Pandavas

by Anil Chawla

  However, the business model was not too difficult to replicate and many Indian companies became global with a significant footprint across the world. Many of these companies were listed—some in India and some both in India and overseas. Some used stock options to attract and retain talent. As several of them were first-generation entrepreneurs who owned most of their company’s stock, even small movements in stock prices led to wide fluctuations in their fortunes. For those at senior levels, it brought the additional pressure of greater scrutiny. At the same time, for a new-age industry and a ‘sunrise’ sector, there was no choice but to convey a bright and positive outlook to analysts, investors and other stakeholders. Month after month, quarter after quarter, year after year, by default, the trajectory had to be growth, growth, and more growth. Defying Newton’s Law was not always possible and in some periods, performances also saw dips. To shield stock from fluctuations, the odd company started manipulating numbers, which became a vicious cycle over time. Goky could see how Sammy had risen and fallen with STM. STM could rise again, but Sammy never would.

  Goky was in queue for a security check when he got a call from Pantu, who had reached Mumbai. The police had handed over Sammy’s body to his family after an autopsy. The funeral was to take place after three days. When he retrieved his phone after clearing the security check, there was a missed call from Kalpu. He called back and learned that Kalpu and Sri had reached Mumbai several hours previously. They were with Sammy’s family now, who were devastated. A dazed Roma had looked right through them, as if she didn’t recognize them. In the first few hours after Sammy’s death, she’d cried incessantly; she’d been inconsolable. And then it seemed as though her tears had dried up and her emotions had bottled up inside her. Koel and Sameer were trying their best to support their mother but they couldn’t tell if it was working as Roma was absolutely silent. Abraham and Mary were totally shattered, having lost their only child.

  Goky sat down and closed his eyes. As he was trying to visualize the situation in Sammy’s home, the phone rang again. Startled, he reached into his pocket; it was Varsha calling to check how he was, if his flight was on time, and for further updates from Mumbai. As his friends’ faces flickered before his eyes, Goky thought about how life had thrown such different people together.

  His voyage into the past was interrupted by a stewardess bringing him his favourite scotch, but he declined it. As he raised his head, he saw a familiar face—he had travelled so much that most of the airlines’ staff recognized him. She was surprised at his refusal but sensed the seriousness in his expression. She served him a glass of water, some juice and snacks, wished him a nice flight and walked away.

  His thoughts returned to the interrupted journey of 1984, picking up the thread at a booze party they were planning. That’s when Sammy had emerged as a key player.

  After graduating, Goky, Sammy, and Kalpu met over weekends as all three were in Mumbai. Once or twice, Sri or Pantu joined them too. Gradually, they all got busy with their jobs. They started meeting less often, but whenever they met, there was a sense of nostalgia with a tinge of regret at the increasing gaps between meetings. But in spite of constraints, they all went to the Rewind_Rendezvous reunions.

  He was shaken by a series of severe jerks and noticed that the plane was going through turbulent weather. He reached to fasten his seatbelt only to realize that he had forgotten to undo it after take-off.

  His journey into the past took random leaps over the years and many happenings flashed in his mind: Sammy’s drifting away, Kalpu’s wedding and then quiet divorce, Pantu’s endeavour to help needy children, Sri and Kalpu’s low-key wedding, Sammy being made the COO of STM, Sammy’s face at his last reunion. Goky felt totally drained and resorted to the obvious cure—he ordered a large scotch on the rocks. He was quick to finish the first drink and ordered another one. There was no respite from his grief and he felt as stressed as before. While the flight time was close to twenty hours, Goky already felt that he’d been on it for an eternity.

  When he finally slept, the plane was closer to Mumbai than New York. The announcement that they were landing and a gentle nudge from a stewardess woke him up. He quickly washed his face and was ready to move. His phone started ringing the moment it was switched on. It was Pantu, who updated him on the latest state of things. After being with Roma continuously since their arrival, Pantu, Sri, and Kalpu had gone back to their hotel, and Pantu suggested that Goky come there directly.

  When he reached the hotel, he found them sitting in the lobby. Their puffed faces told the story of what they had been through. As they sat together in the lobby and ordered some tea, all of them felt as if a part of their bodies had been chopped off by cruel fate.

  Rewind_Rendezevous@WhereItAllBegan

  Venue: LEC Surat

  Sammy’s sudden death had left the Pandavas bereft. A week after his funeral, the four surviving friends were sitting together. Not a word had been said for an hour. Pantu broke the miserable silence. ‘When do we five meet again?’

  ‘You mean we four,’ Kalpu snapped back. The pain in her voice was palpable.

  ‘We pledged to be friends forever.’ Pantu’s voice was heavy but defiant.

  Goky put his hand on Pantu’s shoulder and said gently, ‘Yes, we did. And Sammy will always be with us, won’t he?’

  Her throat too tight to speak, Kalpu nodded.

  ‘Let’s go back where it all began. Where chance brought us together.’ Everyone agreed to Sri’s suggestion.

  Goky took the responsibility of organizing the reunion. LEC Surat’s alumni network was active but there was no precedent of inviting former students to the institute as a group. Goky used his company’s position as a regular campus-recruiter to arrange things.

