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…
Showing posts with label manohar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label manohar. Show all posts
Friday, June 4, 2010
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
New and Improved !!!
The post exam holidays came to an end so very soon that the kids who came back had the hangover so visibly written over their worried faces. They started coming in one by one and group after group, slowly trickling in to various hostels, some a day in advance and many in the last minute. Notices and instructions appeared at all the notice boards about the does and don’ts that GIM followed as rules and classes got spruced up and all the maintenance work was done. The building just needed its life blood, the kids of GIM to flow in and begin life.
The first day first class fell upon me.. in theory one would get them fresh but after a weeks holiday they were all clearly in no mood for a class- a week was too much for them to get tired and to little to get refreshed…
I had made the lesson plan, the list of readings, the list of assignments and evaluation plan, three days in advance and gave it to the ED( it was mandatory to submit the plan for his approval before the faculty proceeded with it to the first class) who sat over it and analysed it as pig would scan shit…. The ones whom he hated got the bulk of such scrutiny and needless to say Advertising management and sales promotion – my paper took a hell lot of time to get cleared….
Why is this syllabus different from that of this text book? ......He asked me like a police officer, pointing to a relic of a text book on his table…
What is this text book? ......I asked while taking it carefully, and slowly turning its pages afraid of the fact that it was as old as my grand dad and can collapse if I were harsh with it…
It is a classic book, the ideal syllabus and I was surprised that you haven’t included this in your course plan… he said, still the COP like echo added to his questions…
I guess you did study from this at your MBA days… I said with a tint of disdain, which he didn’t get. Instead he beamed and became even more eloquent on why THAT was a reason why I should be teaching from it…
Come on sir… its all gone.. I said with a smile that clearly spilled a can of red paint over his ugly face… your times were different, now it is all changed…
What you mean?..... He asked….
I mean that I have designed the course with my 7 years experience in the industry and with constant up gradation that is done with my corporate connections….....I said and remained silent
Dr Joseph didn’t speak.. Neither did he make any gestures.. I knew I had ill-treated his ego, but he called for it…he was one languorous jackass who never taught a course in the recent past but sat over everyone’s course plan as if he knew every thing of every subject.. Some one some where had to tell him to fuck off and in any case I was not in his good books…
As I left his room, I knew what he will do next … I sat in my cabin expecting a call from the lord of the rings, Dr Jesus, but which never happened…instead called me the King himself in what was literally a jolt…..
The King…? Calling a lesser mortal….?
When I passed through the HQ where the bosses sat in adjacent chambers deciding on the future of management education,Jesus was not there in his cabin… Manohar was there in his but watching some thing in his large LCD TV.. may be some third rate Tamil film which was his passion and probably from where he got inspiration for his funny hair style and his colorful attire, the VC’s chamber was dark- it seemed he didn’t turn up to office that day…and Madam secretary was there, as usual, proud and displaying vanity as if she was the kings wife and not his secretary.
Dr Joy called me… I said with a kind of arrogance and pride which I purposefully and momentarily crafted and oozed out to poke her ego balloon.
She fell for it and stared at me as if it was impossible...... I had a smirk which irritated her even more…
What is it regarding? She asked me….
How would I know,??,, you should ask your boss.. I said with a scorn even as I saw disbelief on her face which bloomed and then erupted… she would never have seen me like that.. why she?… No one had seen this me.. This new me…
In my heart of hearts I thanked just one guy…….who had injected this new found impunity into my blood.. no matter he wasn’t around, I still thought he is seeing me.. and when he is seeing me could I be looking the same old crouching and miserable academic potato?
New and improved Sukesh Menon, walked into the grand doors of the kings chamber mercilessly over a burst balloon which didn’t protest , not even for namesake….
The first day first class fell upon me.. in theory one would get them fresh but after a weeks holiday they were all clearly in no mood for a class- a week was too much for them to get tired and to little to get refreshed…
I had made the lesson plan, the list of readings, the list of assignments and evaluation plan, three days in advance and gave it to the ED( it was mandatory to submit the plan for his approval before the faculty proceeded with it to the first class) who sat over it and analysed it as pig would scan shit…. The ones whom he hated got the bulk of such scrutiny and needless to say Advertising management and sales promotion – my paper took a hell lot of time to get cleared….
Why is this syllabus different from that of this text book? ......He asked me like a police officer, pointing to a relic of a text book on his table…
What is this text book? ......I asked while taking it carefully, and slowly turning its pages afraid of the fact that it was as old as my grand dad and can collapse if I were harsh with it…
It is a classic book, the ideal syllabus and I was surprised that you haven’t included this in your course plan… he said, still the COP like echo added to his questions…
I guess you did study from this at your MBA days… I said with a tint of disdain, which he didn’t get. Instead he beamed and became even more eloquent on why THAT was a reason why I should be teaching from it…
Come on sir… its all gone.. I said with a smile that clearly spilled a can of red paint over his ugly face… your times were different, now it is all changed…
What you mean?..... He asked….
I mean that I have designed the course with my 7 years experience in the industry and with constant up gradation that is done with my corporate connections….....I said and remained silent
Dr Joseph didn’t speak.. Neither did he make any gestures.. I knew I had ill-treated his ego, but he called for it…he was one languorous jackass who never taught a course in the recent past but sat over everyone’s course plan as if he knew every thing of every subject.. Some one some where had to tell him to fuck off and in any case I was not in his good books…
As I left his room, I knew what he will do next … I sat in my cabin expecting a call from the lord of the rings, Dr Jesus, but which never happened…instead called me the King himself in what was literally a jolt…..
The King…? Calling a lesser mortal….?
When I passed through the HQ where the bosses sat in adjacent chambers deciding on the future of management education,Jesus was not there in his cabin… Manohar was there in his but watching some thing in his large LCD TV.. may be some third rate Tamil film which was his passion and probably from where he got inspiration for his funny hair style and his colorful attire, the VC’s chamber was dark- it seemed he didn’t turn up to office that day…and Madam secretary was there, as usual, proud and displaying vanity as if she was the kings wife and not his secretary.
Dr Joy called me… I said with a kind of arrogance and pride which I purposefully and momentarily crafted and oozed out to poke her ego balloon.
She fell for it and stared at me as if it was impossible...... I had a smirk which irritated her even more…
What is it regarding? She asked me….
How would I know,??,, you should ask your boss.. I said with a scorn even as I saw disbelief on her face which bloomed and then erupted… she would never have seen me like that.. why she?… No one had seen this me.. This new me…
In my heart of hearts I thanked just one guy…….who had injected this new found impunity into my blood.. no matter he wasn’t around, I still thought he is seeing me.. and when he is seeing me could I be looking the same old crouching and miserable academic potato?
New and improved Sukesh Menon, walked into the grand doors of the kings chamber mercilessly over a burst balloon which didn’t protest , not even for namesake….
