The dream seller

Transcription

The dream seller

Love Logic And The God’s Algorithm
Saptarshi Basu
LOVE, LOGIC AND THE GOD’S ALGORITHM
(A story how Innovation surpassed CTRL-C and CTRL-V in Indian I.T. Industry)
"In his debut novel, Saptarshi ventures into an untouched arena altogether with unique style of
writing. A beautiful tale of a person's search for his inner self. An Inspiring story for today's
youth"
- Kunal Bhardwaj, Author of the best-seller 'Love was never Mine'
―Basu writes in a suave and candid manner, portraying the shades of the IT industry and covering
it with a tale of an individual's search for his identity, his soul
- Faraaz Kazi, author of the best-seller 'Truly Madly Deeply'
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Saptarshi Basu
To my parents and Lopa,
My sole reason for happiness
&
To Mr. N. R. Narayana Murthy,
My sole reason for being in IT
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Acknowledgements
Something, somewhere is very much divine.
That‟s what I had always felt while me doing mistakes in every facets of life and
someone helping me out from troubled zones. I feel this is because I am blessed to stay with
two living God, My Maa and Baba.
No creation in this whole world is a single-handed effort and what‟s more, if there were
not some people who always influenced the flight of my life, this novel was a distant possibility.
I would like to thank my wife, Lopamudra who had sacrificed many a night‟s sleep to see a
writer in me. She is and always was the first reader, editor and critic of my work. It‟s only
because of her constant encouragement that today you are holding something creative.
I am indebted to my adorable and highly qualified (she is a PHD, make me feel so illiterate at
times) sister and my Jiju.
I would like to thank my friends and fellow Infoscions - Amlan, Arun, Priyo for having
faith in me and believing my book to be a best seller even without reading it.
I am really indebted to my seniors and Supervisors in TCS like Subhram Da, Gobindo
da, Abhijit Da for helping me roam around the world and even ignoring my mistakes while I
fumbled with the codes. Thanks for your enormous help, at least I got some time to write while
watching the Thames.
My team - Sumona, Rupsa and Sumon for their valuable editing and inputs.
To fellow writers like Kunal, Faraaz, Abdullah, Durjoy, Nikhil and others for constantly
encouraging me. My association with all the budding talented writers through Facebook has
been a very enriching one.
To the readers of Tataworld who encouraged me to move on. I would like to specially thank
the readers of my blog for their wise comments and support.
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Prologue
As the patrolling van‟s suffocating thick soot
slowly died, Nabo silently stalked the van disappearing into the shadows of that gloomy night.
Horrified and timorous, for a few minutes, his brain sank into a total logjam.. Drilling deep into
his trouser pockets he mined for his mobile. His shivering fingers botched on the mobile‟s
keypad, confused about whom to call first. Saptak‟s dad? He thought. However, he buried that
thought presuming the news may not be tolerable for that man‟s feeble heart. Srini? Second
thought pounced upon Nabo‟s clustered mind. He allowed that thought too to drain out. He felt
like blowing up Saptak‟s nose with a hard punch. Nabo quivered as he scrolled top to bottom,
and top again through his contact list – Aisha, Anand, Antara, Bijoy, Bishnu, … Chandru… „Oh
yes, yes yes! Chandru can save us,‟ Nabo cajole his soul.
---------------------------0-----------------0----------------------------The police station at Kestopur had merrily drowned in the drowsiness of a catnap when the
police officer Narayan Seal, thundered into the room, holding Saptak and Oxy by their collars.
Saptak was completely out of his trance by now. A firm blow had miraculously evaporated the
intoxications of whisky and grass. Falling at the officer‟s feet, he moaned, „please sir, extremely
sorry sir, r konodin o korbo na sir, please sir. (Please Sir, forgive me, I will never do it again)‘ ‗Chop
Saala,‘ Narayan roared hurling another slap at Saptak. „Put these bastards in the cell,‟ he ordered
a drowsy constable before angrily storming out of the room.
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Chapter One
The Performance Appraisal Cycle
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Quarterly Performance Appraisal Meeting
What bull shit! I know I will be getting a rating 1, UNSATISFACTORY, anyway.
Attendees: Srini, Chandru, and me.
Value addition towards the organization in last quarter!
Errrgh, I have learned to copy-paste faster. Ah! But I can’t say this to Srini. Damn!
I flunked in the Six Sigma exam.
Srini’s Comments – Needs to improve
Project performance:
Highly unsatisfactory. Commented Chandru, the sick dick who bums around with girls most of the
time.
Communication Skills
Chandru’s Comments – Doesn’t communicate properly with team.
Leadership Ability
Nil, he demotivates people - Chandru
Targets for next quarter – Need to clear the six sigma exams, take up some of Chandru’s work as he is
over-loaded (over-loaded??? He is always playing bantumi in his mobile.)
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The sudden darkness kissed the night,
Flashes of beam going past,
Swirling bees all drooping in,
The honey dew petites curl within,
Shaking deeply in tequila blast.
“Shimmer and Swirl” was shaking heavily in that grave punk music.
It resembled a ghost house with dancing lights flashing randomly all across the room and
continuous shrieks that very distinctly aural from outside.
„Repeat,‟ yelped Captain Oxy passing his glass to the bartender. He smiled at Oxy while
replenishing the glass with Smirnoff peg. . Oxy sat on a tall bar stool near the bar counter
relishing the petite beauties with his eyeballs and vodka with his lips. Friday nights were to
repose – a principle that everyone on the dance floor obliged to.
Like the usual Friday nights, this one too was raucous.
On the dance floor, a chubby middle aged man, like a snake charmer, swirled his belly to the
hip Eminem rap. His deep pink shirt shabbily tucked in an ostentatious yellow trouser amused
Oxy.. A frivolous fair girl with large, perfectly shaped breasts danced closely, caressing that
brazen personality at times. The rainbow coloured beams from the chandelier above flashed
randomly, that continually lit the dance floor and the girl‟s hair look auburn. Quite appealing,
thought Oxy as he finished his Smirnoff bottoms-up. Whilst the alcohol flowed, the girl started
to appear more appealing, as Oxy could not control taking his inebriated eyes off that girl‟s bust
and heart shaped behind; truly making it a “Night to Remember”, as the Bryan Adam‟s track
aptly played in the background.
Not able to control further, Oxy hurtled to the dance floor. Not able to find any partner, he
enjoyed in one corner of the dance floor, all by himself, tapping to the music. .
Oxy had noticed a girl dancing alone in the crowd. To his delight, that shimmering hot girl in
tight tank tops turned towards him Oxy and started dancing closely. He had been a regular to
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“Shimmer and Swirl”, as it provided an excellent opportunity to hook on to hot babes. Besides
there was no risk as those frequenting “Shimmer and Swirl” were of noncommittal types,
believing in one-night-stand.
Gradually the distance between Oxy and that girl was waning. He could smell her mildly
erotic perfume interspersed with exotic hair odours. His spectacle traversed down from her eyes
to her lips, and then to her bosom, where he could see her comely breasts rhythmically popping
to the musical tunes.. Oxy tried to exchange few smiles. She returned them with an
inconspicuous gesture and continued dancing.. She must be too drunk to understand anything,
Oxy thought.
The DJ hollered few lines in rap style and played a Pink Floyd track. The crowd reciprocated
with deafening applauds.
A group of youngsters, mostly teenagers, were engaged in a Tequila competition. A thin girl
of tiny stature from that group whirled around and jeered aloud, totally uncontrolled gulping
down taut shots of Tequila one after the other. They must be the Call-centre ones working next to my
Office. Oxy could recognize few girls from that group; they seemed familiar. “Perhaps they are
from the call center next to my office,” Oxy murmured and continued his mild dance moves.
Suddenly the Tequila shooter girl collapsed to the floor and barfed. The drunken lassie had
become the center of attraction.. A hefty pink-turbaned Sardarji hurriedly carried her to the
washroom.
The music paused. Only for a moment though. Hooting, shouting, hopping, jumping began
immediately. No one cared a fuck, as if.
Oxy‟s proximity to the auburn haired beauty had reduced to micrometers now. He slowly
moved his hand around her waist and tightly gripped her, pulling her so close that he could now
feel her Old Monk flavoured breath. She looked up at Oxy for a moment. She tried to say
something. However, her decibels were too low to beat the thumping music that night. She
continued boogying to Pink Floyd tunes. She drooped on Oxy at times. Trying to maintain her
balance, she tried to get hold of Oxy. Her voluptuous breasts rubbed against Oxy‟s chest. He
felt pleasured.
„Hi, I am Kuntal. What‟s your name,‟ Oxy shouted in her ears while shaking his legs in sync
with her. „Nita, Nitashree‘ she rumbled. Do you want a drink? She gestured Oxy to stoop down
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closer to her mouth and then she whispered something inconspicuous into his ear. „You want
Vodka?‟ Oxy cross checked while she nodded and went back into alcoholic trance.
. Oxy ordered his drink and waited his time gazing a couple that was passionately lip locked,
happily enjoying their waiting time.. The crowd was increasing in number. Numerous legs were
now grooving to the dance tunes. „Two Smirnoff large with Lime cordial‘, Oxy shouted at the
bartender who astonished the crowd with his juggling genius. Neatly balancing the glasses, Oxy
cruised through the dancing crowd, making his way straight to his new discovery, Nita.
Lot of new faces had now crowded the dance floor. Oxy rifled for the squint eyed girl
through the flashy dancing lights. He could notice few known faces enjoying with their
respective girlfriends.
Precipitously Oxy spotted a bald head blazed with the rainbow shades of the disco beams. It
was Srinivasa. Oxy was quick to recongnise him. Chandru accompanied Srinivasa. Oxy had met
them several times at “Pick and Stick Technologies” parties. To save himself from troubles of
cooking, at times Srinivasa accompanied Nabo and Saptak. Oxy looked at them suspiciously
wondering what those brats were doing there.
What Oxy witnessed next literally shocked him. His newly found lust lady was shaking hands
and exchanging licentious smiles with Srinivasa group. Oxy quickly positioned himself within
millimeter range eavesdropping on their conversation.
„Srini, this is Nita. Meet my Boss, Srini,‟ Chandru introduced them.
Chandru apologized for being late blaming it on the city traffic. Nita pardoned him. How
long have you been here?‟ Srini enquired.
„I came around 9. ,‟ Nita replied smilingly.
Oxy was in extremis as it was evident that Nita and Chandru knew each other.
„So, where are we going tonight?‟ Nita asked, „we can‟t go to my place, as my roommate is
back from Delhi.‟
Looking at Srini‟s nervous face, Nita got into a mischievous mood, „is this your first time?‟
she queried impishly. „Damn fuck! The deal is already done. You moron, Oxy, you have lost the
chances for tonight,‟ Oxy cursed himself. . He had rosily visualized fantasies for the night while
getting her vodka. All dreams were slashed now. His heartbeat went into diminishing notes, a
typical heartbreak like. It pained a lot. Not in his heart though, much below it, right in the center
between the thighs.
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Angered Oxy gulped down both the pegs, bottoms up. Vodka shots didn‟t help much
though. The heat made his eyes water. No, he wasn‟t crying. The shots drizzled straight down
his throat nearly burning it and sank into his belly charring the intestines. His experience of one
night stand at Shimmers was always accidental. He had been lucky most of the times to hook
onto someone but it never went beyond that. This frustrated Oxy all the more. And this time
here, everything was happening in front of his eyes, right from the planning of the game to its
implementation, who, where, when, discussed very neatly. He felt like kicking Chandru in his
balls. „That wily bastard has snatched my prey, my pleasure of the night,‟ Oxy murmured with
his vodka soaked heavy tongue.
It was known to all that Shimmers also doubled up as a pick-up point at times. Oxy had
heard about that in his close circle. Most girls from the eastern border of the country who came
to study in city colleges were into that business to accommodate their leisure expenses.
However, Oxy had not been propitious as yet to find such a girl who could grace his male
libido. As he recovered from the cycle of his misfortunate thoughts, Oxy saw that Nita,
Chandru, and Srini were leaving. „Ah! So threesome tonight,‟ Oxy thought to himself. He
decided to follow them, a temptation her could not resist. Srini appeared very happy as he
walked close to Chandru with his hand around Chandru‟s shoulder. A faint hawkish smile
spread all over Oxy‟s face looking at Chandru‟s all out effort to please Srini. „Bloody ass licker,‟
Oxy‟s brain was clouded with all sorts of thoughts as he kept following them, „at times an IT
engineer has to stretch more than his accustomed scope of work to get things done‟.
How the Enterprising Software Engineer does earn a Promotion?
1) Never leave behind a single moment to praise the appraiser, who will be most likely
your reporting manager. Appreciate his hair style (even if he is bald!), his dressing
sense (a bright yellow shirt with a pink trouser) and every nitty-gritty details of his
existence.
2) Appreciate his tremendous hard work at all the meetings although you know he plays
FarmVille all the day and was just snoring off in the meeting.
3) Follow his shadow everywhere he goes, even to the loo. (but don’t look into or start
praising his size, it might send some wrong signals)
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4) Look deep into his interests in the girl (or girls) of your team and try to fix them for a
Café-Coffee Day conference.
5) At times lateral thinking helps, like looking into his likes or dislikes (e.g. a particular
brand of cigarette or scotch he takes) and fetching them to him.
6) Have at least four to five birthdays in a year, which gives the opportunity to take him
out and let him drink on your hard-earned money.
7) Show yourself busy (even without business) at all times in front of your manager.
8) When the appraisal time comes, repeat the above points religiously each and every
day.
The wild chase through the deserted roads of Kolkata with its melancholic swirl infused a
sudden life into the dying night. Srini‟s Honda city was cutting through the haunted roads. Oxy
had hard time keeping pace with them in his 160 CC Apache. The sudden red light at the signal
came to his help. The Honda city came to a sudden halt with a shrieking noise.
A shrill laughter could be heard from inside the car. It must be Nita, Oxy thought.
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Chapter Two
The Present Perfect
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Saptarshi Basu
For all your days prepare,
and meet them ever alike,
when you are the anvil, bear,
when you are the hammer, strike.
- Charles Edwin Anson Markham (1852 - 1940)
Jan 07, 2011
10 AM at TechnoPolis, Innovation TechLabs Pvt Ltd. Office Boardroom.
The boardroom, although small, literally sparked with energy and vibrancy.. Around the table
sat four men and two women, all clad in business attire and trading serious stares with each
other. The Harvard Business Review, with its flickering pages, sat on top of the table watching
everyone. Outside, the cold breeze has spread its wings sending chill waves of excitement
throughout Kolkata. Sipping hot coffee in such weather is imperative. The smell of hot coffee
filled the room. On one wall of the boardroom had a poster clung to a big red nail. The poster
read:
When the heart meets the mind,
When the unbreakable sails through,
When devotion meets labor,
All the dreams come true.
The room had a closet at one corner. The fresh Mauve Berry coating on the walls had given it a
smart new look.
Having exchanged few smiles with everyone present, Saptak stood up to speak.
„Very good morning to you all. You might have surmised why I have called this meeting
today. Primarily it is to synopsize how we have contoured in last 3 years, what have we
accomplished and most importantly envision our future steps to keep the momentum going. We
have had astounding ride coupled with perseverance and dedication, which has brought us to
this position and helped us grow to this size in such a short span. We are one of the most
exciting companies among the new ones in our industry today, all attributed to our all-round
efforts, concrete vision, and teamwork. . It indeed makes me feel proud and I am sure you all
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feel the same. This very boardroom has had extremely nostalgic moments, remember Nabo,‟
Saptak took a pause looking at Nabo. Nabo returned the gesture with a cherished smile.
„We, Nabo and I, started our respective IT careers in this very boardroom. Yes, this building
once belonged to “Pick n Stick Technologies Pvt. Ltd.”. Today, after acquiring PNS, Nabo and
I have materialized our dreams. However, we still have miles to go. In last three years we have
managed to increase our revenue twofold, we are growing at 200%, I can very well say that.
Nonetheless we can neither afford nor dare to be complacent, as the whole world has its eyes
set on us. This New Year brings with it lot more challenges as we position ourselves among the
top players. The competition is getting stiff.
Saptak paused. His looks were so intense, full of inspiration. He infused encouragement as
he spoke. He looked obsessed like an explorer who has just landed on the shore of a new world,
dying to unearth what lies ahead. He hurriedly took a sip of coffee. As he took his hand near the
mouth, his diamond studded Rolex sparkled from beneath the cuffs.
„In the coming year, our principal objective will be to sell our financial Business Intelligence
product „IntelliStatics‟ to a wider customer base and to expand further into new geographies.
Our target is to go global. We will need 200 new professionals, highly skilled, to achieve this
goal. We will have to be sure that our new talent makes us stronger, wiser and bolder so that we
don‟t miss on our target and commitments. Remember we have set very rigorous targets and
tight deadlines for ourselves,‟ Saptak had arrived at the trail end of his speech.
Saptak asked Nabo to send the list of new customer prospects. He requested everyone to
meet again on coming Friday to finalize things further for the year and chalk out a detailed
success plan. He thanked everyone looking straight at his richly experienced team, and took
leave from the boardroom. The team thanked Saptak in return. The silence then broke into
hustle bustle of chairs, whispers, smiles, giggles, and sighs.
Saptak carried his coffee and the
Harvard Business Review with him to his cabin. Saptak slowly finished his coffee taking pleasure
in his own personal space. He became contemplative of those rare moments of the journey he
took to come to this level. He flipped through the Harvard Business Review, made some sharp
observations and parked few pointers in his mind. Looking out through his glass cabin, he could
see people going about their work. City of joy was booming with its billions of inhabitants all
out on their way. A shivering kite flew past his sixth floor window. His eyes wandered until they
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settled on the bus stand. People herded at the bus stand. School children with their mothers,
men eagerly waiting for the bus, hawkers plying their wares – all were there.
Saptak smiled. A swarm of past memories blew past him.
„It was there my journey started,‟ Saptak mumbled.
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Chapter Three
The Past, but not so Perfect
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/// <summary>
/// this class performs an important function. What?? God knows // feeling very sleepy 
/// </summary>
Private void SendMail_Click (object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
PicknStick.killMan KillMan = new PNSTech.killman();
// Srini is a kill man
KillMan.UnlockComponent (‘you have to do it!!!’);
Mail.Subject = ‘This is bomb’;
Mail.Body = ‘You are dead’;
Mail.AddTo(„PNSTech Support‟,‟support@PNS.com‟);
killMail.From = „SrinivasaPk < SrinivasaPk @ PNSTech.com>„;
if (!KillMan.SendMail(Mail))
{
KillMan.SaveLastError („ErrorLog.xml‟);
}
/// Aisha is hot, Nabo thinks  
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The dimness of neon echoed,
As he sat there,
All through the night,
Toiling hard through the lines of code,
Laid out like lines of saluting Knight.
Not a sound could be heard,
Except his fingers relentlessly
Tapping at the key board
Like monsoon on an iron roof.
Deep inside, he was bored,
He looked up and the neon laughed at him,
The code danced before his eyes
But just at his lowest point
A sudden sweet breeze blew past him,
No one knows from where it came,
But it whispered in his ear,
What are you doing here?
July 07, 2007,
9:30 AM at JyotiNagar
A gigantic pang gripped his heart. The tremors were felt a little below his belt though,
between his pair of hairy legs, to be particular. He desperately tried to do something; however,
the situation did not allow him to do anything. Holding his crotch firmly with his left hand, he
signaled for patience with his right hand. But desire had clasped him in its trance and as the time
ticked, his urgency kept rising.
Sitting at a window seat in the first row of the bus he could see the driver plainly. „How far is
it?‟ he asked the driver. The bus driver appeared familiar. After a few moments he recognized
him as his project manager at the IT organization where even he worked. „What is the project
manager doing here?‟ he asked himself. At least he was on time for once.
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The bus was speeding up the rough road, jerking severely. Looking outside, he could see
plumes of smoke gliding lazily over the path. In the greeneries by the road sides, men answered
their nature calls.
„It‟s only a few kilometers away,‟ the bus driver aka project manager grinned at him rocking
his head and torso back and forth in sync with the movement of the bus - so much so that it
looked as if he was dancing to an unheard tune. He twisted and twirled the steering wheel
frequently as if he was on a fair ground but not once did the passengers raise their voice in
discontent against his ridiculous behavior. At times, it even felt like they would be thrown out of
the bus window.
Saptak felt uneasy, overstrained, and grew more and more melancholic with every passing
minute. He could see many co-passengers standing by his side holding on to the rods overhead.
One among them, with a knife in his left hand, was staring at him for no particular reason. „If I
get up from this seat, I might lose it and will not be able to sit for the rest of my journey,‟ he
told himself and asked the driver again, a little louder this time, „How far is it?‟
„Only a few kilometers more,‟ repeated the driver loudly while he continued spinning the
steering wheel like a child‟s toy.
A co-passenger, who was watching him, told him reassuringly, „It is fine that you attend to
your need from the bus itself. Go ahead, do it through the window.‟ Thanking him with a nod,
he pushed aside the window pane and relieved himself. The force of his pee resembled water
gushing out of an open dam. Luckily the window was low enough for him to do it sitting on the
seat. Occasionally he looked behind to ensure everyone else on the bus was sleeping. After a
while, he zipped up his pants and said „Cool…‟ with a ear to ear grin as a sign of great
satisfaction.
Having accomplished the job, he fell sound asleep within a minute. The relief did not last
long enough though. Now that he was comfortable he wanted to micturate again. It puzzled
him when the bus conductor called out his name: „Saa-ppp-taa-kkk...‟
„Fuck! The conductor has identified me. I need to wind up,‟ he thought.
But the unpleasant liquid didn‟t seem to stop. Contrastively, it regenerated itself like the river
water replenished from an unknown source in the Himalayas. As he tried to zip up the fly, he
could see the salty water getting sprayed in the air bedewing many places on its course.
„Hey Sapta,‟ the voice came closer.
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„It seems the conductor knows my nickname too,‟ he murmured.
The conductor tapped him on his right shoulder.
„Get up, you idiot. Aren‟t you ashamed of sleeping like this?‟ shouted Bimal, who stood by
Saptak‟s bed staring straight at him with an expression that would make even a tiger turn tail and
run. He was seething with anger at his son who lay curled up in bed, wrapped in a beautiful
dream, while rest of the world was up and awake.
The frown on Bimal‟s face matched the folds of the bedspread on which Saptak slept.
Without waiting for his son‟s answer, Bimal pulled the cover with such force that Saptak fell off
from the bed banging his butt on the floor. Bimal in all his 56 years and 201 days had always
rose at dawn. Blind with anger, he hurriedly folded the lower portion of his candy-striped lungi
and stormed out of the room, without issuing another word.
