Neues Leben 16

 It was sunset time. The twilit sky was displaying the plaintive notes of noted Sehanai artist Bismillakhan. The red and orange paints in the azure sky are melting inhaling the vapours of the turpentine sun. How soon the reddish sky turned into vermillion!” thought Kyra sitting alone in Pari Chowk Park at the heart of Greater Noida.

Greater noida is the name synonymous with flowers, fairies and fountains. Kyra looked at the fountain in the park. The pure water rises high. The park keeper turned on the lights arranged at the base of the fountain. The water appears in red, blue and green colors. Wow! Multi color fountain cried some children and ran to the fountain. The beholders are transfixed to the scenery. The denizens of Greater Noida are enjoying the water fountain. They are fortunate to have such fantastic providence.

Kyra looked at the fountain. The red looked like her agony, the blue looked like humiliation and the green looked like Manu’s envy. She was unable to enjoy the beauty of the sky or the nature. Her turbulent heart and grief stricken mind don’t let her eyes see the beauty before her eyes. She is in pensive mood. The aurora patches twisting in the sky are diluting into grey letting darkness in.

Kyra felt that her heart is twisted with pain. She had tears in her eyes. From the tears she could see the blurred shape of a lean girl coming towards her. Slowly the features of the girl became visible, smile on the face, eyes and nose. Finally when Kyra cleared off the tears the shape became vivid. It is Mapuii waving her hand. Kyra could not wave her hand.

Mapuii dashed herself beside Kyra in the lawn and kissed her on the cheek and said. “Beautiful girl!  Why are you crying?” Kyra remembered her mother.

Kyra: I can not look at colours. I can not think of beauty and joy.

Mapuii: why?

Kyra: Don’t you know my position? Should it be explained?

Mapuii: Shut up! I know your position and mind too. There is a book exhibition at Pragati Maidan. Let’s go.

Kyra: No, I don’t go to any book exhibition. Mapuii: But I don’t leave you!

Ky: why? Mapuii: because āmi tōmāẏa bhālōbāsi (I love you). She said in Bengali and winked at her. Kyra smiled. Mapuii relaxed. They both exited the park and got into Mapuii’s Volkswagen.

Volkswagen was running at 100 on Greater noida -Delhi express highway. The run of the car should be terrifying but the wide and smooth six track 24 kilometer road supports 100 kmph which is also the maximum speed limit.

Ky: Don’t cross hundred. Please. I canpt enjoy more speed.

Mapuii: I can’t do that. Vehicle speed is monitored based of the time between two tolls and if any vehicle crosses the speed limit, the owner is fined.

Suddenly they saw dozens of vintage cars going on the express highway. Mapuii slowed down and started driving slowly and parallel to a vintage car. She asked the owner of the car “why fleet of vintage cars going on this express highway?  Are you all going to the book exhibition at Delhi?”

He smiled and said it is 21 gun salute vintage car show. Mapuii thanked him and sped up again. The car reached 100 speed again. Kyra looked at mapuii and began speaking. “How unfair was Manu that she is turning Mayur to her by giving him money!” Mapuii slowed down. She was driving steady at 50 kmph.

Ma: My world seemed to be slow and dull without speed

Ky: My world seemed to be dull and tasteless without Mayur. She has stolen Mayur from me. I could not even ask her. I can’t give Mayur money because I am paying for the apartment. Kyra’s voice was giving up blaring and bursting into cries. Had it been somebody else I would have attacked, but I could not even ask her because she is Manu.

Mapuii looked dazed. “Why can’t you ask? Muttered Mapuii.

Kyra said “A time has come that I must tell you why I obey her. She started narrating the compelling and unforgettable help Manu had done to Kyra.  The car was cutting through the night air and silence.

                                                                      ***

Manu and I were working in Shadow technologies located in Prasanth Bhavan Apha 1 sector Greater Noida. We never thought our life in Prasanth Bhavan could be so stressful, dipressing and dangerous. Shadow technology is a bunch of unprofessional managers with low ethics and high office politics. 

Mapuii: Office politics! I have heard of office politics but I have not yet experienced them. How and why they people play office politics?

Backbiting- gossiping or spreading rumors about others, backstabbing, blackmailing and the like are office politics. You are lucky because you are working in a small company. Your CEO works with you but in our company the owner has put his money and faith in the Managers. He lives in America.  He actually believes in his childhood friend Sanjay Dhingra

Sanjay is TL. He was boorish. He comes from Jalandhar. He has unfair face and criminal technological skills such as hacking. His developer skills were average and his people skills were nonexistent. He would constantly berate and belittle employees in the presence of others and the morale of the employees was in the gutter. But the company owner, who was based in Chicago, loved him and backed him no matter how badly he treated her people.

The HR manager Yash Gupta looked somewhat kind.  He is from Amritsar. He’d talk to the employees and try to smooth things over when the TL ruffled feathers. First I was working in the software development team. It took 8 months for me to develop new software they asked for. When it was in place the TL refused it showing a minor problem although there is a chance to correct it.  I know the reason behind all this. I checked his advances and more over attacked him when he scolded me before all employees. These are the grave mistakes I have done. All employees knew he was wrong but they would not open their lips. It was Manu who raised her voice when everybody was silent. I first came to know that she is the lady with guts and she is also living in Greater noida.

After that I was transferred to testing department. The HR offered me higher salary on the recommendation of the TL. Sanjay asked me for the party for the salary elevation. I invited him with all colleagues. But he wanted a separate party. He wanted to drink with me in Scarlet bar. I did not like to drink with him.  I invited him to Akash Restaurant in Greater Noida where we ate north Indian food. He did not do anything immediately but a week later Sanjay again raised a complaint and started shouting at me. I argued that I was doing the work assigned to me correctly.