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Change the world !!
It was like Mumbai after terror… GIM after the rains looked shattered like and it had to bounce back to life….Anand was more than devastated and kept a low profile. To confess it, at first I felt good, my foul ego was finally satisfied, the one which always felt small when he was around, the one which always felt inferior when he walked, the one which always felt worthless when he talked, the one which always felt no where when he reached his targets in gun shot precision…
Later but, as a couple of days passed and when he stayed back in his cabin and I did in mine, as mobiles never rang and SMS never vibrated out, as intercoms stayed silent and as chat boxes maintained a strange silence, I got disturbed…it was for sure heeding to the fact that he has the spell, a sort of magic in him that changed the world around him.
To hell with my ego…. I mumbled as I walked to his cabin where he sat reading Change the world….and the moment I saw his book I started laughing…
Anand smiled in sadness as if he was sitting on a bed of thorns…
What is happening dear fellow… I asked him as I dragged a chair and sat opposite to him…
He didn’t reply…
Anand… what is your problem? ....I put it directly, as I saw no point in being polite and wandering around…
You really think that I created the havoc…?.... He asked me… I mean by catching the ones who copied???
I had a big chuckle…..
They would have done it the way they did it in any case my dear friend… I said taking his hands in mine and reassuring him….
But here, they have done nothing like that before…. Have they?
But here there was never such a situation before… I said with a smile… did you think about it that way?
He looked as if I was a puzzle and he was a kid trying to unravel it…
I mean… the rains, the power off, it all came together…. and hey in any case you are not the first faculty to catch kids copying… I said with confidence…
But I guess I am the first one to get them to the HQ and preside over their debarring… Anand said and there .... there I got stuck…
He was.. he was the first one to do so… he was right as well… students who copy in exams had to be send out… but to where…?
At GIM that was a big riddle….
I don’t know Suk…. He said with sheer condescension…. I don’t know what next…
I know … I said, half convinced as I had to tell something to cheer up the guy… the savior… the chosen one… the commander in chief of Operation Apple cart…
Right then Jhansi Williams came in with hesitating steps…
Dr Joy wants to meet you… she said with agony dripping from her face as if it was a bad news.. Well it was, but how would she or we know that then unless we had Nostradamus like abilities to predict…
Hmmm Anand… I told him as I got up and prepared to leave… you meet the king and come back… I shall wait …
I was wondering what it could be and why Dr Joy was the caller directly and that was when Jhansi said to me with more anguish in her face and voice…. You too sir.. Both of you in fact…
Did Anand have a flash of smile …? I don’t remember but yes, he felt comfortable at that news… he apparently felt that he was in company ..good or bad better left to time ,to decide….a calm look appeared in his face..
Manohar sat first in the King’s cabin, then the VC who was followed by Dr Joseph the ED .Dr Joy sat in the central chair and they all looked grim and gloomy. I got tense seeing them all together and the actuality that it was for us that the TOP of GIM was waiting for… Dr Jesus was notably absent and that made me uptight even more… Anand sat next to the VC and now the only two chairs that were left were one near Manohar and another one near Dr Joy. I didn’t had much of a choice as Dr Joy signaled me to the one near Manohar….
When is the EMEP programme starting? Dr Joy asked me even before I was settled in my chair…
Well … I formed an answer quickly and tried to present it but words simply refused to move out like a line of cars wedged in a traffic jam….
Whenever you are…. Said the VC…. Please present to us a plan… a detailed item to item proposal… we have planned it meticulously now the execution has to match it….
Sure sir… I said with a smile, reading between the lines of the chanakya… I knew this old man and could conjecture the countless meanings that he would imply for each word he uttered and a smile was my response….
Professor Anand and Professor Sukesh… said Dr Joy when I was about to assume that they had called us for a discussion on EMEP and its implementation…. You are two brilliant teachers at GIM and we need your help at this juncture…
I smiled at the eulogy even as I doubted its authenticity that it came from a man who did it quite often to get his work done… Anand sat with a stoic silence, and no smiles as if he didn’t want the brilliance that was just bestowed upon him….
You know the incidences that happened the other day… said the VC… it is highly condemnable that in a B school like ours, such unruly mob behaviour did happen….
He sounded plain and insincere…. He should have been India’s home minister.. I wrote in my mind as the note pad wasn’t a good idea in such a meeting…
The management but do not want to look hasty.. said Manohar…. We want to go to the roots…. and find out what is the problem….
Now this was getting interesting… this pattern that unfolded… this sequence that looked well rehearsed… this carefully worded mumbo jumbo….
What is the ED going to say? .....that was my worry ..... in any case his is the turn next….
The management has decided to form a faculty panel which will investigate into the happenings and recommend corrective action .. said the ED putting an almost end to the suspense that I had…
Now Anand and me looked left and right as the baton was passed from player one to player two. We looked like viewers in a tennis match….
So my dear friends….said the King with some drama added… We have decided based on various factors that it will be you two under the able guidance of Dr Joseph who will do the job… I wanted you to know this before we announce it.
I didn’t smile, but this time Anand, to my horror was doing it.. he looked as if he had been conferred with the Bharat Ratna and was waiting at the Ashoka hall to get it pinned to his coat…
Stupid fellow… I muttered…..
Wouldn’t you be glad to help GIM in this endeavor?… asked the VC with his eyebrows up, arched in suspicion….
Oh yeah… shouted Anand… it is a privilege…
I didn’t shout but felt the quagmire that we were walking into… Anand with a smile dancing on his blushing face and me with fear flowing out, no matter how hard I tried to control it…
Later but, as a couple of days passed and when he stayed back in his cabin and I did in mine, as mobiles never rang and SMS never vibrated out, as intercoms stayed silent and as chat boxes maintained a strange silence, I got disturbed…it was for sure heeding to the fact that he has the spell, a sort of magic in him that changed the world around him.
To hell with my ego…. I mumbled as I walked to his cabin where he sat reading Change the world….and the moment I saw his book I started laughing…
Anand smiled in sadness as if he was sitting on a bed of thorns…
What is happening dear fellow… I asked him as I dragged a chair and sat opposite to him…
He didn’t reply…
Anand… what is your problem? ....I put it directly, as I saw no point in being polite and wandering around…
You really think that I created the havoc…?.... He asked me… I mean by catching the ones who copied???
I had a big chuckle…..
They would have done it the way they did it in any case my dear friend… I said taking his hands in mine and reassuring him….
But here, they have done nothing like that before…. Have they?
But here there was never such a situation before… I said with a smile… did you think about it that way?
He looked as if I was a puzzle and he was a kid trying to unravel it…
I mean… the rains, the power off, it all came together…. and hey in any case you are not the first faculty to catch kids copying… I said with confidence…
But I guess I am the first one to get them to the HQ and preside over their debarring… Anand said and there .... there I got stuck…
He was.. he was the first one to do so… he was right as well… students who copy in exams had to be send out… but to where…?
