'Should I walk up with you to your desk?'
'No. No. Later, Natasha. Actually, what are you and Sundeep doing this evening? Why don't you guys have dinner at home with us? We will talk about it at home,' said Swami, and without waiting for a response, walked away.
Natasha did not get a chance to speak with Swami the whole day.
The doorbell at Kalpana's home rang at 8.40 p.m. She opened the door to find Natasha and Sundeep. 'What a surprise?' she said, and made way for them to come in.
Natasha and Sundeep looked at each other. 'Hasn't Swami told you? He was the one who called us home for dinner.' An embarrassed Kalpana looked at them blankly. She was, however, glad that they had come. She led them to the living room and made them comfortable.
'How was the cruise, madam?' asked Sundeep. 'Will we at least get to see some photographs?'
Kalpana smiled and pulled out the photographs, which had just come in from the studio. She was showing it to them when Swami walked in.
'Look who's here!' said Natasha. She was the first to spot Swami walking in.
He handed over a large packet to Kalpana. He had picked up some food from a Chinese restaurant. He knew that both Kalpana and Natasha liked Chinese food.
'Sorry folks, I just picked up some food on the way and that delayed me. Else I would have been here before you .'
'You should at least have told me that Natasha is coming over for dinner,' Kalpana complained.
'Will you now tell us what you have called us here for?' Sundeep was extremely curious. He hadn't spoken much to Swami after they met on that Calcutta to Mumbai flight. Despite the strain in the relationship, they had to put up a pretence for their wives.
'Wait, Sundeep. Let me first settle down,' said Swami, as he excused himself to freshen up and change. He came back in five minutes and sat down on a sofa next to where Sundeep was sitting. Everyone was looking at Swami, hoping he would say something. Swami was very amused. 'What?' he asked, looking at everyone.
Natasha looked at Sundeep. 'Come, let's go home.' She got up, pretending to be annoyed. Sundeep pulled her down.
'Ever heard of ITDP?' asked Swami, looking at all three of them, one by one.
'No?' the two women said in unison. Their eyes were focused on Swami.
'No?' asked Swami, pretending to be surprised.
'What the hell, No!' said Sundeep and the other two women nodded.
'International Talent Discovery Programme, idiots.'
'What about it?' asked Natasha. Kalpana couldn't figure out what was going on.
'Wait a minute,' said Sundeep. 'You called us here to tell us that you have been nominated for the International Talent Discovery Programme, haven't you?'
Swami just smiled. Kalpana was thrilled. When she heard this, she was walking in with water for everyone and the tray nearly fell out of her hand. Sundeep's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't forgotten the past. How much he hated Swami for having married Kalpana. It was too late anyway.
The International Talent Discovery Programme needed no introduction to these guys. When Swami initially told them the acronym, the others didn't get the context and so didn't connect. Else who in New York International Bank didn't know about ITDP?
The International Talent Discovery Programme, or ITDP, as it was normally called, was one of the most sought after training programmes in New York International Bank. The bank sold ITDP as the ultimate in career enhancement at campus placement camps. It was designed to develop future leaders. Young talent from across the globe would be nominated for this programme and would undergo a rigorous one-year residential training in New York, which would prepare them for larger leadership roles in the future. After successful completion of this programme, one would become a global resource, who was deemed fit to be placed in any country across the world.
The nominations for this programme would come in from the top. Only people in country manager roles and above could nominate people for this programme. Anyone who was serious about pursuing a career at NYB would give his right arm for a nomination.
'But this year's course starts in six weeks. Have you been nominated for the one beginning next year?' asked Sundeep.
'No, we will have to be in New York in time for this year's course,' said Swami, much to Sundeep's surprise. Natasha squealed in excitement, while Sundeep felt the pangs of jealousy.
'Congratulations. This is bloody good,' he finally said.
'Does that mean both of you will go away to the US?' asked Natasha, the excitement dying a bit. Kalpana was the only friend she had in town. Swami nodded.
