Next day, the PA to the Vice Chairman pressed the intercom
“Sir, trade union secretary is here to meet you,
As per the appointment given last week
Shall I show him in, Sir?”
“Yes Stella. But be sure, no one else follows him
Don’t send anybody else here
Until he is packed off”.
Mr. Sunder lingam entered the chamber
With a garland and a lemon
And saying hello, sat on the chair
Comfortably, with all smile written on his face
The Vice Chairman remained quiet, looking pale
“Sir, I have come not to press our
Series of representations delivered during the
Last four years.
Thanks to amendments in the federal law
They are automatically, taken care of by
Human rights bodies and consumer organization.
My visit is just to congratulate you
For making our union and also the
White collars union very strong,
By all your acts, words, deeds and kindly gestures.
Under your regime, all cases have gone against administration.
We have become the laughing stood/stock of the nation
Everyone is enjoying belly laughter
At our expense.
The Vice Chairman lost his cool and thundered
“Mr Sunder lingam, we know you are
The main fulcrum around which
Everything devastating comes out
And hit me like a missile
Because of you
We have lost all our legal battle
Don’t test my patience
I have all the powers under my belt
I can suspend you just like that
The Association Secretary who was only a clerk
Sat like a saint
Before the mighty king, with all
Stoic smile, now more radiant
Making his black face more beautiful.
“Mr Vice Chairman you are thoroughly mistaken”.
There is an ancient Tamil poetry
Good and bad things do not stem from others
One can only reap what one sows
How can a clerk or President of officers
Trouble you? Can any worker dare to attack a
Good Vice Chairman? A good leader?
You are my superior officer, not my employer
My employer is God/the Head Office Chief in New Delhi
Why do you blame me for your problem?
“Did I advice you to enter into an MOU with
Animal rights organization?
Did I ask you appoint yourself as
The chief of office Politics and
Vitiate the entire corporate atmosphere?
Did I give scholarly advice to humiliate and insult
The leader of dalit community at recruitment board of our company?
“I thought after court verdict, you would
Regain a sense of lost balance and judgment
Now I know the interior of an apple can never be
Guaranteed good. You were never good
And honest in your life . At any stage in life.
By accident you have risen to a
Top position in the company
But therafter failed to evolve as a
Leader, commander, guardian and
Custodian of our great organization.
I would go and tell your PA
To type my suspension order
That penal action will give me
Breathing time to polish my core competence.
The chief was stunned by clerk’s courage
Clarity of thought, the utter brutality of Truth
And authencity of facts, and above all
His excellent presentation.
Hiding his sense of embarrassment
Unease and guilt conscience
He virtually begged him and pleaded;
The threatening tone had lost its
Tenor and violence
Wearing a smile of a whore
(Courteousy: Prabanjans short story)
On his charming face, the
Vice-Chairman addressed:
“Don’t I know Mr. Sunderalingam?
Your goodness and good intentioned petitions
Had I paid heed, I would not have
Faced this humiliating defeat.
I was just kidding you and joking
By talking about suspension.
I shall now obey the court order
But I am scared of facing the board meeting
Your friends will unmask all my wrong doing.
How can I forget and forgive
All hate campaign against me?”
Sir, nobody is hating you as a person
They have only questioned your illegal
Biased and wrong acts in our company.
Let’s unwind all illegitimate acts
In the final leg of your journey
You must go with peace, poise and grace.
Enforce work discipline. Make people attend
Office and also ensure they sit at the
Desk/computer and work.
Confess your crime and seek pardon.
Let’s forget the past as closed chapter
A paradigm shift is absolutely imperative
For inculcation of rationality, neutrality
Objectivity and even handed appraisal of
Personalities on the basis of actual seniority
And more important “real work”
Done by real workers in our firm
“Thank you Sunderlingam
You talk sense. You are my real
Well-wisher and friend
Thus far, I was under some addiction,
Delusion, a kind of illusion
You have given me a new revelation
We shall convene a special core group meeting
Kindly ensure that you and your friends
Agree whole heartedly
To help me come out of the mess
Once and for all
We will all concentrate on “real work”
Hence forward.
(From my Dateless Diary: A Silent Soliloquy)
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