But just as his foot crossed the room‟s threshold his conscience assailed him: „You are the
one responsible for his carefree nature.‟
„What? I didn‟t do anything. How can you say like that?‟
„Yes, you didn‟t do anything. You didn‟t tell him your story.‟
„Stop! stop! That is not my mistake,‟ Bimal tried to defend himself, „I felt that I should not
burden him with my sorrows. I wanted him to be happy. But that doesn‟t mean he can forget
his responsibilities.‟ With that statement, the conscience saw Bimal‟s blood pressure rising.
Having achieved the intended result, the conscience stepped back in search for some more
means to trouble Bimal, who by this time was striding outside to draw fresh air and clear his
mind.
The first thing that Saptak had seen that morning was his father‟s furious eyes, followed by
his bulged out waistline hidden under the white vest. Saptak reacted little to his dad‟s anger. He
was simply more relieved that the whole embarrassment of peeing from the bus window was
just a dream. Little did he know that the dream, which he took so lightly, reflected his
personality – in times of strife, he would do anything to maintain his inner harmony.
„Did I wet anywhere?‟ he asked himself while he checked his bermudas and the mattress
carefully. After ensuring the bed was indeed clean and dry, he pulled himself up to the table by
the bed. The table had a couple of drawers and stood elegantly near the window that faced
Debaroti‟s house.
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The town of JyotiNagar, where they lived, had lots of Banyan trees. Bimal was proud of his
furniture made from the wood of Banyan that grew in his own backyard. He would often be
heard boasting loudly about the furniture to his friends. By now, Saptak had got used to his
words. „Did you see this?‟ Bimal would call his guests‟ attention to his furniture. „I designed it
myself and personally instructed the carpenter in every step of its construction. I picked the
right wood myself. You know, it isn‟t easy.‟ The guest is then expected to look the furniture
over admiringly and exclaim, „Hey Bimal, this is marvelous! You are a great artist.‟ If that
description didn‟t suffice, leaving the guests unimpressed, Bimal would add some more points,
„This is genuine wood. You will not see this type of wood anywhere other than JyotiNagar. It
has special properties and is much cheaper too.‟ Bimal would continue to add a long list of
features about his wood until eventually the guests feel forced to agree with him and nod their
heads in appreciation – after all no other furniture in the world must have been so repeatedly
and lovingly polished by so many superlatives.
On that renowned glorious table, Saptak found his black Sony Ericson between his personal
file and Harry Potter. The phone displayed 10:40 AM, Saturday, July 07, 2007.
There was an unopened sms in the inbox. He opened it and it read:
TD-Jotish
Good Morning. Today is a great day to win love, affection and respect.
To know more, dial 033-44443333
He jumped out of his bed and rushed to the restroom making a distinct thumping sound
with his footsteps. „The damned Project Manager, Srinivasa, troubles me in my dreams also,‟ he
murmured.
------------------------0-------------------------0------------------------The City of Joy had woken up much earlier. It stirred endless whirls of honking buses, smoke
clouds puffing out from the chimneys, school children and their mothers running on the road,
city trams moving lazily, beggars howling and hawkers shouting. Few health conscious guys
could be seen running on the road meandering past the horny auto-rickshaws. A thick plume of
dust glided away as the sweepers started their morning chore.
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The air filled with burning petrol smell tried to pluck out the last bit of oxygen from the
lungs.
In that small, inconspicuous office in Technopolis, Srinivasa Padukonda was drowned in
thoughts while sipping his first coffee of the day, sitting in the boardroom. The white plaster
had popped out at places making the brick work within clearly visible, which looked very shabby
making the room look more like a “boredroom” than the boardroom.
The words „Let our motto drive us to our goal-Creating the Stick that beats its Pick‟
bright yellow and red were inscribed on the black coloured poster neatly designed inside a
wooden frame that loosely hung on the wall.
Srinivasa was staring out of the window resting his left palm on one edge and tapping his
right hand finger nails on the window glass. The sky of Technopolis looked dark and gloomy. .
He conjectured that it might rain heavily.
„May I come in, Sir‟, made Srinivasa‟s heavily brooding clouds evaporate. He was back from
his ecstasy to business and Pick and Stick Technologies. He saw Chandrasekhar better known as
Chandru standing in front of his chair. With him, a new face, whom Srini did not recognise. „Sir,
he is Soham, our new recruit. He has joined us a trainee Software Engineer. I think he can be a
good replacement for Saptak,‟ Chandru introduced the new guy to Srini. Srini looked deep into
his eyes, as if he could pierce right into his soul and check the new guy‟s conscience. The new
recruit was trembling a little. „That‟s a good sign. Nothing like a little fear can motivate one to
work hard,‟ Srini thought to himself. Srini liked that, the feeling of power and control, the fact
that his words and actions could change lives and he always wanted his employees to know it.
He smiled.
„Welcome to PNS. I think you must be proud to be part of one of the finest IT companies
out here. Chandru, I hope you will make him productive as fast as possible,‟ Srini spoke as if he
was talking about an expandable memory drive or a new processor upgrade, „Ok I think we are
done. I have a call now with a client. Best of luck Soham,‟ Srini ended the conversation and
signaled them to leave.
And without another glance in his direction, Srini reached for the telephone receiver
and turned his back. Soham was left bewildered with his hands hanging loosely by his
sides without a word to say. The expandable memory had already lost its drive.
25
Chapter Four
The Past, Continuous
26
Saptarshi Basu
Saptarshi Basu
A shiver ran down his spine,
He looked everywhere
But no one was there,
Still he heard the whispered words
What are you doing here?
In the luster of a 60-watt bulb, the restroom mirror reflected the image of an averagely built
man with a face shaped like cucumber, curly, uncombed hair and wheatish brown complexion
clad in a light yellow T-shirt. Saptak had looked better, but who wouldn‟t have looked their best
after the awakening he had had. The cobweb weaved thick bait across the corners of the mirror.
Now safe from his father‟s wrath, at least for a little while, his thoughts returned again to his
nemesis, Project Manager Srinivasa, and he went into moody silence.
In the restroom mirror, he also saw all the known faces in TechnoPolis where he worked and
lived. Srinivasa Padukonda, a man with tight upper lip and bald head accompanied by his Man
Friday Chandrasekhar Pattavaiya aka „Chandru‟. His colleague-cum-roommate, Nabo, a studious
guy, usually seen with his spectacles gliding down his nose, and who would later turn into his
rival. A beautiful colleague, Aisha. Many of his male colleagues had tried to woo Aisha. And
finally, the „joint man‟, Captain Oxy, a tall and lean roommate, who use to often hang around
with Saptak and Nabo. Yes, they were all part of his life. As were the silly talks at night, playing
football in the rain during holidays, enjoying porn movies together on Nabo‟s laptop in silent
mode, in order to maintain their sophisticated IT „GOODS GUYS‟ impression with Mr.Nimai
Lal, the mess-owner, and the “joint-sessions” with Captain Oxy, in which Captain exhibited his
exceptional grass rolling skills). A life he had lost faith in. A life that was now behind him.
As he wretchedly searched through the debris of memory, it only churned the filth and dirt,
along with the package of pain in his wounded soul.
Saptak flashed back into the memory and remembered the day he had his first bitter
experience with Srinivasa, his manager. „It was a Monday evening in February...‟ he recalled.
However, as soon as the clouds of past events raged his mind, a rude interruption asked him to
refrain. „Hey wait, proceed no further. I don‟t like to revisit the past now,‟ his heart begrudged
painful memories, for it always wanted to remain calm. By then however, entire thought process
had taken shape, the picture was forming rapidly – first an outline, gradually drawing into figures
27
Saptarshi Basu
gently getting filled with colours, the entire setup lacked only lights, sound, action and the story
could be relived.
„Come on dude, wake up...‟ his mind sent an alert, it‟s finely perfected radar realized that the
day could worsen. He needed to act quickly; else his provoked father could fling open the
restroom door exposing half-naked Saptak to the world thus damaging his reputation.
„Who cares?‟ Saptak sneered at himself, „I have just as much time as any other person in this
world. I can be slow and steady, thoughtful and considerate, reasoned and logical. No need to
rush. It is for these simple joys in life that one is living on this earth, after all. How can you
appreciate its beauty if you are moving so fast you cannot see it?‟
Sitting on the commode, Saptak tried to pacify his mind and defend himself from his current
enemy, Bimal. He could feel the uneasiness growling in his stomach. It needed that extra thrust.
He reached out to search for the hidden matchbox kept behind the cistern. He was extremely
delighted to find it at the same place where he left it the last time. He lit a cigarette.
The smoke of Wills Navy Cut filled his craving lungs. He felt relieved. The memories started
haunting him again, flipping back and forth in front of his eyes. Flashes of the night at the
police station bounced in front of his eyes. He could still sense the tight smack that the potbellied police officer had landed on his cheek. Pot-loving Oxy‟s words echoed in his ears, „Chase
your dreams Saptak, chase your dreams,‟ while trying to calm down in the match-box sized
prison cell. The current state of his confused mind made him slowly fade away from the dreamrun, on the contrary the situation filled his mind with mammoth levels of frustration and selfdoubt. Hastily, he erased the painful thoughts that irritated him. He tried to go back into a
relaxed state..
„Okay, dad might get angry if I am a bit slow. So what? Nothing is going to bother me. I am
only one in this world,‟ he started boasting to himself looking into the mirror.
A few moments later, he whistled one of his favorite tunes, the sound of which echoed
loudly in the confined space of the bathroom. This only served to irritate his father, who had
just come in after buying fish from the nearby market. He kept the plastic bag full of fishes in
the kitchen and was passing from nearby the bathroom when he heard his son whistling song in
relaxation. Bimal was completely aware that his son had found a hiding place that even he does
not dare to enter. He went to the living room and sat on his rocking chair flipping the pages of
the newspaper. He stumped over one of the advertisements which said:
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Saptarshi Basu
“Jobless? Sitting idle? Don‟t worry, you can earn more than 40,000 per month
working at home. To know more, call…”
Bimal‟s conscience made an appearance once again. It sat next to Bimal in the sofa. The
roguish conscience played its trick again, „Your son‟s actions will not remain hidden from people
for a long time now. They will come to know some day about your son‟s capabilities. They will
ridicule you. They will laugh at your inability to influence your own son. You are well aware that
these days thickness of son‟s wallet is the measure of parent‟s success.‟
Before the conscience could taunt and haunt Bimal further there was a heavy banging on the
door with a neighbour shouting, „Bimal... Bimal... It‟s me, Shyamal.‟
„Shyamal!‟ Bimal popped out from his chair on hearing that voice. It looked as if his
conscience could make Bimal‟s worst fears come true. However, he put up a brave face and
opened the door. He had to maintain his face. He had made up his mind not to allow Shyamal
into the house and preferably send him back from the door step itself.
„Ah! Shyamal,‟ Bimal greeted a man clad in dull shirt and a dirty lungi.
„Has our software engineer arrived home?‟ Shyamal enquired half-mockingly.
Bimal thought, „It seems he has come directly from the bed without minding to brush his
teeth or wash his face.‟ He replied, „yes, yes. He came last night around 9.00 pm.‟
„How is he? How is the climate in TechnoPolis?‟
„He is fine as always,‟ he said. „...only we are not fine because of him,‟ an after thought
occurred to Bimal.
„Where is he now?‟ Shyamal‟s eyes searched for Saptak inside the house.
„He just got up. He is in the bathroom,‟ Bimal said edging sidewise to block Shyamal‟s view
with all the art of a river crab.
„Oh, is he? I just wanted to convey my regards. Okay, I will meet him sometime later,‟
Shyamal, waved his hand and departed a broad smile on his face.
„Envious fellow. Our miseries are mainly because of these green-eyed people in the town,‟
Bimal cursed Shyamal
„Is that Shyamal?‟ asked Saptak‟s mother, Mrinalini from the kitchen.
„Yes, the same snoopy Shyamal,‟ Bimal said. He remembered a conversation he had had with
Shyamal five years back that made him conclude this opinion about his jealous neighbour.
--------------------------0--------------------------0--------------------------------------29
Saptarshi Basu
Bimal was in the living room sitting on his plastic chair. Electric supply was disrupted. The
fans hanging over head stood still. The same was true for the leaves on the tress outside. There
wasn‟t any breeze either. Bimal fanned himself with the morning newspaper. Moments later he
suddenly saw Shyamal barging in without knocking the door.
„Hey, I heard that Saptak got admission in TechnoPolis Institute of Technology. Is it true?‟
Shyamal enquired gaspingly.. It seemed he came running all the way from the other side of town
as soon as he heard the news.
„Yes, he joined Electronics & Telecommunication,‟ said Bimal, sounding happy about his
son‟s achievement.
„Hey that‟s great man. Congratulations! Your son is a genius‟
„Thank you! Well, sit down,‟ Bimal offered his chair and shifted to the sofa.
„What is his final score?‟ Shyamal was keen to know more about how Saptak got the seat at
TIT, a very famous college on the outskirts of TechnoPolis.
„Err... he got around 215 out of 300. I don‟t remember the exact figure but I am sure that he
got around 215,‟ Bimal said vaguely and called out to his son, „Hey Saptak, what are your
examination marks?‟
Before Saptak could answer, Shyamal continued, „Hey but my daughter Debaroti‟s final score
is 260. And they told her there was no seat for her in TIT. How is that possible?‟ he was
astonished and his pupils dilated.
„Is it? Did you check with the counselors properly?‟ Bimal asked.
„Yeah they said there is no seat for our girl, Debaroti. Finally we chose the local college in
JyotiNagar itself,‟ Shyamal said ruefully.
„Oh man. The local college doesn‟t have any campus placement, right? How are you going to
manage the issue?‟ Bimal said.
Shyamal chose to ignore the question like that of a seasoned politician and after a short
pause, he enquired, „You are BC or MBC?‟ It seemed he was more concerned about Saptak‟s
success than his daughter‟s future.
Bimal answered proudly, „We belong to UMBC - Ultra-Most Backward Caste.‟
„UMBC? You are really lucky. We are just BC – Backward Class,‟ said the crestfallen
Shyamal. But only Bimal knew how he walked from pillar to post to get that fake certificate.
After all father‟s love can go to any extreme to see his son successful.
30
Saptarshi Basu
Later that night, Bimal was stewed that evil spirits might have entered his house through their nosy
neighbour. He insisted his wife to perform traditional rituals at home to chase away the malevolence.
--------------------------0---------------------------0-------------------------After Shyamal left, Bimal let out his anguish, „I don‟t know why idiots like these are
interested in other people‟s affairs, „he is always poking his nose in other people‟s business.‟ It
was at this point when Bimal was reminded of Shyamal‟s face and he remembered that Shyamal
did have a rather big round pointed nose, protuberance that no one can miss.
A loud interruption from Mrinalini intruded Bimal‟s analysis of Shyamal‟s face features. „ „I
think...,‟ she hollered from the kitchen.
„What?‟ Bimal asked irritated.
„I think he wants to get his daughter married to our son.‟
„Ah! If he comes to know about your great son‟s adventures, both his daughter and he will
vanish from JyotiNagar,‟ Bimal exclaimed derisively.
Bimal started thinking of lots of children each with one proudly bearing a big snout.
Mrinalini kept mum.
„Saptak, you want coffee or tea?‟ she asked from the kitchen.
„Yes Yes, why not. It‟s need of the right to go and serve the Lord,‟ Bimal sounded ruthlessly
sarcastic.
Meanwhile, Saptak was still in the restroom brushing his teeth. The toothbrush moved in his
mouth like a dog in search of food, pulling out the garbage from the dustbin. Irked by the
conversation, he shouted from the bathroom, „give anything, but at least something.‟
„Oh my dear Lord, please help the people in this house to finish their morning chores, they
have been waiting since long.‟ Bimal was loud enough to make sure Saptak hears him.
Bimal‟s knock hit bang on target. Saptak heard Bimal loud and clear. Saptak heard everything
that his father said. However, one alarmed strikingly in his ears - Co-operate.
„Co-operate,‟ he sighed. This very word has governed his pitiful existence all the while when
working in TechnoPolis. The monotonous mingling of Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V governed his wretched
software life. He felt terribly suffocated about it. Every time he wanted to revolt that very word,
“Co-operate” pacified him swaying him miles away from his rebellion.
You have to co-operate Saptak, after all it‟s a team work,‟ Srini‟s strong words banged on his
eardrums creating a vacuum in his brain.
31
Saptarshi Basu
That word, synonymous to a bad word now, had triggered a cold war between him and
Nabo. His mind wished to traverse back and visit those TechnoPolis days however, the
memories of Nabo‟s scary glare from behind his spectacles shook away the wish.
„Get out of the room now!‟ his mind commanded.
The sucked out, dry cigarette bud glided on the flushing wavy water in the commode, waiting
to meet the sea somewhere, someday.
32
Chapter Five
The Past, Beautiful
33
Saptarshi Basu
Saptarshi Basu
He wanted to answer,
But his voice stifled
In his throat,
Glaring at the screen he thought,
It‘s so true,
What am I doing here?
He felt someone was smiling,
Then he heard the same voice,
It was so divine and serene.
Debaroti had just completed her graduation. She was fighting the pangs of unemployment
with herself and with her mother for her continuous demands of getting married. Debaroti was
a girl of solitude who spent most of her time by herself. She liked idly sailing through her days
of joblessness, whiling at home with no job in hand. Passing the days with her pre-occupied
thoughts and small repetitive tasks gave meaning to her life. It made her feel irritated and
surprised, at times, that for her mother that marriage was the next ultimate thing, the best thing.
Every morning Alokananda deeply gobbled up the power packed matrimonial snippets in the
newspaper which read, “bride needed for only son of Highly qualified Chartered
Accountant...MBA, IIT, CFA, Also knows scuba diving...Only sister very fair, very
beautiful…” Sometimes it is confusing to understand for whom the ad is. Is it really for his
son? Or is it for the CA father who at his hearts of hearts wants to marry again and disguise a
young heartthrob trying to shed away the 1960‟s look.
Playing alone with cards, constructing a card house was Debaroti‟s favourite pass time. Her
computer engineering books waiting to be touched, cuddled were lying close to her. Remaining
jobless for a long stretch of time is indeed frustrating. She had almost given up. The long wait to
see an appointment letter in her hands had withered not only her hope but also her physical
health. She had tried enough to crack the interviews. She would study hard for the interviews
with lot of concentration and detailed attention to every bit she had learnt in her engineering.
However, repeated rejections had tanked self-confidence. Debaroti now lived in hopelessness.
34
Saptarshi Basu
The thought, the whole joy of being employed had got buried deep inside her heart with no
signs of recovery, whatsoever.
Her dad‟s footsteps caught her attention. She discontinued her card house construction and
meekly inquired, „How is he?‟
Shyamal caught the curiosity in daughter‟s eyes. He guess what she meant by „he‟. Looking
into his daughter‟s eyes, he thought to himself „My guess is right.‟
-----------------------0------------------------0--------------------------------------That morning, she woke up early. In an unusually restless manner she finished her morning
chores.
„What is the matter with you?‟ he mother inquired.
„Nothing‟ she replied at first. After a pause she exclaimed, „You know mom, Saptak is
arriving today. I think in fact he must have reached by now, ,‟ she said looking up at the clock
that showed 9:35 AM.
„So what?‟ her mom interrogated.
„Just informing,‟ she continued to sweep the floor.
Shyamal spotted his daughter‟s gladness about Saptak‟s arrival. He at once put on his shirt
and walked to Bimal‟s house.
„Where are you going without having this coffee?‟ his wife Alokananda screamed.
„I will be right back,‟ he said. On his way out, whispered to his daughter, „Let me see
whether Saptak has come.‟
Debaroti finished sweeping the floor quickly. She then waited for her dad to return. To kill
her time she began with her favourite pastime, building card houses.
Like the card houses, Debaroti‟s dreams were high and shaky. During her college days, she
was an ambitious girl with sky-scraper aspirations. When her classmates aimed at getting
married, having kids, Debaroti made them feel inferior by talking about her goals, working for a
reputed company in the field of her choice, excelling in her career, going to become a CEO on
day, and so on. While her friends talked about the sizes of their respective grooms and their
naughty flings before marriage, Debaroti focused on transforming into a role model for the
female generation.
35
Saptarshi Basu
However, the castles of her dreams came down shattering when the much promised
companies did not turn up for the campus recruitments and despite her best efforts she could
not taste success with the mediocre companies.
Adding to her dismay, her mother invariably and unreasonably came up with the discussion
of Debaroti‟s marriage, which aggravated Debaroti‟s frustration. Her mother would start the
sadistic marriage chants every morning Debaroti woke up. Day after day, Aloknanda stirred new
prospects and rejected them eventually... Na na! E chele cholbe Na! Sunlam Or Mama r meye ekta
para r mastan r songe paliyeche (No No...This guy won‟t work out at all...His uncle‟s daughter fled
with a local Hooligan). Her drilling got tougher and tougher....He is just 5‘3...Yakk!! He is so dark
complexioned…His nose seems tilted…this salary won‘t support a livelihood.
„Why don‟t we get her horoscope matched with of Haribabu‟s son?‟ she asked her husband.
„Don‟t ever take up that topic, Aloka. I know when she should get married,‟ said Shyamal at the
top of his voice. Alokananda stared at him. She was not happy, which always led to unpleasant
consequences. Shyamal knew the aftermath of his disobedience - couple of utensils smashed on
the kitchen floor. Later he would be denied coffee. Sometimes, her anger persisted well until the
evening disrupting their nocturnal romance. He dared to take the risk though, just for his lovely
daughter who seemed to show little enthusiasm towards marriage.
----------------------------0---------------------------0------------------------Arranged Marriages:
Marriages are made in heaven and arranged marriages are made in Bharat Matrimonial or The
Sunday Ananda Bazaar (that‘s how they claim). At times, relatives play important role of brokers
dealing in that rare commodity of love and inheritance. They bring in relatives from all nooks
and corners claiming that they share a very close bond, even if that means the last time they
spoke to each other was a decade ago.–
The bride‟s father has a real hectic job but then it‟s a question of whole life of his daughter
and his pride. So the gradual drilling turns stiffer and stiffer over a period of time.
The groom‟s father on the other hand, lands up in state of somewhat disappointment as his
son wasn‟t able to find a proper girl on his own even at the age of 30.
36
Saptarshi Basu
The two families sit facing each other with plastic smiles on their faces, on opposite sides of
the table, exchanging specious gestures. . The boy has started with his long sweet and flirtatious
stares at the girl‟s cousin sister. The bride enters with a tea tray in her shaky hands. Ah! Shaky
hands? Is it the strong Tequila shots at the Tantras last night? Eso Ma, Ki misti dekhte (Come my
daughter! So chhweett)…The groom has already started dancing around the trees…Thanks SRK!!
All well that ends well…So was the marriage and the reception….barring some minor incidents… The bride
had too much makeup …The groom‘s red underwear was clearly visible throughout the wedding. Some optimistic
hearts here and there…This is my number…Please call me…I have the full Brilliant Tutorials IIT
material…Although I am studying BCOM now … OMG! The groom was bald on the marriage day and now
he has full grown hair!...Thanks to Habib‘s. Ambarish got a bit carried away with two pegs of Royal Stag and
tried to kiss the bride‘s cousin sister…She is hot man!!!!.....all well that ends well….
