Poetic Justice

 

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?