Ravi was humming as he fumbled with his neck-tie. It had
been some time but he was still quite good at getting the knot right the first
time. He looked at his work in the mirror.
“Yes! It was perfect!” He thought to himself.
He looked around and was just able to catch a glimpse of the
smile on his wife’s face. He understood
that she had been observing his actions for a while and suddenly he felt
bashful like a teenager who had been caught staring at a beautiful girl.
He, of course, was no teenager. He was well past the halfway
mark into his seventh decade on this God’s earth and this assignment had come
his way after quite a gap – was it five years? More like six, but they still
valued him. And he had kept in touch
with the developments in the industry.
The industry had been his life, and he had always striven to
be the best in it. He had always been in demand for the seminars, the
conferences and the expert group meetings.
But he preferred to skip most of them, because the majority of them were
more like places to network rather than of learning and development that they
were meant to be.
He preferred to keep up with the latest developments and
gain new insights into the technology by continuously trying out new procedures,
by discussions with the people who actually did the work on the ground, because
they were the ones who could provide the best, most reliable data and insights.
There was, of course, the usual bunch of networking “experts” whose only claim
to fame was that they knew everybody who was anybody in the industry. That they
had only a superficial notion about the subject matter or the technology did
not matter. They had the knack of spewing out the same garbage in conference
after conference, in one meeting and the next.
He did not grudge them their attitude, and had nothing but
contempt for them though he was careful not to show it. These were the people
who had long lost the passion for the subject and had discovered the advantages
that the right networking could provide them in joining the who’s who of the
industry. They had egos bigger than their capabilities and also the position to
wield power, which they did from time to time. They may not have much to
contribute to the growth of the industry, but they were in a position to stop
those that could.
While he preferred to keep his distance from them, they did
not have the luxury of reciprocating this gesture. When there was real work to
be done, they would approach him, entreat him to help out. Helping out meant
doing the entire thing, but he did not mind. He was too involved in becoming
the best. They were welcome to use his findings, his ideas and present them as
their own, as long as they did not try to influence results or conclusions. To
him, it did not matter who took credit, as long as his ideas were implemented.
He had always been passionate about passing on his knowledge
and had been diligently recording concepts in a note book (actually several
note books!) throughout his career. It was his dream to compile his life’s work
when he retired into a book that he hoped would be regarded as the most
authentic work in the field. The raw material was there, and he had been
collating the random bits of knowledge to weave it into a complete body of work
for a few years. After nearly four years of focussed work, the job was done. He
had sent out manuscripts to a few people in the industry to get opinions and
suggestions. He had been waiting for a reply for some time but none came. He
had followed up with the recipients from time to time, but nothing concrete had
emerged.
Till last month!
The call had come out of the blue. It was someone whose
professional company he had enjoyed earlier and someone with whom he had a love
hate relationship when he was employed. More often than not, there had been
disagreements but in spite of that, there had always been a healthy respect for
each other. He was also one of those who had received Ravi’s manuscript, and
whose opinion was awaited – with some eagerness tinged with some apprehension.
Randhir Sharma was both a friend and an adversary – and a
formidable one at that. A couple of years junior to Ravi, Randhir had taken up
many assignments for various organizations as he was more professionally ”prudent”.
Randhir was aware that to be considered a serious expert, one needed more than
a body of work – one needed to be seen at the right places and with the right
people.
He did not share Ravi’s contempt for the “conference crowd”
for he understood their use and their power. He, therefore, kept up his regular
interactions with them, showed deference- in stark opposition to Ravi’s
scarcely veiled contempt, and continued
to be a regular a the conferences and ministry level meetings of the
policymakers. This also provided him with a series of consulting assignments –
most of which did not require his technological skills – but quite a bit of the
weight of his recommendations to the right people and his endorsement of a
technologically mediocre but financially rewarding idea.
Therefore, a call from Randhir with an invite to attend a
conference as a speaker came not as a complete surprise, but with a pleasant
expectation of good tidings. Randhir was evasive about the topic on which Ravi
was to speak, but kept reassuring Ravi that whichever the topic he would be
assigned would be right up his alley. This reluctance to be more forthcoming
was a clear indicator that his manuscript was certainly likely to be one of the
major topics of discussion. In fact, Ravi was willing to wager that some sort
of endorsement was certainly o the cards.
A book to be discussed on an open platform prior to it being
published was a bit odd, but then Ravi was not a newcomer. He was certain that
his reputation as an oft acknowledged expert of some standing and proven
credibility was still intact in spite of his absence from the circuit for quite
a time.
In the intervening period between the invite and the event,
Ravi spent all his time going over the manuscript again and again to be
completely prepared for any questions on his work. He did not need to do this,
for it was his life’s work and he was so conversant with the topic that he
seriously doubted that there were many people who could challenge any of the
ideas that he had propounded.