Poor humans!!! It never ends!! The painful saga has just begun...
And then the clock ticks 11:30. All too tired after the reception, except for the groom. Come
on man! This is the night! His wait for 30 long years was finally going to end. Besides little
naughty hanky panky with Ruchi in Nicco park, the groom had never experienced any sensual
encounters. And today was his day to pump to glory. The room was full of aromatic roses. The
fragrance had spread into every corner of the room. Groom‟s elder brother had very beautifully
decorated the entire room with red and pink roses, everywhere on the bed, all over the room.
The bride, covered with the bridal costume and shyly looking at the floor, occupies the farthest
corner of the bed. The boy walks in with soft steps looking around the room; the same room
which he had inhabited for last 30 years was now appearing a complete strange place. The scent
of the flowers in the room was replaced by tensed atmosphere. While silence prevails in the
room, abrupt hushing sounds were being heard outside the room – “OMG! They haven‘t started yet!
When will he finally do it?‖ The groom‟s boudis too excited, tried to peep and see what‟s happening
inside…It‟s getting late!!! Tension levels rise inside the room. Hearts thumping inside the
ribcage. The groom finally approached his newlywed, „Shono na, why don‟t you change your
saree…It can get spoiled…It is quite expensive‟
„Oh!!! So you want to see me naked so early….Bapiiii!!! Whom did you select for me?‟ anger
expelled from within the bride, „I don‟t sleep so early, and where‟s my glass of milk…haven‟t
you told your mom that I can‟t sleep without a glass of milk at night,‟ she continued.
37
Saptarshi Basu
„Good lord! She needs milk. I thought I was the one who is supposed to be served with a
glass of milk. Excuse me for today…I totally forgot to tell mom, tomorrow onwards everything
will be perfect,‟ he sounded irritated and confused.
„Now, can we please go to bed? Errrghh I mean to sleep,‟ he continued his angst further.
„Please go out. I need to change. Get my bag,‟ she ordered him.
„What!!!! Please, I can‟t go outside…All my Boudis are standing at the door I know,‟ he was
startled, „I am your husband…for the next seven lives.‟
„Moron….I think this is my seventh and last life with you,‟ she mumbled within her heart.
The groom reaches very close to his beloved. He sits next to her. He plays his fingers on hers
as if playing a sweet melody on the piano. Irritated, she pulls her fingers away. The silk sherwani
adds to the groom‟s discomfort so he plans to change into something simple, loose, and free
flowing. He suggests to her that they change into something comfortable….He gets up and
walks towards his table without looking back, although a passionate desire to jump into the bed
has grasped his entire body, especially between the legs. He looks at his short pants, which he
has been wearing for the last 5 years, he picks it up but reluctantly puts it back thinking that the
idea of an old short on the first night won‟t be too good...he turned his attention to the pair of
pajamas that he had recently bought from the road side market. As he is changing into a
comfortable outfit of his desire, a rhythmic jingle of bangles trickles into his ears. Being careful
that he doesn‟t get caught, he frightfully stares at her soft milky back and the shoulders that are
mildly getting draped into a silky night gown. The fire within gets intense and is waiting to
explode out like a raging volcano. He craves to kiss her fervently but worried that she might
term him as a sex maniac, he controls his desire. Meanwhile, thoughts start gushing in the
bride‟s mind – “He is so cold….At least could have kissed my …. The bride feels as she quickly
changes…. Riju Da was far better….He use to kiss me so passionately…Bapi is sick, she
dumped him just because he was a sales representative…”
The couples lay on the bed pretending to sleep. The boy is still contemplating about the
starting move. Should I start with a kiss or directly hug her tight and give soft bites on her ear or
move my tongue softly around her neck, all over her face. The groom is much ahead in thoughts
though, getting irritated with the entire episode, cursing him for his slow and cold approach.
The groom finally breaks the ice by asking his spouse about her wellbeing and thanking that the
entire process of wedding went well. The bride is however interested more in the process of the
38
Saptarshi Basu
first night after the wedding. The aura of the 0-watt red bulb has cast its erotic spell around the
entire room, it has spread its wings of romance to cuddle the newlyweds into the nuptials. He
looks deep into her eyes, holds her face, and moves his thumbs over her ears while still staring
deep into her, he sight then reaches the lips followed by neck and finally resting at the pounding
big round voluptuous bosom. The voice of their breath can now be heard vividly. Besides the
Subho Drishti time, she feels like hugging him and running her fingers through his neatly
cropped hair but controls her fire. The conversation dies out gradually. Both are tired but the
stares continue. …Both look deeply into each other‟s eyes, exchange sweet smiles and giggles.
She loves his tired smile. He slowly starts caressing her hair….And then the „first night together‟
and the bliss of the marital life begins with a deep long kiss…
-----------------0--------------------------------0----------------------------With dad on her side made Debaroti happy.
„You can still pursue your dreams, you know dear!‟ he told her one day. She looked up at him
quizzically. „You can go to TechnoPolis and try searching for a job there,‟ he continued.
„Will mom agreed to this?‟ she asked. To an outsider, Shyamal may appear to be hen-pecked,
which was true in a sense. It was imperative that any decisions made should have an affirmative
nod from Alokananda. Shyamal ensured that devoutly.
„You are not going to stay alone dear,‟ he smiled
„Are you going to accompany me then?‟ she asked innocently.
„Not me...‟
After noticing her annoyed face, he came near her and said, „You see a deal can be made only
if it‟s a win-win situation for both the parties. Your mom wants you to get married quickly. But
you like to take up a job and excel in your career. Hmmm, what if we do like this?‟
„Like what?‟
„You agree to your mom‟s wish but on condition that the groom should be employed in
TechnoPolis. And while meeting your groom, you can demand his commitment to pursue your
dreams after marriage.‟
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Saptarshi Basu
For some time she remained reluctant, gazing at the floor. He whispered, „And I guarantee
that you will not have to marry Haribabu‟s son. I have already framed a story to dismiss her idea
altogether. What say? Deal?‟ He raised his thumb up.
She blushed and both burst into laughter.
„Dad...‟ Debaroti tried to catch Shyamal‟s attention
„Hmm...‟
„Did you meet Saptak? How is he?‟
„Nope, he had just woken up. Give him some time, dear!‟ Shyamal patted his daughter‟s head
and went inside.
Her interest for Saptak had grown over days,
not just because he was working in
TechnoPolis but that he was her favourite childhood buddy. She felt comfortable with him and
knew all his little habits. His tomfoolery at impressing her and his interest in her assets at times
aroused a certain degree of predilection for him. She was quite aware of his ‗Drop the eraser and
under-skirt adventure‘ game in her teens which irritated her terribly but that Saptak was the most
reliable and trustful guy she could ever bank on was also equally true.
She wrote many „how are you?‟ mails and sent „forwards‟ to him with a little bit of gossip or
some local humour. It was always a hit and miss affair with Saptak – little like the postal system
in the early 19th century. You never knew quite what to expect. Some of her mails got immediate
responses while few went unanswered. She consoled herself thinking that Saptak might be busy.
Eventually Debaroti developed a warm relationship with Saptak‟s mother Mrinalini. Debaroti
had got to know about Saptak‟s arrival from Mrinalini.
Debaroti waited for Saptak with the curiosity of that like a little child. She was going to see
him after a long time. Her happiness knew no bounds. However, this time their relationship
wasn‟t going to be same as earlier. She had begun to weave a new perspective; slowly entwining
the threads of love. Her fully developed adulthood stimulated the feeling and slowly nurtured it
deep inside her bosom.
She wasn‟t satisfied with her father‟s response. It all seemed a little tawdry, but remained
calm nevertheless – after all her father only had her best interests at heart. She sat in the corridor
and gazed at the road.
On the small glass-top table in front of her, the card house remained half-built.
40
Chapter Six
The Constructors
41
Saptarshi Basu
Saptarshi Basu
'Look inside,‘ The voice said,
'Look deep inside,'
'Is it what you wanted?'
And he sensed the hollowness inside.
Finishing his subsequent cigarette and transforming the lavatory into a smoke chamber,
Saptak came out and saw his grandpa - a lonely soul in white dhoti – waiting for him. His bare
body exhibited the drooping nipples and wrinkles of old age.
Whenever he looked at the simple, bald man and his relaxed way of living, he remembered
the forwarded mail that he got from the Captain Oxy in Technopolis - the mail that had always
kept him fascinated about energy, time and money.
The mail read:
We have three stupid stages in our life...
Teenage: Have Time + Energy; but No Money
Working Age: Have Money + Energy; but No Time
Old Age: Have Time + Money; but no Energy
Moral of the story: Have a balanced life.
„No problem... You have done enough calculations and discovered this stage of life where
you can have ample amount of all the three – energy, time, and money,‟ Saptak thought to
himself proudly. And just then the reflection of a jobless fellow jammed him eroding away his
pride.
„Hello grandpa. How are you?‟ Saptak greeted his grandfather.
„Hmm...‟ Grandpa attempted to raise his voice but it petered out like a fountain in summer.
He staggered into the bathroom and shut himself inside. But not before farting squeakily and
leaving behind some pungent impressions in the air.
Saptak always knew his grandpa to be a man of few words. He literally stopped talking when
his wife, Saptak‟s grandma, Amala Bala, died at the age of 70, three years back. Nobody could
read his mind since then. Staring at the road which meanders just underneath his window, he
would pass hours after hours.
„A good conversation,‟ he mocked at his grandpa.
42
Saptarshi Basu
Bimal sat on the sofa deeply immersed in the morning newspaper. A headline, „Chicken
thief got hacked to death by mob in Podphata‟ had caught his entire focus. Suddenly,
creaking sound of the restroom door shook Bimal. He at once stopped reading the newspaper,
folded it, and kept it aside. He took a quick glance at his silver wrist watch. 10.30 AM! The
inferno of rage started burning and slowly engulfed his whole existence.
It seemed he was determined not to get up from the seat unless he got an answer to the
persistently nagging problem. Rotating his shoulders in clockwise and then in anticlockwise
direction, he warmed up, as if for the final act. He bombarded Saptak with question as soon as
he saw him, „Hey, what is your plan now?‟Saptak was stumped at this question, a question as
mysterious as life is.
„Plan?‟ Saptak blinked. The mobile phone in the shirt pocket beeped and buzzed loudly,
adding fuel to the fire.
Bimal felt really sorry for delaying his question for 10 minutes. Anger simmered in him as he
thought he would now need to wait indefinitely to get answers to his questions from his very
own son.
„Just a sec dad,‟ and Saptak and walked back to his room in order to attend the call. It was
Captain Oxy.
„Hey man, what‟s up?‟ asked Saptak.
„You know what? Last night Nabo was robbed of his palmtop,‟ Captain Oxy shrieked.
„Oh man...how?‟ he asked.
„You knew right? Earlier in the morning he gave his bike to the service station...‟
„Yeah...‟
Captain Oxy started narrating, might be for the fifth time in a day. „The incident happened in
the evening around 8.00 PM. He was walking from the office to the service station. Two guys
on a bike waylaid him and snatched it from him.‟
„Oh... didn‟t he resist?‟ Saptak asked anxiously.
„He went completely blank after one of the robbers slapped him.‟
„Poor soul...‟
„You know, it was a bad day.‟
„Yeah, yeah I know...Where is he now?‟
43
Saptarshi Basu
„He is with me and both of us are going out to get another palmtop. May be a cheaper one
this time,‟ he said.
„Oh okay‟
„What are you doing now?‟
They talked for about 25 minutes. He hung up the phone and sat on his bed. „It is quite
horrifying. The city is turning more and more unsafe nowadays,‟ he shrugged as he remembered
the time when Aisha got attacked by local hoodlums.
It was around 11pm when she came out of Pick and Stick Technologies office waiting for a shuttle. The road
was completely deserted except one or two small tea-stalls still waiting for the call-centre guys to warm up their
cigarette trade. The air was packed with the sweet stink of marijuana. It came from the bonfire side where the late
night cabbies waited while warming themselves up. All of a sudden, a group of four drunken thugs in a decaying
Indica came near Aisha and started gesturing obscenities. A pony-tailed one came down from the Indica with a
beer bottle in hand .Still reeking in alcohol, he struggled to walk and tried to reach out for Aisha‘s T-shirt which
read ‗Beauty lies in the eyes of the beer holder‘. The moron took it literally and got too carried away, may be. The
hasty occurrence of the incident had totally taken Aisha by surprise. Luckily her piercing and terrified screaming
went as an alarm bringing the cab drivers for her rescue. ‗Bahenchyo, Saale‘ filled the air as the indica left off
hurriedly and vanished into the hearts of the City of Joy.
Saptak lazily glanced at the mobile screen to check the time: 10:55 AM. Having realized he
hasn‟t chomped for long and is craving for a cup of tea, he called out to his mom, „Ma ...tea‟. He
crossed the living room pretending not to notice his dad, who is furiously sitting on the sofa.
His mom didn‟t respond to Saptak‟s request.
„Ma...‟ Saptak pleaded as his day couldn‟t start without a tea.
Even Mrinalini knew it, but she was determined to break the silence. „Answer us first. Then
have the tea,‟ Mrinalini turned towards Saptak with a cooking pan in her hand. Her eyes were
dilated with pain and fear.
„What is there to answer?‟ Saptak raised his voice in disdain. „Why are you looking sad as if
the ship has sunk? What is all this pother about?‟ he asked his mom.
Meanwhile, his dad, like a lion waiting for his chance to pounce on the prey, bounced from
the sofa hurling the paper away. He started yelling at Saptak. „What are you going to do now is
our question?‟ The fire that blazed his eyes travelled past his glasses and left Saptak searing. The
silence that followed was briefly interrupted by the screech of the bathroom door that was flung
44
Saptarshi Basu
open by his grandpa. He moved like a tortoise from the bathroom unaware of a war-like
situation around him.
Saptak shouted with his head down, „I will do whatever I can‟ and left the house in a jiffy.
„I will do whatever I can,‟ he used to tell Nabo in Technopolis. Like a cold wind, Saptak‟s
words sent a chill down their spine.
------------------------0----------------------------------0---------------------------11:25 AM
Bimal was boiling with anger. He wandered restlessly through the house like an animal on
the prowl. „Where on earth did he go now?‟
Mrinalini, who had earlier issued a short-term bandh to her household chores owing to the
chaos, said in a sympathizing tone, „Poor boy... he left the house without even having anything.‟
„Don‟t feel sorry for him. He doesn‟t care about his parents. Why should we be concerned
about him?‟ Bimal fretted over his son‟s irresponsibility. Mrinalini, wanting to pacify him, turned
to the kitchen immediately.
Bimal was dazed and his mind wandered in a mist of memories. It took him to the days
when his son got a job. The time when he underwent a mix of emotions and the same time he
gave priority to his son‟s feelings above his own.
„The entire money that I invested on him has gone for a toss,‟ he murmured. He was
referring to the amount paid to the IT Company, Pick n Stick Technologies Pvt. Ltd., under the
guise of security deposit before his son could join as an employee. Saptak had to serve the
company a minimum period of two years or else, a clause in the contract stipulated that his
security deposit would not be refunded. After much calculation and persuasion from the
relatives, he had paid the bond amount of Rs 1 Lac to the organisation.
„Why should we pay and then work for them?‟ his wife hadn‟t understood the logic for a long
time. Mrinalini failed to understand why the IT companies ask for security, that too from her
son. It should have been the other way round.
„Coffee...‟ Mrinalini handed over the third cup of the day. She knew how to cool him down.
The caffeine gave Bimal a temporary relief from his worries. She watched him sip the coffee
loudly. Sitting on the veranda, he glanced at the gate expecting his son to return anytime.
45
Saptarshi Basu
Interrupted by the footsteps of Saptak‟s grandpa, Mrinalini turned back. Grandpa wore a
white dhoti and stood near the dining table awaiting his breakfast. Mrinalini read his mind and
said, „Yes father, I am coming.‟
A lot of futile calculations wedged Bimal‟s mind as he tried hard to cope with the monetary
loss caused by his reckless and immature son.
46
Saptarshi Basu
Chapter Seven
The Threads
47
Saptarshi Basu
His bare feet stung as he walked on the sun-baked road. His mind was too pre-occupied to
notice the absence of shoes in his feet. It juggled back and forth between his newly found
freedom and loss. In his worry, he barely noticed that he was crossing Debaroti‟s house.
„Saptak...‟ a female voice called him.
The voice felt like a pleasant breeze that stopped Saptak in his stride, He turned around to
see who called him. It was Debaroti. Seeing the beautiful girl, Saptak said to himself, „Hmm...
not bad. She has grown more beautiful over the years.‟
She was slim and wore a short-sleeved white shirt that covered her ripened bosom. The
black mini skirt showed her curvy hips. Her charm was like caffeine for him that stimulated his
brain cells. He felt refreshed instantly. A thin strand of hair dangling from her head danced on
her long nose. The hastily arranged mass of hair indicated that she had rushed out to catch
before he crossed her house.
„Hi Saptak. How are you?‟ she smiled.
„She has an angelic smile,‟ he thought. „She has matured.‟
Calmness settled in his spirit. He liked the natural colour of her lips unlike the varnished lips
of the girls in Technopolis.
„Hey Debaroti. I am fine. How are you?‟ he said while fiddling his mobile phone.
„Why do you reply my mails so late?‟ her nose became red for a moment.
That question shook Saptak a bit. „Hey nothing, I was busy yaar...‟ he said. His mind scolded
him for ignoring Debaroti all these days. It warned him to beg her pardon and regain her
feelings for him. He spoke to her affectionately, „You will forgive me, won‟t you Debaroti?
Please...‟
„I was just joking. In fact, I‟m aware of your busy schedule, Saptak.‟
„Oh really!‟ he exclaimed.
„Yeah. I frequently enquire about you to your mom‟ she said.
„Oh I see. How is your life going on?‟ he asked earnestly.
„Me? I am just a useless girl sitting idle at home, watching TV, chatting with friends and
pestering you with my mails.‟
Before she could complete her statement, Saptak interrupted, „Hey come on yaar... Please
don‟t say that. I don‟t like when you talk like that‟
She smiled happily at him and asked, „Is everything going smooth on your side?‟
48
Saptarshi Basu
„Yeah of course,‟ he lied.
„Confessing everything to a girl is equivalent to committing suicide,‟ his mind commanded.
He remembered the phone call he had with a girl in Technopolis that ended abruptly. „Hey you
know what? I know this is temporary, but I feel your voice sounds sweeter than before. Can you
simply keep talking to me (grin).‟ Of course he was honest to that girl that day but it had
unexpected consequence. Since then, he thought twice before telling the truth to any girl.
„Sometime back we heard your papa shouting?‟ Debaroti enquired teasingly.
„Nothing, like that,‟ he said. While he was struggling for words, his mobile phone rang much
to his rescue from the uncomfortable situation. He grabbed the chance to escape.
„Okay yaar... Let us meet after sometime leisurely,‟ he said to Debaroti.
„Sure Saptak. Bye bye,‟ she said closing the gate.
As if the mission was accomplished, she moved towards her house while Saptak was
engrossed in the mystery behind the call that he just got from Aisha, the colleague and the
dream girl of Nabo in Technopolis.
Debaroti saw Saptak walking back home. „There is something wrong. Saptak is certainly
trying to hide something from me,‟ she thought to herself. She could notice it from his reclusive
body language and the manner in which he dodged her questions on the confusion and chaos at
his home. The memories of similar experiences, during their adolescence, were still etched on
her mind.
It was about eight years ago. They were the neighbourhood friends who wore shorts and
mini-skirts. They were often seen together at the playground opposite Saptak‟s home. They were
happy playing hide and seek, flying kites, teasing each other, fighting and enjoying until the day
the little girl Debaroti cried aloud from the bathroom. Her mom rushed inside and came out
with a smile on her face. Having understood the reason, her dad also smiled. For the first time
in her life, Debaroti noticed her parents celebrating while she was bleeding.
The next day when she wanted to go out and play as usual, her mom stopped her from being
the same playful girl thereafter. She asked why.
„Enough of playing, you have grown older now,‟ came the reply.
After about 15 days of coaxing, she was allowed to go to the play ground. The little boy
Saptak asked her, „Hey, why did you go away suddenly without informing me?‟
„No, I was here only. I was made to stay inside the home,‟ she replied.
49
Saptarshi Basu
„You mean house arrest?‟
Debaroti put her head down and said, „My mom told me that I‟ve become a big girl now and
I should not talk with boys anymore.‟
„Is it? But my mom never said anything like that to me,‟ Saptak was bewildered and
continued, „If you are big, then I am big too... Who knows? I might even be bigger than you,‟ he
said and immediately felt sad. But his sadness was short-lived as he sensed a different kind of
smell from her body which he felt pleasant. „Hey, what perfume are you using?‟ he asked her,
ignorant of the science behind the new fragrance from her body, a telltale sign that she has
attained puberty.
„Perfume? I‟m not using any. I don‟t know where it is coming from,‟ she replied.
While she spoke, her voice blended with the new fragrance from her body and raked in
something inside his brain. He felt a sudden rush of excitement which he liked. He felt his head
spinning.
Noticing an odd expression on his face, she asked, „What Saptak? What‟s the matter with
you?‟
He suddenly came back to his senses and said, „Nothing...‟
„No, tell me... you thought something and you are hiding that from me,‟ she came forward.
„No, I am not hiding anything...‟
„Saptak...‟
„No... I think, I think my mom is calling me. I‟ve to go.‟ Saying that, he ran away.
Debaroti was puzzled by his strange behaviour despite having noticed the instant bulge in his
trousers. It took five years for her to understand the mystery.
Debaroti, even when she was a little girl, could read it from his body language if Saptak tried
to hide something from her. After the present incident, she said to herself once again: „This guy
is really hiding something...‟
50
Chapter Eight
The Destructors
51
Saptarshi Basu
Saptarshi Basu
He felt he was only running,
In a race where others were there,
He knew it was hard to win,
As it leads nowhere....
Saptak was walking towards his home while attending the phone call:
„Hello Saptak?‟
„Yes Saptak here.‟
„Saptak, I am Aisha.‟
„Yes Aisha, tell me, what‟s up?‟
Aisha started the talk formally „How are you?‟
Saptak laughed a painful smile.
„Enjoying my new found freedom, How about you?‟
„Yeah I am fine, Saptak... Saptak you have any whereabouts of Nabo? I tried reaching him
many times since this morning and his mobile is switched off all the time,‟ she said in a worried
tone.
„Oh that...‟ he recollected, „You know, he lost his mobile last evening; actually not lost, he
was robbed.‟
„Is it? Oh god, so frightening,‟ she said.
