If God Was A Banker (3 page)

While Sundeep was having tea during the break, a khaki-clad peon came and handed him a small chit. He opened it and was taken aback. The chit read: 'SEE ME IN MY CABIN

AFTER THE PROGRAMME—ADITYA.' Sundeep didn't know what this meant for him. Was it good? Did it spell disaster? He had no clue. His heart started pounding faster. First day in office and the unit head sends out a note to meet him. He had no choice but to wait, wondering what was in store for him.

K
nock! Knock! Sundeep's journey back in time was abruptly disturbed by a knock on the cabin door.

'Hi, Michelle.'

Michelle was the Head of Human Resources at New York International Bank. She had shut down her flourishing HR consulting business to join the bank when Tedd Bridge took over as its CEO. She had a tremendous faith in his leadership and business building capabilities.

Michelle was the one who had, in fact, recommended Sundeep's name, when Chetan Bindra moved out to take over as the Global Head of Retail Banking. It was not too difficult to swing the job for Sundeep as he had successfully delivered in roles across the globe.

'How are you, Sundeep?'

'Could be much better,' said Sundeep, in a nervous tone. 'Definitely much better.'

'You should not have done it, Sundeep. Not when you are at this level. I can't protect you even if I want to.'

'I am being framed. You know that,' said Sundeep, in a voice that belied his own confidence in what he was saying. 'Everyone hates my success. Why don't you understand someone is playing me? Anyway, a lot has been said on this. What's the verdict?'

'It will have to wait, Sundeep. Tedd wants to meet you today. By the way, I came to tell you that Tedd can only make it at 3.45. The meeting at 10.30 will now be held at 3.45. Just came to check if that suits you.'

Sundeep nodded his head, as if he knew what was in store for him. Michelle left, leaving him alone in his cabin—just he and his thoughts.

'Coffee?' Louisa came in to drop some papers.

'No, Louisa. Thanks. Please hold all calls till I tell you to put them through. I am not to be disturbed for the next two hours.'

W
hen day one of the training programme for new recruits entered the last session, Sundeep's heart was hammering away. Kalpana, who was still sitting in front of Sundeep, could sense that something was wrong with him. He had not tried flirting with her in the past three hours. Though she would never accept it publicly, she quite liked Sundeep's attention. She turned around and looked at him a couple of times, but Sundeep didn't respond. He was lost in his own thoughts. Thoughts of what was in store for him in Aditya's room.

The last few minutes of the day were spent in discussing logistics for the next day and the schedule for the next week. It was a month-long training programme, with a week of classroom training, and three weeks of 'on the job' training, in which the new recruits would spend time at the branches of New York International Bank and observe how work gets done. At the end of one month, they were to reassemble, assess what they have learnt, and list out their preferred areas of work. This would form the basis of their final assignments.

'That's it for the day, guys. We will meet tomorrow morning at nine, in this very room. Our party tonight will begin at 8.30 p.m. at the ballroom of the Taj Mahal Hotel. Brian Close will address you. Please be on time. Formals please. Don't forget your jackets. See ya there.' The moment the speaker closed the evening, Sundeep dashed out of the room. He was extremely nervous and didn't want to stay back and speak to anyone. He headed for the den of the don Aditya Rao.

On his way he saw a rest room and ducked into it. He washed his face and freshened up. He wanted to be sure that he was properly groomed before meeting Aditya for the first time.

For the first time in his life Sundeep was nervous before a meeting. It was the fear of the unknown. Why had Aditya called him? This question was gnawing his brain. But he knew one thing for sure: at the end of day one, if Aditya remembered anyone's name from the list of new recruits, it was his. For good or bad, he didn't know, but he had to capitalise on this.

'I am here to see Mr Rao. My name is Sundeep Srivastava.' Natasha, Aditya's secretary looked up when she heard this.

'Oh yes, Sundeep. He is expecting you. Please wait for a second while I check with him,' said Natasha. She was an attractive young woman, surely not older than twenty-one, and looked like someone straight out of college. Natasha got up from her seat and walked into Aditya's room. Sundeep couldn't help noticing how attractive she was.

