Part IV

Next morning Mr. Basu arrived at office and after sharing a few customary greetings with others around he proceeded to the meeting room and asked Vijay to join him. They sat across the table facing each other. He started,

“Vijay, even I wanted to say or rather, ask you something for sometime, but I had let it go”

Vijay said to himself, “when did you let it go! It was there in you all the while and quite obvious!”

Mr. Basu continued with his talk, “but since you have raked it up, let me mention it now. And…… its good that you raked it up.”

“Raked up!” Vijay thought with wonder as he listened carefully preparing for the worst situation.

“I am told that you are talking ill of me to people around, that you are spreading defamatory words about me.”

Vijay voiced in maintaining his cool as far as possible, “Who is telling that Sir?” Although convinced that none but Arindam could have done this mean act on the day of that unfateful Jamhedpur trip. That was the hypocrite’s last weapon – to create distrust in the boss’s mind for a favourite subordinate and there lies the favourite subordinate - almost ruined.

“Somebody. You were telling you have been demotivated. But can you believe how hurt was I when I heard that. Wasn’t it me who brought you to this organization?”

“Yes Sir” Vijay continued “But who told you so. How could you believe everything that was told was true? Whom have I told to? And what exactly have I told?”

“I have been told that you have said that I had been an ‘useless fellow’.”

Keeping in mind that it is none other than Arindam, Vijay boldly continued further, “Surprising. If somebody says so to me, I would first analyse why this person is talking all these all of a sudden today! How come he has become so loyal to me today! Could there be something else behind it!” Vijay noticed that Mr. Basu was somewhat stirred by the last statement that he made. He continued, “Would the person come and say it in front of me? That I had said so. Would you mention the name please, Sir, who said it?” Vijay turned slightly excited as he blurted out so.

Mr. Basu’s face had lighted up the way as if he had discovered the clue to some mystery, observed Vijay. Probably his candid outburst had some effect on him. To his benefit. There was a silence of few moments.

It was Mr. Basu’s turn then. With a deep breath he said,

“But I was very hurt. If I have some problem with someone, say my superior, I would talk about it to the person….”

“Haven’t I done so Sir? I am talking to you directly now when I am having a real problem.” snapped Vijay in between. He had kept all his fear aside by now and ready to be perfectly explicit, remaining true to just himself.

Mr. Basu nodded while continuing, “I even went on to ask few people about it. I spoke to Mr. Ghosh.”

This was another big surprise to Vijay. Another mystery seemed to be unfolding infront of him as to why Mr. Ghosh, a senior executive in another organisation and his ex-boss and mentor and an acquaintance of Mr. Basu too, had off late been expressing reluctance to talk to him! His eyes brightened up at the revelation. Excitement became uncontrollable. He interrupted again,

“I see Sir. That is the reason Mr. Ghosh doesn’t seem to be willing to talk to me these days whenever I give him a courtesy call! What did he say. That I belittled you?”

“No. He said “I cannot believe Vijay can say so””

“Then when and how did I belittle you Sir?”

“You have told to few people.”

Vijay found it tough to hold back his anger, for Arindam. He wanted Mr. Basu to understand and realize this man was a hypocrite. For him he has proven to be harmful too.

He continued his questions, “Who are those few people who has heard me saying so?”

“They are from this office.”

“Who Sir?”

“There are one or two people” was Mr. Basu’s cold reply. Quite consciously he refrained from taking names.

One or two people had heard him disparaging Mr. Basu. That is all. Vijay felt like having moved closer to his goal. Of the conversation. By now he had gathered enough courage to speak straight to Mr. Basu as follows, “Just one or two Sir! As I had already told you, didn’t you think for once why could that one person have told you so! Could he have had something against me and that is why it was cooked up! Why did not you take it up with me directly Sir?”

A small pause and he continued, “Sir, while I do admit that being petty human beings we do not have total control on our gossiping habit and that, gossips do take place among colleagues. We tend to criticise our own relatives sometime. So I might have criticised you too sometime in any of those gossip sessions though I do not remember anything specifically any more. But I have never belittled you purposefully in front of anyone ever.”

There was a marked silence this time. Actually Vijay wanted to say, “Criticising a boss is the most common phenomenon taking place in any set-up. I may criticize my boss, my boss criticizes his boss, he his boss and then he his… and so on. This is known to all and expected to be accepted until and unless derogatory.”

After a while Vijay, by now calm and poised, once again having felt that he had been able to make his point clear to Mr. Basu, about his accusations on him and about he getting trapped into a net of hypocrisy, enquired one last time, “Cannot you tell me Sir who told so to you?”

Mr. Basu replied with a smile, “Vijay! now you want me to utter it?”

Vijay got his reply.

“Subhas is a good guy right? He does not exhibit such complexities in his conduct.” Mr. Basu finally observed referring to another colleague of Vijay who was equally close to Mr. Basu. Vijay replied in affirmative.

He could not have got a better end result than this in consequence to all his blurting and snapping and retorting challenging his own boss that lasted for over half an hour. He felt elated at the turn of the events. His principle of staying true to himself made him feel much stronger that day.

Vijay’s next challenge would be to clarify Mr. Ghosh, one of his most regarded persons. And to let Arindam know next time they meet, that he had been the most harmful hypocrite he had ever met. Should he?

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A big thanks to all readers for your encouragement and patience. Please forward your views on the incidents and on how the characters handled it.

Disclaimer: All the characters are fictional and any resemblance to anybody is purely co-incidental.