Enthusiastically he shared the details with her.
„Was he physically assaulted?‟ she wanted to ensure Nabo was safe.
„No, don‟t worry. He is going to get a new mobile. Just wait for some time; he will call you,‟
Saptak assured her.
Aisha closed her eyes and said a silent prayer for Nabo and continued, „Okay, thanks Saptak.
Let me wait for his call.‟
„Sure, not a problem,‟ he said.
„Also sorry for disturbing you...huh?‟ she said.
„Hey come on Aisha,‟ he said reassuringly.
„Okay then, will call you when I have an update. Thanks Saptak,‟ she said.
„Thanks Aisha, bye.‟
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Saptarshi Basu
„Bye,‟ she ended the call.
By the time he finished his talk, his legs had brought him before his dad. He looked into the
red eyes. „Oh man!‟ he thought „What have I done to myself?‟
Bimal stood up with his hands on the hip and hollered, „Hey...‟
„Dad...‟ Saptak trembled in fear.
„What man? What‟s on your mind?‟ he asked in a harsh tone „What are you thinking?‟
„No nothing. What should I think?‟
Mom quickly cleaned the table where grandpa just finished his breakfast and assembled at
the spot with a cloth in her hand.
„You are continuously insulting me...‟ he complained.
Saptak‟s mobile phone rang again. Bimal was infuriated by the annoying mobile phone at
such situations. Before Saptak could escape from the place, he quickly seized the mobile from
his hands and without a second thought, threw it away.
It was at the same time that grandpa appeared there for his morning walk. The mobile phone
flipped twice in the air before it hit grandpa‟s head and landed on the floor, leaving a red spot
on his head. Grandpa fainted to the ground with a thud, gasping.
Bimal turned around not realising what his action had resulted in.
„Father...‟ Mrinalini cried aloud while trying to support him. Bimal and Saptak rushed to the
spot forgetting their fight for the moment.
Grandpa‟s news spread like wild fire in JyotiNagar. Soon the ambulance was called and after
about 30 minutes, everyone including neighbour Shyamal and his daughter Debaroti were seen
standing outside the general ward of the government hospital in JyotiNagar.
The doctor said, „The patient had got a sudden shock. It will take a bit time to bring him out
of it‟
He said shortly, „Nurse, put him on drips,‟ and walked away from that place.
Mrinalini sobbed with her head down albeit with little tears. Bimal patted her shoulder and
asked Saptak, „Are you happy now?‟
To ease the situation, Shyamal took Bimal and his wife to the hospital‟s cafeteria.
Dad‟s words hit Saptak like a hammer. He wanted to flee the scene. He came out of the
hospital and stood at the entrance for some time. He searched for his cigarette pack and lighted
one. As the smoke went into his lungs and rejuvenated his brain cells, he tried to think what
53
Saptarshi Basu
should be done next. While sitting in the prison cell and sharing the joint with Oxy, he had
created rosy illusions of some distant innovative idea but the whole morning saga had shaken
him thoroughly.
Suddenly he noticed Debaroti approaching him. He wanted to ignore her and remained
silent. She stood before him, her bosom resting on the folded arms and asked him, „Saptak, tell
me what happened really?‟
He spoke bluntly as he was aware that it was no use beating around the bush.
„I quit my job,‟ he said.
„Oh man!‟ She was taken aback. At once she felt her career dreams collapsing like a heap of
cards. She stared at him unbelievingly and moved a few steps backwards as if to warn him not to
propose to her now or she might slap him.
„Why did you quit? What happened?‟ she asked
Saptak took a deep breath gazing at the ground. He felt the pangs of memory as he tried to
recollect his journey.
The dry leaves swirled up in the wind.
54
Saptarshi Basu
Some Facts:
In a recently held Technology Conclave in India, it was concluded by the
organizing body that India is slowly but steadily proving its mettle as a thriving market for innovative ideas and
new products development. Today the Indian Software Product Market is worth about $1.5 billion. In
comparison, the Indian IT services Industry is already around $12 billion and growing profoundly. The difference
is mainly due to lack of risk taking and investments in innovation and cultivating new ideas in product
development.
The stalwarts of the Software industry have raised their concern that lack of innovation might bring this rapidly
growing sector which contributes around 6% of the country‘s GDP to a sudden coma. Even though the whole
world looks towards India as one of the largest Software Service Provider, the acceptance of our genius in Product
development still needs a protracted way to go.
The whole world might be too excited and too flattened about the great Indian IT orgasm but it‘s high time we
start developing our own baby-maker rather than looked upon just as a back office waiting to screw and be
screwed.
In the conclave, it was felt that it‟s high time we start „THINKING BIG‟.
55
Chapter Nine
PICK AND STICK
56
Saptarshi Basu
Saptarshi Basu
BRD(Business Requirement Document) doc for Thief‟s and Ghost sales enterprises:
Table of Contents
Objectives .............................................................................................................................. 1
Hardware Specifications ............................................................................................................................. 2
To be
Pseudo code .................................................................................................................................................
3
completed in 1
day-Srini
ItsItsal4:45
now
Objectives:
The business of Thief‟s and Ghost enterprises mostly concentrates on???? (need to clarify)
Hardware Specification:
Probably
Oracle
database
?? Need
to ask
Chandru
Database
 Me, have to complete the BRD by today EOD !!!
Pusedo Code:
using System;
public class ReverseArraySort
{ public static void Main()
{ // need to copy the logic from Heritage Food store BRD }
All these days he had only run,
But not a pinch of soil he won,
He struggled harder and harder,
But his mind roamed elsewhere.
57
Nabo
Saptarshi Basu
Pick and Stick Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Technopolis, Monday Oct 9, 2006
The typing on the keyboards around him reminded him of the chattering sound of the rains.
Every now and then he unlocked his mobile to check the time. Initially it showed 5:45 PM, then
5:46 PM and then 5:48 PM.
Sitting uncomfortably before the computer, he turned his head left and right only to see his
teammates engrossed in their work. To his surprise, his colleague Nabendu Purokayastho aka
„Nabo‟ was also working. By the way, Nabo was one of the two friends who stayed with Saptak.
Nabo had a solid, stout physique and was always clean shaven. His narrow rectangle-shaped
spectacles had glided some inches down the nose. Saptak saw his straight hair a bit messy and
falling on the forehead.
„Hey man, what are you doing?‟ interrogated a bored Saptak
„Hmm...‟ Nabo said in between typing the code hurriedly.
„Is he really working or pretending to work? Let me see,‟ Saptak peeped at his desktop
screen.
„Don‟t you have any manners?‟ Nabo screamed and quickly turned the screen away from
Saptak.
With a derisive smile, Saptak came closer to the screen and saw his chat window open. He
was chatting with Aisha, the gorgeous. But before he could read the contents, Nabo closed the
window.
Unlike women, men always keep their secrets away from their friends, unless it has reached a
state where they can proudly open it up without any fear. For Nabo, Aisha was his dream girl.
He loved her and was just waiting for the right time to propose to her. But till then, he wanted it
to remain under wraps. He looked at Saptak in an interrogative manner. „What now?‟
Saptak rose his voice, „Hey, when are we leaving?‟
„Ask Chandru,‟ he said turning back to the computer.
In Nabo‟s dictionary, „Chandru‟ meant Chandrasekhar Lenka, the right hand of the manager.
Saptak moved from his seat towards Chandru whose cubicle was next to the manager‟s cabin.
Unfortunately he was not there at his seat. Saptak could hear his voice from the boss‟ cabin. „It
seems Chandru and the boss were in a deep discussion,‟ he thought. He went near the entrance
and thought if he should go inside or not.
58
Saptarshi Basu
Meanwhile...
With his right hand on his chin, the manager, Srinivasa Padukonda, sat on the soft cushiony
chair. He was peering at the monitor, scratching his bald head with his left hand. He seemed
worried about the mail attachment sent by his lead which he was unable to open. He asked the
Chandru in frustration, „What is this all about?‟
Chandru was standing near him with his hands folded at the back. His blue striped shirt was
tucked in but his belly was popping out. He bent towards the manager faithfully and answered,
„Srinivasa, I know about this. Actually this is the newer version of Microsoft power point. The
new ppts are suffixed with .pptx instead of .ppt.‟
„Is it? Why do they do like this?‟ he asked in disgust.
„Boss... I think that‟s how they work,‟ the reply came quickly from the Chandru.
„First understand my question, right?‟ Srinivasa was provoked.
„Okay sir!‟
„I asked why those people are changing the setup like this without any prior notification.‟
„Sir, I feel they have no other job,‟ Chandru replied.
„How many times I told you not to call me „sir‟, call me by my name, ok?‟ said Srinivasa.
„Sorry Srini ...‟
„Now how shall we go forward on this issue? This is going to be a major show-stopper in my
tomorrow‟s meeting,‟ he grieved.
„Srinivasa, I ... I know about this. Actually we need to upgrade the Microsoft Office to 2007
to open this,‟ Chandru spoke timidly.
As soon as Saptak realised that the manager was not in a good mood he felt like running
away from that place immediately. Hardly had he turned his head that the two noticed him and
enquired, „What?‟
Saptak spoke in a low tone, „Nothing. I just wanted to inform you before I....‟ he swallowed
the remaining words.
„Wait for a few minutes. We are in an important discussion,‟ Srinivasa ordered him and
continued with the Chandru.
„Yes tell me... hmm ... so you can help me on this one, right?‟
„Yes Srinivasa....it is ...‟
59
Saptarshi Basu
The voice faded as the sullen, silent, and disconsolate Saptak had returned to his cubicle.
Nabo who was eagerly awaiting Saptak asked him, „Shall we leave now?‟
Had Saptak made a slight nod or said „yay‟, Nabo would have left the desk in a jiffy. But he
was lifeless.
A heavy oppression seemed to brood up in the air. After some time, Saptak sat near Nabo
who was scrolling the mouse over a word document. He made a rattling noise with the mouse;
suddenly turned to Saptak and shouted at him, „Why did you want to seek his permission in the
first place?‟
Saptak infuriated him further when he yelled back „YOU sent me to him, right?‟
Nabo went into a silent mode with his head drooping southwards. They spent the next 35
minutes like that till Nabo got up from his seat and said, „Let me meet him once...‟
When he saw Nabo was returning like a coward, he got furious, „It looks like he didn‟t meet
him at all.‟
Nabo said skeptically „Hey what did Srinivasa say to you?‟
Saptak got annoyed by Nabo‟s disability to face Srinivasa. Saptak himself went forward to
take the risk again. And the timid Nabo followed him. This time, the Chandru was packing his
things to leave the office. They both looked at Srinivasa‟s cabin. It was vacant. The Chandru
said calmly, „Srinivasa has left for the day‟
The time, five minutes to seven, stood witness to Saptak's sufferings. He said to himself, „I
realise now that this project manager is being absurd. However, I was ignorant of his ridiculous
behaviour till now. Many a times, I know, he had made us to wait indefinitely for trivial things
which otherwise needed five to 10 minutes of his attention. So long we were assuming that the
man might be busy. But this time he even left the office without telling us. Is he really so busy
that he forgot our existence, the freshers? Or are we being taken for granted?‟ For the first time,
Saptak doubted his intentions.
60
Chapter Ten
The Try-Catch
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Saptarshi Basu
Saptarshi Basu
I wonder…
If I had written a poem for you…
The poem will give structure to the
Words to immortalize
The Passion that engulfed us…
The sacred fire burning within
The synergy we created
That seemed indestructible.
My poem for you is more than words.
It is the way I look at you,
The way I touch you,
The way I hold you,
The way I let you in my heart
Without reservations…
Where you reign supreme.
I wonder
If I had written a poem for you…
Technopolis, Nov 3, 2006
It was late. Most of the boring IT engineers of Pick n Stick Technologies Pvt. Ltd had left for the
day. Nabo looked up from his monitor. The guard had switched of some of the lights. The
whole room took a gloomy appearance with a halo over the place where Nabo was working. He
left his chair and went towards the window. „Friday night, all must be enjoying‟, a faint smile
appeared on his face and then it suddenly changed to deeper expressions of anger. Chandru had
passed over his monotonous BRD (Business Requirement Document) preparation to him. And
as always, it was Nabo, he could never say no to Chandru or any other superiors.
He looked outside. The defeated sun has spread over its saffron blood all over the sky.
Darkness was slowly engulfing the town of Technopolis. He rested himself on the corner of a
table, and then a magazine caught his attention – “Want counseling in Love, contact
Manish, the Love Guru @ Lover‟s Den”
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Saptarshi Basu
Suddenly a stream of strong perfume filled up the air. Someone touched him very gently on
his shoulders. Completed shocked and frightened by the touch, Nabo instantly turned back,
looking straight into Aisha‟s cute face.
„Why are you working so late?‟ Aisha chirped, her curly auburn hair jumping and kissing her
soft pulpy face. Nabo looked straight into her eyes, unable to understand a single word. He
never tried to. He was completely lost in those brown eyes. Looking a bit down, he could see
her fully blossomed treasures craving to come out of the tight T-shirt. „Objects inside are bigger
than they appear‟, was written in deep red on it.
Nabo felt an ardent desire to discover the hidden soft toys but felt ashamed as Aisha‟s eyes
caught him travelling in her wilderness. „Hey! Where are you looking at! Dustu! And what are you
doing so late on a Friday night‟, Aisha rebuked Nabo with a naughty smile. „Chandru is making
my life a living mess, has transferred me all his BRD preparation for Thief‟s and Ghost
Enterprises‟, complained Nabo like a baby boy.
„Leave it Yaar, Take it up on Monday once you come to office. Now let‟s go home,‟ Aisha
started pulling Nabo‟s hand. The idea of taking Aisha as a pillion-rider on his bike was an
overwhelming thought .The glimpse of those magical soft toys inside Aisha‟s T-Shirt touching
his back while driving, made his toy instantly erect. But as always, Nabo was extremely shy. The
idea frightened him too, „if Saptak or Captain Oxy come to know? God! They will tease me to
death.‟
Watching Nabo‟s numbness Aisha could feel that this guy was pretty shy. In her hearts of
heart, she liked this quality of Nabo, although she never expressed it.
„I am late, Nabo and it‟s dark! Can you please drop me home? I am already late‟, her lips
coming very close to Nabo‟s.
Now let me tell you, as the Bible of Impressing IT girls says, there are certain thumb rules you
must follow if you want to succeed in this game.
HOW TO „POTAO‟ING AN IT GIRL?
1) Never forget to have a clean shave while coming to office. Girls don’t like unclean
fellows.
2) Use the last drop of body spray all over your body and shirt.
3) A bike increases your chances to a great extent. Never forget to offer for a lift.
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4) Use at least five chloromint after you smoke. Girls like smokers but not the smell.
5) Try to help her out in any coding related or technical issues, even though you
don’t know a single bit of it. (Try Google, it always helps!)
6) Always have your shoulders open when she needs to sleep or cry. Also, keeping
some tissues might come handy.
7) Last but the most important, never forget to carry cash and your ATM cards.
Girls hate paupers.
The rain had stopped a little while ago, leaving
moon like surface full of creators and troughs all across the city. The mist prevailed though. A
band of street urchins played with a ragged plastic ball across the puddles. As Nabo‟s bike
zoomed past the high rises of TechnoPolis, he could sense the muddy smell of earth. The heavy
rains attributed to the fall in temperature that night. With the rising speed of the bike, Nabo
could feel Aisha sticking closer and closer to him with the soft breasts pressing tenderly against
Nabo‟s back. Electric currents ran through Nabo‟s body with every touch. Suddenly everything
seems so beautiful and happy.
„I am feeling cold,‟ Aisha mumbled into Nabo‟s ears softly.
He felt that the time should have come to a halt. The darkness, the mist and above all the
coziness – Alas! Wish if it could last till eternity. He drove at a lethargically slow speed with no
intension of reaching his destination. She asked to drive a little faster so as to reach home early.
Sudden strong voice brought Nabo back to senses. Pressing hard on the accelerator, he zoomed
past couple of auto rickshaws and honking cars. Within minutes, they were close to FD block in
Salt Lake City where Aisha lived.
„Ok then, Good night, Aisha,‟ Nabo said with softness in his voice, swallowing a bitter pill as
Aisha headed towards her apartment.
„Come on Nabo. Don‟t be so shy always, come inside,‟ Aisha replied turning back and then
walked slowly towards her apartment. Nabo stood there confused. Should he go in and confront
Aisha‟s parents or head straight back to his mess and his messy partners. He staggered and
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slowly walked inside. Luckily for him, Aisha‟s parents were on a shopping spree. The rain had
halted their journey back home.
Resting his tired bum on the squeaky leather sofa, Nabo looked around uneasily. An
extremely serious looking man was sternly watching Nabo from the black & white photo frame.
It was stooping forward from the top of the television set. Aisha‟s grandfather, Nabo thought.
„Are you getting bored?‟ Aisha asked while settling on the sofa. Nabo looked up trying to
take his attention away from the newspaper he was reading while Aisha changed into softer
clothes. He could feel a shiver running down his spine. Just in front of his eyes, his dream girl
sat wearing an ultra-short skirt and a sluggishly loose T-shirt. Once upon a time the skirt might
have been a mini one during Aisha‟s school days but now it was micro version barely covering
her panty. Nabo‟s eyes got struck on those milky fair voluptuous thighs that now lay totally
naked in front of his eyes.
Unaware of Nabo‟s rapist vision, Aisha was watching CTV. There was some kind of a dating
show going on where a fully grown up Surd was crying heavily after losing his girl to another
participant. As Aisha‟s eyes confronted him, Nabo nervously picked up the newspaper and
started flapping its pages. One of the ads sneaking on the right corner of the paper caught his
attention.
―Quick fall? Can‘t enjoy love making for long? Mal functioning, erectile problems – Contact Dr. Lodha to
know about Japani Oil-Massage with it daily to get a stronger, healthier, larger ….‖
Nabo felt an urgent need for the oil which promised to catapult your performance to
celestial levels. His nervousness has transformed his toy into momentary numbness.
Fumbling with the newspaper on the small wooden table, a nervous Nabo dropped the
remote on the ground. As Aisha stooped down from the sofa to pick it up, Nabo got
thunderstruck with those large boobs fighting with each other to come out of the loose T-shirt.
Nabo jumped out of the sofa, „Aisha, I think I should leave now.‟
„Oh Nabo, come on wait. Let Mummy come back. We will have dinner together,‟ Aisha
replied while still glued to TV. Just then the lights went off. It was all dark. The snoring
electricity department must have just noticed that the rains have passed under their nose, and as
a usual procedure, they switched off the power to prevent any outage adding severe irritation of
everyone.
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The sudden darkness helped Nabo more than Dr. Lodha‟s Japani Oil. Aisha screamed and
landed straight into Nabo‟s laps. She was too afraid to get up although was quite aware of her
position as something hard was pricking her bum fondly. Nabo felt that his toy had suddenly
waken up from its numbness and transformed to a candle. „Do you have a candle nearby, Aisha,‟
Nabo asked to divert her attention from the constant pricking.
Aisha, still trembling, stood up. Nabo tried to help her search for the candle with his
mobile‟s light. They found one near the big dining table. The flickering flame of the candle
spread a soft glow around the living room. Placing the candle on top of a coffee cup, Aisha
looked up straight into Nabo‟s eyes. She could clearly see the unspoken words in them. At
times, a lot of emotions are best expressed unspoken. They both came closer. Aisha kissed him
passionately while Nabo gently fondled her big, soft breasts over the thin fabric of her dress.
Two pairs of wavering lips were locked into each other as the flickering candle remained the
only witness to their love in the darkness of that living room.
--------------0-------------------------0-----------------------------------The wild chase through the deserted roads of Kolkata with its melancholic swirl infused a
sudden life into the dying night. Srini‟s Honda City was piercing the haunted roads. Oxy was
having a hard time keeping pace with them on his 160 CC Apache. The sudden red light at the
signal came to his help. The Honda City came to a sudden halt with a shrieking noise.
A shrill laughter could be heard from inside the car. It‟s must be Nita, Oxy thought.
Two extremely malnourished kid wearing torn out clothes tapped on the Honda City‟s
window. They had a bunch of roses in their hand and tried to sell out the last lot. As the signal
changed to sudden green, a hand grabbed the bunch and threw a hundred rupee note in the air.
The two street urchins ran to catch the note. The sudden crushing of the beer bottle brought
Oxy back to senses. The broken pieces remain scattered near Oxy‟s leg as the waves of jeering
and laughter from the Scorpio faded into the darkness of the night.
The Honda city halted near the hotel in Middleton Street with the flashing neon light.
Chandru waited in the car as Srini and Nita walked straight to the hotel reception. Oxy
vrooomed down and stopped his Apache a bit far from the car. He felt a fervent desire to get
inside the hotel but couldn‟t warm up his balls to do so. He looked around. A small tea stall
remained awake with its dim light spreading a drowsy hangover.
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---------------0----------------------0-----------------------------------„Be quick. I need to get back to my PG by 2. The owner is a typical bastard always howling
on me,‟ Nita said as she started opening her clothes. Srini was caught in an anxious numbness
looking at her red bra. The sudden ringing of the mobile brought him back to room no. 403.
„Where are you?‟ a strong female voice asked from the other side of the phone. „Err…sorry
darling, I am caught up in middle of something, a conference meeting with our US clients. Will
be a bit late.‟ After some nervous chatting, Srini kept the phone down. „Your wife?‟ asked Nita,
her face smeared with a mischievous grin as she unbuttoned Srini‟s Louise Philippe Shirt.
„Err...yes‟ a tensed Srini replied with an idiotic smile while slowly placed his hands on Nita‟s
shoulder. He was dying to feel her softness.
The next thirty minutes went on a trance as he ravaged on the bed biting her and growling
while Nita kept moaning under him.
---------------0----------------0--------------------------------------They hurriedly came down while Oxy was sucking the last bit of smoke from the Navy cut.
As he slowly started his bike and paddled it towards the car, he could hear Srini speaking over
his phone. „I am coming home darling. Please don‟t get angry. You know this US clients na.‟
As the Honda City took its speed, Oxy felt hard to keep pace with it. Slowly, it vanished in
the smog which engulfed the night. Oxy stopped and removed his helmet. He was panting. He
looked up at the torn out movie ad hanging from the billboard, which kind of screamed…“I
KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER”
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Chapter Eleven
The Queue
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At times, he would look at his mates,
Burying their head and working all along,
He would laugh inside,
And wonder how they are going all this long
Technopolis, Tuesday, March 18, 2007
That day, Saptak was determined to leave the office at any cost before the sun goes down in
the west. He shutdown the computer and went to Nabo who was completely involved in work
and said, „Come on let‟s leave now‟
„Don‟t we need to report to them before we go?‟ Nabo raised his doubt.
„The time is already 5:40 PM. So, there is no need to tell anybody. Come on, get up,‟ Saptak
pulled him up from his seat.