He was sure that the younger generation of professionals
would benefit immensely from the work.
He believed that the work had the potential to change the way people
worked in his field and that history would thank him for being such a
visionary.
He was ready. The suit had become a little loose, the hair a
little thin, the wrinkles a little more pronounced, but he still had a
presence! Most people earlier found it quite unnerving to face him in a debate,
and he was sure he still retained the same quality. Maybe……not as strong, but
even though he had mellowed with age, he was still quite daunting!
Was Abhi ready? He did not want to be late, that was not his
habit. Good that Abhi had offered to
drop him; else he would have to take a cab, which is something he did not like
at all. Earlier he would not depend on anyone to transport him, but months of
staying away from the steering wheel had taken away the confidence. But Abhi
was a good boy……… that he was! And Ravi had tried to keep up with their
generation. They thought differently,
but the basic traits of respect and innovation had not deserted their
generation, contrary to what many others of his generation believed.
As he came out from his bedroom, he found Abhi gulping down
a toast and the boiled egg that would follow was waiting its turn in the other
hand. This was something that he
disliked about Abhi’s generation – they were always in a hurry, so little
patience for some important things like breakfast and lunch! Always rushing! He shook his head, but held
his tongue.
“Morning, Dad! All set?” Abhi enquired.
“Yes, I think so.” He checked his pockets. Handkerchief
….check, wallet….check, pen…..check! Yes, he was ready.
“Dad, what time will you be back? You remember, no? Bhaskar
is joining us for dinner!”
“Bhaskar? Who
Bhaskar?” Ravi was perplexed. He could not for the life of him recall any
Bhaskar.
“Dad! I told you, no? Bhaskar? My room-mate in college? Ring a bell? I told
you he was going to be in town for a meeting or something, and that he would be
joining us for dinner. “
“Yes! Yes! Now I remember! Actually, you spoke about him so
many times, but I never met him, that is why I could not recall. I will be back
before he comes.” Ravi answered defensively.
“Do you want me to pick you up in the evening?” Abhi asked.
“No! No! The organizers have arranged for a drop. You don’t
worry!”
“Ok!” Abhi was ready.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
As Ravi reached the venue, after many years he felt the
butterflies return to his stomach. He had forgotten the feeling may years ago,
but their return was totally unexpected. He was nervous! He had not been
nervous on his first day at college, at office, when he glared his boss down
early on in his career, when he got married….. in fact, probably he had never
been nervous after the day he proposed to Lily! It was another matter that Lily
had turned him down, and probably it was then he decided that being nervous was
not worth it.
As he entered the hall, he felt a little out of place. There
were so many new faces. The people he
was familiar with did not seem to be around.
As he scanned the faces, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
“Hello Ravi!” Finally a known face! Randhir looked old! Of course he did! He was
meeting Randhir after many years. They had spoken of and on over calls, but had
not met for so many years. But Randhir’s
appearance shocked him. The years had not been kind to him.
“Ravi, you ok? You have lost a lot of weight! I hope your
health is holding up. But so good to see
you after such a long time. You know, I
really miss those debates we had then. Truth be told, I have not come across a
mind as sharp as yours till now. But now that you are here today, I am sure I
will enjoy the session.” The broad smile on Randhir’s face was testimony to his
sincerity.
Randhir took it upon himself to introduce him to the current
crop of “thought leaders”. There were a few vaguely known faces but most of the
guys were new to him. They politely acknowledged him, but the deference of
yesteryears was missing. He tried to
become part of the discussions, but he had been away too long. The references
to people and events eluded him, even the jargon had changed. Randhir, on the
other hand was perfectly at home. He went around meeting and greeting people,
stopped for a chat here, a joke there….. Apparently, he was still a part of the
crowd!
Soon the session started. The usual meaningless ceremonies
that are planned to pamper to the ego of the Chief Guests and other dignitaries
took up a good part of the hour after which tea was served. After tea, the
business of presentations started but Ravi’s mind was only waiting for
something interesting to happen – and what could be more interesting than a
discussion on his work?!!? But the hour dragged on with no reference to his
work came up.
Lunch was a crowded, noisy affair. People were seeking out
other people with who they wanted to connect. Some young guys, obviously new to
the circuit (probably only in their first couple of years in the industry) huddled
together and were having a subdued interaction. While most looked a little
lost, some looked bored and a few were already picking up the tricks of the
trade – walking upto whoever looked a little important, and handing over their
business cards.
Ravi saw a group of people who were closer to his age and
joined them. A few in the group were those he thought he recognized, and a few
who did recognize him. The conversation was polite but there was no real
camaraderie.
