The Bankster (Ravi Subramanian)

by Ravi Subramanian

  19

  Devikulam

  30th January 2012

  Finally, the day of the protest dawned. Krishna had worked tirelessly to make sure it was a massive rally. Over twenty-five thousand people were expected to turn out. So anxious was Krishna that he spent the entire night tossing in bed, waiting for the sun to rise on a day that would define the direction their movement would take. He was up and ready much earlier than other days. Once dressed and raring to go, the four walls of his bedroom were not enough to contain him. He walked out to the reception area, where he asked for a strong cup of coffee and waited for Jaya to arrive. The sun was just about breaking through when he had stepped out into the reception area. He had time to kill. They were expected at the venue only at 9.00 a.m.

  Everything was under control. Jaya’s team was at the venue coordinating logistics. Madan Mohan’s men were organizing transport for the protestors. The leading opposition party had also thrown its hat into the ring by announcing support for Krishna Menon’s cause. All indications were it would be a successful event. However, Krishna was restless, a bit worried. So lost in thought he was that he didn’t notice a champagne-coloured Toyota Corolla speed into the porch and stop. The screech of the tires disturbed him and he looked up. A foreigner dressed in jeans, a crumpled white linen shirt and a cap on his head, stepped out of the car. His unshaven three-day-old stubble accentuated his already unkempt look.

  Where have I seen him? thought Krishna. The foreigner looked extremely familiar. It was not common for any guest to just drive in. They were normally picked up from the airport or the railway station, particularly foreigners. He stood there, keenly watching the foreigner who walked up to the reception and waited patiently to be attended to. When the receptionist looked up, he said, ‘I want to meet Krishna Menon.’

  Krishna heard every word of it because he was seated on a couch right next to the reception. Stepping up closer to the foreigner, he enquired, ‘Can I help you? I am Krishna Menon.’

  ‘Hey Krishna, how are you man?’

  Krishna did reciprocate, but with a blank look. ‘I’m sorry,’ he stammered. ‘I am not able to place you. Have you been here before?’ When the foreigner showed so much familiarity, Krishna assumed he was a guest at the resort in the past.

  ‘Oh, no, no, Krishna. You don’t recognize me?’ Krishna was both apologetic as well as a bit confused. Was he supposed to have recognized the gentleman?

  ‘Hey! When did you arrive?’ Both of them turned. It was Jaya. The foreigner smiled.

  ‘When did you arrive, Dr Heldrich?’ Jaya asked again.

  ‘Oh, just now.’

  Krishna was stunned. Heldrich? The man in front of him was Dr Heldrich Kohl? The only time he had seen him was on a video conference and now the renowned American nuclear scientist of German origin was standing in front of him. ‘Hope you had a safe flight?’ Jaya continued.

  ‘Oh yes. It was lovely. I spent the weekend in Kovalam. Lovely beach. And here I am.’

  ‘How come you are here today?’ Krishna was still confused. He was feeling like an idiot for not recognizing him.

  Even before Heldrich could respond, Jaya volunteered, ‘Heldrich was planning a holiday. So I recommended he come to India and watch how protests are held in India. Hahaha.’

  Krishna still looked confused. He didn’t know what to say. ‘That’s really nice of you. Would you want to freshen up?’

  ‘It’s fine, Krishna. We can leave now, if you folks are ready to leave, too.’ He then glanced at his watch and added, ‘We will be very early, though.’

  ‘Let’s eat some breakfast and then leave,’ Krishna recommended. That was met with immediate endorsement from everyone.

  After breakfast, the three of them made their way to the protest site outside TNPP. A huge crowd was gathered there. Being a quasi-political rally, there was enough paramilitary presence to maintain law and order. The government seemed to have pulled out all stops to make sure that everything would go off peacefully. In some pockets the cops seemed to be outnumbering the protesters.

  Closer to the dais, a space was earmarked for dignitaries to alight. Heldrich, however, got off earlier. Since he was not a part of the organizers or the official invitees, he couldn’t have taken up the dais. A CNRI employee was assigned to shadow Heldrich and ensure his safety. They didn’t want him to get lost in the sea of humanity that had erupted.