A sudden chill ran down Nabo‟s spine. He shrieked like a school kid in the presence of his
head master, „Hey man, they will scold us if we go without informing them.‟ After a short pause,
he continued, „It is better to inform at least Chandru before leaving. Otherwise it won‟t be good
for us, what say?‟
„Dude...You know what? You are bull shit,‟ Saptak teased him.
„Who? Me? Ha... ha... ha...‟ Nabo managed to laugh at his comment.
„Let me leave alone if you are not coming,‟ Saptak moved a couple of steps backwards.
„Won‟t you inform the manager and go?‟ Nabo questioned.
„One grain suffices to test a whole pot of boiled rice,‟ Saptak said.
„Meaning?‟ asked Nabo.
„It means, after that incident on being on queue, I decided not to seek his permission
anymore...‟
Saptak looked into Nabo‟s eyes and said, „Ok then, see you at home.‟
Then he simply walked away from the place.
Nabo was dumbstruck.
---------------------------0----------------------------0------------------------------------------------
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Once he came outside that seven-storied building, the wind brushed his face. He felt
immensely relaxed and a smile ran on his face automatically. Looking at the fading blue sky, he
thought for a second, „Wow! How nice it would be if I could fly a kite now?‟
The wind brought in him the memories of the days in JyotiNagar when he flew kites with his
grandpa and the girl next door, Debaroti, in the playground opposite his home. Then, the wind
had hissed in his ears like a flight of white-winged geese.
„Those golden days have been swept away by time like the clouds being swept away by the
wind...‟
He walked past the security at the main gate and glanced at the vehicles passing by.
„Samarvera is coming on his buffalo. We need to be careful,‟ he commented when a „Pulsar‟
biker whizzed past.
„How dare you step on my way while I drive?‟ a yellow-turban surd „vroomed‟ his „bison‟ to
threaten Saptak crossing the road. He scrapped through to reach the other side of the road and
board the bus that had slowed down to pick him up. The bus moved past all tall buildings of the
city, even the medium-sized ones had seven to eight floors. In comparison, the residential
apartments looked like pigeon‟s nest to him.
„The greedy land-owners turned almost every square feet of their land into money generating
concrete buildings,‟ Saptak shrugged. He got down at the bus stop, 10 minutes walk away from
where he stayed.
----------------------0------------------------0-------------------------------------„Captain Oxy...‟ Saptak opened the gate calling out for his roommate. Captain Oxy was his
nickname and he shared the room with him and Nabo.
Captain Oxy was cutting onions, his knife making a tuk-tuk sound as it fell on the cutting
board. On hearing the roommate‟s footsteps, he started cutting faster.
„Maybe he wants to wind up the cooking so that his hungry roommate can eat,‟ Saptak felt
for a split second. But the evil spirit in him spoke back. „Or it could be that he wants to
emphasize that he is the one who works in kitchen after a long day in the office.‟
Standing in the kitchen Captain Oxy shouted „Who is that?‟
„It‟s me...‟
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Saptak removed his shoes and threw it to a corner and came in pushing the half-opened
door.
„Hey Saptak...You are home early today!‟ Captain Oxy exclaimed. „Come on lets prepare the
dinner together.‟ He put some mustard seeds in the fry pan that spluttered in the boiling oil.
„Dinner? What are we making today?‟ Saptak entered the kitchen enthusiastically to
accompany the tall, thin figure of Captain Oxy in black tracks. He had a thin chain around his
neck. Saptak glanced around the items kept in the kitchen. To the right side of the oil-stained
gas stove, there was a small mound of chopped beans and carrots in a plate. There was a sooji
packet near it with „FREE‟ printed on the cover.
„Oh, nowadays they have offers on sooji packets also? In that Sapna store, for whatever we
buy, we will get something for free. Today we got a packet of salt for free!‟ exclaimed Saptak.
Captain Oxy then fried the chopped onions and added a glass of water to it.
Saptak took the free product in his hand and started examining it. The offer looked bigger
than the original product itself. Some local company‟s name was printed on the salt packet.
„Hey Saptak, where is Nabo?‟ asked Captain Oxy while he added the chopped vegetables into
the boiling water.
„I left him there only,‟ Saptak stood behind him peering into the company‟s logo on the salt
packet.
„Why? Both of you work in the same company and are in the same team. Then why are you
coming back home alone? You could‟ve come on his bike instead of taking a bus,‟ he said sifting
the sooji into the boiling water.
„You know what? He is bullshit‟
„Bullshit? Ha... ha... ha...‟ they burst into a high-pitched laughter. Captain Oxy forgot to add
salt to the dish.
„Only he can stay late in office till the manager leaves his cabin. I can‟t waste my time like he
does,‟ he shrugged and the salt packet dropped from his hands. It ignited some profound
thoughts in him and he continued, „You see, in this world, a seller will give any kind of product
for FREE. But can he offer „time‟ as a free commodity to the customers? He can‟t, right?
Similarly why should I give my free time to someone else?‟ asked Saptak. His eyes filled with
tears when he said that.
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Captain Oxy‟s eyes also welled up. „Captain Oxy, you seemed to have been moved by my
thoughts,‟ said Saptak resting his palm on Captain Oxy‟s shoulders.
„The onion is a bit slow in taking revenge. Probably it was waiting for you to arrive,‟ Captain
Oxy teased him while switching off the gas stove.
„Ha... ha... ha...‟ Saptak laughed it off as Captain Oxy was three years senior to him and it was
Saptak‟s nature to respect his elders. „Hence, I left that bullshit behind,‟ Saptak concluded the
statement.
Captain Oxy carried the dish to the living room and Saptak followed him with the plates
never expecting to bump into Nabo who was standing in the living room and staring straight
into his eyes. „Could he have heard my comments?‟ Saptak was confused. „Hey Nabo, you came
at the right time,‟ Captain Oxy said, „Come on let‟s sit together.‟
„I am coming, Captain Oxy,‟ Nabo switched on the TV before settling down to eat. He
maintained a stoic silence and did not show his resentment towards Saptak.
„Captain Oxy, you know, today we got a new project to do,‟ he exclaimed.
„Wow... great... it means you also got a new project, right Saptak? Captain Oxy questioned
while serving the „spicy sooji‟.
„A new project!‟ Saptak was baffled. „Hey Nabo when did all this happen?‟
„Soon after you left, the manager called both of us to convey this,‟ Nabo said merrily while
taking a spoonful of sooji into his mouth.
Immediately Captain Oxy interrupted eagerly, „How is it?‟
Nabo, who didn‟t give much attention to the taste of the food then, simply nodded his head
and told Saptak, „And he enquired about you.‟
„What did you say?‟
„I said you‟ve left already,‟ he shrugged „And he wants you to meet him in person tomorrow.‟
He grinned at a visibly uneasy Saptak who complained, „Oh man... Had you cooperated with me
in the evening, I wouldn‟t have had to face this situation now.‟
„Cooperate? Why should I cooperate?‟ Nabo asked sarcastically.
„If you had come with me, the manager wouldn‟t have spoken to you and we both would
have been in the same boat,‟ he explained.
„Captain Oxy, is he some union leader that I listen to him?‟ Nabo raised his eyebrows.
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„Umm...‟ Captain Oxy, who was completely engrossed in the matter involving the stomach
that he said, „Alas, I forgot to add the salt to the dish...‟
Then he came back to his senses and asked, „Eh...What?‟
„Why not we form a union with all the IT employees and then...‟ An excited Saptak tried to
collate the ideas.
„A union? Ha... ha... ha...!‟ Captain Oxy burst into laughter.
„Look Saptak, I am systematic and I don‟t need to change for anyone,‟ Nabo reiterated his
statement and giggled with Captain Oxy.
Saptak, who felt insulted by the laughter, changed his tactics and came out with a new blame
game. „It‟s the kind of people like you who add to the peer pressure.‟
Silent prevailed for sometime as Nabo stared at him in disdain.
„Hey can either of you get a bottle of ThumpsUp from Sapna? Only a cold drink can help
this dish now,‟ pleaded Captain Oxy trying to divert the subject.
Nabo simply looked at Saptak and then spat out the words, „Bullshit and uncooperative.‟
Without saying anything, Saptak got up and proceeded towards Sapna.
He realized that a cold war with Nabo has begun.
73
Chapter Twelve
The Transition Cycle
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Saptarshi Basu
Looking at the sky he travelled back in time when Nabo bought his hi-tech mobile. It was then
that Saptak discovered another trait of Nabo – that he would compare things and that he is an
analyzer of sorts. He thought of using this as his defense in the cold war. But fate had
something else in store.
Technopolis, Wednesday, April 7, 2008
Although the distance was not much, the journey seemed longer than usual for the pillion
rider. That was partly because of the morning traffic and partly due to the rider, the brooding
Nabo.
In his attempt to fix the broken ends, Saptak asked, „Hey dude, are you thinking seriously?‟
His voice was a bit louder so that he could make himself audible in those roaring noises of the
city traffic and the gushing wind.
Nabo took time to reply. „I am thinking of visiting the Mobile Shoppe this evening.‟
Saptak sighed and muttered to himself, „Again!‟
He remembered that it‟s been three months since Nabo had planned to buy a high-tech
mobile for himself. This could be the fourth time that he was planning to visit the Mobile
Shoppe - to enquire about the latest model and compare the prices of all the brands showcased.
Then he would collect all the brochures and analyze each to pick the best. But he would never
choose one and keeps on browsing and waiting for newer models to hit the market.
„Certain things can‟t be questioned,‟ he said to himself.
„Okay, Let us go this evening,‟ Saptak offered to go with him, hoping this would help him
mend their ties.
„Fine...‟ said Nabo speeding up to the office.
----------------------------0--------------------------0--------------------------At the office premises:
„Srinivasa, we need two people for this new project,‟ Chandru cocked his head to address the
Project Manager and showed him the printout with details of resource estimation.
Srinivasa took it and asked, „Two...?‟
„Yes Srinivasa, one to copy the contents and the other to verify the copy.‟
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Srinivasa skimmed through the document and complimented his work, „Very good, let me
discuss with the client about the billing details then. Well, by the way, how are we executing it?‟
he asked sincerely.
„Srinivasa, we are using „Ctrl+C‟ and „Ctrl+V‟ method.‟
After a couple of minutes of profound thought, Srinivasa commented, „Hmm...Okay, but be
careful while handling the technical part. We are doing it for a big client this time.‟ He was quite
contented that he got a project after a long time. He was cautious about the clean delivery of it.
Later that afternoon, he called Saptak and Nabo to his cabin. A nervous Nabo who felt guilty
for opening a forwarded mail and a drowsy Saptak after a heavy lunch stood before him.
He asked, „Hmm... What have you been doing since morning?‟
Both were perplexed by the unexpected question. Saptak said to himself, „I was browsing the
net to look out for any new mobile that has available in the market. I swear I am not responsible
for this. Nabo told me to do so.‟
After a moment of pause, Srinivasa asked a different question, „Did you guys complete the
Six Sigma certification?‟
Nabo answered immediately, „Yes Srinivasa, I have done it.‟
Manager turned to Saptak, who looked bewildered at the sudden turn of events and trying to
conceal his failure, he said, „Yes Srinivasa, I wrote.... Actually I wrote the examination...‟
“Tring Tring... Tring Tring...” – Fortunately, the manager‟s PDA rang saving Saptak.
Srinivasa ended the call and said, „I need both of you to complete the certification ASAP if you
haven‟t done that yet,‟ signifying the importance by raising his eyebrows.
„Okay Srinivasa,‟ they nodded in unison.
„So... we got a critical project which starts from Monday. And I have recommended both of
you to do it.‟
„Thank you Srinivasa,‟ said Nabo smiling at him. Watching Nabo‟s actions, Saptak too
followed, „Thank you Srinivasa.‟
„You will be working under Chandru. He will give you the Knowledge Transfer.‟
„Okay.‟
„Well, this is a very important project to be delivered and it‟s...‟
“Tring Tring... Tring Tring...” – Once again the PDA interrupted their important discussion.
Then without looking at the caller ID Srinivasa responded to it annoyingly, „Srinivasa speaking...‟
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„Hey it is still not delivered,‟ a female voice spoke harshly.
Manager turned pale by that statement, „No but the time line for Transition Cycle-1 is
October 25 right?‟
„Transition Cycle? What do you mean?‟ the other voice asked.
„You are talking about the Zumanji project, right?‟ Srinivasa wanted to clarify.
„I was out of town for a few days and you have forgotten me?‟ the other voice asked
infuriated.
Just then, Srinivasa remembered the other voice to be his wife, who was enquiring about the
courier he had promised to send.
„Hey YOU?‟ exclaimed he while signaling the guys to meet the Chandru and continued,
„Sorry darling...‟
„How dare you forget me?‟
„No darling... I mistook your voice for one of my clients,‟ he tittered while closing the laptop.
Meanwhile, Chandru sat like Mr. Know-all, looked at Nabo and said, „you have to work for
Module I, i.e., copy-pasting the contents and Saptak…,‟ he turned towards Saptak and said, „You
work in Module II i.e., verifying the copy.‟
Saptak immediately raised his doubt. „How do I verify the copy?‟
By then, Chandru noticed Srinivasa leaving the office for the day. Upon seeing that, he too
wanted to leave immediately. „Just count the number of letters in the source and destination and
ensure they match. It is as simple as that,‟ he shrugged and closed the subject saying, „Okay, let
me mail you the technical steps. You go through them and get back to me tomorrow.‟
Having both of them left the office, Saptak found it easier to persuade Nabo to leave. After
about 40 minutes, they were in the Mobile Shoppe.
-------------------------0-----------------------0------------------------------„Well, this one has 2.0 GB camera, 1 GB memory card, MP3 player and an Infra red port,‟
the shopkeeper placed one mobile set before Nabo.
„And if you want blue tooth...‟ he turned back and came up with another couple of boxes,
Nabo looked up and said „I need the GPRS enabled too. Show me the palm tops you have,‟ and
smiled at an uninquisitive Saptak.
Saptak watched them for some time and feeling bored, he turned towards the receptionist.
She was an average beauty according to his standards and he started chatting up with her for the
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time being. „Can you explain me how this camera works?‟ he extended one of the mobiles to
her.
„Sir, this doesn‟t have a camera...‟ she smiled, her dimple made her more attractive.
„Oh is it?‟ Saptak giggled.
„But then why does it look similar to that one?‟ he pointed to a mobile fitted with a camera.
After passing some time with her, he turned towards Nabo to know the status.
„Do you have the Sony model F547?‟ Nabo spelled the name eagerly.
„Yes sir. Here it is...‟
„Can you tell me the price of this version in Nokia brand?‟
It seemed Nabo had infinite questions on all the brands available at the store. The
shopkeeper patiently answered all of them. Saptak started his trivial talk with the lady once
again. But unfortunately, she got fed up of answering Saptak and so kept her answers short and
diverted her attention to a shop outside. After about two hours, Nabo finalised on his buy. The
shopkeeper sighed and printed the bill.
While walking out from the shop, Nabo commented, „You didn‟t give any suggestion while I
was struggling to choose the best one.‟
„What to suggest?‟ Saptak laughed.
„How selfish is he? Flirting with that lady and not bothering about his roommate‟s concerns,‟
Nabo said to himself.
Later at home, Saptak held the PDA in his hands and said, „See Captain Oxy, what our
Richie Nabo has purchased.‟
Then he asked teasingly, „You enquired about various features, but did you ensure that we
can talk on this mobile, which is the very basic need?‟
Nabo merely glared at him. Captain Oxy joined Saptak in the fun. He said, „Hey man, you are
wasting so much time and money in just buying a phone. I don‟t know what you will do to
select the perfect partner for yourself.‟
Having had fun at Nabo‟s expense, the two rolled on the floor laughing. Then, Saptak
accidentally dropped Nabo‟s PDA from his hands that gave Nabo and Captain Oxy a jolt.
78
Chapter Thirteen
The Dream Seller
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Saptarshi Basu
Debaroti and Saptak were seated on a
bench under a banyan tree outside the hospital. She interrupted him, „So the studious colleague
and the strict Project Manager were the reasons for your resignation?‟
„No, these types of conflicts with other people exist anywhere we go,‟ he replied. „Well, the main
reason for quitting my job was... the job itself.‟ A puzzled Debaroti leaned forward, resting her
chin on her palm, eagerly waiting for Saptak to come out with more stories.
Bachelor‟s room in Technopolis, Thursday, June 4, 2008
„Um...‟ Saptak put down the „Sig Sigma‟ syllabus papers. Reclining comfortably on the bed,
he rested his head on his hand and rued, „Why do we need to get certified at all?‟ The question
arose from his indolence. Without looking at him, Nabo answered calmly, „If not, you‟ll be
thrown out of the project and subsequently from the company too.‟ He was browsing the
internet sitting at his desk.
Saptak sighed, „So if something like „Seven Sigma‟ or „Oracle 13g‟ or an upgraded version in
JAVA is introduced in future, will you sit and study that also? Then when will you STOP
preparing for the exams?‟ The other remarked, „I anticipated this argument. But look, to survive
in this competitive world, it is obvious that you have to remain technically updated.‟
Saptak brooded over that for a couple of minutes and then reproached, „Since you have a
B.E. degree, why don‟t you write your own code and create your own product/business solution
so that others follow you instead of you following other‟s software solutions?‟
Nabo got offended, „But I‟ve got certified already. Why don‟t you write that „different‟ code?‟
He felt Saptak was quibbling as a cover up to his laziness in preparing for the Sig Sigma
examination.
Saptak remained silent for some time and kept gazing at the roof. Evading that question, he
moved to a slightly broader topic to argue about. „I feel this is not the right way to earn money. I
mean, our education should be used for productive work. Just for the sake of a monthly paycheck, we should not drain our brain and time in the maintenance/support kind of jobs.‟
Nabo knew the argument wouldn‟t end and that it was a waste of time debating with him.
He remained mute and continued to browse the net. Saptak continued the lecture. „For earning
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around Rs 30,000, 30 days is surplus. We can earn that amount in less than five days using some
other means and chill out for the remaining days,‟ He tried to impress Nabo which went in vain.
„See how a real estate broker earns. Is it so tough?‟ he exclaimed
Nabo smirked and asked sarcastically, „What will you do?‟
Then, the same ambiguous reply came from Saptak, „I will do whatever I can.‟
Clearly, Saptak did not have an idea on how to make Rs 30,000 in five days. He used his wits
to win arguments and escape questions.
He knew he didn‟t have much to bank on. But then, there‟s always something inside you that
propels you to move on. He remembered the story of „The Dream seller‟ which he read in his
childhood.
The dream seller
‗Knock! Knock!‘
Someone is knocking hard at the door. I gather enough strength to stand up and look through the window and
find a salesman at the door.
‗Can you please come down, Sir? I have something to sell...‘
‗No,‘ I whispered. My voice was choked… maybe because this is the first word I spoke after such a long time.
Maybe because tears had engulfed my voice.
‗We have dreams to sell, Sir.‘
Dreams? Dreams to sell? What I should do with new dreams when existing ones are shattering, I thought
ruefully. But somewhere in a deep corner of my heart I felt like buying a dream for myself. Just out of curiosity, I
opened the door and found a stranger there.
‗Are you fond of dreaming? Are you tired of your dreams getting shattered?‘ the stranger asked.
How could he know what is going on in my mind… I wondered.
‗Don‘t worry, Sir, I am just here to sell a dream of yours to you.‘
My lips wore a wry smile to indicate that I didn‘t believe a word of what he said.
‗Sir, if you have a moment to spare, please step out and have a look,‘ he pleaded.
He wouldn‘t take silence for an answer, so just to get rid of him I stepped out, only to find a new world outside…
like a showroom displaying loads of alluring products. And it took me a moment to realize that those were not
products but dreams which I‘ve had since my childhood — my own Kite shop, a sports scholarship, a chance to be
an IITian, the only owner of the heart of an ocean, a meeting with Tom Hanks, the Most Handsome Award,
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Saptarshi Basu
and what not! These were my dreams at different stages of life. While going through all this, I also went down
memory lane to recall the events that had made me entertain such fantasies.
When I asked for the prices, the salesman had different replies: Loads of money for a Kite Shop, great looks for
the Most Handsome Award, and so on. While looking at my own dreams as products and checking their prices,
I found that the dreams, which had self-confidence as the price tag, were the ones I had achieved.
I also came across some dream products with the ‗Not for sale‘ tag. When I asked why, the salesman said, ‗You
didn‘t dream that, did you?‘
At last I came to the ultimate dream product: a letter starting with ‗To, Mr. Daniel, CEO, Microsys
Corporation Limited.‘
I asked the salesman the price for this dream, the dream I had for so long.
‗Your confidence, Sir.‘
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Chapter Fourteen
Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V
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Saptarshi Basu
At the office
On the first day of the following week both Saptak and Nabo were officially assigned the
project work. Chandru commanded, „In the first phase you need to work on 8000 records. You
will be given an ENTIRE week to complete it.‟ Nabo and Saptak nodded in agreement. As per
the decisions made earlier, Nabo has to work for Module I - doing „Ctrl + C‟ and „Ctrl + V‟.
And Saptak has to work for Module II - Verifying the work of Nabo.
Since this was their first project, they prayed to their favourite Gods, went to the restroom
once to freshen themselves up though it was mid-day, and sat in front of their computers. Nabo
started his work first. He opened the excel sheet of records, moved the cursor to the first
record, clicked it, pressed „Ctrl‟ key and the alphabet „C‟ key together. Then in another excel
sheet he pasted the content by holding down „Ctrl‟ key and the alphabet „V‟ key together. In this
way the first record was copied. He repeated the actions for the second, third records and so on.
Once he finished about ten records, he mailed both the excel sheets to Saptak who had to start
with module II.
Saptak opened the excel sheets and counted the number of characters of first record on both
the sheets. Indeed, the count matched. He felt happy. Similarly he verified the count for the
remaining nine records too.
Chandru, who was monitoring their work till then, got up from his seat and said, „Good,
continue like this for all the 8000 records. I will come back to you after some time.‟
Then the studious Nabo pulled the chair nearer to the computer screen and energetically
continued his work. After about an hour he was able to complete a little above 130 records.
Saptak, who too started working enthusiastically in the beginning, felt bored then and needed a
break. He called the other though he knew he wouldn‟t turn back. In the past, he had noticed
Nabo not turning back while he was engrossed in work, unless of course the caller is a woman
and particularly, Aisha. Nabo asked Saptak not to disturb him and continued to do his work.
Saptak left for the pantry, looking for other companion.
Nabo continued his work without blinking even once. But he could concentrate only for
another 20 minutes before he got disturbed by the laughing sounds of Aisha and Saptak from
the pantry. He got upset and quickly ran towards the pantry to make a reality check on the
situation. When he appeared at the spot, Saptak looked at him with bewilderment.
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„Hey Nabo, good afternoon,‟ said Aisha.