At GIM that was a big riddle….
I don’t know Suk…. He said with sheer condescension…. I don’t know what next…
I know … I said, half convinced as I had to tell something to cheer up the guy… the savior… the chosen one… the commander in chief of Operation Apple cart…
Right then Jhansi Williams came in with hesitating steps…
Dr Joy wants to meet you… she said with agony dripping from her face as if it was a bad news.. Well it was, but how would she or we know that then unless we had Nostradamus like abilities to predict…
Hmmm Anand… I told him as I got up and prepared to leave… you meet the king and come back… I shall wait …
I was wondering what it could be and why Dr Joy was the caller directly and that was when Jhansi said to me with more anguish in her face and voice…. You too sir.. Both of you in fact…
Did Anand have a flash of smile …? I don’t remember but yes, he felt comfortable at that news… he apparently felt that he was in company ..good or bad better left to time ,to decide….a calm look appeared in his face..
Manohar sat first in the King’s cabin, then the VC who was followed by Dr Joseph the ED .Dr Joy sat in the central chair and they all looked grim and gloomy. I got tense seeing them all together and the actuality that it was for us that the TOP of GIM was waiting for… Dr Jesus was notably absent and that made me uptight even more… Anand sat next to the VC and now the only two chairs that were left were one near Manohar and another one near Dr Joy. I didn’t had much of a choice as Dr Joy signaled me to the one near Manohar….
When is the EMEP programme starting? Dr Joy asked me even before I was settled in my chair…
Well … I formed an answer quickly and tried to present it but words simply refused to move out like a line of cars wedged in a traffic jam….
Whenever you are…. Said the VC…. Please present to us a plan… a detailed item to item proposal… we have planned it meticulously now the execution has to match it….
Sure sir… I said with a smile, reading between the lines of the chanakya… I knew this old man and could conjecture the countless meanings that he would imply for each word he uttered and a smile was my response….
Professor Anand and Professor Sukesh… said Dr Joy when I was about to assume that they had called us for a discussion on EMEP and its implementation…. You are two brilliant teachers at GIM and we need your help at this juncture…
I smiled at the eulogy even as I doubted its authenticity that it came from a man who did it quite often to get his work done… Anand sat with a stoic silence, and no smiles as if he didn’t want the brilliance that was just bestowed upon him….
You know the incidences that happened the other day… said the VC… it is highly condemnable that in a B school like ours, such unruly mob behaviour did happen….
He sounded plain and insincere…. He should have been India’s home minister.. I wrote in my mind as the note pad wasn’t a good idea in such a meeting…
The management but do not want to look hasty.. said Manohar…. We want to go to the roots…. and find out what is the problem….
Now this was getting interesting… this pattern that unfolded… this sequence that looked well rehearsed… this carefully worded mumbo jumbo….
What is the ED going to say? .....that was my worry ..... in any case his is the turn next….
The management has decided to form a faculty panel which will investigate into the happenings and recommend corrective action .. said the ED putting an almost end to the suspense that I had…
Now Anand and me looked left and right as the baton was passed from player one to player two. We looked like viewers in a tennis match….
So my dear friends….said the King with some drama added… We have decided based on various factors that it will be you two under the able guidance of Dr Joseph who will do the job… I wanted you to know this before we announce it.
I didn’t smile, but this time Anand, to my horror was doing it.. he looked as if he had been conferred with the Bharat Ratna and was waiting at the Ashoka hall to get it pinned to his coat…
Stupid fellow… I muttered…..
Wouldn’t you be glad to help GIM in this endeavor?… asked the VC with his eyebrows up, arched in suspicion….
Oh yeah… shouted Anand… it is a privilege…
I didn’t shout but felt the quagmire that we were walking into… Anand with a smile dancing on his blushing face and me with fear flowing out, no matter how hard I tried to control it…
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Oxymoronica !
Jesus had a double life.. one as the Director of GIM where he ruled over as the crown prince with occasional intercession from Manohar- his brother in law who was also a pretender to the throne, and the other one as an evangelist which was a passion and part time business …
The first role kept him dipped in opulence as he drove around flashy and costly cars, got connected through the latest devices and gizmos, flew in and out of town for no particular reason, spend evenings at hi society clubs to network, was seen in all the big parties with a flashy smile in his face and sizzling wine in his hand…
The second one was just opposite..... where he saw and dealt with poverty- face to face and preached God and his ways to the deprived…drew pictures of God’s mercy and miracle to the destitute and how easy was it to cross the suffering by adopting God by way of the cross…
From day one I was amazed by this balancing act… was he a lavish contradiction in himself or one great marvel that God had created?
An oxymoron that was incomparable, at least to my eyes…
At GIM no one well-liked Jesus as an administrator because he wasn’t one… in fact in his absence things went hassle free but no one did dare tell him the actuality and he got to hear only praise and his court was full of eulogists who composed songs on a daily basis and got rewarded for the same.
I was going through your personal files and CR… Jesus told me that evening when we met accidentally in the elevator …. It is cool … in fact amazing… but I guess you need to start taking writing seriously…
I kept mum… I knew that he likes listeners than talkers ….
Write articles like Professor Ram… or many others… He went on… as an academic if you want long standing it is a must….
I knew that it was true, in spite of the fact that the fact came from the wrong mouth… He knew everything or at least that is what one get to feel when he talks, but if he knew so much then how come he was such a poor administrator ?.. I doubted…
Sukesh …are you listening…?
Yes ….yes sir… In fact even I was thinking the same… this year with classes taking most of my time.. I couldn’t write much…
Oh classes… will be there always… that cannot be a reason for not writing… he cut me mercilessly as he walked out of the lift which had reached the ground floor and quickly turned back to add… I also hear that you have become a bit indifferent these days… I for sure will not believe that…. but be careful… I am not the only one on management…
Jesus had the knack choosing the right words …. He had done his bit…now the worrying job was mine…and damn me the worry box opened even as the lift doors closed with a tense me still trapped inside….
Prof Ram was no longer my consultant during worrying times.. not that I stopped trusting him but that I started receding into my cocoon… it seemed safe but you never know.. Any time a container of boiling water can welcome you… still it was safe as long as no one spotted the cocoon …
I took refuge in the canteen which wore an empty look with the kids away with study holidays and the staff all busy doing nothing in their respective offices….the intelligentsia or the Intellectual Capital which made one of the pillars of a B school would be all busy gossiping , sleeping or doing cut copy and paste research…. After all targets had to be met….
Remember me sir,,,? Came asking a familiar face…..
Oh yeah…. I said… half in delight to have seen a student’s face in a dry lonely canteen and half in embarrassment over my inability to remember student names…
Suhail Khan … he said with a smile… I am specializing in Operations and HR… I had told you once…
Well he had… I remembered.. in the lift again.. some time back….
