The Hindu Business Line : At the edge of a window and contemplating to jump

STORY so far: I plunge into biotechnology and learn about criteria adopted by venture capitalists to fund the projects. Big players are entering the field, lured by the double-digit growth it has been offering. It comes as promising news to me that the company is looking at bioinformatics as an avenue for expansion. In this connection, I visit an exhibition in Anna University.

Episode 65

Over the past weeks, I have been interacting with some of my college mates who joined the IIMs even as I branched off to CA. Though they have taken up good positions after graduation, their empathy with what happens to their Institute is high. For instance, when the CAT paper got leaked, these friends of mine were aghast and went to great lengths on drafting what could be a foolproof method for conducting such exams.

I remember to have passed the thing on to the CA Institute, my Alma Mater, for study, though it would be too remote to expect any reforms happening. Well, again, when the Minister announced radical fee cuts in the IIMs, these ex-students were vehemently protesting.

I sent an e-mail to one of them, Junaid, asking if he was cribbing because he had to pay the full fee. But he argued that autonomy was getting compromised. Oh, it is the same old story here too, I replied, referring to the problem in the ICAI. For Junaid, however, the DCA's move seems reasonable: "What's wrong in their thinking?" I didn't tell Junaid that most people had similar opinion about the fee cut too.

*********

The morning after Shivratri, I was bleary eyed when I reached my desk, because I had sat through the whole-night bhajan in Sundaram. If only I excuse myself and go home and sleep... I dismissed the thought forthwith, because a job is a job. And a Post-it note stuck on the computer monitor attracted my attention.

"Spare a few minutes, please. Chandru." I sank in my chair, thinking that Chandru would once again be asking for some help in some stupid consolidation, or posing a query on accounting standards, just when I was in no mood for cerebral work.

Let me think the note didn't exist, I told myself, and threw it in the dustbin. Yet, I decided to go over to Chandru's cabin, at least to tell him, "Tomorrow, some time, may be." Yes, he was there, hunched over some papers, as if he were doing some close study of a statement. "Hi, Chandru," I greeted him, but he was glum. "Come, Swati," he said weakly. "Not well?" I asked. He shook his head, and threw a bombshell: "I'm quitting."

*********

It took a few minutes for me to understand what he was saying, because that was the least I had expected to happen. For one, I always found Chandru was a happy employee, very much contented with what he did, had almost no ongoing quarrels with anybody because he was soft-spoken, enjoyed good rapport with the boss and, on top of everything, had an understanding family.

He was not joking, I could realise. "Does the boss know?" I managed to ask him. "No," he said, "I haven't told anybody else, not even my wife." For a moment, it looked as if Chandru was standing at the edge of the window and contemplating jumping down, with me as a sole spectator. "Why me?" I asked myself, how happy I could have been if only I had bunked work, and slept nicely at home!

Chandru said, "Swati, the problem is I don't know if it is right or wrong. That's why I thought I'd speak to you before going to the boss." Am I god, or a priest at the confessional, or your conscience? I could have extricated myself out of the situation by shrugging off with an excuse, but having interacted with him when he got into a mess in Indonesia not long ago, for no fault of his, I decided to listen to him.

*********

You know I am not a calm person, but too impulsive. So, before I lent an ear, Chandru had to first put up with my tantrums and brouhaha: "Let me see," I said, pulling the paper from him. It was his resignation letter; it read — `I wish to inform you that I am resigning for personal reasons. Kindly settle my dues at the earliest.' It didn't say anything except that Chandru didn't want to say anything. "You are foolish," I said. There was nobody around, and I thought I should do some plain talking. "Kya hua?"

I expected Chandru would tell me how X or Y in the company did something or didn't do something that undermined Chandru's position, but he said, "Nothing." That made me wild. "What nonsense!" I yelled, thumping his desk so much that the desktop's screen seemed to shiver. "You don't want to tell me, don't! Why should I waste my time?" Chandru was not getting angry with me, but looking more dejected, and I felt sorry that it was not appropriate to hurt his sentiments.

"Bolo, Chandru," I said softly, switching a few octaves down, "have you got a better offer from a different company?" He shook his head and said, "No, nothing. I don't know what I'll do after quitting." Again, he was getting on my nerves. I could not comprehend how he could be so wood-headed not to think of his wife and kids. I wanted to shout in his ears, "Hey, remember, you are a CA!" but said instead, "Too much pending work, what?" Chandru replied, "No, I have kept everything up-to-date, so that my successor can take up and continue seamlessly, as simple as plug-and-play." He was wryly laughing; and I remembered how those who commit suicide tie up all loose ends, tidy up their things, pay all bills and return the library books, so that those left behind have fewer hassles.

Job stress can accumulate for varied reasons, I have read: Improper job descriptions, sense of powerlessness at work, traumatic events, work environment, feeling misfit, and so forth. Mentally, I kept checking if any of these would have driven Chandru to this decision, but was drawing blank on each. "Then, why, Chandru, why?" I asked.

*********

What could be the reason for Chandru's drastic decision? E-mail your guess before Friday to: Swati_CA@hotmail.com .

*********

At the mailbox: M. A. Siddique Imran and C. Palanivel write, "We are currently doing our B.Tech (Biotechnology) third year in Bharathidasan University, Tiruchi." Oh, that's a great place to study. "We are very much interested in doing our project work in bioinformatics." Topical, and so a good choice. "If any related works strikes your perspective, please do inform us." Well, Imran and Palani, keep watching this space for more, though you would appreciate that my perspective gets struck from different directions.

"Thank you for a nice article of bioinformatics research," writes my good friend M. Thanga Velu. Thanks. "I was laughing and at the same time pondering at your suggestion that the ICAI, ICSI and ICWAI could merge." Does it look so comical? "J and K can join in Tamil Nadu. Mulayam and Mayavati can share a platform. George and Laloo can dine together. Menaka and Sonia can have a chat. Mandir and masjid can be built side by side. But ego of the elites of the above-mentioned institutions will never allow any merger to take place." That makes it seem tougher than breaking the Berlin wall!

(To be continued)

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