STRESS, SUCCESS AND EVERYTHING IN-BETWEENThe Highs and Lows of A Woman’s Journey in the Corporate World
CARE: This is Chapter 27 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 right from Chapter 01 onwards.
It was a routine day, with business as usual in the branch. I glanced out through the transparent glass window of my cabin. The banking hall was bustling with activity and resonating with a cacophony of voices. The thought of getting up from the chair to take a round of the hall crossed my mind, but before I got up, the messenger walked in with a thick envelope from the Head Office. He took out a bunch of letters and put them on my table. As I started going through those letters, the door opened abruptly, and a dozen disgruntled customers barged in.
“There is no one at the drafts issue counter for almost half an hour. How long are we supposed to wait?” One of them demanded in an agitated tone. Others joined him in the commotion. They definitely had reason to be upset.
I left the letters from the
Head Office on my table and came out of my cabin to check the position
personally. Noticing that Anil Wadhawan (name changed to protect his identity), the clerk on the draft issue desk, was
missing from there, I promptly asked Lakshmi (name changed to protect her identity), my personal assistant, to leave
whatever she was doing and attend to the customers on the Draft Issue counter. The
next step was to check the whereabouts of Anil.
“Where is Anil?” I asked
loudly, addressing no one in particular.
Jugmani Thapa (name changed to protect his identity), the
messenger, instantly shared in a hushed tone, “Anil Shaab is in the
bashement.”
“What is he doing there at
this time?” I was irritated.
Jugmani again whispered,
“Madam ji, he is shleeping.”
I was worked up to learn
of this unbecoming act of Anil and resolutely walked down the stairs to
confront him. As the head of the Bank branch, I could not accept outright
neglect of duty by a staff member. As I approached the basement, I was furious
seeing Anil sprawled on the sofa meant for the customers waiting to operate
their lockers. He had folded his left arm and placed it on his forehead.
“Anil! What is going on?
You are lying here, and the poor customers are waiting in the hall. What the
heck is your problem?” I could not control my temper.
 |
| Image Courtesy Bing AI |
He continued staring into oblivion. After a few minutes of watching the floor and struggling to step out of his stupor, he slowly uttered, “No, Madam. I was not sleeping. I am unable to sleep. I actually did not sleep the whole of last night. Why last night alone, I have not been able to sleep for several nights.”
It suddenly flashed that there was something wrong with this otherwise sincere and hard-working employee. What could be bothering him so badly? My tone softened, and I asked him gently, “What has happened, Anil?”
“Madam, I do not know what
to say and what to do. My head is spinning, and I am confused,” he sat down,
holding his head in his hands and staring at the floor. Was he crying?
“I do not know if it can
help, but would you like to share your burden with me, Anil?”
“My parents are forcing me
to get married,” he said trying to hide the tears in his glistening eyes.
“So? What is wrong with
that? Why do you look so upset about it? Is it not nice?” I could not contain
my smile.
“I am not against
marriage. But my parents are asking me to…. to get married to …to my
sister-in-law.” He uttered, halting between the words.
“Marry your sister-in-law?
Big joke! But why with your sister-in-law of all the women in the world?”
“You may perhaps not know,
Madam. A few months before you came here, my elder brother became a victim of an
unfortunate accident and passed away. He has left behind his widow and two
small children. My parents have so far not been able to recover from the shock.
They are concerned about her future as well as for the children. Now, my
parents want me to get married to her so that she continues to be a part of our
family and the children get a father in me. My parents love the kids and want
them to stay within the family. I also adore the children. The only person they
love like their father, is me. They call me Chachu with great affection. I
respect my sister-in-law. She is the wife of my elder brother. Accepting her as
my wife is unimaginable. I am totally devastated at the thought of getting
married to her,” he took a long breath as he narrated his dilemma, sobbing in
between while I listened patiently.
I was shocked. Suddenly,
there were fluctuations in the electric current, and the voltage went down. The
lights became dim, making the basement dark and dingy.