He had come a long way. From his modest beginnings to the ITDP at New York International Bank was a great achievement. One could have forgiven him for momentarily swelling with pride.
Swami's move to New York was the topic of discussion at the dinner table. Natasha was giving shopping tips to Kalpana. She had been to the US years back, but on the table, she was the expert as none of the others had ever been there for more than three days.
Sundeep was extremely quiet. He had again lost out to Swami. First it was Kalpana. He had lost her to Swami. And now the ITDP nomination. Swami had got the nomination ahead of him. Why did it always have to be Swami? This was too frustrating.
Natasha turned towards Swami and asked him, 'If this was the issue, why were you having a long and serious discussion with Roger this afternoon?' That was a point everyone had nearly missed.
'Oh yes. Roger is not happy with my nomination.'
'And why the hell would he not be?' Sundeep snapped back, irritated that he might have to listen to another boring, self-effacing story.
'Because he didn't nominate me. I am going on the ITDP, not as a nomination from Treasury, but from Retail Banking.' It was getting murkier. Sundeep was in Retail Banking and Swami was in Treasury. How did he manage to get nominated on the Retail Banking quota? He was even more miserable now. If at all there was a Retail Bank nomination, it should have been his. Swami's nomination was not acceptable to him at all.
'And that's why he was quite pissed and wanted to know how I swung this deal without telling him about it. I kept reiterating that I had no clue, but he would have none of it.' Swami explained.
'But how did you manage to swing the nomination? At least tell us, we can use that strategy next year, Swami.' Sundeep was at his sarcastic best.
'I have no clue. Roger told me that Joseph Fernandes had nominated me from the CEO's quota. The Group CEO can nominate three persons of his choice. Joseph Fernandes put my name on that list.'
'And why would Joseph do that for you?'
'Suneel had spoken to Joseph personally and requested that I be nominated on this programme,' Swami defended himself. 'And that's the most surprising part. Why did Suneel do this? We don't get along gloriously. I am not sure if I will be able to figure this out.'
Sundeep heard every word with full attention. 'Why did Suneel do this?' he wondered. The smile slowly came back on his lips. He hugged Swami and said, 'Well done, friend. You have done us proud.' Then he excused himself and walked towards the washroom. His smile had turned into a wicked grin that he didn't want anybody to notice.
'What a scheming bastard!' he thought. 'How did he manage to do it so well!' He was not referring to Swami. He now knew how Swami got that nomination to ITDP. It was his dear old fixer friend Ram Naresh.
Sundeep now knew that Naresh was a very important man in his scheme of things. To protect Sundeep, and to get Swami out of the way, Naresh had spoken to Joseph Fernandes, who in turn had spoken to Suneel Dutt, and asked him to nominate Swami. And Suneel, despite his public dislike of Swami, had nominated him for the most prestigious programme in New York International Bank. 'Bastard of the highest order! Hats off to Naresh.'
This held one more meaning for Sundeep. If Naresh could do wonders for Swami's career to get him out of the way, he could definitely take Sundeep's career sky high, provided he managed Naresh well. He decided to take even more care of Naresh from that very instant
.
38
When the CEO himself nominates you, others often have no choice. In the next four weeks, Swami was relieved from his job at Treasury. And the week after that, Swami and Kalpana were on a flight to New York. A new chapter in their life had begun.
Suneel hadn't spoken to Swami ever since the nomination got confirmed. Swami was completely in the dark about the behind-the-scene manoeuvre—how Naresh had packed him off because Sundeep found him to be a stumbling block to their alliance.
While he was glad that he had got nominated to the ITDP, he knew for sure that he would not be returning to India soon. ITDP participants were usually made to serve in a few other markets, before they got a posting back in their home country. The intent was to give them significant global exposure in the organisation's effort to make them future leaders. He had not mentioned this to his mother and had forbidden Kalpana from doing so.