Yeah yeah… I said with a stupid grin… I promise I will remember you next time…
You bet sir… he retorted …
Can I sit here sir? He asked….
Oh yes please… I invited him…. Have some tea …
I will have your favorite banana fry… he said still happy…
Hey … I asked with open eyes… how do you know that???
Who doesn’t know that sir…? What you are, is not what you think you are… sir… he said as if he was enacting the main role in some philosophical play on stage…. It is what others think you are…
Well I know you are doing HR but that doesn’t mean that you can make a simple banana fry look that complicated… I laughed at my humour …
Suhail khan but refused to laugh…. He sat there with a gaze fixed in my face….
Tell me Suhail… how I can help you?….I asked, in an attempt to take the conversation further…
You cannot help me sir… I don’t know who can but I need some one to help me… I badly need …..he said….
Now I have to admit that I really got tense… students and their affairs at GIM was entirely the HQ’s prerogative and no one meddled in it… no one even listened to it….and even if they did it didn’t make any difference… here I was in the middle of the canteen that hot evening, with a cup of tea and banana fry sitting with this young man who was nothing more than a stranger not knowing what to do next…
I am caught by Dr Jesus every time …. He said with his eyes getting wet….
Caught for what? I asked perplexed…
For all the wrong things… he bewailed
Like for eg…?
Some one was drinking in the hostel.. in some room upstairs…. Last night…. And by about 1. 30 in the night Dr Jesus came for a raid…. Caught many … I didn’t even know the happenings but this morning the story is like I am the leader…. He said in one breath…
1.30 in the night? I wondered….and why such an anti climax… if you were not there…
He started crying like a small kid, at GIM even though that was common....
How I hoped that I didn’t come to the canteen that evening….I knew what he wanted .. I also knew that I couldn’t help it….
My mobile rang… Anand Mohan calling ..it said…..
Hey dude…where are you? came the husky voice as loud as he could yell ,as if I am deaf…
Why? ......I asked in a fit of fury…
Come over ..there is a happy news for you…. He said in mirth and went off air…
The first role kept him dipped in opulence as he drove around flashy and costly cars, got connected through the latest devices and gizmos, flew in and out of town for no particular reason, spend evenings at hi society clubs to network, was seen in all the big parties with a flashy smile in his face and sizzling wine in his hand…
The second one was just opposite..... where he saw and dealt with poverty- face to face and preached God and his ways to the deprived…drew pictures of God’s mercy and miracle to the destitute and how easy was it to cross the suffering by adopting God by way of the cross…
From day one I was amazed by this balancing act… was he a lavish contradiction in himself or one great marvel that God had created?
An oxymoron that was incomparable, at least to my eyes…
At GIM no one well-liked Jesus as an administrator because he wasn’t one… in fact in his absence things went hassle free but no one did dare tell him the actuality and he got to hear only praise and his court was full of eulogists who composed songs on a daily basis and got rewarded for the same.
I was going through your personal files and CR… Jesus told me that evening when we met accidentally in the elevator …. It is cool … in fact amazing… but I guess you need to start taking writing seriously…
I kept mum… I knew that he likes listeners than talkers ….
Write articles like Professor Ram… or many others… He went on… as an academic if you want long standing it is a must….
I knew that it was true, in spite of the fact that the fact came from the wrong mouth… He knew everything or at least that is what one get to feel when he talks, but if he knew so much then how come he was such a poor administrator ?.. I doubted…
Sukesh …are you listening…?
Yes ….yes sir… In fact even I was thinking the same… this year with classes taking most of my time.. I couldn’t write much…
Oh classes… will be there always… that cannot be a reason for not writing… he cut me mercilessly as he walked out of the lift which had reached the ground floor and quickly turned back to add… I also hear that you have become a bit indifferent these days… I for sure will not believe that…. but be careful… I am not the only one on management…
Jesus had the knack choosing the right words …. He had done his bit…now the worrying job was mine…and damn me the worry box opened even as the lift doors closed with a tense me still trapped inside….
Prof Ram was no longer my consultant during worrying times.. not that I stopped trusting him but that I started receding into my cocoon… it seemed safe but you never know.. Any time a container of boiling water can welcome you… still it was safe as long as no one spotted the cocoon …
I took refuge in the canteen which wore an empty look with the kids away with study holidays and the staff all busy doing nothing in their respective offices….the intelligentsia or the Intellectual Capital which made one of the pillars of a B school would be all busy gossiping , sleeping or doing cut copy and paste research…. After all targets had to be met….
Remember me sir,,,? Came asking a familiar face…..
Oh yeah…. I said… half in delight to have seen a student’s face in a dry lonely canteen and half in embarrassment over my inability to remember student names…
Suhail Khan … he said with a smile… I am specializing in Operations and HR… I had told you once…
Well he had… I remembered.. in the lift again.. some time back….
Yeah yeah… I said with a stupid grin… I promise I will remember you next time…
You bet sir… he retorted …
Can I sit here sir? He asked….
Oh yes please… I invited him…. Have some tea …
I will have your favorite banana fry… he said still happy…
Hey … I asked with open eyes… how do you know that???
Who doesn’t know that sir…? What you are, is not what you think you are… sir… he said as if he was enacting the main role in some philosophical play on stage…. It is what others think you are…
Well I know you are doing HR but that doesn’t mean that you can make a simple banana fry look that complicated… I laughed at my humour …
Suhail khan but refused to laugh…. He sat there with a gaze fixed in my face….
Tell me Suhail… how I can help you?….I asked, in an attempt to take the conversation further…
You cannot help me sir… I don’t know who can but I need some one to help me… I badly need …..he said….
Now I have to admit that I really got tense… students and their affairs at GIM was entirely the HQ’s prerogative and no one meddled in it… no one even listened to it….and even if they did it didn’t make any difference… here I was in the middle of the canteen that hot evening, with a cup of tea and banana fry sitting with this young man who was nothing more than a stranger not knowing what to do next…
I am caught by Dr Jesus every time …. He said with his eyes getting wet….
Caught for what? I asked perplexed…
For all the wrong things… he bewailed
Like for eg…?
Some one was drinking in the hostel.. in some room upstairs…. Last night…. And by about 1. 30 in the night Dr Jesus came for a raid…. Caught many … I didn’t even know the happenings but this morning the story is like I am the leader…. He said in one breath…
1.30 in the night? I wondered….and why such an anti climax… if you were not there…
He started crying like a small kid, at GIM even though that was common....
How I hoped that I didn’t come to the canteen that evening….I knew what he wanted .. I also knew that I couldn’t help it….
My mobile rang… Anand Mohan calling ..it said…..
