Pass and Aggregate Chapter 14: Friendship or Success

Treasure stories and the fables took a back seat in coming days; most of the time was in activities of the office. As the date of filing of returns was near the whole office was in rapid mode, except one man, the joker of our office, Nagdev Nageshwar Rao. By the way I want to clarify by use of the word joker I never meant the clown or buffoon; I can only imagine him to be the desi version of Joker from the Batman series. He sprung up from anywhere, from the corners of the office to the canteen benches; he rose when ever in the dark alleys of office there were secret meetings and slight air of harmless gossip. He was the Hench man of our boss, his pet, who had all the authority in the world with only one responsibility, and that was to keep our boss updated and appraised about the nefarious and shoddy activities(harmless as per my standards). His designation suggested that he was Chief Manager Personnel but we knew his actual designation was that of a Chief Spy. He was a schizophrenic and a maniac. We always feared for our lives while he was around, no one dared him but behind his back he was ridiculed. He was not alone in his pursuits of espionage; he was accompanied by Mayank his burly and husky partner in crime. We at office always thought his role was more like a bouncer in some discotheque. My personal equation with these two guys was not great but neither the less it was sound than most of the others around me.

But that equation was short lived when once I was called inside the Den of the Don, I meant our boss Gupta’s cabin. Gupta was sitting on his chair and was pre occupied with some papers, Nagdev was standing next to his chair, looking at me, and Mayank sat at the chair. There was pin drop silence; the deafening silence started having its impact on me. I thought I had committed some crime and if few moments I would be asked to reveal my last wish before being finally guillotined. I kept on thinking about my recent misadventures which would have resulted in such a congregation of the top notches of our office, but no such misadventure crossed in mind at that point of time.

“Sit down” Gupta said.

I could barely move, but I somehow gathered the courage to pull the chair towards me and made myself seated.

“So Nagendra told me, that you are working really well these days, haan, do you want to take over this office?” said Gupta said still writing something on paper.

I had this mixed reaction, and then I asked myself “why would Nagendra praise anyone, ohhh but I am being praised, am I?”

Gupta had finished writing and was staring me; I was not expecting such a conversation and was caught unaware. I gave the dumbest smile along with a hint of confused expression.

I said “No Sir”.

“That mean you are not working hard” Gupta asked in his typical Mogambo style.

“Yes Sir” I said in my confused state.

Gupta raised his brow again; I was getting nervous and fidgety.

“Look Adithya, I don’t want to beat around the bush, I would straight away come to the point, I think you have all the qualities to become a leader, and where ever you lack I am there to help you and guide you, you are like my own son, although there might be a few things which I am very particular about, like discipline and work but you know that has made me stood out in the crowd.”

I was getting a bit restless.

He continued “I think you should now concentrate more on office administration rather than wasting your time with those good for nothing fellows”.

I got the whole moot point at once; he was against my mingling with Kripal, Samir and Tushar. They were the biggest critics of Gupta, disliked Mayank and despised Nagendra. And I was becoming close to them. My proximity with them was a source of soreness amongst the administration.

“Don’t you think that these fellows are not your worth, I mean last week I don’t know why Tushar said something which was not in good tastes.” said Gupta, giving me a grin.

I was very much the part of that conversation where Tushar said some stupid joke about Gupta and Nagendra, but all the laughter died when Mayank appeared at a distance. He sensed something was going on which was about the High Command. He took the matter with Gupta and Rao, a conference was held, and I, being considered as the weakest link was called in pierce the veil of the Secret Society for Gupta Bashing.

Earlier Mayank too was the member of this gang but he became a mole in the secret society and blurted quite a few secrets out, puncturing the whole concept of secrecy. Not much damage was done as the Chief of the society; Dushyant Mittal left the office before the episode could take an ugly turn. Thereafter the society or laughing club met for the bashing occasionally, hardly ever in the office to pretend normalcy and discipline in the office. Gupta and his gang was not bad but they were the management and we were the workers and believe me these two sides can never ever come as one side, in spite of the various sermons by F.WTaylor, Henry Fayol or any other management Guru for that matter.

I for once was numb, but at times when we are pressurized to an extent we react to that pressure in an inexplicable manner.

I blurted “I have no idea Sir, of Tushar saying anything which was not good for the office as whole”.

“Is it???” asked Gupta continuing his impish grin.

Mayank interrupted “Than what were you talking in the office corridor, on last Saturday?”

“IFRS” I said.

“What IFRS, you are fu****g lying” retorted Mayank.

“Mayank, next time I will throw you out of my office if you use such cuss words” said Gupta, in a strong tone.

“Now go out” and pointing towards a file “Prepare the project report now”, “Nagendra go along with him, and talk to the client about the discussion we had with the bank officials.”

After both of them left, Gupta came near me and stood near my chair placing his hand on my shoulder he continued “Friendship is good, but you have to start differentiating between the personal and professional world. “

My throat was dry; I still could not understand the criticality of the foolish joke, to me it was just a part of office grapevine and for Gupta and Co, this was the largest scandal of our office.

All I said was “I understand that sir and I appreciate your view point”.

“No you don’t, problem is you don’t understand, Adithya your generation has disappointed me. Do you see the empire that I have created” he said this while raising his arms and showing me the magnanimity of his office.

I was about to laugh, he was talking as he was ‘Mukesh Ambani’, and was showing me his ‘Antilla’ I mean looking at him and the dingy cubicles I literally thought he has lost it all but jokes and observations apart this was something serious which I could not follow.

I just nodded in an affirmative.

“I have created this empire and I reached this position only after stepping on the shoulders of the people I knew and called as friends”. Adithya, we have to keep our emotions at bay, to reach at the top and to become something big in life”

The color of my face changed, I guess I became pale. I never thought he was so serious about a miniscule office joke that we shared and now he was after me to reveal the joke. I was now standing at a cross roads, whether to reveal the joke and enjoy my stay at the office or to face the music and be prepared for anything that comes.

I chose not to reveal anything, I mean what if I revealed the joke Tushar will be reimprimanded or Gupta will throw Tushar out of the job but I knew Tushar was not going through a very good phase at personal level to handle such a stress so I just said “Sir, friendship to me is sacred. I do not think anything said on that day was against the basic ethos, that you are trying to inculcate in us.”

I did not stop there my big mouth continued “And, Sir I am not a parasite who grows on others”. This was it, I knew I am behaving a little too big for my shoes but what is done cannot be undone.

He said nothing, he just sat on his seat and looked at me for few seconds and then asked me to leave.

A feeling of triumph filled inside me, it was not my pride which took a thumping but it was my stand to protect my principles, which made me joyous.

But that joy was short lived, the next day I was asked to go on outstation audit to Ahmedabad. Don’t get me wrong but it was the punishment awarded to me.

You might be thinking I should have revealed the joke, even I felt the same when I was packing for my Ahemadabad Adventures but at times ego kills and yes I was killed by My ego.

Even if I survived by my ego’s slaughter I would have been killed by Ahemadabadi heat in the future.