Nabo‟s mind still lingered on that Friday night incident. Surprisingly, they both have been
very quiet as if it didn‟t happen.
„Good afternoon, Aisha,‟ Nabo got instant gratification and tried in vain to hide his pleasure.
„Are you busy?‟ she asked.
„Yeah, Aisha, we‟ve started working on the new project as you may be aware.‟
„Yeah, I know‟ she said dipping the tea bag in the glass of milk.
Turning to Saptak he said, „Hey Saptak, Chandru is about to come and check the status. You
better finish off the verification. I‟ve done about 150 records, you know?‟ He tried to protect his
love from any potential rivals. Saptak, on the other hand, got so frightened by Nabo‟s mention
of Chandru that he gulped down the remaining tea and hastily walked towards his seat followed
by Nabo. He waved at Aisha before leaving.
After that event both started working vigorously. By the end of the day, they could complete
only about 5% of the project. Over the next few days, this had been their daily routine. Both
would come to office on time, work enthusiastically and after a while, Saptak would get bored
and go for a break. Then it was Nabo who would drag him back to his seat to finish the work.
As the days progressed, they put in extra work which got tiring after sometime. At the end of
the fourth day, before leaving the office, Chandru came to their place, enquired about the status
of the project and was shocked to learn that the guys have completed only about 25% of the
project.
„Are you aware that tomorrow is the last working day of this week and so it is the project‟s
deadline too?‟ he asked both who were then feeling really bad about the progress that they‟ve
made. He said, „I don‟t know what you guys will do? But at any cost you have to finish the
project by tomorrow. Extend your hours of work today and finish it ASAP.‟
The time then was 8 PM. The guys felt the heat of the situation and decided to stay at office
that night to complete the pending work. For dinner, they ordered pizza over the phone and
continued with their work.
The time flew. Nabo could feel it as Saptak started muttering then, „What man? What is this
job? So exhausting.‟
Having noticed the time he cried, „10 PM‟ and looked around only to find that the lights in
all other cubicles were switched off and silence prevailed in office. „No one, except us,‟ he rued.
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„Come on. Do it quickly. Let me send you another 50 records. Verify them too,‟ Nabo drew
him back to work. But Saptak got pissed off verifying each and every record one by one. Later
he started skipping a couple of records in between, then a bunch of records here and there,
assuming they were all properly copied. He gave false assurance to Nabo, „Yeah, yeah I have
verified all of them. It‟s all been done.‟
For Saptak, leading the life was never so tough. He remembered how easily he got an
engineering seat in TIT College with the UMBC quota and how easily he got placed in Pick n
Stick Technologies Pvt. Ltd. which appeared as the first company at the time of campus
placement. He was all excited when he stepped into the office premise at the time of his
induction. Everyone in his hometown JyotiNagar was applauding him for his achievement. He
felt superior, on top of the world when he received his first salary – a little over Rs 20,000. But
he had never imagined his life would be confined to a cubicle with just a computer and a chair
for company. He had to give up his free time, dedicate at least nine hours of his life to the job
every day, stay away from mom‟s food, forget entertainment for at least five days a week, skip
the meals if he was urgently needed to work and finally give up his sleep too. He felt his life had
suddenly turned into a nightmare. Amidst these thoughts, he didn‟t realise when he fell asleep in
his chair.
Unlike Saptak, Nabo thought positively about his stressful job. He belonged to one of the
forward castes and hence, could enjoy few privileges in life. Earlier he had to put in strenuous
efforts in his academics to get admission to the engineering college and later to get a job. He was
disciplined since his school days. He believed that all the sufferings he had to go through were
blessings in disguise. Having come from a middle class family, the IT job had helped him raise
his economic and social status, gain respect from his relatives and parents, increase his selfesteem and explore new places and cultures. It also put him in a stable financial position.
Though he had to toil more than the others, he was aware of his gains. As Saptak‟s behaviour
was not new to him, he ignored him for the sake of completing the job on time. Though his
eyes stung due to the strain, he continued working and they were able to complete about 75% of
the project over that night.
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Next day being the final day of the project, tension prevailed in the office. Saptak, who
glanced at Nabo‟s desktop, could feel his hastiness in completing the job.
„How many more records to go?‟ he asked.
„1100,‟ Nabo answered.
„Hmm...Come on... hurry up, they are coming...‟ he said noticing Srinivasa and Chandru
approaching their cubicle.
„Are you still at it?‟ asked the frustrated PM. His voice was louder and arrogant that made
Nabo panic. Chandru stood beside Srinivasa with his hands folded at the back like a security
guard. Nabo rose from his chair to say something but went speechless and buried his head near
the computer like an ostrich burying its head in the sand during tough times. In spite of sitting
in the air-conditioned hall, his hands were moist with sweat.
„How long will you take to finish it?‟ Srinivasa shouted even louder. While Nabo remained
tight-lipped due to fear, Saptak answered quickly in corporate language, „Doing. We are about to
finish.‟
Saptak was normal until Srinivasa turned his attention towards him and asked, „What are
YOU doing?‟
Then he too felt the pressure and his pulse rose rapidly as if he had just sprinted in a 100
meter race. He stood up and said in a feeble tone, „After this is completed, I will verify the copy,
Srinivasa.‟
„What Chandru? What is this?‟ he asked Chandru.
„Let me see, Srinivasa,‟ Chandru came forward to solve the issue single-handedly. He glanced
at the monitor and toggled between the two windows for a while. As if he was holding a magic
wand, he pressed a different set of keys – Ctrl + A.
Instead of copying it row by row, with the help of these keys he copied everything in a
matter of 10 minutes. Saptak and Nabo looked at each other in wonder. „This particular
command is a new one, not seen in documentation,‟ Nabo whispered.
Saptak thought to himself, „We are being fooled? He didn‟t give us the tips to speed up the
work.‟ He hurled the choicest of abuses at Chandru in his mind.
„It‟s done, Srinivasa,‟ Chandru told Srinivasa and got up from the seat.
„Good, said Srinivasa and patted him on his back.
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Chapter Fifteen
Errors and Exceptions-I
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Saptarshi Basu
Back in their room:
Oh yeahh! Oh yeahh! Yes baby, do it fast! I like it this way! Yeah, yeah! Faster, faster! Aaaahhhhhhhhhhh
Nabo and Captain Oxy remained glued to the laptop screen with dazed expression on their
faces while watching ‗My Sisters hot friend‘. The screaming of the actress filled the air as Nabo‟s
mind fluttered with Aisha‟s thought .The vivid love making scenes reminded him of that
beautiful Friday evening when unpredictably his dreams came true. Oxy pined over Nita‟s
thought - the girl he met at Shimmers. Everyone remained engrossed in one‟s own world of
fantasy while appreciating the scintillating performance of the blonde haired damsel. Their acute
concentration got disrupted with Saptak‟s sudden entry. „Guys, volume niche-Nimai is having a
stroll across the Bachelor‟s mess.‟ Saying this he looked into the Russian girl lying on the sofa
with her long legs in upwardly fashion before directly heading towards the computer table. It
seemed the intense performance of the blonde didn‟t appeal him. Crouching on the plastic chair,
he slowly removed his shoes. Then suddenly he pulled out the drawer, rummaged through the
office items in it and took out a red-coloured marker. He went to the calendar near the TV and
wrote, „A black day today.‟
He was disturbed by that day‟s turn of events. Nabo, annoyed at being disrupted from his
reverie, asked, „What are you doing?‟
„I don‟t like this kind of experience,‟ Saptak replied.
„What kind?‟ Captain Oxy interrogated raising his head from the screen.
„Today in our office, our project manager screamed and yelled at us. Both of us got pissed
off.‟
„Oh, that one!‟ Nabo exclaimed, „You are still thinking about that incident?‟
„Yeah, today is a black day for me. Not because I failed to perform well but because of that
angry project manager who killed my mood,‟ he explained in disdain.
„Ha... Ha... ha...‟ Captain Oxy laughed at that explanation, pausing the film for a while he
asked, „What Saptak? What happened? I couldn‟t get you.‟
Saptak narrated the incident at the office and about their project. Oxy, in the mean time had
started rolling a joint and slowly the intoxicating smell of Marijuana filled up the room. Nabo,
who never liked grass, that too in his own mess room, made a stinking expression and remarked
‗Saale Charsi log.‘
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Captain Oxy shifted the joint to Saptak and said, Yeah, I know about your company, PNS
Technologies Pvt. Ltd., right? Pick n Stick Technologies,‟ he reiterated and continued after a
short pause, „PNS Technologies-Creating the Stick that beats its Pick‟ excelling in outsourced IT
services. The company does literally everything they are requested to do. They never say „NO‟.
They simply accept any client‟s requirements and bill them right away. Of course, at times they
attempt to fulfill the requirements too.‟ Instantly Oxy remembered the night club incident where
he saw both Srini and Chandru but felt it will be an inappropriate time to disclose. Moreover, he
had started liking Nita although knowing her shortfalls over the couple of coincidence he had
with her at Shimmers.
At this comment, all of them had a hearty laugh for some time. The ganja had taken its own
effects slowing down the time dimension.
„Come on, let‟s go out for dinner today,‟ he told the other two.
„Yeah I am feeling hungry. Let‟s go,‟ Nabo said. Saptak locked the door and the three started
walking down the road. On the way, Captain Oxy questioned, „Hey guys, where is your company
located? I‟ve passed that road many times but couldn‟t locate it.‟
Nabo tried to answer but gave up when Saptak started his explanation. Saptak wanted to add
to the fun and said mockingly, „You take a right there. On the way you see many tall buildings
on either sides of the road, right?‟
„Right...‟
„To the left side, you will see those pigeon‟s nests - „Nirvana‟ residential apartments…‟
„Ha.. Ha.. Ha...‟ Captain Oxy laughed when he heard „pigeon‟s nest‟ being used in reference
to apartment complexes.
„Right adjacent to the pigeon‟s nest, you can see many other buildings. Among those, the
building that looks like it was constructed almost overnight is where our office is. In that, the
north wing of the fourth floor belongs to Mr. Srinivasa Padukonda and his team where our hero
sits with his specs gliding down on his oily nose and peering at the computer monitor,‟ he did a
good imitation of Nabo for Captain Oxy.
Nabo looked at him like a saint though he nursed grudge against him deep down. Captain
Oxy quickly diverted him to the main subject, „Whatever, let us come to the point. Why were
you so depressed for this very small incident that you call the day a black day?‟
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Saptak took a deep breath and started talking with a tone of acute distress. „Somehow... I
hate both of them - that Project Manager and his right hand, Chandru. I can stand against them
but not without a supportive colleague.‟ Pointing at Nabo he said, „But this guy simply nods at
everything they say. He is dumb!‟
Nabo countered the argument, „Whatever you say, I feel Chandru is very intelligent. He is
technically sound. Today I learnt a new command from him which is a short cut for all the work
I
did
these
days.
He‟s
really
cool.‟
Saptak felt like banging his head on the wall but resisted somehow. Nabo continued, „See,
moreover, I need to be in this job to support my family and to meet my career goals. My life, my
whole life depends on this.‟
Saptak quickly put forth his question „What is your goal? Tell me.‟
„To become a Project Manager after four years from now,‟ Nabo replied casually.
„Do you know one thing? Being defiant is the first and foremost step in achieving your goal.
If you want to become a manager then challenge the rules and principles of your own manager,‟
Saptak quoted it as if it was his own thought. He had read it somewhere and he asked Nabo
about his career goals to simply use the quote.
In response, Nabo looked away from Saptak. Captain Oxy came forward inquiring, „In one
respect you are quite right. But then, why not you shift to a different project or change the
company?‟ he asked Saptak.
„No Captain Oxy. I don‟t like to prove myself again and again,‟ Saptak hesitated with the
idea.
Captain Oxy spoke, „Let me put things as plainly as possible. Work is different from fun. In
IT organisations there won‟t be employees' union. You work most of the times with machines
and get paid through machines. The work is sometimes thrilling and interesting; sometimes
mechanical and frustrating. Any work that is monotonous breeds contempt. You have to find
alternative ways to rejuvenate yourself.‟
Nabo backed him saying a firm „Yeah‟.
After some time Saptak said, „Captain Oxy, shall we go for booze tonight?‟
Captain Oxy understood Saptak‟s state of mind then and without any denial they changed
their direction towards the nearby Dhaba. Nabo, though a non-drinker, had no choice but to
follow them.
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-----------------0----------------------0--------------------The crowd at „Chak De Phatte‘ was thinner unlike other day. Some truck-drivers could be seen
resting on the charpoys while gobbling down the paranthas with a glass of whisky in their hand.
It was a familiar hang-out of the three, especially for their delicious Alu paranthas and
slightly cheaper whisky.
„Hey Mannu‟ Oxy signaled to the skinny teenage lad who was busy cleaning the plates. He
laid a charpoy for the three and brought their respective drinks. Whisky for Saptak, Vodka for
Oxy and Nabo being aloof to the world of drunkards remained contented with a glass of lassi.
With „Royal Stag‟ in his hands, Saptak wasn‟t ready to give up. „Generally people enter the IT
job as they get highly paid. But then slowly they lose their focus. The main driving force is
money, but at the cost of time and energy which many people don‟t realise. They work for five
days and take a break for two days to get refreshed so that they can continue the work for
another five days. And they end up with little or no personal time to enjoy the life. The same
boring monotonous job day after day,‟ Captain Oxy sipped his vodka and stated after clearing
his throat. „See, my company is a product based multi-national company. And it is perfectly okay
for me to write the code for my company even during the weekends. I just love it.‟ He added,
„Look Saptak, if you hate something, then do something about it.‟
The night was getting colder. Silent trucks waited on the side of the dhaba for their drivers to
take them to some unknown lands. Oxy, lighted a cigarette, sucked it deeply before exhaling
smoky rings in the air. Relaxed with the nicotine clearing a bit of his alcohol hit brain, he took
out the pouch from his pocket and plunged into his much loved hobby. Nabo gave a quizzical
look at Oxy mixed with irritation which meant „why here?‟
Saptak ordered two more whisky as he looked into Captain Oxy‟s eyes seriously. His eyes
have already started transforming into deep red .Then Oxy preceded with his ultimate question,
„Okay, tell us what you wish to do. I mean, what makes you happy?‟
Saptak replied spontaneously, „I love nature as it surfaces wonderful innovative ideas through
God‟s surprising manifestation. Wow! What a thought,‟ he laughed rather ruefully.
They were deeply involved in their discussion that they hardly noticed the silent Nabo who
had finished eating all the snacks.
„No offence but you are too young to take up responsibilities,‟ said Captain Oxy.
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Saptak quickly grasped the meaning of that. He felt an unwonted sense of gaiety as he gulped
the left out whisky. His face lit with an alcoholic resolve - to quit the job immediately and to be
a free bird. To follow his heart at least once. Soon he felt like flying above the clouds and see
the world from there – a world where all the IT companies and residential apartments would be
reduced to the size of match boxes. He smiled at Captain Oxy and asked for the joint. Slowly
the ganja calmed down his brain from those perturbing thoughts. The rounds went on till Nabo
started kicking them while using abusive languages for not getting up ‗beta ganja khor‘.
But only at the time of paying the bill did Captain Oxy and Nabo realised that Saptak was
completely sloshed. He remained in a trance kingdom of nirvana, singing „Yeh Shaam Mastani‟ in
his horribly hoarse voice.
They hired an auto to take the dancing Saptak home safely.
Looking at Saptak‟s state, the auto driver asked sprightly, „What? Party?‟
Saptak was completely out. „Hey Oxy, let‟s light a joint,‟ he started pestering Oxy in the auto.
„Come on man,‟ Nabo tried to complain.
When they were coming out from the auto, the driver realizing that he was getting just the
normal fare said, „What boss? You big people; more money; going party, discotheque, bar; we
poor people...‟
Captain Oxy and Nabo started bargaining which slowly transformed into a brawl with the
driver. Suddenly a speeding vehicle came in front of them and shrieked to a halt. It was a night
patrolling police van. Eyeing the police, the auto-driver cursed Oxy before fleeing away speedily.
A pot-bellied officer in white uniform came down from the van and walked in relaxed steps
towards them. „What happened, ki bapar, why are you guys so late‘ he snarled at them before spitting
the pan from his mouth. Meanwhile, the drunken Saptak was entirely unaware of the on-goings.
No sooner did the officer came close to check him, the „Royal Stag‟ came out of Saptak‟s
mouth, smelling worse than before. Annoyed at the ugly sight, Saptak told himself, „What a
shameless guy? Disgusting!‟
The abrupt and unexpected turn of events numbed the officer for a few seconds. Then he
growled like a tiger while holding Saptak tightly by his collar „Saala, modh khawa hoche‘. He kicked
Saptak‟s ass before landing a tight slap on his face. Nabo felt like fleeing the scene but his legs
was too weak to support him. He trembled and shivered like a crying child while watching
Saptak‟s plight. Captain Oxy came forward for rescue. „Leave him, he is not well‟ he said in a
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sturdy accent to the officer. „Kkiii‟ the officer turned towards Oxy. Coming closer he sniffed like
a detective dog .Within seconds he realized that the sweet smell which came from Oxy‟s mouth
Marijuana. „Thasss!‟A firm whack landed on Oxy‟s face before the Officer barked out loudly to
his subordinate.
„Horen, Mal gulo ke gari te tol. Saala, Ganja khawa dekhachi‟.
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Chapter Sixteen
Errors and Exceptions-II
95
Saptarshi Basu
As the suffocating thick soot from the patrolling van‟s
exhaust slowly died, Nabo silently watched the van disappearing into the shadows of the gloomy
night. Horrified and trembling, his brain went to a total deadlock for few minutes. He
rummaged through his pockets to search his mobile. Fumbling on the keypad, he tried hard to
think whom to call first. „Will it be Saptak‟s dad – No, probably he might suffer a heart attack
hearing about his son‟s glorious achievement…then, Srini…oh god!! I might get sacked along
with him.‟ He felt like punching Saptak right on his nose. Nabo trembled as he searched
through his contact list. „Aisha…Chandru, yes, yes Chandru can save us‟.
---------------------------0-----------------0----------------------------The police station at Kestopur was in a peaceful sleep when Mr. Narayan Seal, the police
officer thundered into the room holding Saptak and Oxy by their collars. Saptak now was
completely out of his trance. The firm blow had done miracle erasing the intoxicating effects of
whisky mixed with grass. He started howling before falling to the officer‟s shoes. „Please Sir,
extremely sorry Sir, r konodin o korbo na sir, Please sir‘ he kept on like a broken gramophone record.
‗Chop Saala‘ Narayan roared trying to place another slap. „Put these bastards in the cell‟ he
ordered the drowsy constable before going out in a rage.
Sitting inside the match-box sized prison cell, Saptak got drowned in inner tumult and
anxiety. „What will happen if Dad comes to know about it? Probably it will be the end of my life‟
he looked up from his gloomy self towards Oxy. It stuck him a like a blot from the blue to see
Oxy back to his joint business. „Oh shit!! Please not here‟ he pleaded. „Behenchyo, it‟s not for
the grass but for your drunken dancing which took us here. Now, please stop your fucking
advice and help me rolling it.‟
------------------------------0-----------------------------0-----------------------„Hey Chandru, Nabendu here. Sorry to disturb you so late at night‟ Nabo‟s voice quivered as
he called up.
He trembled while narrating the whole incident. „Please Chandru, you have to do something.
I don‟t know how long the police will keep them.‟ It took time for Chandru to come back to
this selfish earth from his heavenly dreams. The sudden halt of his reverie made his extremely
irritated. With Nabo‟s mention of the police, he got awfully frightened in case it shatters his
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reputation. „You guys are a real mess. You people can‟t even work properly in office and now
you are bringing bad reputation to our company. Let me check with Srini what can be done‟
saying this he cut the phone leaving Nabo still in utter despair.
Chandru was now in doubt. Will he tell Srini about the whole incident or not. It appeared to
him that this vital piece of information can add extra mileage to his appraisals. Immediately he
searched for his mobile and called up Srini. „Good evening Srini, although it‟s quite late, but it‟s
urgent,‟ he tried to sound as serious as he could.
That sudden call annoyed Srini‟s wife more as it halted their love-making. „Always you get calls
while we do it, disgusting!‟ „Extremely sorry Sweetheart, Chandru is calling. It must be urgent‟ Srini
picked up the phone while adjusting his underwear.
„Yes Chandru tell me, what happened?‟ Srini asked little worried trying to cover up his gasps.
Chandru lucidly described the incident while adding some of his own input „They were
having drugs, had a fight with the police. But I clearly told Nabo our company‟s name should
not come…blah blah‟
„What!! Drugs. God! Good job Chandru, make sure our organization‟s name doesn‟t come.
Tell this to Nabo strictly. He can do anything to save his bloody friend but our reputation
should not be put at stake. Tell him very clearly.‟
-----------------0--------------------------0----------------------------------------The other inhabitant of the prison cell, an emaciated dark complexioned guy who appeared
more like a pickpocket looked quite amused with the new occupants. Squatting towards them,
he asked „Ki case?‟
Oxy stared at the guy and again went back to his work without speaking a single word. „You
know man, you need to clear your mind first. Smoke it slowly‟ he handed over the burning joint
to Saptak. As the grass slowly soothed Saptak‟s panting heart and puzzled mind, Oxy whispered
„let me tell you the story of the Gold miner‟
The story went like this:
Once upon a time, in a village, there lived a man called „A‟. While growing up in a village
with four of his friends, he discovered his passion for „digging the earth‟. Unlike the guy „A‟, his
friends hated the idea of „digging the earth‟. They said it was a frustrating job. But the studious
guy simply loved digging the earth and one day he incidentally found a piece of gold from the
earth.
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He felt happier and bought all the luxuries with that single piece of gold. Looking at him his
four friends also took to the job of digging though they hated it. Soon they too got gold while
digging up to one foot. But they had to share it among themselves. One said, „Why not we dig
up to four feet so that each of us will get one piece of gold each. Then we can buy all the
luxuries like „A‟.‟ They all agreed to that and while they were working, a guy called „B‟
approached them and said, „Hey I don‟t know how to dig the earth. But I know how to fetch
water. If I fetch water for you, will you share your gold with me too?‟
One of them replied, „Fetching water is a very common job that every one of us know to do.
We can‟t give you the gold but we can help you a little bit for your day to day living.
From that day the four friends bought water from „B‟ and helped him to earn his bread and
butter. As the saying goes, „Even if we bring nine ladies to deliver, the time taken for one to
deliver a baby would remain nine months. The duration can‟t be optimised.‟ Similarly, it didn‟t
matter how many people were involved in digging the earth, digging four feet required more
time and consequently four friends had to wait till the completion of the fourth foot to afford a
life like that of „A‟.
Then there was a twist in the story.
„A‟ went on discovering more and more gold mines but left with no time to dig all of them.
