It is rightly said that every-day in itself is a lesson.
You can read all those quotes, thrive on all those principles, bring in all those wise thoughts together; but your real self manifests itself when you face the world, when you experience life in its full-throttle.
Quite a dramatic beginning: Right? Let me head over to point in a jiffy. It’s been over a year since I have been working as a Consultant and believe me it’s been eventful. The exposure, the kind of assignments, the challenges incorporated in them have proved to be the stepping stone into this world which deals with creating and lending trust. I have been travelling across the country since last year and this journey has been no less than memorable.
I would like to portray one specific incident out here which might prove to be insignificant to many, but it showed me the way to apply myself and handle critical situations rather than succumbing to it.
I was heading towards an important client meeting with the IT Secretary of the state and it goes without saying that it was a very critical one. The transport strike didn’t help either. And well, to complicate my woes, the guards at the “Bhavan” won’t let me enter without the official pass. In spite of repeated request and explanation, they refused to comply. I was literally in tears when one of them slowly walked up towards me. That was my only ray of hope but the sequence of events that followed, left me dumb-struck.
In utter desperation, I was just about to call my partner in office to inform him about the proceedings when I felt a gentle tap on my back. I had just turned around in reaction when I heard those lines; believe me, they are still re-sounding in my ears, even when I am writing this.
“Saheb, yeah Mobile kitne ki hogi?”- his greedy eyes were shining brightly as they were fixed on my brand new Nokia X7.
“Eh...Why?”- I was completely taken aback by his facial expression, it was dripping in red.
“Saheb...itni baadi project lagne waali hain...aur aaap hain ke ek mobile ke upar aatkein hain”- there was a sudden sense of anticipation in his voice.
“How the hell did he know this?”- I murmured; he was not supposed to know anything about this project, under any freaking circumstances. Honestly, I was still recovering from the initial shock, and this was even bigger.
“Saheb....sab khabar rehta hain hume....dimag pe zoor maat daaliye”- as if he read my mind.
“Ek mobile ki to baat hain...mobiles ke kaam hain pockets mein rehna...chahe wo KIS KI bhi pocket ho”- He went on with his hard hitting lines. No fear, no hesitation, WHAT SO EVER.
I was almost half an hour late in the process and still the guard wasn’t ready to let me in. I just closed my eyes to imagine the importance of the meeting, the expectation of my boss, the reputation of my company and last but not the least, my own reputation. If return without any dividends, even my position in the company would be under scrutinization. It could destroy our relationship with the client as well, thereby harming our company’s reputation to a great extent. What about my family, who look upon me as their pride... their hope, their biggest asset?!
“Wait! Am I entertaining the thoughts of delivering a bribe just to fulfil my personal goals and ambition?”
“To hell with those materialistic goals.”- And I was on my way.
“No, I won’t do it”- asserted my conscience.
“Wait for a moment”- I said to the guard as I rapidly walked away towards the main GATE. The other guards tried to stop me but I forcefully entered into the premises and headed straight towards the secretary’s chamber.
Bang!
“Sir, sorry for being late, I had to deal without your guards before entering. By the way, I guess you should increase their salary a bit so that they can buy a new mobile, ALL BY THEMSELVES”!!
He was dead- silent!