Sundeep surveyed the secretary's workspace. She had a large cubicle. In other organisations, six to eight employees would be seated in the space that she occupied. There was a plush leather sofa, definitely an imported item. He tried guessing the place of origin of the sofa. UK, Germany, probably Greece! He couldn't make up his mind and eventually gave up. If the secretary had this kind of space, he could well imagine the size and furnishings of Aditya's office. Despite his nervousness, he couldn't help being distracted by these thoughts. 'One day, I will make this my own office.' He was already imagining the day when he would walk into this office and call it his own.

'Aditya will see you in five minutes. Can I get you something?' Sundeep didn't seem to notice when Natasha returned from Aditya's room. 'Oh no. Thank you. I will just wait here.'

Natasha looked at Sundeep from the corner of her eyes and was reminded of the conversation that Aditya had with her a few hours back. He had just walked back from the induction programme. 'Natasha. There is a guy in there called Sundeep. Please send a note to him and ask him to see me after the session ends for the day.' He had seemed pissed and had walked into his room in a foul mood. He had called her again within the next three minutes and crackled over the speakerphone: 'Before he comes in, can you please get me his CV from the records.'

Secretarial work was new for Natasha, but she was a fast learner. She had been in the organisation for no more than thirty days and had already become indispensable for Aditya. Knowing Aditya, she was feeling a bit sorry for Sundeep. She was beginning to like him.

S
waminathan was looking around for Sundeep after the day's training got over. He was looking for familiar faces in an alien crowd. Being an introvert, it was a challenge for him to go and talk to people on his own. He was standing alone in the corner of the training hall, holding the study material that they had been given. It was 6.45 p.m. and the party was at 8.30. He had nowhere to go. 'Might as well go through the study material,' he thought. He walked back into the classroom and opened the spiral bound books. They were actually not books, but collations of the various presentations that the seniors from the organisation had made to the group. He was soon completely engrossed in his reading material.

'Hi, scholar.' Swami was startled when he heard a voice from behind. He looked up through his thick glasses and found Kalpana staring down at him. 'You are Swaminathan, right? I saw your picture on the notice board for our batch.' Swami nodded his head. They hadn't spoken to each other despite being in a small group of thirty-eight people. Swami was too shy to initiate a conversation with anyone, and if it was a woman, Swami would stay a mile away. 'Kalpana,' she continued, pointing at herself. 'You have a whole life to read all this boring stuff. Let's go and get ourselves some fresh air.'

The building that housed the office of New York International Bank was on Marine Drive, overlooking the sea. The Marine Drive promenade offered a breathtaking view of the whole of south Mumbai. For years, Queen's Necklace, as Marine Drive was otherwise called, was dear to the heart of every
M
umbaikar.
Pick up any magazine on Mumbai and you would find it on the cover. The place is particularly engaging at the cusp when day bids adieu and night takes over. Hordes of people gather to see the spectacle of the lights coming on one by one in a gigantic semi-circle—the glittering pearls on the Queen's necklace of lights.

Kalpana literally dragged Swami to Marine Drive, from the confines of the training room. At IIM-A, Swami was rarely seen in the company of women. While all his classmates would actively seek out female company, Swami would be happy in the world of books, spending all his free time in the library. This single-minded dedication had partly to do with his modest means that didn't allow him to spend money on girlfriends like most of his friends. He didn't want to be embarrassed, and so stayed away.

Marine Drive was extremely windy. The waves were lashing against the rocky shore. Water was splashing all over the promenade. Kalpana and Swami were chatting and strolling on the path alongside the shore. Swami was a little worried about his borrowed jacket getting wet; he would have to wear it again tomorrow. But he was embarrassed to mention it. He quietly moved as far away from the water as he could without making it obvious to Kalpana.

Kalpana, however, saw through his effort. 'How sweet!' She was impressed by his gentle mannerisms. 'What a nice guy!' she thought.

'Swami, have you had
bhelpuri
here? There's a fundo shop on the other side. Let's go there.' She figured out a way to take Swami away from the water without embarrassing him.

'Any place where I can get some
kaapi?'
asked Swami.