Hey dude…where are you? came the husky voice as loud as he could yell ,as if I am deaf…
Why? ......I asked in a fit of fury…
Come over ..there is a happy news for you…. He said in mirth and went off air…
Friday, September 26, 2008
Intellectual orgasm>> part I
I drove late to office that day. Home pressures and the traffic took a toll and the GIM fortress was the last hurdle. GIM had huge gates that will put even the Buckingham palace to shame manned by security guards, who scan the visitor with their eyes and then with strange tools and equipments .Even the regular staff was not spared from this daily sacrament and people like me who often drove in the last minute to flash the swipe cards at the machine installed at the main entrance were the usual victims of this security drama. I often felt that Dr Joy & co suffered from a bizarre insecurity and a sort of strange diffidence which makes them put up this farce, which made an educational institution look like the main office of the Reserve bank of India.
The incessant banging of horns told me that it was 9 and panic was at its pinnacle. Students rushed in from all corners, the ones with early morning classes from the canteen, others from their hostels, with semi worn ties, a shoe in hand and the lap top bags clinging precariously from their weak shoulders running to reach the main gate..
At 9 the main gate of GIM offers a unique spectacle.. no one recognizes the other fellow… it’s a mad rush… just get in before the time…
As I swiped the card I saw three guys, senior students whom I also taught, with tonsured heads and funny looks, like the three proverbial monkeys standing there with notice boards hung around their necks.
I AM A JOKER, LAUGH AT ME……
It announced piercingly….
I did laugh and so did all and sundry who was rushing in. Hurry didn’t forbid them from stopping for a second to chuckle and then rush to life. I saw Prof Ram talking to them as one of them was sobbing like a kid. I was curious for sure but it was GIM and with Prof Ram investigating I was sure that it was a recipe for trouble. I walked away to the lift to carry myself to my second floor office where the tasks of the day were in waiting for me, with annoyance.
The crowds swell to see the spectacle and the amusement grew with every passing minute as I walked into the lift with drag steps.
I was their teacher and the three guys were good students at MBA, at least in my class.....
WHY?
Why do they have to stand with tonsured head and the funny board?
And why am I so impassionate about them?
I saw Manohar at the second floor when the lift opened, waiting with his gadgets in both the hands, wired and otherwise, earphones and Bluetooth devices dangling from everywhere and he looking like a robot who had escaped from the sets of a techno-psycho thriller….
I knew that he was going down, and in spite of the fact that he was not in charge of students and their affairs, he also did the shouting show, once a while with the students and others( even faculty) just to convey a message that he was also a boss, if not THE boss. This seems to be such a day, I assumed as I ran to my cabin, left my bag there and was decided to scuttle down to see the culmination of the episode, when Sri laxmi walked in.
You know sir… she was coming in with some news…
Ya I know I saw the jamboree downstairs...... I said with a smile…
Oh what happened downstairs..? she blinked and fluttered her eyes.. Yes! the same set of beautiful eyes…
Ohh what are you then talking about… ? I exclaimed
ED … what is your opinion about the ED…? She posed a question…
This time I blinked …with my dull eyes… the question was tricky and my verbosity wasn’t helping me much….
Dr Joseph , the ED , was the point of discussion . For me he represented the loyal group, who saw the king as God and his son as God’s gift to man kind, and his son in law as a wizard and saviour, adored the family dispensation that ran the place, accredited the fact that here management and ownership was the same and blissfully confused between both…he was the living face of the management hegemony or whatever you call it.. a smart ass who knew to lick the right ones and grease the accurate points… . He was a stooge as per critics, but for me a survivor, and OK OK teacher but who cared for teaching skills at GIM, if you knew how to endure….!!!
You didn’t give me a reply… she persisted…
I don’t know ..I fumbled.. in what context are you asking?…
Do you think he has this special ..you know… this … attraction to women?
WHAT? I reacted quite loud and it didn’t matter.. we were the only people in the faculty room…
Do you think so? She insisted.. she wasn’t any longer the innocent girl who ran from the MBA class room unable to manage the subject and its subjects…
You want me to say yes or no? I asked with a smile, disguising my confusion as to why she was quizzing me on something about which I had no clue about…
Your choice.. she retorted…
If he has... you think you can woo him and survive here? I asked with a wicked smile that came easily in my miserable face
How dare you ..she almost shouted at my suggestiveness …
Then why the hell? You think I don’t have any work here than this…?
There is a reason sir… she said in a unruffled calm voice…he is not all that good,,,
Well I had no disputes… no disputes at all… no one said, I never said.. not even he would have claimed that he is good.. he was not an angel… no one was ..to survive everyone played games and for them they were right… ethics and morality was subject to the theory of relativity ..yet again and… always!!! but then women... I was'nt sure...
He tried to grab my hand today.. inside his toilet… she said as my eyes popped out, and mouth remained open for a long long minute…
Obviously first question was “what were you doing in his toilet?” but before opening that I needed to close my mouth….
The incessant banging of horns told me that it was 9 and panic was at its pinnacle. Students rushed in from all corners, the ones with early morning classes from the canteen, others from their hostels, with semi worn ties, a shoe in hand and the lap top bags clinging precariously from their weak shoulders running to reach the main gate..
At 9 the main gate of GIM offers a unique spectacle.. no one recognizes the other fellow… it’s a mad rush… just get in before the time…
As I swiped the card I saw three guys, senior students whom I also taught, with tonsured heads and funny looks, like the three proverbial monkeys standing there with notice boards hung around their necks.
I AM A JOKER, LAUGH AT ME……
It announced piercingly….
I did laugh and so did all and sundry who was rushing in. Hurry didn’t forbid them from stopping for a second to chuckle and then rush to life. I saw Prof Ram talking to them as one of them was sobbing like a kid. I was curious for sure but it was GIM and with Prof Ram investigating I was sure that it was a recipe for trouble. I walked away to the lift to carry myself to my second floor office where the tasks of the day were in waiting for me, with annoyance.
The crowds swell to see the spectacle and the amusement grew with every passing minute as I walked into the lift with drag steps.
I was their teacher and the three guys were good students at MBA, at least in my class.....
WHY?
Why do they have to stand with tonsured head and the funny board?
And why am I so impassionate about them?
I saw Manohar at the second floor when the lift opened, waiting with his gadgets in both the hands, wired and otherwise, earphones and Bluetooth devices dangling from everywhere and he looking like a robot who had escaped from the sets of a techno-psycho thriller….
I knew that he was going down, and in spite of the fact that he was not in charge of students and their affairs, he also did the shouting show, once a while with the students and others( even faculty) just to convey a message that he was also a boss, if not THE boss. This seems to be such a day, I assumed as I ran to my cabin, left my bag there and was decided to scuttle down to see the culmination of the episode, when Sri laxmi walked in.