The next day “Kyra the HR manager is calling you said the team lead Sanjay Dhingra. “I was scared of his office politics.   As anticipated it was a firing warning. But it concluded with “If you are not in good terms with your TL it is taken as insubordination.” I understood what it meant.  I was going out with my colleagues but never accepted outing with him. The relation was only professional. I never spoke with him any private things.

I think you could not cope with his manners. Said Mapuii.

No, I could not stand his shitty bossism. I went on leave the following day. Everybody thought I would stop. On that day Manu went up to the HR Yash and explained him what is happening. He promised to look into the matter and resolve it.

There was a meeting in the office the next day. Manu and I sat side by side. While HR was addressing all the staff was listening to him empathetically. Next the TL started in his own style I had a severe stomach pain. I went out of the meeting and lay in her cabin. After a while Manu came to me observed my position and went back to join the meeting.

Sanjay made it a big issue. I was fired. At that time we were not living in the same apartment.  Manu came to me and forced me to move into her apartment. I was jobless for six months. But she treated me like my mother. She even went to HR manager and requested him to use his number as reference. He agreed and gave his number. I should not forget Manu’s Help. Kyra stopped.

So you go a good job? Asked Mapuii

Ha ha ha the story began just now. Mapuii looked surprised. Kyra laughed again and started

I was trying for jobs, approaching different companies.  I never felt any stress during the period of my intense job trials. Everywhere I used to give HR reference – his number.

I lost job after job. After losing 6 opportunities one day I thought I should not give any reference. It was the last interview. During the interview I told the interviewer “ I can not give you any reference , you may not get any positive remarks.” In spite of my saying that interviewer called the HR Yash. I was shocked to hear his remarks. He was saying completely negative. I realized that he was a snake in the grass. (hidden enemy). Later he called Sanjay when I heard Sanjay I was double shocked. ”She is good at work she has excellent skill set, but it is the problem of integrity that led to her ousting.”

He switched on the speaker. Sanjay was hear loud in the tranquil room.

“She was involved in the testing  online retail sales platform and used that testing access to steal “currency stored value” (CSV) such as digital gift cards.  Kyra resold the value on the internet, she stole smaller amounts  using her own account access. Small or big stealing is stealing. Shadow technologies has filed a case against her.  Sanjay Dhingra was still saying something my senses stopped. Mapuii held her breath. What happened later? She asked curiously.

We changed the apartment. We moved to Jal Vayu which is very bigger and more comfortable than the previous apartment. Said Kyra. Mapuii looked at her angrily. Kyra laughed and resumed. During those days Manalini never slept. She kept thinking of legal and technical remedies to get out of the problem. She met many experts in noida and Greater Noida and finally but most people in Noida and greater Noida are known to Sanjay. She thought it was not safe.  Finally she reached Delhi and started learning cyber security course.  There she a met man called Vivek pandit. He has a big name in crime investigation. His cyber expert team hacked into the Sanjay’s computer and accessed the data. I did not know that Manu has accomplished the data.  

Mean time there was a rumour in the office that she bought a new flat. Everybody was surprised. Some people were shocked even. She took it as an advantage and invited all the colleagues to the flat and offered a feast. Yash had gone to Amritsar. Sanjay came late in the afternoon. By then the staff had gone. I was in the bedroom Manu served food to Sanjay.

After he finished eating, Manu and Sanjay were discussing my job. Manu was demanding that  I be reinstated and charges levied against me be withdrawn. Gradually the argument grew worse. A few minutes later I heard Manu saying “I have proof that you broke into kyra’s system through a remote comuter. She was showing how he achieved it through pishing e mail.   I entered the livingroom and saw Manu and Sanjay before the system. Sanjy ceased speaking. “There are experts in Cyber crime police  I am not going to keep quiet.”. Manu stopped Kyra and said

“Sanjay knows it better than us. Manu gave him a pair of clothes along with a pack of currency. You can count it. It is 3 lakhs. According to IT act 47 this is the maximum penalty.  I am giving you now as a gift. It is not a bribe. All I am asking you is to with draw the case against Kyra. He did not take the money but I was reinstated. Kyra finished the story when the car reached Pragati Maidan.

They got into the building where there were book stalls. Mapuii and Kyra reached a stall and saw Manalini with May in the opposite stall. May called Mapuii. Mapuii left Kyra’s company and went to May. Manalini was glad to see May and Mapuii speaking with each other jolly. Manalini and Kyra remained indifferent but Mapuii and May pushed them closer. 

Mapuii asked Manalini to take Mayank’s phone number. May told Kyra that it is only mapuii’s suspicion that Mayur is playing double game. Mayank and Mayur may be different.  I will finalize that ASAP till then don’t fight. They all walked to the group of students and journalists with a banner “Paul Robeson fance.’

ora aamader gaan gaite deyna …negro bhai aamar paul robeson

aamra amader gaan gai…ora chay na ora chay na

negro bhai aamar paul robeson…ora bhoy peyechhe robeson

aamader kuchkaoaje bhoy peyechhe…..nigro bhai haien hamaraa robson

 The electric guitar is playing loud and the boys and girls are dancing. The song and dance have rejuvenated Kyra and Manu. They all walked to the car. The car soon was passing on Delhi Greater Noida Express highway. Manu said “Mapuii, I need that tonic you once gave me. I want to sleep happily to night.” Mapui told the name of the tonic. All laughed.