'Independence Cafe. Let's go,' she responded spontaneously.

'How do you know this place so well, Kalpana?' asked Swami.

'I have lived half my life here, Swami. I have roamed these streets for years. I know every street, every nook and corner. Leave me in any
galli,
and I will find my way back home.'

Kalpana was born to Rajasthani parents. Her parents moved to UK when she was very young. They spent a few years there, but finding it difficult to bring up a child in alien surroundings, they moved back to India and set up shop in Mumbai in the early seventies. They opened a small electronics goods store. Their business grew rapidly, and now they had a chain of twelve stores in Mumbai alone. Planning to make their chain a nationwide success, they were also talking to a number of foreign brands for collaboration. Kalpana was their only daughter.

Independence Cafe was a small joint just off Marine Drive. It was frequented by college goers and had a relatively young crowd patronising it.

'I had been frequenting this place for over four years, before moving to Bangalore for my MBA,' Kalpana was telling Swami while the two of them walked in. They looked around and settled for a table in the corner, away from the door.

'I always try and get this seat if it is free. It's away from the door and there is less disturbance here.'

Swami was very happy when he saw the menu. The first item on the menu card was 'South Indian Filter Coffee.'

There were two basic things in life, which no South Indian will ever compromise on:
The Hindu
newspaper, and his morning cup of coffee. Ever since he landed in Mumbai, Swami had got neither.

A shabbily dressed waiter came to the table. 'Yes, maam.' Kalpana did the ordering. 'One cup of strong South Indian filter coffee for sir, and one watermelon juice without sugar for me.'

'Anything else, maam?'

Kalpana looked at Swami and then back at the waiter. 'No, that would be it,' she said.

Swami waited till the waiter was out of earshot. 'Why no sugar? Are you worried about your sugar levels or is it plain calorie consciousness?'

'No! No! Not at all,' laughed Kalpana. 'It is only because sugar spoils the taste of watermelon. I am not calorie conscious at all.'

'You don't need to. You look good anyway.' Swami was shocked at himself for having uttered this. Was he flirting with Kalpana? He had never done such a thing in his whole life. Clumsy though he was, Kalpana couldn't resist a smile, and Swami was embarrassed. He didn't know what to say.

Kalpana found his embarrassment quite amusing. She was beginning to like his simplicity. Swami came across as an honest, down-to-earth guy. No one makes guys like these nowadays, she thought. 'How do you like Mumbai, Swami?'

This was just the beginning of their conversation. They talked about nearly everything under the sun. The weather, their families, their aspirations, their lifestyles, and more. Completely oblivious of the passage of time, they seemed to be enjoying each other's company.

Kalpana just happened to glance at her watch and exclaimed, 'Oh my god! It's 8.30 p.m. We will have to rush immediately.' Kalpana picked up the tab on their way out. Swami couldn't have paid for the three rounds of coffee and watermelon juice.

By the time they reached the ballroom, it was 8.35 p.m. They were five minutes late. Everyone else from their group had arrived. Brian Close, the CEO of the bank in India was yet to show up. Swami looked around the room trying to find Sundeep, but there was no trace of him. Sundeep was with Aditya Rao.

'A
ditya will see you now, Sundeep,' said Natasha. 'I will show you to his room.'

Sundeep had been waiting outside Aditya's room for quite some time now. The five minutes that Natasha had initially indicated stretched to forty-five minutes. But Sundeep just had to wait. He could not push his way through here, especially since it concerned Aditya Rao.

'Good evening, sir,' said Sundeep as he walked into Aditya's room.

'Call me Aditya. There are no sirs here.'

'Sure, Aditya.'

'Take a seat, young man.'

'Thank you.'

Aditya Rao pulled out Sundeep's CV from the folder in front of him and looked at it, feet nonchalantly placed up on the table. Sundeep was shivering in his pants. What had he done?

'Sundeep Srivastava, BE, MBA, Gold Medal at IIM-Bangalore. Topper at IIT. Good. Army major's son. Mother, a doctor. Impressive, very impressive young man. Summer training at ANZ Grindlays Bank. Quite an impressive pedigree, son.'