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to tell my driver to follow. “I don’t have a driver,” I told him and added that I will follow his car. “No, in that case, I will ride with you and my car will follow,” said the boss.
The function was somewhere close to Minto Bridge. As we were driving through Connaught Place, Lala ji asked me to stop for a while, and suggested we take a stroll. That evening he seemed to be in a particularly good mood.
Going past the famous Empire Store, he suggested we go in for a Coca-Cola and some popcorn. We stood there, by the glass windows, sipping our Cokes, facing outside and watching people go by in the covered corridor of the inner circle. Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he noticed the owner moving in our direction.“Let’s get out before this guy catches up, otherwise, he won’t let us leave for at least half an hour,” I was told. So the bottles were left on the floor and we made a quick exit.
As soon as we neared the wedding venue, the groom— already on horseback—saw the eagerly awaited big Pontiac, and he wasted no time in telling the ghoriwala (a person who owns and tends to the mare) that he wanted to get down for a minute. Everyone was aghast; he was told that it is an apshakun (bad omen) and once he had mounted ceremoniously, he could only get down at the bride’s place. But our man knew which side his bread was buttered. He dismissed all arguments and was on his feet in a jiffy, rushed to the limousine as Lala ji was stepping out, touched his feet, thanked him for his presence, got the blessings, and went back to his high perch. Meantime, Lala ji congratulated the family, handed over the mandatory shagun (monetary gift), and sought their leave, adding for good measure that, “Kalra will attend the ceremony.” As he was getting into the car, he told me, “Kalra, iski tankhwah wagera dekh lena,
Disclaimer:
shaadi hui hai to kharcha to barhe ga.” (Look into revising his salary; now that he is married, his expenses will increase).
Next morning, I was at the kothi with an increment slip (I had proposed a 10% special increment) for the lucky guy. When my turn came, I presented the paper, with the amount entered in pencil, for his signatures. One look at it, and he laughed, saying, “Tum kab se ‘bania’ ho gai ho?” Bechara 800 leta hai, 1000 to kar hi do.” (Since when have you become so stingy? The poor chap gets only 800 rupees; make it at least 1000).
As I was driving to my office, I felt very happy for the young accountant and was planning to actually send the good news slip to his house through a peon. As I entered and was heading to my cabin, I noticed all staff members grinning, and one or two even congratulated me. I was quite surprised. How did they know about Gupta’s big increment? I wondered. Perhaps the PA at the kothi had called one of them. But why were they congratulating me? Everything became clear as I entered my room. Right on top of the desk was an ‘office order’ signed obviously by the big boss, which had just one sentence “With immediate effect, Kalra is sanctioned company car and driver.”
About The Author
Krishan Kalra is a past president of AIMA and member, BOG IIMC. He is Trustee, Climate Project Foundation India
The article was first published in Indian Management Journal (Issue 12 Volume 61) an AIMA & Spenta Multimedia publication
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