He started a company and hired about 100 people to dig the earth. Out of 100, some were really
fond of digging the earth, but most of them joined simply for a luxurious life and hated their
job. The people were trained initially to dig; the founder of the company „A‟ would just point
out the location where to dig and the employees worked together hoping that they all would
attain a luxurious life one day.
Meanwhile „B‟ found his business flourishing as more and more people came to him asking
for water to quench their thirst. But then, those 100 employees couldn‟t realise the fact that,
they all have to dig about 100 feet to become really rich and that the process will take more time
than expected. In between, many employees started complaining about their deteriorating health
after digging for nearly 50 feet. They got only half a piece of gold in spite of their hard work.
Finally, one day, „B‟ was surprised to learn that he was getting all the luxuries without having
to dig the earth at all. The fact was that the value which previously existed with the job of
„digging the earth‟ had actually shifted to that of „fetching the water for diggers‟. Thus ended the
story of „The Gold Miner‟
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Actually, for the 100th employee to become rich quickly, the solution could be many – either
by looking out for some other highly valued product, may be diamond instead of just gold or by
trying innovative ways to get the gold quickly, by manufacturing gold in a lab, instead of
depending just on the natural resource or making a smart switch to „fetching water‟ instead.
In coherence with his nick name, Captain Oxy, the mentor, could only show light to the
destination, to give a clue.
„So you see, my complaining Gold-miner,‟ he lovingly spread his arms around Saptak „you
have to chase your dreams, and chase them hard‟.
All the while, Saptak was intensely listening to the story. He felt enlightened and slowly the
dark clouds of doubt disappeared from his mind. Glowing in a new found optimism, Saptak
dreamt of a rosy road ahead. Now that the new sun had dawned on him, he wanted to get out of
the life of a faceless programmer monotonously doing copy-paste in a small clumsy office.
The sudden shout from the constable calling their names brought Saptak back from his
intense thoughts. Oxy and Saptak looked out. Nabo was there, adjusting his specs and looking
sternly at them. With him were Aisha and his father.
As they were walking out of the cell the pick-pocket smilingly put his hand forward ‗Ki dada,
ektu ganja hobe naki‘
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Chapter Seventeen
Exit Code
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Next morning, when Saptak arrived late to office owing to the previous night‟s fiasco, he was
surprised when he was told that Srinivasa had called him for a one-to-one discussion.
„Did he know about the night?‟ he wondered while entering the manager‟s cabin.
„Good morning Srinivasa.‟
Srini looked up at him and glared deeply into his eyes. „Come, have a seat. Tell me what
happened last night.‟ Saptak got a prick on his bum as soon as he learnt that Srini was aware
about last night‟s adventures. „Actually Srini, err…it was a mistake. I mean the police
misunderstood us.‟ He stammered while explaining the disaster.
„Stop!‟ thundered Srini. „Chandru have told me everything. You better mind your activities
Saptak. I don‟t want to hear anything like this again.‟ he bellowed. „You were just on the verge of
jeopardizing our esteemed company‟s name.‟
Srini‟s face turned rude immediately and he continued. „Did you complete the „Six Sigma
certification?‟
Saptak felt very uneasy and said, „No Srinivasa. I wrote it once. But failed at that and I am
preparing for it again.‟
„I see...that explains why you didn‟t perform well during the project delivery. I got complaints
from Chandru that you missed verifying certain number of records. Fortunately he noticed them
and could save ourselves from losing the service compliance.‟ Saptak went blank.
„What are you thinking? Are you aware of the gravity of the job and how important this
project is for our future business?‟ he yelled.
Saptak thought for a second and then came his answer, „I am quitting the job.‟
„Pardon...‟
„I‟d like to quit,‟ he repeated.
At once, Srinivasa wondered what might be going on in that lad‟s head having come from
just a middle class family. In an attempt to pacify him, he said, „Oh come on man, sit, sit...don‟t
take such steps for these small issues,‟ he offered the chair to a fresher for the first time. „What
is your problem, tell me?‟
„Nothing‟ he replied. „I am quitting the job and am going back to my home town.‟
Srinivasa started sweating as he feared the resource shortage if Saptak left the job. He always
felt that dealing with „people‟ was tougher than dealing with „machines‟. His bald head stood
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testimony to the stress he underwent through his career. The number of HR related problems
he had dealt with was equivalent to the number of hair that has disappeared from his head.
He tried playing a mind game with Saptak, „See, you‟ve hardly completed eight months in
this job and this can‟t be the right time to take such a decision. As a matter of fact, I was just
planning to give you an onsite opportunity...‟
On hearing the phrase „onsite opportunity‟ Saptak‟s determination did shake a bit
nevertheless his heart confronted, „Once you are onsite, you might earn more and save some
penny. But given the volume of work, you might have to get admitted to the hospital as soon as
you return home. Your savings might be just enough to pay the doctors.‟ Then he replied
immediately, „No thanks.‟
Srinivasa sighed heavily and said, „Before leaving, do the „knowledge sharing‟ to Aisha.‟ After
that decision, Saptak felt a strange dependency had lifted from him like a cloak that has been
cast off.
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Chapter Eighteen
The New Modifiers-I
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Saptarshi Basu
The Future
JyotiNagar, Saturday July 07, 2007, 1:30 PM
Standing at the hospital‟ entrance, Saptak recollected the events happened after his
resignation.
„Thus I put in my papers, served a notice period of two months and returned to JyotiNagar
this morning. I told my parents that I was fired due to the „recession‟.‟
„Oh man, so you lied to your dad,‟ Debaroti was dumbstruck.
„Sshh...‟ Saptak placed his finger on his mouth and whispered, „Dad wouldn‟t have allowed
me to quit the job if he knew of my decision earlier (a deep sigh). There were clashes between him
and me about my further plans. Mom too was against my decisions. Above all I am worried
about grandpa who was not spared from our fight,‟ he said.
„But why did you quit in the first place?‟ she asked.
„Because...‟ Saptak searched for a suitable reason. „Because I can‟t take that copy-paste work
anymore. And…,‟ he trailed off. He stepped forward and gently looked into her eyes and
bluffed, „...I want to stay with you.‟
Debaroti blushed. It took her a few seconds to regain her poise and asked, „Did you think of
the consequences of your decision?‟
„That has already started,‟ he murmured referring to his dad‟s anger.
„Have you thought of anything you want to do?‟ she asked.
„Not yet, but I will definitely do something exciting,‟ he replied in good humour. Debaroti
was moved by his frankness.
„IT job is not the only way to survive. Look at your dad who was a head post master. Or my
father who owns an automobile workshop or my uncle who works as a carpenter,‟ she spoke
with excitement. She never was so nervous and serious before.
„(Sigh). Okay, let‟s see... I am feeling hungry now since I skipped my breakfast. Shall we go
and grab our lunch?‟ he asked eagerly rubbing his tummy.
„Hospital cafeteria?‟ she enquired.
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„Not there. Let‟s go to the nearby hotel,‟ he wasn‟t prepared to face his dad. Both walked
down the road, smiling at each other often but without saying anything. While walking, their
arms rubbed and they both enjoyed that beautiful moment.
They entered the empty hotel which had few waiters and a manager who doubled as the
cashier.
„What is available?‟ he asked the waiter. It was too early for lunch and the waiter merely
blinked.
„The rice will be ready in another 15 minutes sir. Please wait,‟ said the manager in a loud voice
from his desk and directed the waiter to lay the plates and to give a glass of water to each of
them.
Both relaxed and sat on the chair facing each other. „Oops, this table,‟ Debaroti felt
uncomfortable and indicated Saptak to pull the table slightly to his side to create some space for
her.
-------------------------0------------------------0----------------------------------------Back in Bachelor‟s mess, Technopolis
Nabo and Captain Oxy had just then returned to the room after buying the temporary
mobile handset and a new SIM card for Nabo. The shopkeeper had informed that it would take
nearly half a day to activate the new mobile number.
Nabo looked around Saptak‟s room, which was now vacant, and began the discussion with
the Captain Oxy, „At last, you made the lazy man pack up his bags,‟ he smirked. Oxy looked into
his eyes thoughtfully and replied, „I don‟t agree with you on this. I just eased him of his guilt
over quitting the job. He would have resigned anyways since he had made up his mind already.
You know, he is the kind who has lot of ideas but lacks aspiration. He will execute his ideas only
as a desperate measure. I just helped to create such a situation for him.‟
„Whatever...I don‟t know,‟ Nabo frowned. „You see, if he is unable to withstand this work
pressure, I don‟t know how he is going to go ahead in life. He‟s faint-hearted,‟ Nabo said with a
tint of prejudice in his voice.
„Ha... ha... dude, tell me one thing...‟
„Yeah...‟
„Do you have the guts to quit your job, right now?‟
Nabo was taken aback by that question. He couldn‟t answer.
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„Who is timid then?‟ Captain Oxy raised his eyebrows in a slight scornful manner.
Nabo quibbled, „Is it not the right time to earn money?‟
„Of course, it is the right time. In fact, it is in your 20s that you can take risks in life.‟
Nabo continued his point, „That‟s what I am doing, right? - Putting in long hours at the
office and working towards earning the luxuries like house, car, etc. See, Saptak‟s philosophies in
life contradict. Once he said he can earn Rs 30,000 in a matter of five days. Next day he
complained about slogging late in the office. How could a man achieve anything big if he isn‟t
willing to work hard?‟
„It is not the hours you work that matter. What matters is the quality of work as well as the
type of work. It depends on how productive the work is.‟ Captain Oxy then streamlined Nabo‟s
thoughts. „Saptak is one of those guys who have understood the fact that „free time‟ is inversely
proportional to „money‟. In other words, he wishes to work where his heart lies. He wants
something exciting, something innovative. And he wants a balanced life. He has realised
personal time is more important than money.‟
Nabo looked puzzled at his statement. Captain Oxy continued „Let me ask you a question
which I read in one of the management article lately. How can you increase the sales of
toothpaste without spending any single penny in advertisement or any other promotional stuff?
No ads, no campaigns, no RNDs. No monetary expense?‟
Nabo scratched his head. After a while he said, „I doubt it‟s not possible.‟
Oxy laughed. „That‟s called lateral thinking. We need to use it and our brain at times‟ he
teased Nabo.
A bit insulted, Nabo stressed to know the answer.
„Just increase the diameter of the mouth. Every morning, morons like you and me will press
the tube and more toothpaste will come out of it. So, the whole tube lasts only 20 days as to the
earlier which lasted a month. See my point. Lateral thinking boss, lateral thinking.‟ Oxy smiled.
Everyone knows they need toothpaste every morning they wake up. Does it make sense to
stock all the toothpaste needed for a lifetime? Or is it possible?‟
The other replied, „No, they buy their toothpaste as and when it is required.‟
„Exactly and the same principle should be followed while earning money too. One should
earn money only when it is required. In other words, one should be capable of earning as and
when it is required.‟
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„So what‟s that got to do with being an employee of an organization?‟
„An employee has to work at least 22 days a month to get his pay check. Also, if you are an
employee in any company, it means you are directing your time and energy more towards the
profit of the company, than for your own. Consequently it takes long time to sit back and relax
and the process demands persistence.‟
In turn Nabo asked, „Ha, ha… So do you mean every employee should quit the job right
now and start his own business? Then I wonder what will happen to the existing companies?‟
„Not everyone, only those who want to do something different to escape the rat race. They
have to be informed that early 20s is the right age to take any risk. I was speaking generally and
not pointing at you (a deep sigh). A few months back, I visited the city museum where I saw the
paintings of people who worked as slaves or servants at the kings' palace. The system remained
a mystery to me. Of course, now the system has changed and there are no more kings or slaves.
Then I felt, maybe after 100 years the future generations might consider us the slaves of IT
companies,‟ he paused for a moment and looked at an astonished Nabo.
„I am sure the present system has to change. You know, sometimes I feel that our people are
yet to achieve financial independence and it is in our hands to achieve that,‟ remarked Oxy.
Nabo didn‟t want to comment on that but he asked, „So finally you are coming to say
whatever Saptak did is right?‟
Captain Oxy smiled and replied reverently, „There is no „right‟ or „wrong‟ in this world. There
are only „honesty‟ and „integrity‟. But you should not feel that I am underestimating your work the job of an IT consultant. No, I‟m not. For that matter, no job is superior or inferior to
others. See, the message is simple, right?‟ he continued after a short pause, „If one struggles to
perform the job of an IT consultant, it is okay to quit it and look for some other profession.
And for those who love the IT job but worries about the delay in getting the luxuries, the
message is, if he puts the same amount of effort and time in developing a product, then he can
earn more quickly. The IT consultant has done a good job so far and he can do much better if
he switched over to product development.‟
„But what products to develop?‟ asked Nabo.
Captain Oxy replied, „If you feel that there is hardly anything left to create or develop,
consider this. How many products or solutions that have been produced before are cheap
enough for laymen? Not many, right? So, why don‟t you reinvent the same product but that
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costs less and become a challenging competitor. And this is just one of the many ideas. It is true
that there may be initial setbacks, but one should have the courage of a baby to take up risks.‟
„Courage of a baby?‟
Captain Oxy replied, „Yes, when a baby tries to stand up on his own and walk, he fails many
times, sometimes gets hurt before he succeeds. However, the baby never gives up or gets afraid
of taking the risk. That‟s why I said that an entrepreneur should have the courage of a baby
while taking the risks. He should not be afraid of failure.‟
Nabo commented, „Yeah, leading the life as an entrepreneur is not an easy job, I know.
There are plenty of troubles that one will have to face.‟
Captain Oxy gave a philosophical answer, „You see troubles are like pebbles in the bank of a
river. Some people see the pebble as just a stone and some appreciate it as a decorative object.
Decorate your life with more troubles so that it looks beautiful at the end.‟
Nabo paused for a long time while he thought, „When will we also begin to think like
Captain Oxy?‟ But before he could ruminate further, his conscience chided him, „Man, let us
first concentrate on our sweet heart, Aisha. Let‟s propose to her and make her our darling. Then
we shall sit together and indulge in a similar kind of thought process to achieve something
more.‟
He said, „Whatever it may be, one thing is for sure, Captain Oxy. If Saptak comes to me
asking for any help or favour, I simply won‟t help, I swear.‟
„Why?‟
„Because I hate him though I am not vindictive.‟
„Yeah yeah I know dude,‟ Captain Oxy said remembering their differences of opinion and
the cold war they waged. Little did he know of Nabo‟s grudge against Saptak as he suspected
Saptak flirting with Aisha under the pretext of „knowledge-sharing‟. Nabo recalled that incident
when, sitting by his side, Saptak and Aisha laughed over something. Seeing Nabo watching
them, Aisha had merely glanced at Nabo and had continued to laugh. Nabo was really upset that
day. Later that evening, when he enquired about it to Saptak, he had shrugged it off and said, „I
was simply sharing my knowledge before leaving the company. That was it dude.‟
„Then why did both of you laugh at me? What were you telling her?‟ Nabo asked impatiently.
Saptak replied, „I was talking to her about the nature of each of our teammates. While we
were talking about you, I told her that once you start working, you would bury your head in the
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computer screen like an ostrich that buries its head in the sand and won‟t know what‟s
happening around you. She laughed at that.‟
For Nabo it was the biggest offence that was ever made by Saptak who had not only flirted
with the woman of his dreams but tried to deride his image as well. He thought to himself,
„Who knows what else he has spoken to her about me.‟
If not for this incident, he would‟ve forgotten all the sins that were committed by Saptak in
the past. But since this incident involved his dream girl, he was deeply hurt. Recalling this
incident, he said to himself, „I hate him and I will hate him forever.‟
-----------------------------------0------------------------0------------------------------Saptak glanced leisurely around the hotel. It looked like a new start-up. The walls bore the
impression and smell of new paints on it. The curtains were neatly drawn and the Waiters were
clean dressed. He looked up at the Cash counter. The Manager cum Cashier was having a hell
lot of a time, he thought. He was fumbling with the fat Ledger with a worried look. Near the
cash counter, hung a poster which read:
Needed an experienced Accountant, contact the Krazy Kabab Hotel – 03325623434.
Just then the idea struck his mind. Like a sand storm it blew away all the uncertainties from
Saptak‟s mind.
He rose up and walked straight towards the counter.
„Where are you going?‟ shouted a surprised Debaroti but Saptak couldn‟t hear. May be he
was too much pre-occupied with the idea which stuck him like a bee sting.
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Chapter Nineteen
The New Modifiers-II
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Saptarshi Basu
Saptarshi Basu
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.
-Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963)
Saptak walked straight towards the Manager who was busy fumbling with his accounts.
Excuse Me, Can I ask you something? .Utterly confused, he looked up straight into Saptak‟s face.
Sorry Sir, The food will be served shortly. He stood up and was about to scream to the waiter when
Saptak asked him to calm down. I was asking you about something else. It seems you are having trouble
managing your accounts here for the hotel.
Don‘t tell me Sir. I am having a hell lot of a time. You see, I have started this hotel recently. And in this
short span, I am really worried. How am I going to manage my accounts?
Then showing the hanging poster he enquired „Do you know any good accountant who can help me
out?‟
Saptak smiled. Perhaps, he was just looking for this moment. How about something else? I have a
better proposition for you.
The Manager‟s eye brows plunged into deeper expression of puzzlement as he narrowed
towards Saptak to listen more carefully. How about something which will do all the calculation for you.
You don‘t have to keep any fat ledger. It will also save your money on the Accountant you are going to employ.
The Manager in deeper mazes of bewilderment looked at Saptak. GOD! IS IT POSSIBLE?
HOW. He screamed as if Saptak was about to perform some magic rituals to save him from the
painful debit-credit work.
I will explain it to you Sir. You see I am a Software Engineer. I can help you with your Accounts by
building a tool for you which solves all your problems.
Tool? What type of a tool? The Manager seemed more perplexed.
Slowly and descriptively, Saptak explained him the idea. The tool will do all the calculations
depending on the inputs .It will be quite easy to operate for the Manager .His duty will only be
to input different codes of the food items. And it will generate the whole bill. It will also keep
into account his total sales, total expenditure and his annual tax. The tool will empower him
with the ability to look into the different trends. For example, which food items were the fastest
selling and which were lagging? So, he could make more Samosas and less Veg Pakoras.
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The Manager seemed to be in a state of hallucination. He felt to be in a wonderland where all
his dreary days and sleepless nights have transformed into Arabian pleasures. He looked
contented and satisfied. ‗What do I need to get this tool?‘ He enquired.
Do you have a computer at home? Saptak asked looking at the best possible way to cut down
initial cost. I do. Mostly I watch movies in it. I have good speakers also. And internet connection. My brother is
in Canada. He runs his own confectionary there. His chest got swollen with pride while he mentioned
about the computer.
That will do the most of it. I will install the tool on your Computer. Saptak replied firmly. Just you need
to buy some software for maintaining your day-to-day Accounting data.
How much will it cost? Will it work they way you told? It will be great if I can have something like it at my
hotel. I do have another hotel at Satragachi, so I can use it there also.
Saptak made a quick calculation regarding the timeline and cost .He gave a rough idea to the
Manager .The Time and Cost Quotation made him overjoyed as he still remained in the trance
of the wonderland.
Meanwhile, Debaroti had come to the cash counter and was silently listening to the
conversation. She was a bit worried initially thinking of a possible fight but as the Manager‟s
expression changed to deeper notes of joy, she turned merrier.
Hearing about his family, the Manager could instantly recognize him. He pulled out some
funds for Saptak much to Saptak‟s resistance.
„How does the idea appeal to you?‟ Saptak asked Debaroti with enthusiasm.
„Brilliant!‟ she commented.
„But...‟ he paused.
„What?‟
„How do we go about the investment part?‟ he asked the billion dollar question, scratching
his forehead.
„Maybe, I can talk to your dad,‟ she volunteered realizing the already strained relationship
between her future husband and father-in-law. Saptak was pleased with her reply. He leaned
forward and asked „Will you?‟
„Definitely Saptak!‟ she smiled; her eyes twinkled with confidence. On that assurance, he ate
the not-so-tasty food and felt relaxed. Then after paying the bill and assuring the Manager on
the delivery dates both left for the hospital.
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---------------------------0-----------------0------------------------------His parents were sitting on the seats outside grandpa‟s ward. Saptak peered into the ward and
understood that the grandpa was sleeping. Dad raised his head and wanted to ask Saptak,
„Where have you been with that girl?‟ but didn‟t say that aloud. His eyes simply did all the
communication.
„We had gone to the hotel nearby to have lunch,‟ Saptak said.
„Good,‟ said Shyamal. His daughter smiled at him and sat nearby. After some moments of
silence, Saptak initiated the conversation. „Dad, I have decided to start something of my own.‟
Bimal sat as if he didn‟t want to listen to him. Mrinalini pinched him and drew his attention
towards Saptak. „He is saying something,‟ she said to dad.
With little interest dad looked at his son. Saptak repeated his words but Bimal refused to say
anything and turned away from him.
„Oh, Saptak is starting a business?‟ Shyamal exclaimed at Bimal.
„What else will he do after becoming jobless?‟ Bimal mocked.
„Good heavens, Saptak has quit his job too?‟ Shyamal asked in surprise since he was hearing
that for the first time. „Yeah,‟ said Bimal murmuring. „Oh man, this guy sounds as if Indira
Gandhi‟s death would still be news for him,‟ Bimal thought.
„Dad, Saptak quit the job to start his own IT company,‟ Debaroti said beaming and altered
the story altogether.
„Really?‟
„Yes uncle,‟ Saptak smiled.
„Very good. I appreciate your boldness, Saptak. My best wishes to your business,‟ he gave
him a firm handshake. „Youth his age should explore the world. Like a fearless elephant cub,
they should never give up until they succeed in their goals,‟ he told Bimal. This changed Bimal‟s
attitude towards Shyamal, who till then, was a green-eyed monster to Bimal.
„Dad...‟ Saptak tried to grab his attention again.
„Yes‟
„The investment…‟
At this juncture, Debaroti rose from her seat and stood before Bimal in support of Saptak
and said, „Uncle, kindly help Saptak for my sake, please...‟
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Bimal was moved by her plea. He bewildered about the unity of two penniless individuals.
His wife broke her silence for her son. „Look, we should have faith in our son and not some IT
company.‟ Bimal knew what she referred to - the bond amount paid to Pick n Stick
Technologies Pvt. Ltd earlier for his son to get employed.
Saptak interfered quickly, „Dad, you need not give me the entire amount in the beginning
stage itself. Let me prove myself first. I got a good opportunity of work from Mr. Balbinder, the
proprietor of Krazy Kabab Hotel. You will have faith in me then right?‟
Perplexed at the turn of events, Bimal merely said, „Do as you wish‟ and disappeared into
grandpa‟s ward. Mrinalini followed him.
Thanking his indifferent dad, he told Debaroti, „I will be right back,‟ and then ran to his
house to chart out the business plan.
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Chapter Twenty
New Class Instance-Failed!
