Short Story - I

HR people have the toughest job nowadays. With the economy bouncing back, attrition rates are expected to rise. Retaining your employees in such a scenario is an arduous task. Recently, my employers have organised a story-writing competition targeted towards this objective.

This is a short story that I submitted based on the picture theme. Only three people outside my organisation have read it and their response was that it is too esoteric. Surprisingly, it got selected and now I have to submit another story which is also to be narrated.

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Theme: I interpreted the theme as the flame which is the closest blinds us to those which burn equally (if not more) brightly but are farther. I have tried to relate this perceptive phenomenon to the cerebral one. In our quotidian exchanges, we tend to overlook the brilliance of those who aren’t close to us in favour of familiar faces. Although such indulgences are fine and dandy in our personal life, it is imperative that as a professional we are objective, delimited and inclusive.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

The Road Not Taken

“There comes a time in the life of every nation when it stands at the cross-roads of history and must choose which way to go” – Lal Bahadur Shastri

27 December, 2010. 12:45 p.m.

“We picked wrong” said the guttural voice over the phone.

“The other one wouldn’t have listened to us” the woman replied.

“Bah! Admit it. You’re out of your depth.”

“I’ll prevail as always.”

“I’ve been asked to testify against you and I intend to. Unless you have something for me….”

“You’ve always made me laugh. Testify if you want to. But remember, if I’m acquitted, you’d be hearing from me.”

“Is that a threat?”

“No, it’s a caution” she answered menacingly.

“How did we end up in this mess….” he wondered.

19 January, 2006. 2:00 a.m.

The occupant of the sedan was as nondescript as his ride. Having seen a multitude of movies where chauffeurs turned against their employees, he preferred to drive himself. The woman whose services he wished to engage came highly recommended in matters of such urgency.

A lesser man might have been intimidated by her mansion, but he was unimpressed. Such garish display of wealth was for the benefit of corporate big shots. Politics, he liked to believe, was a subtler process where patience held as much water as acumen.

An elderly butler showed him to the office, where seated behind a grand mahogany desk, was the woman who would determine the future of the nation. Though not beautiful, she had a magnetic personality that could have persuaded Bhishma to break his vow. From her expression, it seemed his visit was expected.

“Who?”

The abruptness of the enquiry took him aback.

After recollecting his thoughts, he replied “The son.”

“No” she snapped irreverently.

“He has the sympathy of the electorate.”

“He reads Nietzsche and quotes Beckett.”

“So?”

“He’s a philosopher, not a politician. Do you really want a leader who believes God is dead and thinks there is nothing to do but wait for the end?”

“Who then?”

“The Foreign Minister”

“He’s hardly been in the country since taking oath. I don’t trust him.”

“He’ll do our bidding. That’s all you care for.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“It’s my job.”

“What about the step-daughter?”

“She’s an imbecile sycophant. Besides I have other plans for her.”

“What?”

“We pitch her against the minister. Dynastic politics are passé. The family is divided over her. The people would think of her as a sympathy piranha. She will lose and our guy will be in office, empowered with the trust of the voters.”

“Who’d convince her to run?”

She flashed him knowing smile and he immediately regretted asking.

7 July, 2009. 4:00 p.m.

“He’s gone rogue. Abusing the power of his office! I’ll not have it.”

“Don’t worry. He’ll not step outside the law. I have him under control.”

“The funds belong to the country, not you or him. Stop him while you can.”

“You are as much a part of this as I!”

“And not a day goes by that I regret it.”

4 May, 2011. 10:00 a.m.

“It’s over. He’s been impeached. I’m putting her in office.”

“The people would never support your dynastic….” she started coldly.

“This has nothing to do with dynasties or my methods. She’s perfect. You’ve always known that. She won’t bend to anyone’s will and govern with an iron-fist.” he said, cutting her off.

“She’ll be hearing about our deal.”

“She already knows. I have her forgiveness. You should pray for it.”

“You double-crossing old fool. How dare you?!!!”

“Don’t be melodramatic. This is MY job.”

Unanimity in Polity

 This was supposed to be about a certain journalistic breakthrough but ended up being yet another boring and dreary piece about the dismal state of politics. While going through the copious references to the leaks by various agencies, one common factor dawned upon me – not a single head of state had unequivocally shown his/her support for the embattled founder and his creation. Julian Assange, whom many have rechristened as the “Cyber Osama”, through the WikiLeaks has in fact done something even OBL could not – he has divided the populus and united the polity. The September 11 attacks, by shaking the bedrock of American arrogance, instilled a sense of fear which brought them on the same pitch as the government in its War against Terror. It took them 8 years to come out of that shell and throw out the Bush administration. The Cablegate incident on the other hand has divided American public into those who condemn callous treatment of confidential transcripts and those who champion free speech. Since the leaked cables date back to ‘66 and span across multiple presidencies, both the Democrats and the Republicans are unanimous on their stand of plugging the leaks.

Closer home, Ratan Tata attempts to invoke the same unanimity by petitioning to increase the scope of the 2G scam probe to the time when the BJP-led NDA was in majority. If he succeeds, he would at least save the nation a part of the bounty that Raja has allegedly stolen from her. The recent logjam over the relevance of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) in the winter session of the Parliament has caused a loss of  ` 171 crores to the nation. With the UPA and opposition parties playing the blame game, this session has turned out to be one of the most un-productive ones in the history of the Indian Parliament. A senior Congress spokesperson, with all the arrogance of the world, has said that since his party is in power what ever it decides has to be followed. The Opposition is unyielding to the extent of blackmailing the government by stalling parliamentary procedure for no less than 23 days. Interestingly, the only thing that was agreed upon was a minute of silence in remembrance of the 2001 attacks – not on the WTC or Pentagon but the Parliament House itself.

