If God Was A Banker

by Ravi Subramanian

  Swami thanked Kailash profusely. For the first time he realised how much a positive reputation helps in an organisation. He had now come full circle. He went overseas for a global career, did very well, made his money, and now he was back to where his roots were.

  All this while Sundeep was in London, firmly in saddle as head of the NRI business. For the first time in ten years, Swami and Sundeep were back reporting to the same boss. In direct professional conflict with each other. The last time round, Aditya was their boss. Now it was Kailash.

  47

  Two weeks later, Swami joined the Indian operations of NYB as the new Distribution Head. Swami's unit in the US was very supportive of his move and didn't even insist that he come back to New York to give a handover to his replacement. Kalpana too joined on the same day. She had decided to first complete her joining formalities and later take a month off to head to the US for winding down her house there and moving their personal effects back to India.

  Swami was happy to be back in the country. Kailash had met him in the same room that Aditya used when he was Head of Retail Banking. The look hadn't changed much. The painting on the wall was in the same position, the table was where it used to be ten years ago. The only change was the absence of Aditya and Natasha.

  Swami and Sundeep had occasionally kept in touch through Natasha and Kalpana who were still very good friends. They spoke to each other almost every week.

  Kailash introduced Swami to his team of Business Managers: Akshay Bhalla for home loans, Vivek J for personal loans, and Anindyo Roy for auto loans. All the three had worked with Sundeep. They had heard about Swami, but had never worked with him.

  The same night, Kailash organised a dinner at his house that was attended by Swami, Kalpana, Swami's direct reports, and a few other seniors from the bank. Kailash had mentioned a time of 8.00 p.m. in the invite.

  Swami reached on time with Kalpana and was surprised to find that they were the only ones to have arrived.

  'Saab upar hain. Abhi bulati hoon,' said the maid who opened the door, and went upstairs to call Kailash and his wife.

  Swami and Kalpana made themselves comfortable in the living room. The maid came back with two glasses of water. 'Saab is getting ready, he will be down in ten minutes,' she said and disappeared.

  The doorbell rang again. The maid reappeared and walked towards the door to open it.

  The door opened and a short, slim, long-haired guy walked in with a cigarette in his hand. He looked at Swami and Kalpana and stopped in his tracks. A smile lit up Kalpana's face. Swami stood up from his chair, a smile on his lips.

  'Sundeep, what a surprise!' exclaimed Kalpana and gave him a hug.

  'Long time. Good to see you. Where is Natasha?' asked Swami.

  'Hey folks. How come you are here? I was not expecting to see you guys here.' Sundeep was also pleased to see Kalpana, but couldn't have said the same thing about Swami. Still he went and hugged him.

  'How are you, Swami?' Sundeep asked. 'I believe you moved back to India. I have been wanting to call you ever since Natasha told me that Ambujam has met with an accident.'

  Swami told him the entire story about his move back to India.

  'What is Kalpana going to do?' asked Sundeep, trying to start a conversation with her.

  'I will be joining the HR team as compliance officer,' she said. 'Where's Natasha? She never told me that she was coming to India.'

  'No. She is in London.'

  Kalpana felt a touché unhappy. She was really hoping that Natasha would be there. She hadn't met her in four years now.

  'Hey guys. Is this some sort of reunion happening here?' It was Kailash coming down the stairs. 'Sundeep, when did you come from London?'

  'Kailash! How are you? I was in town and thought I would run around and give you a quick look in, before leaving back for London. Didn't know that you had something planned at home. I can come back tomorrow.'

  'No! No! No! Don't worry. It is great to have you here. In fact, your old team is also coming in and those guys will be happy to meet you.'

  Sundeep stayed back.

  Swami was not a party animal and was a wee bit uncomfortable in such gatherings. Teetotaller that he was, fruit juices were his only salvation in such parties. Aerated drinks were also not his forte. He was hitting an age where they were beginning to make him uncomfortable.

  Akshay came in with his wife at half past eight, followed by Anindyo Roy. Vivek had to drop his family to the airport and hence came in well past nine. Amit Suri, the Head of Cards, and Rajendran, the Head of Credit, also joined in.