As lunch got over, the business of the afternoon session
started. Randhir called up his name. He
was apparently one of the dignitaries of this last session. Randhir introduced
the people on the podium to the audience which for him was a little odd. He
never required any introduction, but apparently this was done for the benefit
of the younger group. Once the introductions were done, it was time for a
couple of papers to be presented. There was an open question and answer session
after each presentation and it appeared that he, along with his co-panellists,
was supposed to not only moderate the session but also ask most of the
questions.
This was something that was right up his alley, and
something that he really enjoyed. As the first paper was presented, Ravi became
aware that the concepts being presented were in direct contrast to his own
experience. Surely, the author of the paper could not be so naïve as to attempt
to draw wool over the eyes of such an experienced panel!! And surprisingly, no
one was objecting. Had standards fallen so much? Maybe the people were waiting
for the Q&A session to start.
The presenter went on and on, saying things with great
conviction, but the hypothesis, the conclusions were clearly incorrect. Ravi
was having a difficult time restraining himself from intervening. The
irritation was clear to see. Randhir soon noticed it and became apprehensive.
He could recall the times that Ravi had torn apart a presenter savagely in the
past for having been argumentative and theoretical. He did not want a repeat of
those times.
As soon as the presentation was over, Randhir took the lead
in starting he Q&A session. The
questions were carefully crafted and asked in such a manner as to not allow
Ravi to take over and hence avoid the ugly scenes that Randhir was apprehensive
about. But it was proving quite difficult. The young guy, probably recently out
of an MBA course and shortly before from an Engineering institute was not to be
cowed down. The more Randhir tried to divert him away from the contentious
issues, the more the young guy dug in his heels.
Soon, Ravi had enough. He took on the young upstart in a
manner only he could. The voice was calm but the simmering anger was not to be
missed. The guy was at the receiving end of the wrath and also the full range
of years of experience of one of the leading lights of yester years. The possible
alternatives were dealt with in a manner which was as masterly as it was full
of conviction. The master at work could not, would not be ignored by a Johnny come
lately.
And yet, the young guy, what was his name… Kashyap! Yes, Kashyap
would not surrender. He had heard Ravi through, but at the end, he presented
the references to many studies, many publications to completely destroy Ravi’s arguments.
His conviction or confidence was not to be shaken. He may not have the
experience but was not short of material.
Randhir was getting uneasy. He knew Ravi too well. Ravi
would not let go and the end would be as chaotic as one could expect. He tried
to cool things down by offering to return to the issue after other questions
were answered. But he knew that it would be in vain. Ravi refused to move on
and instead took off on a diatribe so vicious that it was impossible to even
attempt to stop him. The attack was a mixture of nuggets of experience and contempt
for incompetence. Ravi was in full flow and all Randhir could do was to
beseechingly look at Kashyap to avoid further confrontation.
Fortunately, Kashyap got the message. At the end of the
onslaught, he refused to react. He held his silence and Randhir quickly stepped
in to close the session. The interest in any case had been eroded and most
people were happy to see the ugly situation come to an end. After a quick vote
of thanks the session was brought to a close.
As people were saying their goodbyes and collecting their
stuff, Ravi confronted Randhir. How could such nincompoops be allowed to peddle
their rubbish and go unchallenged? All these topics had been dealt with in his
work. Which reminded him - “Have you been able to study my manuscript? Can you
give me some idea if anything else needs to be added?”
Randhir apologised “Sorry I know it has been some time but I
promise I shall soon give you a detailed feedback. But now, I need to see off
some people. Do you have the phone number of the driver who will drop you? Yes?
Good!” And Randhir hastened away after a quick shake of the hand.
Ravi reached home. Fortunately, the car was not parked which
meant that Abhi had not returned. He had time for a quick wash and a shave.
It had not been a very satisfactory day, what
with his life's work not even getting a mention and the young pup Kashyap having the audacity to challenge his experience.
How could Randhir be so casual about his work, when it contained a gist of years of experience?
But he had at least put Kashyap in his place. Kashyap would think twice before taking on an experienced
person. These guys with their new fangled ides! He had been taught a masterly
lesson!
As he changed into comfortable Jeans and shirt and as he was
applying a generous splash of cologne, Abhi walked in. “Dad! Good you are here.
Bhaskar has just come in. Will you join us? Bhaskar has had a horrible day!
Some washed out old geezer in his programme kept on and on full of rubbish and
old defunct concepts and refused to stop. That is why Bhaskar got delayed.
Anyway, let’s cheer him up! Come, we are waiting!”
Ravi agreed. Sure, a couple of stiff drinks would put things
in order. And thanks to Bhaskar, he would also receive some goodies today,
instead of the bland meals that he had been given ever since he was diagnosed
with diabetes.
He walked into the sitting room, and as he saw Bhaskar, he
came to an abrupt halt. The ground seemed to slip from under his feet.
Kashyap looked up in surprise at the “old geezer” who had
spoilt his day!