The present telecom minister, while debating the merits of a JPC, claimed that it has none since there already are seven different agencies investigating the same and that a JPC is nothing but a vehicle for political propaganda. What is interesting is that it was the UPA while in the opposition that held the then government to ransom when the Tehelka expose was a burning issue. The NDA in response has decided to hold apolitical rallies in seven Indian states campaigning against the rampant corruption of the central administration. Not surprisingly Karnataka, where NDA itself is under criticism, is not one of them. Such blatant disregard for democratic principles is not only impeding positive growth but is also creating an atmosphere where the electorate is left befuddled and distraught. If members of the Indian polity cannot be unanimous in their opinion, they can at least agree to disagree and leave the public to decide for itself who the culprits really are instead of throwing flower pots in the assembly or holding dharnas on the speaker’s table.

Having talked of the U.S.A and India, it becomes imperative to mention the supreme example of political unanimity – The People’s Republic of China. It may seem redundant and frivolous to talk about unanimity in a single-party system, but remember that the founders of the Muslim League and Janata Party were also once members of what has now evolved into the Congress (I). China through its enforced unilateralism has emerged as the leader in terms of production and export of agricultural and industrial goods. Now before you play the “violation of human rights” card, it would be wise to note that China ranks above India in the Human Development Index. And the figures that contribute to such indices are distorted in both nations.

As Charles Dickens famously wrote, and we will keep on quoting him (as nothing better has since been said or written), “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”. Our economy has been growing leaps and bounds and in contrast the politicians have managed to submerge to greater depths than previously imaginable. It is now upto us to make the best or worst out of it.

We need those Scams!

If you pick up any newspaper or tune into any decent news channel (the seemingly indecent ones for that matter also present scandals of a different nature), you would be barraged with news about scams. The amount of deceit and fraud that we are capable of is not astounding. There are instances in our religious and mythological texts which portray heroes engaging in trickery and deception for the triumph of good over evil. And I’m talking not only of the picaresque works. Although nowadays the ultimate goal of such deeds has changed, the guile with which they are accomplished remains the same. Whether it is the CWG fiasco, Chief Ministers playing God in their states or central ministers buffing up their wallets, the astuteness displayed by them is just short of exemplary. “Just short” because they got caught! But that means naught in India – chances are slim that they would be punished severely and even if they are, it will only add to their political credentials.

Now, we may raise a lot of brouhaha over them, call for justice to be done or shout our larynxes out to anyone who’s unkind enough not to lend an ear; the fact remains that we need these scams.

Here’s why.

Firstly, because they are great motivating agents. Why else will a poor officer, sitting in a tin-shack under the scorching sun with no air-conditioning work, on the road project he is to complete? Why would a lowly peon take your papers to the concerned babu? Who would build large stadiums and housing complexes within time at rock-bottom prices? We all need that modicum of incentive to do our jobs! So why shouldn’t a minister or bureaucrat expect the same. After all, they do offer premium services.

Secondly, because the media covets them. I mean it’s not every day that a popular head of state visits or our sportspersons win a host of medals or two enthralling dance numbers engage the nation in a popularity contest! So what do those news-starved media persons do when their superiors breathe down their necks? They rely on the old-faithful - scams. It’s either that or they manufacture news-worthy stories which, I don’t think anybody wants. What began as reporting atrocities of the erstwhile British Raj, has metamorphosed into scandalous revelations about modern day Rajas (no pun intended). The industry employs nearly (number of people) – where would all these folks go if we stop having scams. The netas know this when they say they will generate employment opportunities.

Thirdly, because watchdog agencies thrive upon them. The scams justify their institution ­­and validate their existence, wherein lies the paradox: if there are no scams, what will these agencies whose ultimate aim is to cleanse the system do? The C.A.G would then stand for Corpulent Ass-Grabbers, the CVC for Committee of Vigilante Corruption and ED for Executive Dick.

Fourthly, because they’re a matter of national pride. According to the Bribe Payer’s Index (yes, such a listing does exist!), Indians are most likely to give a bribe to comply with demands of corrupt business practises. We have got to compete with the likes of Morocco, Albania and Lesotho in terms of who has the most amount of public money diverted to private funds. We just have to live up to our rich corrupt heritage and continue the legacy. Those nansy-pansy small time crooks can’t beat us at our own game!

Lastly, because the scams need us too! There is so much money flowing around in the markets (white, black and grey) that someone is needed to look after it. The United States of America being a capitalist state has left it to the Madoffs and Frankels. India being a mixed economy allows for a Public-Private Partnership; where, as with most enterprises, the Government has the lion’s share. Money is taken from the common man, who obviously is left with too much after paying taxes and repaying loans, invested in companies and funds which provide employment to masses enabling them to earn more money and thus ask for more loans.

It’s win-win-win situation. The government is happy with all the development, the graciously corrupt officials are happy as they are providing a service to the society while getting rich and the common man is happy because of the seemingly increased spending power. Only a fool would not want a scam in these circumstances!

To sign-off, be corrupt and let others be corrupt. Make yourself worthy of your country!

Note: Abbreviations courtesy S.V.

Disclaimer: Any views expressed in this post are those of the individual author and no binding nature of the posts shall be implied or assumed unless the author does so expressly with due authority of the firm He/She works for.

Disclaimer to the above “Disclaimer”: The above disclaimer has been put up by my own free will and no individual or individuals there-of have coerced me into doing so.