Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Mera Bad Luck Hi Kharab Hai!!

I am back!! Well before promised. I dont know what made me come back so early, but I have something to write this time!!

The time is 5:25 PM. I decide to call it a day, say bye to the dealer and push off. I had certain plans for the saturday evening and everything was on track so far. I enter his cabin with my visit report and some points in my diary to be discussed with him. There he is, sitting with cash of some new vehicle just delivered and counting it like a petty businessman. For God's sake, you are the Managing Partner of one of the most prestigious setups for one of the leading automobile manufacturers in India!! Counting cash is not your job, definitely not at this time of the day. Perhaps the new dealer is not yet versed with the way the business is run. But this fellow is definitely not a first time entrepreneur and the sight was so ridiculous that its difficult to even think of it!!

"Hi Nits!! Hows life been treating you??"
"Arre Chary!! Sarku okka cup black tea teeskora!!(Arre Chary!! Get a cup of black tea for sir!!)" I politely refuse knowing that taking tea will simply force me to be there for more time than I actually intend to!!

"Fine sir. Thanks to all the co-operation by all you people. How about you sir?? Hows your new born??"

Exactly at that moment his Nokia N70 starts shouting with the all familiar and all boring Nokia ringtone, first in a very slow volume and slowly but certainly increasing with the ongoing time!!

"Excuse me Nits"

"As salaam aleikum....... blah blah blah......"

So goes on the chat for 10 odd minutes and I sit in his AC cabin (those were the hot summer days in Hyderabad and in a way it was a relief, but not at this particular instant) like a joker doing nothing but wondering when I'll be able to get out of that hell!! This was not my first experience. I simply sat there cursing myself for not learning from my mistakes of the past!! This particular setup for us was inaugurated in January this year and I have slogged a lot during that, especially the last few days before the ribbon cutting. Ever since the over enthusiastic person in front of me has never let me leave his cabin within 10 minutes!! Never!! Its very very difficult to get 30 minutes of his time at a stretch!!

As soon as the chat ends, "Nits, you are in the cabin only na?? Give me two minutes, I'll just finish my prayers and be back.. Because if you are leaving, I'll have to lock the cabin as it has got cash". I have no other option but to oblige. I once again wonder why the fool has to handle cash!! I now know that he is not going to return back before another 20 minutes minimum. And I have fortunately or unfortunately agreed to be the guard for his cash. So I am in no position but to stay in his cabin. Luckily I manage to lay my hands on that day's Times and start solving Su-Do-Ku . I have been doing that ever since I was in college and I was free. I sometimes even used to solve it when some boring lectures were going on, and even during my first few boring months in the organisation during the so called orientation period. But this one was taking a bit longer than expected. Maybe because I wasn't able to concentrate on it properly. My blood was boiling. I decided then and there that I will never plan to visit that setup on a weekend!! As I was struggling over my puzzle, he comes and peeps over my back!!

"Wow!! Su-Do-Ku!! Whats this Nits??"

I pray to God that I won't have to sit and explain him the whole thing instead of discussing my visit report and other action plans, and unfortunately my prayers are not answered this time!! I start explaining it to him, hoping him to be a fast learner, only to be proved wrong!! In the meantime his phone rings another dozen times. Its almost 7:00 PM now and I still do not have any clue about when I'll take leave from him. I have always wondered who are all those people who keep on calling him so often and talk so much. Its difficult to believe, but one third of the time he is awake, he will be talking to someone on the phone!! After almost 30 minutes, I start feeling that I should have taken the tea offered by him!! I had not had anything since breakfast in the morning according to my plans, which was shattered thanks to the great and busy person in front of me! And I knew that I can't leave the place for atleast another one hour! So I decide to get on with it. As they say, If rape is inevitable, spread your legs and enjoy!! And thats precisely what I decided to do. Suddenly after one phone call, he summons all his sales team to his cabin!! Seems like my sales counterpart just screwed him royally, and just like a true boss, he was going to pass it on to his members. Shit!!Deep shit. I am finished!! I try to put my point forward as soon I realise that the oncoming Gyaan Session will run for another hour minimum and I have to smartly leave before it all starts. Surprisingly he takes my report in his hands. Suddenly the Nokia tune rings again!! Damn. I just cant curse my fate today!! After so much of deiberations, I had finally succeded in making him go through the report and now this phone call has spoiled all my hard work!! By the time he is through with the call, his people have already arrived and I add one more hour!! Deadline extended!! He starts giving Gyaan to his team!! Bloody, the Territory Manager from the company is sitting in front of you from the last two and a half odd hours and you dont have anything else to do??!! "This is the best period of your lives. This is the time when you have to work hard and all you guys are lucky enough to be with me during the best part of your life!! So work hard...... blah blah blah......" I have heard this crap from his mouth a dozen times before and was bored to death!! Meanwhile I restart my half done Su-Do-Ku and manage to finish it in another 15 odd minutes!! By that time he has almost finished his lecture, he has answered another 5 calls and the people on the recieving end of the lecture are also fed up listening to the same crap daily. But they have no other option but to listen!! Ah finally he sends them after some warnings, which they too know are of no use! I finally hope that my report will be next!! But in comes the daily workshop report from nowhere and in there he finds a small discrepancy out of nowhere!! Starts screwing the person!! Poor fellow, ends up paying almost 100 bucks from his pocket for his carelessness! But thats ridiculous!! A person paying just because he is the overall incharge!!?? Anyway, I feel sorry for that guy!! But at that moment, I am seriously pissed off at everything. And moreover its 9:20 PM now and I have to go home atleast now!! I politely ask him to go through my report!! Suddenly another call!!

"Nits!! Can you leave it here and go?? I need to go home urgently. My friends have booked a movie ticket tonight at 10:30PM. I need to freshen up before going!! I am here all day from 12 noon!!. I'll go through it and send it across to your office on monday!! Very sorry, made you wait!!"

Damn!! I have been here all day from 9:00 in the morning!! It was literally me who opened the gates today and its literally going to be me who is going to close it too!! I really think my stars are not with me for the day!! Is this what I waited for the whole evening!!?? And spoiled my plan!!

I did not have any other option but to pack off from there, with my report ling on his table only hoping that he'll go through it and send it duly signed on monday!! Unwillingly I bid Goodbye to him and walk towards my Fiero!!

But two great learnings from that day, I practice even till date. I always keep a copy of my report on his table and then ring him up and inform him about the visit, and secondly I never go there on a Saturday!!

Sunday, June 24, 2007

My first blog

I always wanted to write. Its been a long time since i wrote something, not that I am a great writer or something; but yeah I know this hobby of writing will go a long way in helping me kill time on boring sunday afternoons!! I have given it a try few months back, but somehow it did not sustain. But this time I really want to make it big. Well right now, I am not sure as to what to write. I am very excited that I too can start writing soon. So let me take this opportunity to thank three people who are responsible for making me a blogger!! I will name them later, but one of them is my best friend of a long time, the next one is my brother and another is an online friend whom I have never met!! That itself is ample proof that you need not meet people to be influenced by them!! Well whatever it is, I would like to dedicate this to all the three.



Hoping to come back with charged enthusiasm next week!!