  A year after Sammy’s death, all of them met at LEC Surat: Kalpu, Neel, and Sri; Goky, Varsha, Manav, and Manavi; Pantu, Bubbly, Simmi, and Ronit. Roma brought Koel and Sameer. Mary and Abraham came too. Goky, Pantu, Sri, and Kalpu requested to stay in their old hostel rooms, just like their student days. The families divided their time between the hostel rooms and the guest-house.

  Some of the old professors still remembered the nickname ‘Pandavas’. One of them spotted the seven children and asked if they were to be the Saptarishis, the seven saints of myth who became stars and appeared in a unique alignment in the sky.

  The alumni cell had organized a session for the four friends to talk to students. Sri the professor was keen and convinced the others too. In the auditorium that morning, the projector lights came to life. On the screen was a black and white picture of the Pandavas taken during the play that gave them their nickname. Over the next few minutes, many pictures taken over the next twenty-two years appeared on the screen. With each, the remaining Pandavas shared a life lesson they had learned. The last picture showed only four of them. After a long moment of silence, the hall broke into applause.

  After this, the friends and their families were left alone. They roamed around the campus, the old-timers reliving old days and the first-timers living their loved ones’ college years.

  As they were strolling around, Pantu suddenly demanded, ‘Guys, where’s the fun? We come here after decades—and no booze party?’

  Goky and Sri opposed the idea vehemently.

  ‘Think of your position and status!’

  ‘What will the students think?’

  Pantu got a surprise supporter in Kalpu. ‘Discipline is good, but if ever there was a time to break it, this is it!’

  The deal was done. Gujarat was still a dry state, but it took Pantu only a few minutes to find a couple of sources. The only challenge was that they stocked what students usually asked for—cheap booze—whereas Pantu was looking for top-end stuff. A few extra hari pattis took care of that too.

  Pantu went to buy disposable glasses and plates. The vendor looked at him closely and asked, ‘Sir, you have come after a long time. And alone. Madam did not come?’

  Pantu took a few minutes to recognize
the person, who had aged faster than himself. Then he remembered: he used to come to this shop with Saloni. Pantu winked at the man mischievously, leaving him quite confused.

  That evening, the four friends met in the same room where they’d had their first party at LEC. The glasses were plastic, like they used to be, but the drinks represented the tastes they’d developed over the years: scotch for Goky, red wine for Kalpu, a mocktail for Sri, a patiala peg for Pantu. They said ‘cheers’ and laughed, but their eyes were moist. The drinks, the progressing night, and the company of friends reassured them.

  ‘I’ve seen the world, and home truly is where the heart is,’ said Kalpu.

  ‘Stay grounded and the world is yours,’ opined Goky.

  ‘Time is the best leveler,’ reflected Sri serenely.

  ‘One for the r–r–road!’ slurred Pantu. ‘The less traveled one.’

  A few moments of silence, then four pairs of eyes turned to the untouched glass of Black Dog.

  ‘Now come on, say something, Sammy.’

  About the Authors

  ANIL CHAWLA is Head of Human Resources for TCS-North. His 40-year professional career has imbibed a cocktail of disparate streams.

  After a master’s degree in physics from Banaras Hindu University, he flirted with business for some time but soon got fed up. His next job was at the State Bank group where working with diverse people excited him much more than balance-sheets and ledgers. In 1994, he completed the Fellow Programme in Management at IIM Ahmedabad with a specialization in organizational behaviour.

  He joined Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) as a management consultant where he advised companies in different industries on strategy, restructuring, HR, BPR, MIS and IT. In his 20+ years with TCS, he moved across functions and domains a few times before finally landing in human resources, where he found his true calling. He has a strong penchant for understanding business landscape, strategy, organizational design, organizational effectiveness, creativity, and innovation. He likes learning and teaching through stories, anecdotes and case studies. He coaches thousands of employees each year using provocative and experiential learning paradigms.

  His multi-faceted professional experience has helped him come up with many story ideas of which this book is an outcome. His reading interests include fiction and management. He likes to watch tennis, cricket and his favourite movies—sometimes on fast-forward.

  DEBASHIS GHOSH grew up in a family of doctors, but it was engineering that drew his interest. After completing his Bachelor of Engineering from Jadavpur University and Master of Technology from IIT Kharagpur, he joined TCS in 1990. This was when the Indian IT industry was known to very few people in the world.

  Over the last 27 years he has performed every role possible for an IT professional. He has managed TCS’ New York operations and was behind many pathbreaking transformations programmes executed by TCS. He has lived in the US and Canada for more than a decade. In 2010, TCS nominated him to the prestigious Harvard Business School where he completed the Advanced Management Programme. Currently he is President of a cluster of business verticals in TCS. He is also responsible for TCS’ North India Operations.

  As part of his work, he extensively travels to more than a dozen countries across the globe including US, UK, Australia, Japan, Germany, France, Spain and Switzerland. His extensive travel exposes him to various cultures and provides rich and varied experiences, ranging from participating in a football clinic in FC Barcelona to building a friendship with a retired Lebanese Airline pilot who now runs a taxi company in Paris.

  He is a connoisseur of fine wines and international cuisines, and has a collection of paintings by the Tagores, Husain, Raza and Souza. In his leisure time, Debashis Ghosh enjoys listening to Bengali music and binge-watching American sitcoms.