  Sundeep had worked with all of them. He was the centre of attraction as most of them were meeting him after a long time. Swami was feeling a bit lost.

  Akshay, Vivek, Amit and Anindyo crowded around Sundeep. They were all trying to be nice and chat up to him. Gossip from overseas was indeed very interesting. Who is doing what? Who is going where? Who is joining and who is quitting? Who is sleeping with whom?

  The fun of gossip apart, the other motivating factor was that Sundeep, given his contacts in London, could possibly help them land plum jobs overseas. It was important to keep him happy. Swami could wait. He had just returned—not of much value in the short run. Sundeep was getting a kick out of this. For the first time in his life, he had usurped something from Swami. The attention that would have been showered on Swami that evening was all his.

  Sundeep was looking at Kailash from the corner of his eye. He had come here with an agenda, but hadn't got an opportunity to bring it up.

  Rajendran, the Head of Credit, had come alone and was gulping peg after peg of whisky. Swami had hit if off very well with him when they had met in office earlier that week. It probably had something to do with their being South Indians. Swami had a weakness for South Indians. It was said that whenever Swami hired people, if everything else was equal, he would hire a South Indian. Even in the US he had managed to keep it this way.

  Kailash's house was a class apart. Maqbool Fida Hussain's paintings graced his walls. He had two sections in his living room. While contemporary designer furniture adorned one section, the other had antique furniture from the villages close to Tanjore. He had carted all his furniture, specifically the antiques from Tamil Nadu, all over the globe. NYB had paid for it whenever Kailash moved homes. A picture of Kailash and his wife in their Alibaug farmhouse adorned the large wall to the right of a passage which led to the bedrooms. Kailash was one of the highest paid executives in the country at that time, and it showed. The Advanis didn't have any children.

  Sundeep was in his usual high spirits. He was back with his old team, who were keeping him humoured.

  'Sundeep, it's no fun without you around. Mazaa nahin aa raha hai. Koi team spirit hi nahin hai. Why don't you come back?' Akshay was desperately trying to suck up to him.

  'Yeh Parsi yahaan se jaayega toh kuch sochen,' said Sundeep, hinting that with Kailash deciding to hang on, there was little hope of his coming back.

  'Then why don't you get us a job there? We'll all come.' Anindyo was one who never missed an opportunity.

  At that very instant, Sundeep saw Kailash heading back to his room. He quickly excused himself. 'Ek minute, Anindyo. I will just be back.'

  A deep sigh. 'He's slipped off again.' Anindyo was looking at Akshay this time.

  'This is his fucking problem. He never gives a commitment. Slippery as a fish. One day he will pay for all this.' Akshay was bitching behind Sundeep's back.

  'Looks like, we will have to deal with this Madrasi only,' said Akshay, referring to Swami as the man from Madras.

  Even though Swami was talking to Rajendran, his eyes were on this team, which was to work with him. He was not getting a good feeling. His team was too close to Sundeep. Sundeep would always be aware of the goings-on in his domain. No one had come to him and said anything more than a cursory hello. This thought was very disconcerting. He had to deal with it. 'They are probably a little shy, that's all.' He dismissed the thought that th
ey were ignoring him.

  He saw Sundeep follow Kailash into the room and walked up to his new team. All of them had a forced smile on their faces. Swami realised that he was unwelcome in their conversation.

  Amit Suri walked up to them. He was more balanced. 'So Swami, how does it feel to be back in India,' began Suri. Swami immediately felt at ease.

  Sundeep had followed Kailash into his room. 'Kailash,' called out Sundeep, when they were out of earshot of the rest. 'There is something I want to talk to you about. If you have some time now, we can talk, else I will be back tomorrow.'

  'What's it about, Sundeep?'

  'Kailash, I was speaking to Mark Sheen in London last night. And he asked me something that got me curious,' said Sundeep, building up the suspense. Mark was the Global Retail Bank Head for New York International Bank, and was based in New York. He was in London on a business visit.

  'What about?'

  'He was asking me about Rakesh Makkar.'

