It was 8 PM
in the evening. Prof Natarajan was still
in his official chambers. Everyone had left between 5 and 6 pm. He could not bring himself
to go home. He was not sure how he will be able to face his wife and tell her
that from tomorrow he was without a job. From Director to no body; from a hero
to a zero- a person with an uncertain
future at least in the short run. With Covid 19 still going strong and no signs of abating, he
wouldn’t be able to run around freely in
search of other job opportunities. The
secretary of the Rajhans college, an institution which he had served for 15
years now, five of them as Director, had
called him in to his chambers that morning at around 11 AM and told him the bad
news.
As he sat
dazed at his chair, memories came flooding from the past. It was the year 2005
and he had just joined the college and was warmly welcomed by the Director of
the college Prof Rajamanickam. Shortly
thereafter, the Director called a staff meeting and introduced him,
Natarajan to the other colleagues. It
was interesting to meet a professor couple among the staff . Later
on, he realized that both of them were very bright and often received
invitations to visit universities abroad in the US , Australia and Europe.
The Director also had a great respect for the distinguished couple and felt that
they were the pride of the college. Although initially Natarajan was also impressed
and appreciative about the Rajan - Geetha duo, he soon began to feel that one or
both of them could become a thorn in his ambition to occupy the chair of the Director.
He reckoned that the Director Rajamanickam had another five years before retirement after
which he could become the Director. But then, Rajan and Geetha could stand in his way.
Slowly and
steadily Natarajan began to put into action a detailed plan he had devised. He started
putting into the ears of Prof Rajamanickam thoughts that the duo were not bothered about
the growth and well being of the institution. They were more concerned about
making some money through the foreign travels
converting the saved dollars into solid Indian money. Now and then, he gave
a hint to the Director that Rajan and Geetha thought of themselves as more valuable to the college that the Director
himself. He told of stories that he had overheard... Rajan had told a group of students at the canteen " You know guys, the respect that the college enjoys amongst the public is mainly because of the reputation Geetha and I have, as highly sought after visiting faculty abroad."
In the beginning, the Director, Prof Rajamanickam dismissed such suggestions and assertions from Natarajan. After all he knew the couple for a
longer period than he had known Natarajan. But slowly an inkling of doubt
began to enter his mind as to whether Rajan was in fact getting too big for
his boots? He began to confront Rajan on some issue or the other. The next time an opportunity came up for a short term assignment of one year at a university in Europe, he directed Rajan not to take it up as it affected the effectiveness of the classes here. After, some argument ,
Rajan had to turn down that opportunity.
However, he began to become withdrawn at work and three months later, he
put in his papers. An year later Geetha also followed suit. She was feeling cornered and unhappy in a set up that she had so loved not very long ago.
The office
attendant came in and peeped. "Sir, it is
already 8.30 PM”.
"I told you
to go long ago Murugan! Why are you still here? I will lock up the office and
hand over the keys at the security." Natarajan said.
The boy had
come and broken his train of thought. Anyway, he must leave in at least another
half hour or else his wife would be anxious.
With both
Rajan and Geetha out of the way, Natarajan thought that his ambition of
becoming Director would be achieved in another two years. But to his chagrin,
Prof Rajamanickam who was enjoying very
good rapport with the board was getting
extensions to his tenure. He had already managed it three times. That was when Natarajan felt that
enough was enough. He began to organize tea party discussions and later
booze party meetings with other faculty members and got them convinced that
Rajamanickam was a threat to the careers of all of them.
" This guy will never allow any of us to grow!" he asserted in each of these meetings. A quiet signature campaign followed
highlighting the in-competencies and old ways of working of Prof Rajamanickam. Srinivasan was his right hand and played the
biggest part in mobilizing the campaign.
Soon their efforts bore fruit and prof Rajamanickam was ousted. Natarajan became the new Director.
When
he met the secretary in the morning, he was shocked to learn that the person whom he had thought his right hand, Sreenivasan had a big hand in getting him sacked. It appears he had been working for it for the past
one year. Traitor! Natarajan yelled in his mind. How could the rascal do this
to him after all the support he had given him , providing him the juiciest of
opportunities to excel..
As he
carried his brief case and got into his car, a very sad face of Prof Rajamanickam appeared before
his face. “You got me to get rid of two of our gems who had served this college
sincerely for years!”, his face seem to say. It was already 9.15 PM. It would
be 10 PM by the time he reached home. Then, he has to break the news to his
wife…. Or perhaps he would postpone it for tomorrow?
