilled.  

I am Happy. My husband is happy. My daughter is happy.

Pretty, I hope I have been able to assuage some of your agony and doubts. There is no right or wrong answer to "Is one child enough ? " It varies from person to person, differs with situations, changes with the personal priorities.

Finally, it is you who have to decide. 

But whatever you decide, be happy and safe ! Do not have any regrets please !

Cheers and hope to hear from you and all others who have some viewpoint, doubt or question on this topic ! 

Write in the remarks column and I will get back to you !

Why Stories are so important

I once had the honour of visiting a Military Cantontment area of the Indian Army and I was amazed at the discipline, orderliness, courage and commitment of our soldiers. After lunch, I was strolling in the well kept garden and I saw a sepoy guarding the gate. 

His Khakhi dress was clean and well pressed, clean shaven , his eyes were bright with pride. 

I smiled at him and he smiled back .  And I started chit chatting with him. He was from a remote village in Bihar, where his old parents, younger brother and sister stayed.  His face lit up when I asked him about his village . 

"Ma'm, I have applied for a month's leave and I will visit them . I have bought a pretty salwar kameez for my sister, a shirt for my brother , a sari for my mother and a nice pair of shoes for my father !" He beamed. 

"But I have heard that sometimes the leaves get cancelled ... " 

"Han, Ma'm ... but that is OK ... the leaves gets cancelled only if the country is in danger - internally or externally ... and anyways , duty always comes first"

"You will not feel bad if you cannot visit your hometown ? " I probed.

"If my leave gets cancelled, it is a small thing.  I will get it later. I can and will give my life for my motherland if needed ..."

I was amazed . 

A person , at the lowest rung of the organization, and such was his pride about his job ! And he was not fibbing ! Almost everyday I read about insurgencies in and people laying down their lives for the country.  

What makes them so loyal and passionate ? 

Money ? No ! They get peanuts compared to us who sit in AC rooms in big MNCs. 

Perks ? No !

Swanky offices and status ? No !

Then what ?? What gives them the pride , selfless commitment and sense of responsibility. 

Well, my dear readers, it is stories . 

Yes ! Stories about the Indian Army, stories about independence struggle and great leaders, stories about their own regiment and the heroes of their own regiment , about the sacrifice of the martyrs . 

These stories gets ingrained in the minds of the soldiers. Right from the start when they are inducted into the force,  they are told about these stories. The stories are recounted and repeated several times.  They are motivated by their seniors who are passionate about these stories . So by and by they are indoctrinated into patriotism, loyalty and sense of oneness with the army, their regiment and the country. 

Coming to think of it, the family bonding also gets that inseparable adhesive from the stories. Whenever I meed my extended family, my siblings, cousins, uncles, aunts we laugh and roll at the same jokes, same incidents and same stories. These are the memories which have now become stories. It gives a character to each family, the glue which holds us together, in thick and thin. We are joined by the spirit of oneness with these stories. 

We can do the same thing in organizations. 

Each organization is unique.  The character and personality of the organization is the organization's Vision and Mission statement.  The employees should be bound by stories. I remember in one organization where I worked previously,  in all the presentations, the first slide was mandatorily  the Vision and the Mission slide saying "Who We Are ".  The presenter would pick up one element of the Who We Are and elaborate how the session was linked with the broader Vision of the organization.  The President of the Company, an adorable and great orator, whenever he visited any facility, he would tell the story of how we started as a small company with two employees . He would describe small details, personal ones about his joining the organization and seeing it grow.  The employees loved the stories.  It brought them closer. The bond became stronger. 

In another organization, in the 7 day induction program, the new joiners were told to talk to the senior employees about how they "live" the "Values" of the organization.  As the new employees talked to these people, they heard stories, personal experiences in the organization, how they dealt with problems, overcame them ... all in the spirit of the values and beliefs of the organization. 

In these two organizations, the attrition is minimal. The employees swear by the organization. They love and respect the company and take great pride in working .  Stories help to manage and lead changes

Do you have such stories in your organization ? I am sure you do. Start feeling good about these stories and start putting this powerful adhesive to use and see how well it works !

Cheers ! 

Jai Hind !