I had heard that such a
practice was prevalent in Indian society many decades ago, but how could anyone
even suggest it in the twentieth century? I could feel his pain and nodded
understandingly. “It is definitely a tough call for you, Anil. Your parents
must be more concerned about the small kids who have lost their father, but I
do understand your reluctance to accept your sister-in-law as your wife. It
sure is tough. What would happen if you do not agree to this?”
I too was young and immature and was confused, wondering how to help him.
“Madam, in case I do not
agree, her parents will take her away. They are already contemplating to marry her
off to a widower who is fifteen years older than her and has three children of
his own. And he refuses to accept these children in his
family.”
“Ohh! What happens to the
children then? Who will look after them?” I could not help asking.
“I really do not know. The
kids may be shifted to their maternal grandparents. My parents are too old to
look after these small kids alone. There is no other woman in our house.
Obviously, they are insisting on my marriage with her. If I agree, all problems
are solved. The children will continue to stay with their mother and
grandparents. I also love them and cannot think of parting with them. I am not
sure how her new husband will treat them. After all, he will be their
stepfather.” The pain in his voice was deafening. He continued to speak, and I
listened with rapt attention, making full efforts to understand his dilemma. As
I empathised with him, I forgot about the complaining customers; I forgot that
I was the boss, the head of the branch where we worked and that he was my
junior official. We were just two human beings trying to resolve his
predicament and feeling his pain, my eyes were also filled with tears.
“Under these
circumstances, what your parents have suggested appears to be the only workable
option, even if it is tough on you.”
“Madam, there is one more
aspect to this complicated situation. I have a girlfriend, and I have committed
to marry her. What will I tell her?” He added a new perspective to his
unfortunate circumstances.
“Oh no! In that case, how
can you ditch her? After all, you have a life of your own and a lot of
responsibility towards her. What will you tell her?” I was also confused.
Holding his bent head in both his hands, he kept quiet for a few
minutes and spoke with renewed confidence. “But Ma'am, we are not married yet.
Suppose I meet with an accident while going back home, what would she do? Cry
for a few days and then get on with life. Maybe she would get married to someone
one day,” his voice was slowly returning to normalcy. Articulating his old
parents' concerns and the children’s needs and disclosing his personal
relationship at length, he suddenly stood up.
“Talking aloud of my
predicament to you, I have better clarity now. I think I will follow my
parent’s advice. After all, my brother’s children are my flesh and blood also.
If he is not in this world now, it is my responsibility to take care of his
children and give them the same love and comfort they would have gotten from
him. It would be cruel and heartless to deprive them of the love of their
mother at this tender age. Thanks for listening to me, ma’am; I am grateful to
you. Talking to you has given me a clearer perspective of everyone’s life, and
I feel much lighter now.”
He sniffed his nose and
wiped his eyes. He was ready to return to his work. Climbing up the stairs, two
at a time, he was at his desk in no time. The fluctuations in the voltage had
stabilised, and the dark and dingy basement had turned bright and cheerful once
again.
As I reflected upon his
plight, I imbibed his pain. I continued to sit there for some more time,
thinking about the two women in his life. His narrative had extended beyond his
individual struggle, prompting contemplation of the unvoiced perspectives of
the women involved. What must be transpiring in the mind of his sister-in-law?
Did anybody bother to ask her what she wanted to do? Her parents wanted her to
get married to an elderly widower, and her parents-in-law wanted her to settle
down with her own brother-in-law. Questions lingered in my mind about the
unwitting girlfriend, who was oblivious to the impending upheaval in her life.
She must be dreaming of marrying the love of her life. How will she reconcile
when she learns that the man she had trusted for so many years, dreaming of
spending her lifetime with him, has backed out? Will she be emotionally
shattered? Will she develop a lifelong hatred for men, in general? Either way,
for poor Anil, it was not easy. This is what life is all about. I felt I had
internalised his pain.
As I slowly ascended the stairs, I wondered about the complex interplay of human lives and the intricate web that destiny weaves for them.
(To be continued...)
*****
No comments:
Post a Comment