  The rally began. Madan Mohan, who was there with his supporters with the sole intention of extracting political mileage, started the proceedings. Jaya spoke after him and made a very passionate appeal to people on why he was against the TNPP. His speech was met with roars of acceptance.

  Krishna spoke next. His was the more balanced of the lot. He spoke about the ill-effects of nuclear radiation, about the problems a natural disaster-led calamity would cause in the region. And then he stopped. He stopped because he could sense some commotion at the far end of the ground, in the direction of the road they had come from. A number of cops had congregated there. They had picked up someone and were leading him to a police van. Krishna looked at Jaya and then towards the epicentre of the commotion. It soon became clear to Krishna what was going on. He brought his hand up, covered the microphone with his right palm, looked at Jaya and said, with loads of concern in his voice, ‘They are taking Heldrich away. But why?’

  Jaya had a blank look on his face. But when the gravity of what Krishna said dawned on him, he stiffened up, stress lines appeared on his forehead and he jumped. He quickly got up from his seat and rushed in that direction. A couple of other folks from CNRI followed him. By the time they reached there, Heldrich was already carted away by the cops in a van. Heldrich had not committed any offence; he was the only foreigner on site.

  The CNRI personnel shadowing Heldrich came and whispered something into Jaya’s ears. This infuriated Jaya. He stood there on the spot and hurled abuses at the men in uniform, who were haplessly standing there and watching. In a mob when one man is the aggressor, the rest can’t be spectators; else it wouldn’t be called a mob. Everyone else follows the aggressor. Here too, that’s what happened. The rest of the crowd followed Jaya. Soon the bickering became unbearable and someone hurled a stone at the police. That was the catalyst. All hell broke loose. Chappals, stones, chairs, anything and everything the mob could lay its hand on became a missile.

  Krishna was aghast. This was not what he had in mind when he started this protest. But a vast majority outnumbered him. The crowd now turned violent and was heading menacingly towards the main gate of the nuclear plant. Apart from forty Indian scientists, an equal number of Russian scientists engaged in commissioning the reactor were holed up inside the plant. Since morning, the protestors had blocked the main gate and prevented vehicles from going in or coming out, but now they were heading towards it, their demeanour suggesting they would forcibly tear down the main gate. Krishna kept appealing for calm over the microphone, but no one heard him.

  The army and the riot police, who were assisting the local police, took guard outside the main gates, the former two known for being dispassionate in their execution of duties. They were there, for a job had to be done. The nuclear installation could not be compromised. It had to be protected at any cost. They took up their positions. The protestors didn’t stop. With makeshift missiles in hand they marched ahead. They were possessed, possibly irrationally. Jaya was leading the march. What had initially begun as a supporting role for him, had now turned into a full-fledged lead role. The riot police kept their calm. They were trained in dealing with such a situation. They swiped out their megaphones and made the mandatory announcements. The crowd was warned not to try anything ambitious else they would have to pay for it. Often these warnings worked. But not today. The water jets and tear gas were brought into action. Even that didn’t work. It was beginning to get messier. When the mob got closer, the riot police fired in the air. This was meant to be a final warning to prevent them from getting any closer. But when even that went unhe
eded, the cops didn’t have a choice. They fired at the mob. Rubber bullets were used and they fired at knee level to make sure that they didn’t kill anyone.

  This, finally, had to have the necessary impact. Five rounds were fired in different directions. When it comes to life or death, it’s surprising how fear gets the better of almost everyone. The protestors panicked. Almost instantaneously, they turned and ran, some faster than the others. The aged stumbled and fell. The women and the few children there got no mercy. People pushed them in their quest to get away. The fear of the next bullet was overwhelming. And then it was all over. The fury with which it all started and the pace with which it all ended were the same.

  And when the dust settled down, the impact became clearer. Forty-six injured, twelve of them severely, and three dead—all on account of the stampede. Trikakulam Nuclear Power Plant lived to see another day.

  All this devastated Krishna. ‘Was this necessary?’ he yelled at Jaya when he got within hearing distance. Krishna’s idea of a protest was more in the Gandhian mould. Violence, bloodshed, pain was never what he had envisaged.