You know sir… she was coming in with some news…
Ya I know I saw the jamboree downstairs...... I said with a smile…
Oh what happened downstairs..? she blinked and fluttered her eyes.. Yes! the same set of beautiful eyes…
Ohh what are you then talking about… ? I exclaimed
ED … what is your opinion about the ED…? She posed a question…
This time I blinked …with my dull eyes… the question was tricky and my verbosity wasn’t helping me much….
Dr Joseph , the ED , was the point of discussion . For me he represented the loyal group, who saw the king as God and his son as God’s gift to man kind, and his son in law as a wizard and saviour, adored the family dispensation that ran the place, accredited the fact that here management and ownership was the same and blissfully confused between both…he was the living face of the management hegemony or whatever you call it.. a smart ass who knew to lick the right ones and grease the accurate points… . He was a stooge as per critics, but for me a survivor, and OK OK teacher but who cared for teaching skills at GIM, if you knew how to endure….!!!
You didn’t give me a reply… she persisted…
I don’t know ..I fumbled.. in what context are you asking?…
Do you think he has this special ..you know… this … attraction to women?
WHAT? I reacted quite loud and it didn’t matter.. we were the only people in the faculty room…
Do you think so? She insisted.. she wasn’t any longer the innocent girl who ran from the MBA class room unable to manage the subject and its subjects…
You want me to say yes or no? I asked with a smile, disguising my confusion as to why she was quizzing me on something about which I had no clue about…
Your choice.. she retorted…
If he has... you think you can woo him and survive here? I asked with a wicked smile that came easily in my miserable face
How dare you ..she almost shouted at my suggestiveness …
Then why the hell? You think I don’t have any work here than this…?
There is a reason sir… she said in a unruffled calm voice…he is not all that good,,,
Well I had no disputes… no disputes at all… no one said, I never said.. not even he would have claimed that he is good.. he was not an angel… no one was ..to survive everyone played games and for them they were right… ethics and morality was subject to the theory of relativity ..yet again and… always!!! but then women... I was'nt sure...
He tried to grab my hand today.. inside his toilet… she said as my eyes popped out, and mouth remained open for a long long minute…
Obviously first question was “what were you doing in his toilet?” but before opening that I needed to close my mouth….
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
The king is naked !!!
Manohar and Dr Jesus had one thing in common !!!!
Their passion for the latest gizmos and costly apparels, flashy cars and pens to flaunt, and more importantly... air travel...... Dr Joy seemed to be enjoying the flamboyancy which his son and son in law picked up as the family got richer and richer, year after year with MBA aspirants and their hopeful parents flocking with bags of money...... The father had pride written all over his face when ever some one(rarely though) praised him about his egotic son and his erronous son in law....he knew that they were bad and had a fear in his mind as to what will happen when his days are over...Their quarrels and mutual apathy gave him sleepless nights and peace of mind simply eluded him ,no matter how much money he had in his coffers and how many cars he had in his garrage....It is there he heavily depended on the astuteness of the likes of Subramaniam Iyer the VC, not that he was any less in sneak and craft but he trusted VC's abilities more than his own...
It was such a day when Dr Jesus was away on a trip to Mumbai (Bombay) for rrrrr...well... why and for what, no one knew, for Dr Jesus or nattu as the kids called him was the crown prince and no one dared to ask him where he is flying to... Dr Jesus was away and Prof Ram had made a detailed letter as to how to change and make GIM a respectable place and discussed it with a couple of us in the faculty office... I for sure kept mum inspite of the painful and pricky facts that glared and stared at my consciousness from all across the 16 page document,and felt bad at my insouciance ..... I couldnt help it- the pseudo loyal that I was,,,,
The rebel was ready with his 16 page weapon and called madam secretary from his intercom to fix an appointment with the Director .......
But sir Dr Jesus is not in town.... said the proud lady..... he is not expected to be in for another three four days...
Oh ..where is he then .?...asked Prof Ram...
Ha... a supercilious gasp was the reply... I am sorry sir, I cannot tell that to you...
Prof Ram turned to me and mangled while he banged the receiver back to the cradle...This is a funny place..... the director is out and even that is a secret... I guess I would be metting Dr Joy and giving him the letter which I have written...
Sir there are things which we cant change...it is their place... I said unconvincingly .... either be with them or go away..there is not a third choice...
You are talking like George bush.. shouted Prof Ram... it is not THEIR place... it is OUR place... employees should feel that it is their place, then only organisations would excel... what you told me now is an indication..you feel that it is their place and you have no role in building GIM...
I sat there staring at the old mans face.. for me what the grand old man of GIM was saying was sense( absolute sense) but again from his angle Prof Ram could say it.... others could not...at least I could not..
Call it cowardice ..call it despondency.... I didnt care... well...
Did I? I guess I did but I couldnt help it...
Your job is not just teaching and taking home the salary check which Joy or Jesus signs at the end of every month.. you are in a process of making future managers... in a way making talents... moulding the nation...Prof Ram thundered and the common room and its occupants sat dazed....
And when they treat you like a whore...? joined some one else, presumabily unable to resist the temptation to join....
We teach management... but dont practice it and that is the content of this letter ...said Prof Ram as he threw a bunch of papers into the table...
The ones with grey hairs, stroke them .....some read it again and some smiled as they read the long letter,again and again while I was wriggling in discomfort at the whole episode....
YES...I told my self... I would want GIM to change.... realise that change is an inevitable reality.... and would be happy at such change, but would be happier if I could retain MY JOB....
Wonderful ....said another Prof ,with admiration after reading it....how I hope that they open their eyes....
Prof Ram smiled.... I will tell them... I will tell the king that he is nude and he really looks ugly.... some one will have to tell... when the young refuses to go for war the old have to...
Getting the dig that was a projectile aimed at me and my likes in GIM I stood up......
You can Sir....for me my life is only begining... I cannot simply stand in the street....
You call it life..? at your age you should be at a place where they respect your intellect..... not where they suck your blood and pretend to be ignorant of it...why at your age.. at any age... Prof Ram went on ....
I walked away to my cabin upset of the development and afraid of the news ,that the omnipresent spy racket is going to carry to the HQ, with addition and substraction, with spices added... I was afraid of the whole system..
It was a dubious system by design ..now by default it was getting even more dirtier ....
Their passion for the latest gizmos and costly apparels, flashy cars and pens to flaunt, and more importantly... air travel...... Dr Joy seemed to be enjoying the flamboyancy which his son and son in law picked up as the family got richer and richer, year after year with MBA aspirants and their hopeful parents flocking with bags of money...... The father had pride written all over his face when ever some one(rarely though) praised him about his egotic son and his erronous son in law....he knew that they were bad and had a fear in his mind as to what will happen when his days are over...Their quarrels and mutual apathy gave him sleepless nights and peace of mind simply eluded him ,no matter how much money he had in his coffers and how many cars he had in his garrage....It is there he heavily depended on the astuteness of the likes of Subramaniam Iyer the VC, not that he was any less in sneak and craft but he trusted VC's abilities more than his own...