Kalpana too had her share of insecurities. She was leaving her home country for an alien land. They didn't know many people there. While they would make enough money to make their future secure, money was not everything. She would miss her family, miss Mumbai, miss India. Swami shared her thoughts too.
There was one silver lining though. Both Swami and Kalpana wanted to start a family. They had been married for over three years. This one year away from home, with nothing much to do, provided her with the perfect opportunity to start a family.
Once Swami left, Sundeep's conscience keeper was gone. Sundeep's liaison with Naresh was on the upswing. There was no one to question him. Before he left, Swami had advised Sundeep to stay away from Naresh and not screw around in his personal life. 'It will come back to haunt you,' Swami had warned. 'You must protect your integrity.'
Sundeep did not heed Swami's advice and was on his own trip. Nothing mattered to him, except Naresh, money and women, not necessarily in that order.
39
Swami moved into a tiny service apartment in the heart of New York, just two blocks away from the training centre of New York International Bank. In all, fifty-two NYB bankers from all over the globe had come to New York for the ITDP. Swami was one of the six who had been nominated from Retail Banking. Swami had been nominated to the core talent pool of the bank.
Both Swami and Kalpana were excited by New York. The training was slow off the blocks. It would get over by 5.30 p.m. every day and Swami would be back home by six, despite walking the entire distance. Swami and Kalpana observed that people in that country valued their time. Weekends were off. Unlike India where everyone would slog their butts off even on weekends, in America, weekends were for the family. Americans respected their weekends and no one worked on a Saturday or a Sunday.
Kalpana spent the first two weeks sightseeing. She went on a day trip to the Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Centre and the Rockfeller Foundation. She walked round Times Square, and saw every other place worth seeing. She visited all the museums in town. Kalpana had brought fifteen rolls of photo film. She exhausted all of them within the first month. The first thirty days in New York reminded her of their honeymoon.
However, it was not long before she started feeling the pinch. The training was beginning to get intense. It didn't take Swami much time to create an impression. Indians generally are a high intelligence breed. Swami would rank among the top five percentile as far as the Indian population was concerned. Within a short while he was identified as an A-grade resource by the management team conducting the training. Once he was a marked man, Swami had the additional responsibility of delivering every time. He started working very hard. He would leave early in the morning and come back late at night. To lead discussions the next day, he had to prepare well. Back home, he would immerse himself in reams of paper.
Kalpana started getting extremely bored, sitting at home all day. The apartment was claustrophobic, much smaller than their apartment in Mumbai. She was beginning to feel lonely too.
She would wait eagerly for her weekly calls to Natasha. In those days international calls were very expensive. Daily calls were out of the question. Swami, like a typical Tamil Brahmin with a lower middle class upbringing, was very conscious about keeping expenses under control. 'Even if we can afford it, we should not spend more than what is required,' he would say. His days of poverty were partly responsible for this.
'Amma, I don't like it here. I am very lonely. Why don't you and Ambujam come here for a few days,' she told Swami's mom on the phone.
'Why beta, is Swami not taking care of you?'
'He is very busy these days. He leaves early in the morning and comes back late at night. I am on my own all day.'
'Why don't you also take up some job, beta,' she suggested.
'Why not?' thought Kalpana. She mentioned it to Swami when he got back from work. Swami was extremely supportive. He had always stood for Kalpana's financial independence. Her decision to quit NYB was entirely her own. In fact, Swami had even then tried to get her to change her mind.
Swami felt that the best option for her now would be to find out if an option existed with New York International Bank itself. He decided to check it out the next day.
Kalpana soon landed a job as a research assistant in the emerging markets wing of the bank. This wing was a part of the Retail Bank unit. Her earlier experience with the launch of retail banking in India helped her get this role. 'I am going back to work,' she told Natasha, who couldn't miss the excitement in her voice. The five-hour-a-day job was long enough to keep her busy, but also left her with enough time to explore America and find time for her interests.
Time just flew for both of them. Weekends were travel time. They would explore every nook and corner of New York and all other neighbouring cities along the eastern coast of America. It was a second honeymoon for them.