  ‘Let’s get out of here first. Else, we’ll also be bundled up with the rest,’ implored Jaya.

  ‘What about Heldrich?’

  ‘We will figure out what to do later. Let’s go!’ Jaya was getting paranoid.

  Krishna thought for a minute and said, ‘Why will we get bundled up? We haven’t done anything wrong. I have to go to the police station. To free Heldrich. Else he will be stuck. He doesn’t have anyone to help him.’ Jaya knew if they went to the police station, they could be arrested. Weren’t they the architects of the entire protest? And Jaya was particularly worried because he was the prime cause of the protest turning violent. It could all boomerang on him.

  However, if Krishna were to go to the police station all alone, the situation would get worse for Jaya. He just followed Krishna as he headed to his car. For one last time, Krishna surveyed the destruction around him. Chappals, torn shreds of cloth, personal belongings and bags were strewn all over the ground. His heart bled. Struggling to hold back his tears, he got into his car.

  20

  GB2, Mumbai

  30th January 2012

  The story of Harshita’s death spread like wild fire. Within an hour of Tanuja being informed, the news was up on the intranet and in no time the entire organization knew about it. Harshita was very popular in GB2. Very lovable and committed, she was someone who knew her strengths and her limitations and that’s what made her special. Her death came as a shock to everyone. The Bandra branch went into a complete state of mourning.

  Harshita’s parents were stunned into silence when Tanuja and Vikram told them about it. They didn’t know how to react. Tears deserted them. Tanuja, Vikram and the entire GB2 team was trying to console them when Vikram’s phone rang. It was from Indrani’s office.

  Vikram stepped outside to take the call. ‘Good afternoon, Indrani.’

  ‘Vikram, Jacqueline here.’ Jacqueline was Indrani’s secretary. ‘You busy?’

  ‘We’re at Harshita’s house. Meeting her parents. Anything urgent?’

  ‘No nothing very urgent. Raymond has been calling. He wants to meet Indrani to talk to her about something in your business. Indrani asked me to check with you and Juliana if there is anything urgent. I checked with her. She doesn’t know of anything that might need Indrani’s time. So checking with you.’

  ‘Nothing that I’m aware of.’

  ‘Okay, then I’ll tell Indrani accordingly.’

  ‘You know what Jacqueline? Tell Raymond to speak to one of us and not to approach Indrani directly. Don’t encourage him. He doesn’t need to go to Indrani for anything. He is a bit of a weird guy. Put him off for a few days. In any case, once I’m back from Harshita’s house later today, I’ll speak to Juliana and fix it.’

  ‘Sounds good. Heard about Harshita. What a thing to happen on her vacation! Feel sad for her. She was a great person.’

  ‘Fate,’ said Vikram and hung up. The cries from inside the house had become louder and were disturbing him.

  In the interim,Tanuja called the MEA official back and informed him that Harshita’s and Siddhartha’s parents had been told about the calamity. When the MEA official told her that they, in consort with the Austrian authorities were making arrangements to bring back the mortal remains of the couple, Tanuja patched in the administration in charge at GB2 with the MEA official to make sure that GB2 also extended all possible help in this regard.

  After an hour, leaving behind Anand to oversee arrangements, the other three left for work. By that time a number of family friends and colleagues of the couple had also arrived, and there were enough people to take care of the aged parents.

  On the way back, Tanuja once again brought up the issue of succession. ‘Let’s close on Zinaida to take over Harshita’s job. It will send a strong message to the fresh batch of management trainees.’

  ‘Let’s wait till Anand comes back.’ Nikhil stepped into the conversation. ‘There may be some sensitivity with regard to other people in the team. As far as I know, there are more senior people who have been in line for a promotion. If we give the job to Zinaida, we might have issues to deal with. And there is no hurry boss. Let the dust settle on Harshita’s death. People in the branch are in any case traumatized by this.’

