Monday, April 23, 2007

aapu raisal

run Mala run...

That fateful day.
Tidel Park.
o7:38:47 PM

Someone shouts "Mala, the Manager wants you in his office immediately!!"

"Best of luck,di. Night treatukku The Park-ku poiduvomo?" Muffled voice from the seat nearby.

"Children's park ku kooda kedayaathu. velaya paarudi. un engagement treat-a mothalla mudi. aprom paakkalaam".

Mala rushes to the cabin nearby. Before knocking, she tries desperately like Kamal in Punnagai Mannan when Rekha asks him to smile before jumping off the cliff.

In vain.

07:39:12 PM

"Hi."

"Please come in, Mala. Take your seat. So you seem to be tense. Just relax."

"First of all, let me congratulate you. You have been promoted as Project Manager. How do you feel?"

"Oh great!! Thank you very much. It is such a surprise. I am excited!"

"No, there is nothing to be surprised. You totally deserve it. Keep up the good work."

"Uggh, oh. Thanks a lot sir. Sure, I would continue to keep improving my performance."

"As you would have already known from my address a week ago, last fiscal has been terrific for our company. Thanks to hardworking people like you. Of course, you would got the Color TV gift we gave to our employees, right? After all, TVs are bigger and better than those ishods na?" Wink.

"umm. Yes sir, I am really happy for our company's success. I got the gift, thanks."

"Good. So what do you think? What is your expectation? I mean regarding the hike."

"Aah. Well, I don't have an idea how much % hike would be. But I think I would get CTC of about XX lakhs."

"Oh dear... dear. I think the figure won't be as high as you think."

"Oh."

"Let me see what you have got. ummm. Ok. You have got promoted as PM. Great... na?" Looks up and gives of one of his "charismatic" smirks.

"..."

"Ahem. But, the hike isn't what you expected. It is a bit less. As you know, we have gone through a lot of discussions regarding the compensation philosophy. We have conducted market compensation survey to ensure that you are compensated at market rates."

"...ok."

07:42:36 PM

"Here. Have a look at your compensation and your rating."

"Thank you... Umm.... but the rating i think is pretty low for me to get promoted sir. Don't you think I should have been rated higher than this?"

"I would love to give you a higher rating, considering your good work. But, it seems your current PM says you still need to improve your communication. Mein kya karoon Mala?"

"But, sir, the client has given me nine over ten for my performance. And I think my client particulary praised my communication skills. I think... "

"arre, Mala. Communication is just not about grammar and spelling. Your accent needs to be improved a lot. You tend to put on a heavy Indian accent, you know."

"Sir, but, my client is Estonese and I converse with him in Estonese. And he is pretty impressed with my proficiency in that language."

"Baath woh nahi Mala. Just do you remember the presentation you made to your team? I heard many among the team were not able to follow you. You see what I mean?"

"umm. Yes... umm"

"You see, you might know Estonese. But, its really of no use. Samjhaa?"

"..."

"Tell me whatever issues you have."

"Well, I think my compensation should have been higher considering that I have put in more than five years in the company and that I have completed my PCMMIX and MCDXIIA certification long back. Moreover, I have successfully completed the projects I have been given..."

"That exactly is the point, Mala. You always concentrate only on the work you are given. You got to take more initiatives. You get what I mean?"

"But, I have done a lot to streamline the processes and lowered the turnaround time. I have created process and role documentations so that transitions, if any, are smooth... and I have..."

"Mala. I think you still don't get what I say. You got to show more initiatives. You have to do something more than what you are expected to do."

"But, I think it would be easy if you can tell me what is expected from me before itself."

"Hahaha. Still, you need to learn a lot. Our expectations about you keep growing as you stay longer in the company. It is natural to expect more from experienced staff like you right?"

"... But the pay is pretty low considering my experience and moreo..."

"You should take initiatives. Just see Hrithik. He took so much efforts to arrange for the caterer. Makes sure that we celebrate birthdays of our staff. I think you wouldn't forgotten the sandwiches he got for us on trip to Vizag... It was so good that I myself ate some three of them. You should show some enterprise like him... Catch my point?"

"..."

"Moreover, I think we have given you a hike of nearly one-third of your CTC. I think this is one of the highest. If you see, what you have got is just about a lakh less than your target. After all, a lakh after taxes just comes to about 6 to 7k on hand. So you have not missed much. Don't worry about such small things. Keep up the good work. Bonus is just a few months away."

"ummm, yeah. Sure."

07:48:53 PM

"You know what. I fought so much for your promotion. Last week, we had discussions and I insisted on promoting you. You have been one of our top performers. You totally deserve it."

"oh really? Thanks a lot."

"Let me be frank with you. The client has been so impressed with your performance that he has agreed to expand to four additional roles. In fact, I should be thanking you."

"... oh."

"I know you have been very patient and have put in a lot of hard work for the company for so many years. But, I can't make for your lost years."

"Yeah. I do understand."

"Now. Don't make any hasty decisions. Don't let your hard work of all these years go waste. Continue to put in efforts as you have till now. I will fight for your on site client visit."

"Uggh. Sure, sir. I would do that. Thank you very much."

"Please send in Hrithik next."

07:59:10 PM

Buzz. Buzzz.

Mala picks up her mobile.

"Hi Mala, this is Swathi Palekar from Macrosoft. I m very happy to inform you that you have been selected. Welcome to Macrosoft!"

"Oh, thanks a lot Swathi."

SHIT.


Next: Reverse aapu raisal

Now, a rapid temporal resequencing of events - athu onnum illa, what if these events happened in a different sequence...

4 comments:

. said...

idhellam yepidi moodiyudu??

I suck in story-telling. Straight-forward linear narration..Not to mention non-linear..

Idhu yellam three much!!!!

rendu thalai connection..

one is punnagai mannan..the other is "Catch my point" - Madan, MMKR..

And ishods, CTC, macrosoft..Why pseudonyms?

KC! said...

this is what happens most of the times - atleast offer kadasilayavadhu kidaichudhe :)

Ponnarasi Kothandaraman said...

Hm...congrats! Bytheway intha color combination pls konjam mathunga! Kind of irritating 2 the eyes!

Dee said...

Soooper Sk!! damn good one.. smthin to be realized! ;)