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STORY so far: Companies operate among highly unpredictable variables. When even routine actions misfire, management comes under attack. Perhaps this was the case with a rival company in the field of biomedicine, when its clinical trials were producing fatal results. Even if the casualties were within statistical parameters, almost everybody out there — be it the regulator or some activist — would lung for his or her pound of flesh.

Just as one becomes careful if the vehicle going ahead skids, we start verifying all the procedures and results of clinical trials for the company's new products. Fortunately, we find our medicines working positively for the patients.

Episode 55

Come December, the common scene in most offices is simply emptiness. Almost every other person is on leave, and work goes on at much slower speed than normal. Heads of department, if they themselves aren't missing, find piles of leave applications from their staff, all driven by the need to exhaust their casual leave or some such variety of leave, before the thing lapsed at the end of the year.

This is the case with government departments too, when they are allocated a set amount for spending within the fiscal. Before the accounts are finalised and closed, there is this flurry of activity to exhaust every rupee, even if it meant making hurried purchases of unwanted assets, not following the prudent process of vetting the proposals on a variety of criteria.

"How does it matter if your CL lapsed?" I asked my colleague Brenda, when we were in the canteen, during the usual forenoon teatime. She looked at me quite sympathetically and said, "Swati, you're too new in the job. You'll realise when you have more responsibilities." I was not willing to take this lying down.

"But leave facility is there more as an emergency measure. To use just in case you need it." Brenda retorted, "That's our right, you nut. Why let it go waste." I waved away the `compliment', and said, "How would you spend the time that you take off?" She stated, "Eat, sleep, watch TV, and again the same cycle."

It took some time for me to let her words sink in. I couldn't simply imagine a routine like that. "Hey, I thought you were happy doing what you are doing — analysing sales invoices, arranging for representative meetings, preparing reports and so forth, with almost everybody looking for your help. Won't you get bored to be at home?"

It was then that Brenda paused to respond, turning her ring idly: "Swati, you're right. It is tough to be doing nothing. In fact, I put on three kilos in just five days, last year. It took months for me to shed that again." Then our conversation drifted off to what was wrong with the canteen coffee, when the next sale would be on in Rangachari, why one must go for Unnikrishnan's concert during this music season, whether the new hairdo that Jana was sporting seemed too stylish for her age, and so forth.

On my way back to my desk, I could not help comparing Brenda's attitude, which was nothing uncommon, to gobbling up tablets because they would get past expiry date otherwise, or collecting all the pamphlets at a trade fair even if one were sure of not reading all of them.

Most people have the mindset of employees and so think they get even with their boss by going on leave to do nothing at home even as work piles up at the desk.

I remember reading somewhere that you need not feel you are an employee even if you are paid a salary. "How ridiculous!" I had thought. But the author had added that it is a sheer matter of attitude and if only you tried to imagine you were an entrepreneur, your life would be a lot more wonderful.

*********

"Swati," the boss called me over the intercom. "Today afternoon, I want you to accompany me and Gupta on a short trip." I asked, "Should I bring my passport, sir." He laughed, "No, we are going only 30 kilometres." After the call, I consulted the city map to guess where we would be going, but there were more pressing jobs to do, so I pushed the thought back till the afternoon.

At 3 p.m., we left in boss's car, and the conversation was around the latest boom in the stock markets, election results, and so forth. "Sir, where are we heading?" I asked. "If you are asking me about this quarter's performance, Swati," he replied, "I'm sure it's going to be fine."

Arrrh... I was in the front seat, so I fiddled with the stereo to play the Mirchi FM, much to the annoyance of the others, but I hummed: "Semma hot machchi."

*********

Presently, the car veered off the highway at milestone 28, to head on a mud track and after about a kilometre, it stopped near a farm. It looked cool. Somebody who looked like a decent farmhand received us at the gate, and soon we were walking among trees and plants.

There were the flowering trees, fruit bushes, creepers, a small pond for birds to quench their thirst, a tiny cottage made of eco-friendly materials such as thatch and bamboo, a rustic cot outside, with an earthen pot of water that was so refreshing that I would have rated any cola nowhere near it.

We sat on a patch of grass, in a circle, three of us and the farmhand. "Hello, everybody," he spoke in good English and added with a smile, passing around a small basket of fruits, "it gives me great pleasure to have you as my guests and audience." I was taken aback, and looked at the boss.

"Let me do the introductions," said the boss. "Mr Gupta is the company's production chief. And Swati is the company secretary. Now, meet Mr Shyam, BE computer science from IIT Madras and MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, and the CEO of To-Farm-I-Go.com about which I would request him to explain."

Suddenly, Shyam looked more like Aamir of Lagaan, I felt. He spoke: "I am not going to burden you with any PowerPoint slideshows. Mine is a small venture that tries to fulfil an unspoken need in many top executives who are so successful in their business pursuits: To get them closer to nature."

I interrupted him: "A time-share?" He shrugged, "No, I am not promoting any holiday resort, yoga camps, therapy retreats and so forth. My company would provide consulting to these executives to buy a piece of cultivable land not too far from where they work and live. Budget could be anywhere from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 20 lakh, though occasionally the limits get breached both ways.

Initially, my customers look at the outflow as an investment in real estate. Over the years, they realise that they get to learn so much by spending time in the farm, simply watching the trees and plants, birds and bushes, even if it be only a few hours every fortnight or month.

For those who find it difficult to manage the farm, my company provides the services for a fee — to take care of de-weeding, fencing, irrigating and occasionally marketing the produce." Gupta asked, "What is the ROI?" Shyam paused for a moment, "Do you have to measure everything by that yardstick?" We didn't have a ready answer.

*********

On our drive back, I was thinking, "One lakh is so much money. If only I had that much... " Boss seemed to have been reading my thoughts, because he said: "Gupta, I want you to sit with our auditors, lawyer, bankers, Chandru and Shyam, to work out a package that we can offer to our employees — a soft loan to acquire small farms."

And I was singing along with an A. R. Rahman hit that was playing on the car stereo. Only my lyric was different: "To farm I go, where sun would glow; with a lawn to mow, and seeds to sow; but you drive too slow... " And the driver shifted to overdrive.

(To be continued)

Swati_CA@hotmail.com

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