  'That's normal. Why should that raise an eyebrow?'

  'No Kailash. It is not who he was asking me about that set me thinking. It was what he was asking me about him,' started Sundeep.

  'What was the reason for Mark's interest in Rakesh?' Kailash was becoming more inquisitive now. Sundeep wanted that to happen. He now had his ears.

  The room where Kailash and Sundeep were having this conversation was separated from the hall partly by a glass wall. Through that, Swami could make out that Kailash and Sundeep were in an animated conversation, though he couldn't hear them.

  Rajendran went up to Swami. 'What's happening? Is there a problem? What is Kailash doing inside for so long?' Swami had no idea. He just shrugged his shoulders.

  'Something is cooking,' said Rajendran and smiled.

  Akshay, Anindyo and Atul were standing in a corner when Vivek joined them. 'Kuch gadbad lagti hai. Sundeep ki shakl bata rahi hai.' They could make out from Sundeep's looks that some serious discussion was on. They had worked with Sundeep long enough to realise that.

  Kailash's conversation with Sundeep lasted more than half an hour. Then they both emerged from the room with a smile on their faces. Almost immediately, Swami's team deserted him and crowded around Sundeep, much to Swami's irritation. Kalpana could feel Swami getting pissed, but couldn't do anything about it. Sundeep was far more flamboyant than Swami. When Sundeep excused himself and announced that he was leaving, she was very relieved. The spotlight was back on Swami.

  From the moment Sundeep left, Kailash seemed quite lost. Something was oobviously going on at the back of his mind. He was itching for the party to get over.

  Dinner was served at 10.30 p.m. The food was mainly South Indian. Nobody liked it except Swami and Rajendran.

  'Abse to har party mein yehi khana padega. Remember the food we used to get at Sundeep's parties. And now, this stupid curd rice.' Akshay was quite annoyed.

  'Can you believe it, we are having dinner at ten-thirty. With Sundeep around, parties would begin at eleven.' Anindyo seemed to agree with Akshay.

  Looked like, they were not even willing to give Swami a chance. Had Swami lost the battle even before he had started fighting? Swami seemed to have lost the battle on issues not related to banking competence.

  The party folded at 11.00 p.m., almost immediately after the dinner. Swami was the first to leave. Eleven at night was well past his bedtime. When Swami went up to Kailash for the customary 'Thank you for the nice evening' stuff, Kailash didn't even make an attempt to hold him back. He wanted the party to be over soon.

  48

  The moment all the guests had left, Kailash picked up his mobile and dialled the third number from his fast dial list.

  'The number you are dialling cannot be reached, please...'

  Click! Kailash disconnected the line. 'What the fuck is he doing at this time of the night?'

  He began pacing up and down the alley. He stepped out into his garden. He was fortunate to have a garden in his house in a city like Mumbai. After all, he was the highest paid executive. It was 11.30 at night. The sky was cloudy, and it was warm and humid. Anybody would sweat in this weather. Kailash's anxiety made him sweat even more.

  He picked up the phone and dialled the number once more. Same response. 'Bastard,' he muttered. 'This guy is never available when you want him.' After trying a couple of times, he finally sent him a message.

  He kept pacing the lawns for the next fifteen minutes when he finally decided to go in. He kept his phone firmly by his side, to ensure that he picked it up, just in case this person decided to call him back. Sundeep had told him something that was very critical. He had to act in the next twenty-four hours. There was no time.

  Twenty minutes after midnight, the phone rang. Kailash picked it up after just one ring.

  'How are you, my friend?' It was such a relief to have heard that voice in the middle of the night. It was Naresh on the other side of the line.

  'Where were you? What the fuck were you up to at this hour?'

  'Yaar, Monica had sent across a new secretary. Usika test le raha thai' Naresh replied in jest.

  'Ram, you need to check something out for me right now,' Kailash said.

  'You seem very stressed out. What is the problem? Get a massage done. My secretary can fly down in case you want her to. You will be fine,' Naresh said with his usual wit and flamboyance.

