Friday, June 4, 2010

Loyalty bonus !!!

At GIM three things were always notable..

The sword of discipline that hung over every head and the strange time sense…

The smiling face of Dr Joy hanging at the reception (in frames that is), which welcomed the visitor….

And the seemingly endless display of cars at the campus
… the posh ones driven and /or kept by the management and the lesser expensive and economy ones by the teachers and others in the campus…

Dr Joy liked to see the cars in display as if in a car yard and hence no cars were allowed to be parked in shades.. Ludicrous it was but it was GIM and for him that again was part of brand building… the more cars parked across the campus, the richer GIM will look, he believed …

It was brooding hot in the morning when I parked my humble vintage Maruthi in the line of cars just outside the main building of GIM ….. Two days had gone after the vacation news was out and ever since that was the only talk of the town…. Faculty at GIM behaved as if they are going to attain heaven soon after the vacation..

After all they got two weeks off ... off the huge gates, walls that had ears, spies, oily faces, cameras that could be seen and the ones that couldn’t be, giggles and peeping toms… Two weeks off to sense and then again (alas!!!) they had to be back…

I had met Jesus the last evening and he had promised me a meeting the next day..… and when I walked into the GIM building I had only Jesus in mind and suddenly didn’t see Manohar as he passed me…

How are you doing Professor … he asked me … I didn’t exactly hear what he asked but once he did I looked back ,threw Jesus out of my mind and gasped….

Eh? … I didn’t know what to say ….. I didn’t hear him and since it was Manohar who spoke to the lesser mortals of GIM only once or twice a year I was confused……

I guess I said a weak good morning as he shook my hands…

There is a faculty interview happening and you will be in the panel … he said… the management has decided to include faculty members in the panels so that they get to select their future colleagues ….

I was aghast…

1.It was GIM and any such thing was unheard of.

2.It was the domain of the father, son or the holy spirits but not the son in law..

3.The emblematic question.. Why me?

I still was a pseudo loyal who looked like a loyal … this was the GIM way of rewarding loyalty … a loyalty bonus … you get to sit in the panel with the king and co and ask questions to aspiring faculty members of GIM.. Hurray.. !!!

After throwing my bag and books into my pigeon hole, I searched for Anand.. He was nowhere visible…I did see only Ram but choose to be away from him… at GIM even walls had ears that could decode even gasps, sighs and heart beats and I didn’t want them to hear mine…

I tried to meet Jesus before the process ( to talk vacation) but when I was asked (finally) to meet him he was already in the panel… the king in the centre, the VC on his left, the ED on his right, Manohar, Jesus, and the last seat kept vacant…

The King’s chamber opened before me, once Madam secretary gave the clearance.. My heart beat went up as if I was being interviewed for my first job…

The panel had an enormous smile… Jesus stood up and walked to me , almost hugged me and lead me to my chair next to him….

I felt my eyes wet.. NO ...I didn’t cry but I felt so very indebted to the family, that for a moment I signed a bond with them, to be theirs for ever…

Thank you sir.. I told Jesus… this is such an honour

He smiled evangelically and touching my hands slowly said… I told you, you are more than a sub ordinate or colleague to me…

Interview processes at GIM was a funny affair.. some Prof X walked in with so and so years of academic experience and when it was time to discuss his Salary or package as it was called , the VC would put a rider.. See Prof X, we would ideally be wanting some one with more of industrial experience than academics.. You don’t seem to fit the bill, seeing from that angle

X would puncture like a balloon exposed to the summer sun.. once he gets defensive, the deal would be struck…

When Y comes in with a truck load of Industry experience and almost none in teaching, and unload all of it with pride before the panel, the track would change…

The VC would say … that is amazing Y but we would be ideally (Sic!) looking for some one with some more academic exposure… You would agree that you are lacking in that area…

The rest is history… another deflated balloon, another heavy catch for half the quoted price, another round of smiles and mutual admiration…

That afternoon when finally it was over and as we walked out Jesus asked me to meet him in his cabin….

I am sure you know how to keep secrets.. he told me as he sat in his huge chair and gestured me to sit in mine.. His gadgets shown as flickering lights, his mobile phones, PDA set, this and that, wired and unwired habiliments that he wore as a decoration lay here and there on his table …

I was not sure about what secret he was referring to…

The proceedings in the interview room… he told me with a smile… not even Anand should know…

I had an uncomfortable grin… It was clear what he meant….

And yes you wanted to talk to me something… he suddenly reminded…

Oh yes… me.. I mean.. I am.. I stuttered and searched for words… I couldn’t talk ‘vacation’ to him … For the time being I was happy .. no vacation could bring me such a bliss…