  ‘Nikhil, a true leader is one who acts in the interest of the business and at a time when it is good for business and not necessarily at the time when it’s the easiest from a decision making perspective. Learn from your boss.’ When Tanuja said this,Vikram’s chest swelled a few inches with pride. ‘Zinaida has delivered despite being a junior resource. We must back her.’

  ‘But Vikram. . .’ Nikhil wanted to continue but was cut short by an indignant Vikram. ‘Nikhil, I think Tanuja is right. If your Bandra team is doing well today, you know it is because of the energy she brings into her role. For the last three months she has been your best performing RM. If you don’t reward her who will you reward?’

  ‘I agree Vikram, but there are others who have been around for longer.’

  ‘Nikhil, by having these conversations with me, don’t make me wonder if I did the right thing by bringing you here.’ That was the end of the discussion.

  The same evening, Tanuja issued the letter promoting Zinaida to the post of a Senior Relationship Manager. What would normally have happened after 12–18 months in a role, for Zinaida, it happened within eight months. Apart from performance, the justification given to Anand was that she had prior experience before joining GB2. Yogesh Bhargav sent in a new CV for the RM to be hired to replace Zinaida in her old role. Everything was sealed and life moved on for GB2 in general and the Bandra branch in particular. Not even forty-eight hours had passed since the event in Vienna.

  Raymond called Jacqueline again that evening. ‘Jacqueline I desperately need to see Indrani. It’s important.’

  ‘Sweetheart, Indrani is in a photo shoot. It’s a Business Today cover photo shoot. I can’t disturb her.’

  ‘Will she be free after that?’

  ‘Not sure. At 6.00 p.m. she has a CSR activity planned with some differently-abled kids and after that she will be at Taj Lands End where she is attending an event where the Finance Minister himself is speaking.’

  ‘Can you block some time for me tomorrow morning?’

  ‘Raymond, why don’t you speak to Juliana or Vikram and let them handle it with Indrani.’

  ‘Oh. So that is the issue. You will not let me speak to Indrani till I have Juliana’s or Vikram’s blessings.’

  ‘No. It’s not that. It’s just that Indrani is too tied up and hence it might be easier for you to go to the two of them.’

  ‘Thanks Jacqueline. I got the message,’ and Raymond hung up. Jacqueline was not going to allow him to meet Indrani without the concurrence of Juliana or Vikram. Juliana didn’t care about what he had to tell Indrani and if he told Vikram, he would manipulate the situation in his favour. He did
n’t trust either of them.

  Barely did he get off Jacqueline’s call when his mobile started ringing. The frown on his face was a trademark reserved for his wife. If only he could erase the last few years of his life. His wife was at it again. This time she wanted him to call up his mom in Ernakulum and ask her to put on hold her travel plans to Mumbai. She had been harassing him about this for the last one week, without realizing how difficult it was for a son to ask his parents not to come to their son’s home. But his wife was adamant leaving him with no choice. He felt he was hitting a new low in his life. A career going nowhere, a boss who didn’t listen to him, a business leader who manipulated things to such an extent that he was rendered toothless, five role changes in four years, a wife who was seeing someone else, and no friends to show for. Even the one who he considered a friend and was reasonably close to had gone away from him—dead in an alleged accident in Vienna. Was this life worth living? He would ask this question in various forms every single day of his life, and the answer was, give it one more day. It will change.

  That particular morning had started in a great fashion for him, lulling him into a false sense of comfort. Little did he know that it would end like this. On his way to work that Monday morning, he was fiddling with his phone, when he saw that there was a small red circle on top of the Skype logo, indicating that he had a missed call. He touched the Skype logo and it opened up on his screen. There was a message from someone dear to him. He opened the message to listen to it.

  ‘Hi Raymond. How are you? Wanted to just let you know that we are now back in the hotel. I completely forgot that tomorrow we are going to Eagles Nest—Hitler’s hideout. It’s on the Austria-Germany border. I’ll only be back late in the afternoon. Sid recommended that we finish your work today itself. I’ll go and check out the place in a while. In any case, I’ll call and update you around 6.00 a.m. Vienna time or else late in the evening. Talk to you then. Ciao. . .and by the way, Sid also says hi to you.’ It had brought a smile on his face.