It was such a day when Dr Jesus was away on a trip to Mumbai (Bombay) for rrrrr...well... why and for what, no one knew, for Dr Jesus or nattu as the kids called him was the crown prince and no one dared to ask him where he is flying to... Dr Jesus was away and Prof Ram had made a detailed letter as to how to change and make GIM a respectable place and discussed it with a couple of us in the faculty office... I for sure kept mum inspite of the painful and pricky facts that glared and stared at my consciousness from all across the 16 page document,and felt bad at my insouciance ..... I couldnt help it- the pseudo loyal that I was,,,,
The rebel was ready with his 16 page weapon and called madam secretary from his intercom to fix an appointment with the Director .......
But sir Dr Jesus is not in town.... said the proud lady..... he is not expected to be in for another three four days...
Oh ..where is he then .?...asked Prof Ram...
Ha... a supercilious gasp was the reply... I am sorry sir, I cannot tell that to you...
Prof Ram turned to me and mangled while he banged the receiver back to the cradle...This is a funny place..... the director is out and even that is a secret... I guess I would be metting Dr Joy and giving him the letter which I have written...
Sir there are things which we cant change...it is their place... I said unconvincingly .... either be with them or go away..there is not a third choice...
You are talking like George bush.. shouted Prof Ram... it is not THEIR place... it is OUR place... employees should feel that it is their place, then only organisations would excel... what you told me now is an indication..you feel that it is their place and you have no role in building GIM...
I sat there staring at the old mans face.. for me what the grand old man of GIM was saying was sense( absolute sense) but again from his angle Prof Ram could say it.... others could not...at least I could not..
Call it cowardice ..call it despondency.... I didnt care... well...
Did I? I guess I did but I couldnt help it...
Your job is not just teaching and taking home the salary check which Joy or Jesus signs at the end of every month.. you are in a process of making future managers... in a way making talents... moulding the nation...Prof Ram thundered and the common room and its occupants sat dazed....
And when they treat you like a whore...? joined some one else, presumabily unable to resist the temptation to join....
We teach management... but dont practice it and that is the content of this letter ...said Prof Ram as he threw a bunch of papers into the table...
The ones with grey hairs, stroke them .....some read it again and some smiled as they read the long letter,again and again while I was wriggling in discomfort at the whole episode....
YES...I told my self... I would want GIM to change.... realise that change is an inevitable reality.... and would be happy at such change, but would be happier if I could retain MY JOB....
Wonderful ....said another Prof ,with admiration after reading it....how I hope that they open their eyes....
Prof Ram smiled.... I will tell them... I will tell the king that he is nude and he really looks ugly.... some one will have to tell... when the young refuses to go for war the old have to...
Getting the dig that was a projectile aimed at me and my likes in GIM I stood up......
You can Sir....for me my life is only begining... I cannot simply stand in the street....
You call it life..? at your age you should be at a place where they respect your intellect..... not where they suck your blood and pretend to be ignorant of it...why at your age.. at any age... Prof Ram went on ....
I walked away to my cabin upset of the development and afraid of the news ,that the omnipresent spy racket is going to carry to the HQ, with addition and substraction, with spices added... I was afraid of the whole system..
It was a dubious system by design ..now by default it was getting even more dirtier ....
Monday, September 1, 2008
Tug Of War !!!
Dr Joseph was glued to the telephone when the guest walked in with firm steps, a lavish smile and an extended hand of friendship. I was sitting opposite to him with a couple of other colleagues and was about to begin a syllabus review process which was a regular exercise that we undertook at the B school to make sure that we taught what the industry wanted.. whether we actually did it is a different question altogether and can be seen later.....
Yes sir.. will do sir.. no sir.... ok sir.... he kept on saying mechanically and kept the phone....
You look pale and shocked... said Gupta who walked in and didnt bother even to acknowledge the presence of two three others in the room....... For him we were like invisible or some lesser mortals who didnt have the right to exist....
Did I walk in at the wrong time? he enquired...
well no... said Dr Joseph with a sheepish smile...... absolutely not.....but I am afraid you may have to go to the guest house now... and let us begin fresh tomorrow morning...
Cool with me ....said Gupta.... and in any case im here direct from the airport.. would like to have some rest...
As Gupta was packed off,Dr Joseph started sweating as if he has just seen a ghost and told us that the syllabus review can wait and then ran out of the faculty room to the VC's office.......
You will have to help me sir..... he lamented as he almost fell into a chair at the VC's room......There is a man who have come from Delhi on Mr Manohars invitation and we are putting him as a soft skills trainer....
mmmm....mumbled VC who was writing something on a notepad and didnt raise his head to look at the expressions that bloomed at the ED's face.
Sharma of AICTE has recommended him and you know Sharma....continued Dr Joseph......that is why Manohar wants...
And Jesus has told you that Gupta cannot and will not train the students here.. right?......asked VC this time, putting his notepad on to the table...
Dr Joseph smiled in astonishment, for a second, and then out a releif over the realisation that this man who knew the GIM family better than he knew his own, could solve this puzzle as well....
Valmiki gupta went on with his softskills training and the ED was caught in the tussle between the son and the son in law, both directors at GIM .Dr Joseph played his cards safe as per the VC's directives and made sure that he wasnt hurt in the bizarre tug of war between the two power centers at GIM . Jesus was angry and the VC brokered a deal between both the parties, in the Kings chamber and a temporary cease fire was declared... Truce it was but Dr Joseph the ED ,knew that it was just a matter of time before it flared up again.... But for the time being he was happy and thankful to one man...... The VC.. shrewd to the core and a master manipulator he was....
Half the time he spend unravelling such quagmires......Rest half he spend crafting new problems so that he could solve them...........
Yes sir.. will do sir.. no sir.... ok sir.... he kept on saying mechanically and kept the phone....
You look pale and shocked... said Gupta who walked in and didnt bother even to acknowledge the presence of two three others in the room....... For him we were like invisible or some lesser mortals who didnt have the right to exist....
Did I walk in at the wrong time? he enquired...
well no... said Dr Joseph with a sheepish smile...... absolutely not.....but I am afraid you may have to go to the guest house now... and let us begin fresh tomorrow morning...
Cool with me ....said Gupta.... and in any case im here direct from the airport.. would like to have some rest...
As Gupta was packed off,Dr Joseph started sweating as if he has just seen a ghost and told us that the syllabus review can wait and then ran out of the faculty room to the VC's office.......
You will have to help me sir..... he lamented as he almost fell into a chair at the VC's room......There is a man who have come from Delhi on Mr Manohars invitation and we are putting him as a soft skills trainer....
mmmm....mumbled VC who was writing something on a notepad and didnt raise his head to look at the expressions that bloomed at the ED's face.
Sharma of AICTE has recommended him and you know Sharma....continued Dr Joseph......that is why Manohar wants...