They had just one worry. Kalpana hadn't conceived after three years of marriage. These days couples prefer to wait much longer before having their first child, but this was different. Swami wanted a child and they had been planning for a family ever since they landed in New York. It was over three months now, and there was no progress on that front. Kalpana started getting concerned. Was something wrong with either of them? Was it the stress at work? Was it that they were too tired by the time they got back home? She had read somewhere that excessive stress leads to a lower probability of conceiving. She started taking stress-relieving classes every day. But this didn't help. Her anxiety was adding to the stress. She was getting really paranoid about this.
40
The phone in their apartment rang one Sunday morning. They could make it out from the ring tone that it was an international call. Kalpana ran and picked it up. It had to be either Natasha or Swami's mom.
'Hello.'
'Hi Kalpana.' It was Natasha shrieking at the other end.
'Natasha, you sound so great.'
'I am pregnant, Kalpana. I am pregnant.' Natasha was almost screaming hysterically into the phone.
Kalpana burst out in tears of joy. 'I am so happy, Natasha.' Natasha was like a sister to her. She was happy for her. She was glad that at least Natasha didn't have to go through the same stress that she was going through.
'I got the report last night. I was waiting to call you.'
They talked for over an hour. Swami had to get up and make his morning coffee himself. For Kalpana, Natasha was more important than Swami, and if it was a pregnant Natasha, Swami stood no chance.
When Natasha told Sundeep about her pregnancy, he was obviously happy. It was, however, for a reason that Natasha couldn't imagine in her wildest dreams.
'Sundeep, it is not good for you and your wife to work together in the same organisation,' Naresh had once told him. 'She will get to know a lot about you through the grapevine. It will impact your life. It will be good if she quits and takes up another job.'
This was a god sent opportunity for Sundeep to get Natasha to quit her job. But he didn't mention this to her. He wanted Natasha to herself recommend this option. He was waiting for that opp
ortune moment.
He went along with her on her next visit to the gynaecologist. He had told Suneel that he would be late. The gynae did a thorough check-up and told Natasha that she needed to put on some weight. She was slightly underweight for a four-month pregnant woman. The only way she could put on weight was by taking adequate rest. She recommended that Natasha either take leave or quit her job.
Sundeep dropped Natasha home and went to work. He had insisted that Natasha take an off that day. Once he reached his office, he picked up the phone and dialled a number.
'Dr Mehra's clinic,' said the voice at the other end.
'Can I speak to Dr Shalinee Mehra?' Sundeep asked for the same gynae that they had met in the morning.
'Dr Mehra, Sundeep here. Thank you for the help this morning. I really appreciate it.' Sundeep had no morals, no values. If he could do this to his wife, he could do this to anyone else. He had set up the gynae to recommend that Natasha quit her job and sit at home.
After a fair bit of discussion, Natasha decided to put in her papers. Kalpana had tried to convince her against it, but in front of a scheming Sundeep, Kalpana's efforts didn't make a difference. 'You know how important both you and our child are for me. I will not be able to excuse myself if something happens to you.' Sundeep pitched it at an emotional high with Natasha.
'Bahut achcha kiya. Well done,' was Naresh's response, when Sundeep told him about Natasha quitting her job.
Sundeep's friendship with Naresh was growing by the day. The partners in crime were flying high. Sundeep always ensured that his misdeeds didn't come out in the open. His misdeeds were restricted to those front-ended by Naresh. On the work front, Sundeep was very highly regarded and brought in an unprecendented level of energy to New York International Bank. He was the star of Suneel Dutt's team. Everyone in the bank carried the impression that it was only a matter of time before Sundeep achieved big things in life.
Both Sundeep and Swami were high on intellect. But Sundeep was a leader of men, who would inspire people to do tasks, whereas Swami was a doer. Sundeep was a transactor, while Swami was a strategist.
If God Was A Banker Page 10
