The pure blood felt upbeat now. When things occur to one’s natural choice, it gives a euphoric
feeling and the mind, body and heart work more in congruity. The resultant
effect of this coordination was that his stomach growled a bit and with every
passing minute the growls only got louder. He looked around frantically for
something to satisfy it but this was more of a residential area and nothing was
visible to satisfy the need. He walked as briskly as possible to the main road
on the other side. However, it was not before 20 minutes that his nostrils
picked up an aroma. Like a remote controlled car his body automatically moved
in that direction. The small eatery was located at the corner junction of the
main road intersection. It was a self-serving arrangement and his thali (Indian
meal with various dishes served in small bowls placed around a plate where they
can be mixed & eaten) was ready quite fast. In no time half of the plate
had been gobbled up by the pure blood. Then the marginal utility theory kicked
in and it took him more than triple the time to finish the rest of the plate.
The crudest reason to earn money had now been taken care of.
With a full stomach
and ample time in hand, the pure blood pulled out the list of contacts he had
prepared over the past weekend. From the physical map before him (GPS or Google
Maps were not known at that time!) he could make out that one address was in
the vicinity. He looked around for the signboards or road indicators. Unable to
seeing anything to that effect, he asked a couple of bystanders and was given
some directions. He moved in that direction and with the help of people he met
on the road, he was able to locate the place without much difficulty. He went
to the reception of the law firm and enquired for the contact. The receptionist
sought the purpose and dialed the extension. She hung up in about 10 seconds
and requested him to have a seat. The pure blood sat down on one of the
cushioned cane chairs in the reception area. He did not have to wait long. His
acquaintance from college came around and they got talking. He did not have to
explain much – we all know when an acquaintance suddenly comes to meet, nine
out of ten times the most likely reason is help in hunting for a job!
He was back on the
streets in about 15 minutes, with visiting cards and email addresses of the
partners and a promise for a word to be put in once his application was sent
across. He took a walk around but did not find any further workable options so
he started the journey back home. It took him more than one and a half hours,
changing three buses and some walking to get back. His friend had not yet
returned. His mind was already on the next day’s schedule, which was an
interview with a leading IT company.
He would have a
brush with the corporate world, which not familiar to him. He began the next
day early and was ready much ahead of his planned time. But he did not wait at
home. The venue was at the other end of the town in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ)
where most of the IT companies were housed. There were no direct buses and
would entail changing atleast thrice to reach. Starting early certainly had
advantages. He was able to secure a seat on two routes. The last bus was
overcrowded since it was towards the end of peak hour. He could afford to wait
for a few more minutes for the next one. Soon after tall commercial buildings
come into view signifying that he was close to his destination.
The bus dropped him
at the gate of the building of his visit. He couldn’t help smiling at the close
proximity to the main road. He walked in confidently. The company’s
headquarters was located on the eleventh floor. He reached a few minutes before
the appointed time and went through the stipulated security checks. The
receptionist directed him to a large conference room at the left side of the
lobby. The room, large enough to seat about 20 people, had a long brown table
with matching wooden chairs. The walls were adorned with photographs of various
award ceremonies and corporate events. A few minutes after the appointed time,
a short stout man in his late forties entered the room. He introduced himself
as the legal head of the company.
The pure blood
shook hands confidently and they sat opposite each other. The interviewer began
the discussions on a familiar note asking basic information from the pure
blood. This was the fourth interview in as many days; hence he rattled it out
like a bullet train. The usual questions on transactions followed which he
could now explain quite mechanically. He did not have in-house experience, so
the next natural question was why the shift from a promising law firm practice
to a restricted future. He was prepared for this – understanding business from
close quarters, specialized knowledge, no client pressures, good work-life
balance etc. – he blurted out. The interview’s ears pricked up on hearing the
last 2 reasons. He shot back – do you have any idea what pressures are there in
this role? ….. Or for that matter do you believe this is a 9 to 5 job?
Although inwardly
the pure blood felt exactly this way, something in the interview’s tone made
him narrow his eyebrows. He calmly replied in the negative. The interviewer’s
cheeks flushed as he barked – there will be 20 departments sitting on your head
to meet deadlines that they have sat on; they will always expect documents
reviewed as of yesterday; they will repeatedly force you to attend negotiations
at unearthly hours since bid submission is due next day, they will make you travel
to remote locations at the drop of a hat; your opinions, however legally sound
they may be, will be disregarded in the name of “business targets”; and God
forbid if something goes wrong, they will calmly point out “this went through
legal, why didn’t they point it out?”.
The interviewer’s frustration
at the sorry state of affairs in his organization poured out like a toddler
vomits when forced fed more than his or her liking. The perplexed pure blood
was left wiping the whitish liquid with obnoxious smell!
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