And Jesus has told you that Gupta cannot and will not train the students here.. right?......asked VC this time, putting his notepad on to the table...
Dr Joseph smiled in astonishment, for a second, and then out a releif over the realisation that this man who knew the GIM family better than he knew his own, could solve this puzzle as well....
Valmiki gupta went on with his softskills training and the ED was caught in the tussle between the son and the son in law, both directors at GIM .Dr Joseph played his cards safe as per the VC's directives and made sure that he wasnt hurt in the bizarre tug of war between the two power centers at GIM . Jesus was angry and the VC brokered a deal between both the parties, in the Kings chamber and a temporary cease fire was declared... Truce it was but Dr Joseph the ED ,knew that it was just a matter of time before it flared up again.... But for the time being he was happy and thankful to one man...... The VC.. shrewd to the core and a master manipulator he was....
Half the time he spend unravelling such quagmires......Rest half he spend crafting new problems so that he could solve them...........
Friday, August 29, 2008
Juvenile delinquency..
The man was tall, cool and handsome. He almost walked like a model into the long corridors of GIM, confidently into the HQ where the top brass lived.I was just coming out after a meeting with Jesus, where he cracked jokes, shared thoughts and entertained me and a couple of my co prof's who would be organising an industry interaction effort......Madam secretary was not on her seat when he arrived at the HQ reception..... He waited for a while and then took his mobile phone out and rang up some one....
Mr Manohar.... he smiled and smoothly whispered, as if to his girls ears.... I am Valmiki Gupta from Mumbai, hope Mr Sharma of AICTE has spoken to you about me.....
Silence....
Yes I am outside your office,but very well inside GIM, lost in the spectacle... continued Gupta...
A glass door opened and came out Mr Manohar, who was another Director of the B school,not in charge of academics, which Dr Jesus took care of , but in charge of quality assurance and overseas relations.
Manohar ,was the son in law of Dr Joy,whom his daughter had wed after an embattled love life which her father and brother was opposed to. Manohar was Hindu, who was a blot in the evangelist family who could convince others to adopt the way of the cross but their own son in law was an exception and a glaring one...... Manohar and his wife lived in the US for sometime where he ran his own software firm which became big and big and burst one day in the bubble burst. His love for his daughter made Dr Joy carve an office for his son in law, out of nothing and from nowhere....and make him seated in the same HQ where he sat with his son in a cabin adjacent and VC next to it...
Yes Mr Gupta..... welcome welcome... thundered Manohar as he walked out of his office with arms thrown open to receive the seemingly elite guest. After the exchange of pleasantaries they sat in Manohars plush office, every corner of which vied for attention.
I should tell you that you have a beautiful campus and a very charming office... said Gupta
Manohar flashed a smile, a rare one which when he does probably made hearts flutter and made the rise of the son in law to the nucleus of the GIM empire...
That is what everyone says....blushed Manohar.... and the credit goes to the visionary Dr Joy who happens to be my Father In Law.....
Oh ! I did not know that....Gupta looked apologetic even when he did smile and Manohar returned it with a you- better -know- it- you- ass smile....
The two proceeded onto a discussion which lasted some minutes, most of it for mutual admiration and to the fag end for actual business.
Now shall I proceed into my assignment? asked Gupta
I wish you a happy week ahead and hope that after your training our students and their soft skills will get polished up... said Manohar as he stood up to bid farewell...
Wouldnt you be checking my credentials?.... asked Gupta
Mr Sharma says and that is the best credential as far as GIM is concerned......smiled Manohar, this time business man like, adopting it fully from his father in law.......You can meet Dr Joseph our executive director in the second floor, who will let you know the plans for the week.
As Valmiki Gupta walked out, Manohar picked up the intercom and in haste dialled Dr Joseph and told him that the guest is coming , dialled another number,held for a while and then kept the receiver impatiently back to the cradle. He took a piece of paper and wrote....
"Daddy,
Valmiki gupta is here and I have decided to use him as the soft skills trainer for the next one week. Dr Joseph is being asked to take care of. I would be happy and thankful if you can ask Jesus to keep away from this....
Manohar
****************************************************
Mr Manohar.... he smiled and smoothly whispered, as if to his girls ears.... I am Valmiki Gupta from Mumbai, hope Mr Sharma of AICTE has spoken to you about me.....
Silence....
Yes I am outside your office,but very well inside GIM, lost in the spectacle... continued Gupta...
A glass door opened and came out Mr Manohar, who was another Director of the B school,not in charge of academics, which Dr Jesus took care of , but in charge of quality assurance and overseas relations.
Manohar ,was the son in law of Dr Joy,whom his daughter had wed after an embattled love life which her father and brother was opposed to. Manohar was Hindu, who was a blot in the evangelist family who could convince others to adopt the way of the cross but their own son in law was an exception and a glaring one...... Manohar and his wife lived in the US for sometime where he ran his own software firm which became big and big and burst one day in the bubble burst. His love for his daughter made Dr Joy carve an office for his son in law, out of nothing and from nowhere....and make him seated in the same HQ where he sat with his son in a cabin adjacent and VC next to it...
Yes Mr Gupta..... welcome welcome... thundered Manohar as he walked out of his office with arms thrown open to receive the seemingly elite guest. After the exchange of pleasantaries they sat in Manohars plush office, every corner of which vied for attention.
I should tell you that you have a beautiful campus and a very charming office... said Gupta
Manohar flashed a smile, a rare one which when he does probably made hearts flutter and made the rise of the son in law to the nucleus of the GIM empire...
That is what everyone says....blushed Manohar.... and the credit goes to the visionary Dr Joy who happens to be my Father In Law.....
Oh ! I did not know that....Gupta looked apologetic even when he did smile and Manohar returned it with a you- better -know- it- you- ass smile....
The two proceeded onto a discussion which lasted some minutes, most of it for mutual admiration and to the fag end for actual business.
Now shall I proceed into my assignment? asked Gupta
I wish you a happy week ahead and hope that after your training our students and their soft skills will get polished up... said Manohar as he stood up to bid farewell...
Wouldnt you be checking my credentials?.... asked Gupta
Mr Sharma says and that is the best credential as far as GIM is concerned......smiled Manohar, this time business man like, adopting it fully from his father in law.......You can meet Dr Joseph our executive director in the second floor, who will let you know the plans for the week.
As Valmiki Gupta walked out, Manohar picked up the intercom and in haste dialled Dr Joseph and told him that the guest is coming , dialled another number,held for a while and then kept the receiver impatiently back to the cradle. He took a piece of paper and wrote....
"Daddy,
Valmiki gupta is here and I have decided to use him as the soft skills trainer for the next one week. Dr Joseph is being asked to take care of. I would be happy and thankful if you can ask Jesus to keep away from this....
Manohar
****************************************************
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