STRESS, SUCCESS AND EVERYTHING IN-BETWEENThe Highs and Lows of A Woman’s Journey in the Corporate World
CARE: This is Chapter 9 of my book Stress, Success and Everything In-Between. These are individual anecdotes but to understand the professional journey in totality, I would recommend reading the book from Chapter 01 onwards.
It
was the first week of July 1971, and I was packing my bag for returning to
Delhi after spending two months of summer vacation with my parents in Lucknow.
My father stepped into the room and asked me casually, “I recall you had
appeared for an interview at some Bank? Has the result come?”
“I
don’t know,” I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly and continued folding the
clothes to pack my suitcase.
“Which
Bank was that?” He inquired.
“I
had appeared for an interview for the Reserve Bank of India in Delhi and
a public sector bank in Kanpur. I might not have qualified for the
interview.” I sounded casual. Our conversation had to stop as I was getting
late, and my brother was already waiting in the car to drive me down to the
railway station.
Come
October, I was back in Lucknow to enjoy the two-week-long Dushehra vacation,
which whizzed past, and soon it was time for me to return to Delhi. But just before that, one fine morning,
the postman delivered two registered letters at the same time, one from the
Reserve Bank of India asking me to report at their Delhi office to join as
Staff Officer Grade I, and the other from a public sector bank, appointing
me as a Probationary Officer and asking me to report at the Bank’s Staff
Training Centre at Mahanagar in Lucknow on the 22nd of November 1971.
Suddenly, there was a problem of plenty, and I had to choose between the two banks. My father was inclined toward my joining the Reserve Bank of India as it was a government organisation. But I, with my new-found wisdom, argued that RBI was a flat and stagnant organisation, and it may not provide me much scope for upward movement. In contrast, the public sector bank was in an expansion overdrive, opening new branches wherever they could find a 10’X10’ space. This would mean faster upward movement. This bank was also a global entity, and there could be opportunities to see various parts of the world. My mother agreed with me as she silently thought that this bank had branches in every centre and that I could always be posted with my husband when I get married, whichever service he may be in. The dye was cast in favour of the public sector bank.
*****
 |
| In Search of My Identity |
As
soon as I returned to Delhi, I handed over my resignation to the Administrative
Officer of the college. The news of my submitting the resignation spread like
wildfire, and everyone in the college was stunned. Dr Raj Wadhwa, the
Principal, summoned me and expressed concern over my hasty and mindless
decision. She counselled me earnestly, “Look, Ranjana. For a woman, the
teaching profession, and that too in a college, is the best job ever. It will
provide you ample free time for your family. Multiple vacations coinciding with
children’s holidays are what every woman wants, and you will get them here. You
are not married now, but you will be married and have a family one day. In this
job, there will not be any separation from the family as there are no transfers
to far-off places, and life is really comfortable. Even the working hours are
limited, and you will have all the time in the world for your family when you
have one.”
For two hours, she tried to persuade me to take my resignation back. I listened to all the well-meaning advice, mulled over it and realised that I had started feeling guilty about receiving a princely sum of Rs 865 per month without doing much work, for eating samosas and shopping and watching movies. I was fresh from college and had been a hard-working student. I knew the subject like the back of my palm. Be it the political thoughts of Hobbes, Locke or Rousseau or the Fundamental Rights and Duties of the Citizens under the Indian Constitution, everything flowed effortlessly from my mouth. I never had to prepare for the lectures. Checking tutorials and assignments was a breeze. But I dreaded the idea of teaching the same subjects year after year repeatedly for the next 40 years. I was only 20 years old then and certainly needed more challenges in life. Lack of challenge, and fear of impending stagnation, combined with a powerful yearning to explore newer pastures, prodded me to move forward. Despite Dr Wadhwa’s well-meaning advice, I did not budge an inch. I had already made up my mind.
Finally,
she gave up, “You will repent your decision when you get married one day and
have a family.” I paid no heed to her: I was overpowered by a strong desire to
do something big, not just a job.
Needless
to add, I recalled her words many a time later in life whenever there was a
conflict between my domestic responsibilities and the call of duty.
The
students also approached me in groups and individually, pleading with me not to
leave. They perhaps liked my simple style and appeared to be fond of me. The
students had tears in their eyes. Yet my heart would not melt.
My friend Neeta too was deeply concerned for me. She tried to persuade me to continue my teaching career and explained all the drawbacks of working in a bank. As usual, she was well-informed. Her fiancé worked in the same bank and often told her all the gory details of daily confrontations the staff in the branch had with the manager. She told me that the trade unions in the bank were simply belligerent. They would not miss any opportunity to humiliate the officers on the flimsiest grounds. But would I heed any well-intentioned advice? What is life if it is bereft of challenges, I thought.
I had realised that I was in search of my identity. I also understood that my potential might not be fully realised through my role as a college lecturer. A strange restlessness was compelling me to move ahead. And I was struggling like a butterfly trying to break free from its cocoon. Hard work never deterred me. And I was yearning to move forward as a careerist. Brimming with energy, I was confident that no challenge could ever cow me down.
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