  'Sundeep came to see me today. Mark Sheen had called him yesterday about Rakesh Makkar. It seems they want to move Rakesh to New York to support the global management team in emerging markets. If that happens, Rakesh's current post becomes vacant. Only you can get it for me.' Kailash was asking Naresh to swing it for him.

  'Understood. The grapevine is that Chetan Bindra is coming back as CEO for the group in India. They are meeting today to close out the moves.' Naresh knew everything. How did he manage his network?

  'That's what Sundeep told me. Is there any way you can get me this job?'

  'What's in it for me?' Naresh was never known to be discreet.

  'How does half-a-million dollars sound? Will route it to you over the next six months.' Kailash was too keen on striking this deal.

  Rakesh Makkar, the CEO-India of New York International Bank, was slated to move to New York and Kailash was keen to get that job. It meant a lot to him. Kailash had only a few years left before retirement. It was NYB's policy that anyone retiring as a Country Head would be entitled to retirement benefits that essentially took care of him for the rest of his life. The gross gain for Kailash would be much more than the half-a-million dollars that he would pay Naresh. And, in any case, this payout would not happen from his personal funds. If he did become the CEO, this amount would be paid by NYB. He would approve some marketing bills for Naresh's team over the next few months.

  'Will you get Sundeep into your current role then?' Naresh was now cutting a deal.

  'Ram, you know that I have just got back Swami from the US as the Head of Distribution. Both of them had joined the organisation together and are from similar backgrounds. This would not be fair to Swami. He cannot report to Sundeep.'

  'Kailash, the call is yours. I know I can swing it for you. Half-a-million dollars and Sundeep in your role, and the job is yours. Think of yourself, Kailash. Why do you have to let this opportunity go because of that dog Swami.' Kailash wanted the job very badly and couldn't refuse. Naresh hated Swami and it was apparent. He wanted someone above Swami to manage him. Sundeep was the guy he wanted.

  'I will call you tomorrow morning,' said Naresh before disconnecting the phone.

  Naresh looked at his watch. It was 12.45 a.m. It would be early afternoon in New York. He dialled a number.

  'Joseph Fernandes,' said the voice at the other end.

  'Hi Joseph.'

  'Hey Naresh. How are you?'

  'Yaar, ek baat bata, are you guys moving Rakesh Makkar to New York?'

  'Yes, the management felt that given the focus on the BRIC nations, he can be of significant value in driving our strategy in the
emerging economies. But the move is not closed yet. We are meeting today to discuss the options. Rakesh has been spoken to and he is keen to move. But, this is classified info. How did you get to know?' Joseph was curious.

  'Who are the candidates you are looking at for Rakesh Makkar's replacement?' He ignored the bit on this being classified information. He knew Joseph too well to let that impact his manipulations.

  'Chetan Bindra and Suneel Dutt are the candidates. But they don't seem keen to go back to India for family reasons. We might just have to hold back Rakesh's move because we are not able to get the right guy to replace him.'

  'Are you nuts, fatso?' Naresh went a long way with Joseph and hence could speak to him in this manner. 'Bagal mein bacha, gali mein dhindoora.' Naresh was telling him that with the kid right there beside him, he doesn't need to go looking all over.

  Joseph was silent. He didn't understand what Naresh was trying to tell him.

  'You have the best guy in Kailash Advani and you are looking all over the place for a replacement.' Naresh spent the next ten minutes canvassing for Kailash, and by the time he hung up, he knew the deal was as good as closed. It now hinged on Joseph's ability to convince the management committee.

  The next morning, when Kailash got up, his entire body was stiff from lack of sleep. In fact, he had tossed and turned so much in bed that his wife had to go to the other bedroom to catch some sleep.

  He picked up the phone lying by his bedside and dialled Naresh's number. He tried calling Naresh. His phone was not reachable. He called Naresh's residence. His wife picked up the phone and told him that Naresh had gone out for a game of golf. Mobile phones were not allowed on the golf course. There was no way he could have got in touch with him. He left a message for Naresh and hung up.

  49

  Kailash was the first person to reach office the next day. It was 8.15 a.m. when his car entered New York International Bank's India HQ.