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Saptarshi Basu
„Business!‟ Bimal spoke to himself, „Does he
know business better than me?‟As soon as he said that, he sensed a jerk from grandpa‟s bed as if
to confront him. He saw that grandpa was awake and was gesturing that he needed something
to eat. „Wait let me peel this orange for you,‟ Bimal said and started peeling off the orange skin
to reveal the pulp inside. With the pulp, his past too came clear to Bimal.
When Bimal finished his BA graduation, he knew that a job was already waiting for him. It
was the job of a postman at the JyotiNagar‟s post office which his father had already left for him
after his retirement from the same post. Thus, as a son of the retired postman, Bimal took up
the job graciously. But after some months, he couldn‟t continue in his job as happily as ever
when other people gossiped that he got the job only because his dad had a good rapport with
the higher officials at the post office. One day his friend suggested him to quit the job and start
his own business.
„But what business should I start?‟ he asked his friend.
„Start a grocery store in front of your house like that of Raju who lives on the next street,‟ he
suggested. „As you see, Raju‟s business is flourishing and he is leading a happy and contented
life.‟
„But who will come to my shop?‟ he asked.
„Look, attracting the customers is not so difficult. Just lower the selling price of each of your
product by 10 paisa as compared to Raju‟s store. Soon all his customers will come to your shop.‟
„Yeah, what you are saying is right. It‟s good that you are by my side,‟ Bimal appreciated his
friend.
But Bimal‟s dad opposed his idea altogether, „It is foolish to search for ghee when you have
butter in your hands,‟ he quoted a Bengali proverb and warned, „Don‟t quit the secure
government job and run a business. You are certainly not going to make profit.‟
Then after a long fight with his dad, Bimal finally succeeded in putting up a grocery store. He
took his dad‟s savings and borrowed some money from his friends to set up the business. But
things were not as easy as Bimal thought it to be. He found that only very few people of his own
street visited his shop even after reducing the price of his products. When asked the reason, they
replied that they buy their groceries and vegetables from the JyotiNagar market itself which was
only three kilometers away.
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He knew that he couldn‟t reduce the price further but just learn to cope up with it so as to
clear away the debts. Meanwhile, Raju came up to Bimal and scolded him for taking away his
customers and even threatened him to close down the shop. Despite this, Bimal could have
managed his business, but then he found out that a big firm had opened up a supermarket near
JyotiNagar‟s main road. It swallowed businesses of small retailers. Both Bimal and Raju had to
forcibly shutdown their grocery shops.
Later Bimal had to surrender to his dad, who helped Bimal reclaim the postman‟s job. Bimal
realised how ignorant and foolish he had been by not listening to his dad‟s advice.
Clearly, Bimal lacked the vision before he thought of starting a business. He neither studied
the market well nor anticipated the threats or misfortunes that would come his way. But after
some years, luck favoured him in the form of his lover, Mrinalini who was the daughter of the
head postmaster. Bimal married her and soon after his father-in-law‟s retirement, he got
promoted to the post of the head postmaster at JyotiNagar‟s post office. It was rumoured that
Bimal had got the post as dowry though he shunned that rumour later.
Referring to his past, Bimal worried that his son Saptak was also going to repeat the same
mistake and he felt sad for not having revealed his story to him. Thinking about all these things,
he forgot the whole purpose behind peeling the orange and stared eating it himself. He realized
it only when Mrinalini shouted to remind him, „What are you doing? Give some to father too...‟
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Chapter Twenty one
Friend Modifier
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Saptarshi Basu
Saptarshi Basu
JyotiNagar, July 07, 2007, Saturday, 4:00 PM
At home, Saptak sat alone on the sofa, reviewing the proposal of the financial product over
and over again in his mind. Although the brilliant idea stuck his mind and impressed Ballu aka
Balbinder Singh Dhillion a lot, but now the real implementation has to be done. Lighting up a
smoke, he took a deep shot at it.
„Somehow I can create a product out of it and then attract other hoteliers‟ he thought.
But then the work was enormous and the time frame quite short for him to handle. The
perplexity was coupled with the fact that although the idea was his brainchild he had doubt on
his technical expertise to execute the same.
Suddenly two groovy eyes looking behind a large rounded spectacle flashed in front of his
eye. Nabo! Yes, he can help me out.
He remembered that Captain Oxy worked for a product company and felt Oxy‟s advice will
be quite valuable in his progress.
He searched for his mobile and placed a call to Oxy.
„Captain Oxy is Nabo around?‟ he enquired.
„Yep, one minute,‟ Captain Oxy handed over his mobile to Nabo ignoring the latter‟s signal
to convey that he was not there.
Nabo took the mobile with disdain and said, „Hello.‟
„Hey Nabo, did you get a new mobile number for yourself?‟
„Yeah man, I bought a new mobile. They said the new number will be activated by the end of
the day,‟ he replied disinterested.
„Nabo, you know what happened this morning?‟
„What happened?‟ he asked annoyed.
„Aisha called me and was enquiring about your whereabouts.‟
No sooner did he hear her name, his eyes lit up like a shining star. He asked with enthusiasm,
„Is it?‟
„Dude, she is in love with you,‟ Saptak giggled.
Nabo asked unbelievingly, „What? What did you say?‟
„Yeah man, she is in love with you.‟
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Saptarshi Basu
The words flowed into Nabo‟s ears like honey. After all, this was what Nabo awaited for so
long. „At last, my efforts became fruitful,‟ he thought. His heart filled with happiness. He came
outside the room blushing and whispered over the phone, „Hey man, did she really say so?‟
„Dude, how will she say that directly? She is a girl, right? We have to understand her
emotions,‟ said Saptak.
„But then why did you say so?‟ Nabo asked curiously.
„She said she tried calling you many times since morning. When I told her about your mobile
theft incident, she was about to weep, you know.‟
„Really!‟ Nabo was glad to hear that.
„Yeah and she said she will wait for your call.‟
„But how did you conclude that she loves me?‟ Nabo sought for more explanation.
„Her tone, and the way she enquired about you - everything simply gave her away. Dude, we
have to understand their feelings. During the entire conversation, she didn‟t ask about me even
once anything about me, you know?‟ Saptak explained.
„Ha... Ha... Ha...‟ Nabo‟s happiness increased manifold.
„I know both of you. If you are planning to propose to her then I will say this is the right
time for you to do so,‟ for the first time, Saptak gave Nabo a constructive advice instead of
bullying him or lowering his spirits like in the past.
By imbibing constructive thoughts into another person, a „backward‟ man would be
automatically elevated into a „forward‟ person as positive thinkers could come up in life with
their attitude without the aid of reservations or financial backups.
Saptak saw the impact immediately as Nabo showed his entire set of teeth through the
phone. „Thank you, man,‟ he said forgetting all the enmity he had had for Saptak.
„And dude, you know what? I am planning to start a small „Start-up‟.‟
„That‟s great.‟
Saptak slowly described the incident at the Krazy Kabab Hotel and his conversation with
Ballu.
The idea appealed Nabo and the thought of doing something exciting rejuvenated him again.
Deep inside, in his hearts of heart, Nabo too was wholesomely frustrated by the mundane
work day after day but his middle class background restricted him to take any severe measure.
„Let me take Captain Oxy in conference‟, a thrilled Nabo called up Oxy.
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CHAPTER Twenty Two
THE ‘LOVE’ CLOUD
COMPUTING
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Saptarshi Basu
Saptarshi Basu
My heart turned cold once was warm
Left all alone to weather the storm
Crying a lonely tear
will love come my way?
I shake with fear
Memories I wish would fade
You walked in my life
Opening my eyes
Setting my soul on fire
Now happy tears I cry
I didn‘t understand
This feeling inside
Until you took my hand
And gave me a warm smile
The smile....that make me go for miles and miles.....
Never could I imagine
such an undying love
God has blessed me
with my love - as pure as dove
for souls are joined in heaven above
It was past midnight.
Saptak‟s eyes pained as he looked into the monitor. The errors flashed as red lights amidst
the Security block code. The tax calculation stuff still remained to be added. Ballu, Alias
Balbinder Singh Dhillion, The Proprietor and Manager at Krazy Kabab Hotel had already called
up twice. Saptak stretched back on the chair. He looked around. The fatigued tube light seemed
to be complaining for overtime. A lazy lizard moved past the wall in sight of a prey.
He saw Debaroti still buried deep into her work. She had graciously taken up the Data
Access Layer on her own. Saptak admired Debaroti for her dedication. She seemed glued to the
monitor, at times chewing the last bit of nails. Wearing a light blue Nighty, she seemed
engrossed in her work. Saptak could not turn his eyes from her. For a moment he was lost into
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Saptarshi Basu
the debris of memory. This was a girl with whom he had a lot of cat fight in his teens, not to
mention the peeping down her skirt adventure in the ploy of fallen eraser and now she had
devoted herself solely towards his success.
Suddenly the room vibrated with the ringtone music. It was Nabo. He had some doubt
regarding the GUI (Graphic User Interface) module. After a brief discussion, Saptak hung up
the phone.
Nabo was assigned the Graphic user Interface (GUI) module. In other way, he was quite
interested in taking it up. Captain Oxy was keener in the database side so Saptak happily obliged
giving him the data mapping and Meta data creation part.
The deadline was approaching fast. Debaroti persuaded her parents for allowing her to work
at Saptak‟s place while his parents were still at the hospital. After a lot of convincing, Shyamal
and Alokananda accepted.
Drenched with the unremitting calculations and development of the business logic layer, he
paused from his monitor. He looked at the Rubik‟s cube lying at one corner of the table.
Looking deep into the red and green blocks, he started fidgeting with it. He scrambled the right
and the left side while slicing the top to solve it. It was cracking tough and he felt God‟s
intervention is needed to solve it. Suddenly he remembered the God‘s Algorithm, a notion applied
to solving the Rubik‟s cube puzzle in the fewest possible number of moves. He recollected that
for an algorithm to be properly referred to as „God's algorithm‘, it should also be practical, meaning
that the algorithm does not require extraordinary amounts of memory or time. For example,
using a giant lookup table would allow solutions to be found very quickly, but would require an
extraordinary amount of memory and time. He felt that the whole financial product they were
developing for Krazy Kabab Hotel should also be practical and user-friendly. The business logic
should be coded down to lower levels of complexity keeping a keen eye to restrict overflowing
on the code size.
Tired and fatigued with the long-drawn-out coding, Debaroti adjusted her neck and in the
process catching Saptak staring at her. They both looked into each other eyes. Saptak felt the
fire burning within. The flames spread its lustful desires at the deepest corners of the body
without any smoke from outside. He was trying to close the gap between them. Debaroti tried
to resist but the inferno had already stretched inside her body. Their long wait was about to be
over. Quickly Debaroti switched off the light before falling into Saptak‟s arms. He leaped over
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Saptarshi Basu
her and starting kissing all over her body. Off came the nighty and Saptak‟s T-Shirt. The
Bermuda followed. The mobile shrieked with a comical sound under her butt. It took them by
surprise. They both laughed and again clasped at each other. He pressed hard against her naked
body while fondling her voluptuous breasts. The fight continued. They rolled over by the side of
the bed. And things came tumbling down. The calculator was the first, followed by the notepad.
Saptak got a hard blow on his head. But he was too preoccupied with the pain below to feel the
pain up above. She was biting his ears and he could feel her razor-sharp claws scratching his
back.
It went on for an hour like this till both nervously got up with the mobile vibrating near her
boobs. Extremely pissed off with his stick still highly on its peak, Saptak took the call.
„I HAVE DONE IT! I HAVE DONE IT!‟
Nabo shouted in ecstasy from the other end.
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CHAPTER Twenty Three
The Release
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Saptarshi Basu
The doctor agreed to discharge grandpa after ensuring enough cash inflow into the hospital
for a couple of weeks. On the day of release, they hired two autos to return home. On the way
back, Debaroti asked him curiously, „How did you managed to convince Nabo for the new
product? He hated you badly right‟
Debaroti could see the formation of a completely transformed Saptak who might one day be
a role model to the generation of youngsters who want to take up business as their career - any
type of business can flourish when the business principles are followed properly and when the
mind meets the soul.
He winked and explained. „Actually, I know both Nabo and Aisha. As they were my
colleagues in Pick n Stick Technologies, I had the chance to work with both of them
individually. And I knew that they have a crush for each other and wanted to propose to each
other.‟
Debaroti intervened, „You told them a lie that they love each other and screwed up their lives
too. Gosh, how mean could you be?‟ she was surprised.
„Hey wait! It‟s not a lie. All that I did was to visualise their lives three months from now. And
I could see them walking on the Technopolis‟s beach clasping their hands and smiling all the
way.‟
„How sure are you about that?‟ she asked with her eyebrows raised.
„For that, you need to know the story of Nabo and Aisha,‟ he said.
„Oh yes, I like stories, tell me their love story,‟ she came forward enthusiastically.
„No, I‟m not in the mood now. Also it would be better if we could hear from Nabo himself.
Let‟s wait for things to settle down. Then, when we go to Technopolis next time we can ask
him to narrate his story to us, okay?‟ he pleaded.
„Okay,‟ she nodded enquiring, „By the way, what name have you decided for your company?‟
„Hmm... I‟ve never thought of that. But I have decided on the CEO.‟
„Is it? Who is that?‟ she was amazed. She couldn‟t believe her ears when he said the name.
„Debaroti is my new company‟s CEO,‟ he said knowing her career dreams.
-----------------------0---------------------------0-------------------------Pick n Stick Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Technopolis:
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Saptarshi Basu
„Srinivasa has called us for a meeting. Let‟s go,‟ Aisha told Nabo and both entered the
conference room where Chandru was already waiting. „It must be for a new project,‟ Nabo
thought, „would I be able to speak my mind today?‟ He sat on the chair near Chandru and got
lost in thoughts. Soon the Project Manager, Srinivasa arrived.
Aisha wished him good morning while Nabo prepared himself to convey something to the
Project Manager. He wanted to give his suggestion and to contribute actively to the business and
profit of his consultancy company. The adrenaline rush he felt at that time left him numb and
made his heart beat rapidly.
Srinivasa spoke, „Guys, it‟s good that we meet today. Well, I called you to discuss an
upcoming project.‟ He announced, „It‟s a data migration project, yes Lenka?‟ he asked wanting
Chandru to continue with the technical aspects of the project.
Chandru replied „Yes Srinivasa, it‟s a data migration which we will be executing with „Ctrl +
X‟ and „Ctrl + V‟ method,‟ he told the team members, Aisha and Nabo. „This is slightly different
from the previous project where we followed „Ctrl + C‟ and „Ctrl + V‟ technique.‟
Nabo nodded his head in disdain.
Having noticed his gesture, Srinivasa enquired, „Do you have anything to say?‟
With a new found bravado, Nabo spoke, „Srini, is our management focusing on „Product
Development‟ too along with „maintenance and support‟?‟
Chandru was taken aback by his question whereas Srinivasa remained calm. After all he too
knew that it‟s high time that the management of Pick n Stick Technologies Pvt. Ltd. turned its
attention towards „Product Development‟, otherwise the company would not sustain for longer.
Also more and more people, like Saptak, might quit the company to generate the same amount
of money they earn here in less time through some other easier means. But if the company
would change its focus, it would not only help the employees to quickly achieve their financial
goals, but also sent out a feel good message to those who want their career to be in the same
line as their main stream counterparts.
While silence prevailed in the hall, Chandru came in support of Srinivasa raising his doubt,
„Srinivasa, won‟t it be against our company‟s mission and vision?‟
Srinivasa remembered the mission of Pick n Stick Technologies Pvt. Ltd. then, „Creating the Stick
that beats its Pick...‟
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Saptarshi Basu
He scratched his bald head while replying to his teammates in corporate language, „Let‟s talk
about this offline.‟
--------------------------------0-------------------------0--------------------------------------
JyotiNagar, in another auto on the way back from hospital:
Bimal who had earlier smelled something fishy between Saptak and Debaroti, spoke to his
wife Mrinalini, „So do you believe that these two kids make a good match?‟
Mrinalini replied, „Of course, don‟t they?‟
„But the problem is, our son falls into the UMBC quota and their daughter, BC quota. If
these two got married, what will be the caste of our grandchildren then?‟
She replied, „Let‟s find our grandchildren a place in the FC quota.‟
He got terrified and shouted, „Converting into FC? Are you mad? Aren‟t you aware that we
would be deprived of all the privileges then? Don‟t you remember how difficult it was to get a
UMBC certificate for our son in the past?‟
„I do agree. But the fact is that we have got enough education and are well-to-do families
now. Also our son has learnt how to stand on his own feet. Our status has already improved and
we don‟t need these reservations anymore. We can proudly call ourselves „Forward Castes‟ and
leave the reservations to those who need them. If every citizen does that, everyone in the
country would one day become the „Forward Caste‟. Then, we can abolish the caste system in
our country,‟
Bimal was amazed by what his wife said. He got a bit skeptical suddenly and asked, „Darling,
are you the one talking like this? I can‟t believe it myself. Since when did you start thinking so
highly?‟ He opened his eyes widely at her.
Mrinalini blushed and said, „Actually you know what? Sometime back, I had met a stranger
who claimed himself to be a Sadhu. He told me that our country needs to be freed of caste
system and conveyed the message. He had requested me to pass this message on to others. So I
did. Now it is up to you to take a decision on that. I don‟t know anything more than this,‟ she
said.
„Ah, that explains it,‟ he murmured within.
„What?‟ She raised her voice.
„Nothing...‟ he diverted her attention by asking another question, „When did he speak with
you?‟
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Saptarshi Basu
„Well, it was at the hospital, when you were peeling the orange and eating it yourself without
giving…‟
(Interrupt)
Bimal closed her mouth with his hand, said, „Ok, enough... Do you know where he is now?‟
„I don‟t know where that bugger went after that,‟ she replied quickly and turned her head in
contempt.
Bimal jovially put his arms around her shoulders and said, „Oh, come on, sweet heart, don‟t
get angry for such small things. He came closer and asked, „you are right. It‟s high time we move
to FC now‟ both laughed.
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EPILOGUE
THE SIGN-OFF
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Saptarshi Basu
Saptarshi Basu
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
with sixty seconds' worth of distance run Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!
- Joseph Rudyard Kipling (30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)
Pick n Stick Technologies Pvt. Ltd couldn‟t held to their motto „Creating the Stick that beats its Pick‟
for long. It‟s started suffering with existing Clients leaving them and no new clients being added
to their portfolio.
It so happened that they copy pasted the business logic from a retail customer to a
Hospitality patron. It was for a big Hospital in Ahmadabad who went to the verge of litigating
Pick n Stick Technologies.
„What went wrong, Chandru?‟ Srinivasa asked .Gobindo Kumar Dhol, the VP of Pick n Stick
Technologies Pvt. Ltd was listening to their discussion with a blank face. He remained extremely
silent which was very unlikely of his surname (in Bengali, Dhol means a musical instrument which
creates loud sounds when beaten thoroughly). „Sir, I mean Srini, I was just sticking to our motto‟
Chandru seemed confused.
The Hospital largely complained that the site which they wanted as a Hospitality
Management Portal which Pick n Stick Technologies created was selling doctors, that too at a
cheap rate. As an example, it showed that if you buy 2 Dr. Varghese you will get Dr. Sultana free!! Thus,
Pick n Stick Technologies got doomed.
Both got fired, Srini and Chandru. But then, the damage was already done. Pick n Stick
Technologies Pvt. Ltd has to close down after a few months of struggle to survive.
Elbert Green Hubbard once said „Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day
what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer the goal.‟
Saptak and team listened to their inner voice as to what they always wanted to do.
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Saptarshi Basu
The humble start required a lot of effort and struggle. Saptak and Debaroti devoted their full
time into work (except when they were working together). Nabo and Captain Oxy stretched their time
outside office to get things done.
Ballu, the proprietor of Krazy Kabab hotel was ecstatic
about the new financial product which empowered him with operational benefits. His profits
soared. He asked Saptak and his small group to replicate it for his hotel at Santragachi. The
implementation went off well and slowly the interest in the new product geared up.
Bimal and Shyamal got over their personal discrepancies and their caste problems. Mrinalini
noticed that Saptak‟s visit to Debaroti‟s place amplified magnanimously. She also noticed the
bright lipstick marks in his shirts and felt it‟s high time to get them married off.
Ballu went on some further miles to connect Saptak with his cousin in Toronto. He
appreciated the product and wanted it to be implemented for his line of business. It fitted well
as by that time the team has already figured out to implement the product with any type of
source system.
The venture opened the door for the team to international exposure. They floated their own
software product company under the name „Innovation TechLabs Pvt. Ltd.‟ Nabo and Captain
Oxy left their respective organization and joined Saptak as full time partners. Aisha followed.
As an initial setup, Innovation TechLabs started at
Saptak and Debaroti‟s place. Now that they were married, they tried to refrain themselves from
doing it while coding and developing the product. Last time, Saptak‟s laptop had a crash landing
during a sudden call of desire and this send a warning signal to both.
Nabo geared up the courage to propose Aisha. She accepted not before kicking his balls as
to make her wait for so long even after that Friday night.
Captain Oxy still goes to Shimmers and Swirls on Fridays. Rumour says he had befriended Nita
aka Nitashree and planning to go ahead with her.
Last heard about Pick n Stick Technologies, Creating the Stick that beats its PickSome playful guy was fondling with its dilapidated sign board and stroked off the „ic‟
and replaced it with „ea‟.
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Creating the Stick that beats its Peak – Good Lord!
-----------------------The End-----------------------
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Saptarshi Basu
Saptarshi Basu
A Journey through Breakups, Lust and then…Blossoms
Does love really end when you have a breakup?
Does life really end when your long time love leaves you?
Does Love always mean you have to be with the opposite sex?
Deb, I will be waiting for you. You know I just did the waxing yesterday! Oh God! Pooja, not now!
-A big flirt
How much he was mad about her! And then it was all over. The razor shined the last unforgiving minute. A puddle
of blood formed on the white carpet as Deb lay there, his soul still fighting to unite with his creator
- An attempted suicide
Ayantika’s mother was shouting...this conversation had been going on for long...since last November and it was
already April....I don’t want to marry now mom, I have told you a million times...Please Dad, make
mom understand
- Arranged marriage blues
Na Hanyate Hanyamane Sarire-Consciousness is eternal it is not vanquished with the destruction of the temporary
body. My son, you need to seek the truth within yourself, and that will set you free
– Guru Lama’s word
And Vinod started his story... When Ashwini Uncle knocked the door, he was already all wet. And then… All I
could feel was the prickling of the moustache and my lips locked
– A confused Soul
As the rain slowly kissed his face soaking him, he couldn't stop thinking about Ayantika and how much he loves
her. It was difficult to look up as it had started raining heavily. He silently thanked someone, somewhere up
above .Love never dies
- A transformed Soul
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Saptarshi Basu

The dream seller

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