by Anil Chawla
As the evening advanced, the party became louder and more exuberant. Pantu put his glass on his head and his arms around Kalpu and Maria, swaying to the tune of a Goan serenade. Bubbly urged them to break into bhangra, and soon everyone had joined in. Maria brought in the Brazilian flavour and made everybody match her steps. They partied into the wee hours of the morning. When they made for their rooms, only two members of the party were sober: Sri and Varsha. Varsha supported Goky’s arm on her shoulders and helped him into their room. Sammy–Roma and Pantu– Bubbly staggered unsteadily to their rooms. Maria was intoxicated but steady. It was left to her and Sri to escort a stumbling Kalpu to bed. Kalpu kept trying to kiss Sri. As he lowered her on to the bed, she pulled him towards her, making him go red in the face. Maria reassured him that she’d see to Kalpu, who dozed off as they said goodbye.
Sri sat on the open terrace and watched the sea waves hitting the resort’s boundary wall. He did not feel at peace with himself. When he thought of his own conservative outlook and Kalpu’s rather adventurous lifestyle, he felt a peculiar restlessness.
The next morning, everyone except Sri and Varsha awoke at noon with huge hangovers. After a sober brunch, they decided to relax in the lounge. Maria said to Kalpu with a grin, ‘Thank me for saving you once again last night.’
‘What happened?’ Kalpu asked, bewildered.
Maria explained how Kalpu had been hell-bent on dragging Sri to her bed. But for Maria’s intervention, god knows where and whether she’d have stopped! Maria was surprised when Kalpu replied, ‘Not that I’d have minded a bit. I wish you hadn’t stopped me.’ Kalpu winked at her before adding, ‘He’s so cute. And still a virgin.’
Maria, after a long pause, said, ‘I guess he loves you very much.’
Kalpu looked at her friend, and her thoughts went back to the summer holiday long ago when she’d spent a few days alone with Sri. She sighed and turned to where he was sitting, totally oblivious to their conversation.
The Ruthless Careerist
SVT, the new company Sammy joined, operated out of Silicon Valley, which had a plethora of start-ups as well as large technology companies. Moving to California was a project in itself. Uprooting their full-fledged establishment in NJ left them drained, but Sammy believed that a new world was eagerly waiting for him.
Silicon Valley exuded an air of innovation and creativity, dexterity with technology, and a spirit of adventure. Ordinary people turned entrepreneurs, rode on the spirit of the valley, and carved a name for themselves. Perhaps the Valley’s climate had something to do with it. It was springtime all through the year, with no intolerable extremes of temperature. Some said that this induced a freshness of thought, a sense of freedom, and even a spiritual energy in the atmosphere. It was as if the area made people uninhibited in thought and action, and made them free as birds on flights of fancy. It also seemed to liberate their souls from all kinds of shackles. Nature was second nature to a lot of people in the area. Perhaps that was the reason why some of the most radical ideas and products originated in Silicon Valley.
Many companies operating out of the area had campus type offices with facilities like gyms, indoor sports, cafeterias and so on, right within the campus. People combined work with fun most of the time. It was normal for an employee to come to the office (often in shorts, sneakers, and tees! On a bicycle or even skates!), work for a few hours, go for a multi-mile jog, shower, have lunch, and then resume work. At the same time, as everybody was trying to ride on the bandwagon of technology, failures were aplenty. Venture capitalists treated Silicon Valley as their second (sometimes first) home. Who will come up with the next ‘big idea’ was a constant hot topic of discussion and interest. Companies died at a faster pace than new ones got established. Switching jobs was like changing clothes.
This was also the time when India was the largest exporter of human resources to the US. Many of these expats were lured by Silicon Valley companies with attractive dollar-denominated offers. There was always that crop of risk-takers at the beginning of their IT careers who switched to start-ups or other large companies once they were here. Sammy had preferred a start-up.
Sammy had been astonished at the simplicity of the offer. It was all of a one-page document. When he tried to discuss the details with the company representative, he was politely but firmly told that they focussed more on work and less on paperwork, and that is what was expected of him as well. At the SVT office for his final interview, he’d seen many men and women moving around in shorts and slippers. Formal attire was conspicuous by its absence. It was often said that in Silicon Valley, old-timers could tell the tribal origins—of engineers, designers, sales people, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists—simply by looking at what they wore. A common theme was not to waste time on as trivial a thing as fashion.
While examining the two offers he’d received, Sammy considered different factors, both tangible and intangible ones. It seemed to be a calculated risk. Then he said to himself, ‘When I can take the “uncalculated risk” of getting married, a calculated risk is easier!’
After some initial uncertainty at SVT, he settled in nicely. There was total flexibility with respect to office timings, hours clocked, and other suffocating protocols. He could work at times convenient to him. The company was concerned only with output, creativity, innovation, and quality. And Sammy was never found wanting on those.
SVT focused on cutting-edge technology for the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. Digitizing, storing, and retrieval of medical records were some of the bigger challenges the industry was facing. While the trend of outsourcing work to the developing world, mainly India, had already been set, the medical field had some unique difficulties with privacy of patient data and the various laws governing the pharmaceutical and health sector in the US. Sammy was more into designing software, but he was also quite imaginative with respect to what would work for the end-user. It was a stroke of luck that catapulted Sammy into the limelight. Hendrick Payne, Director of Products (Healthcare), who was scheduled to have a business meeting with a large prospect, got the flu. Rescheduling the meeting could have meant losing the deal. Hendrick had gotten a glimpse of Sammy’s persuasion skills, and decided to gamble on him.
Sammy made a great impact at the business meeting and returned with a go-ahead from the prospect, leaving Hendrick with the feeling that he had unearthed a new talent. There was no looking back after that. It became routine for Hendrick to take him along for sales meetings, and he even started encouraging Sammy to take the lead wherever possible. Not only was Sammy appreciated, he got promoted with a substantial pay hike. A few months later, he also got some stock options.
Sammy had a rare skill: he was quick to think through how their work affected the client’s business. Hence, instead of falling in love with his own idea and trying to convince a client that his solution was the best, he efficiently iterated it to suit the client’s needs. Sammy was also an excellent communicator—both while talking and as a listener. Combine that with his 6’1” frame, clean-cut looks, thoughtful and probing eyes, and you’d got yourself an excellent sales package.
And he had substance to top it all. While he started as a technologist, he had the knack to delve deep into learning the umpteen uses that technology was being put to by businesses, which helped him understand the business side quickly. Having worked in the financial, insurance and, recently, healthcare domains, he could talk business with ease. That is what made him a superb salesperson.
Within eighteen months of joining, he had become Hendrick’s right-hand man. The product division was doing fantastically well. Revenues were doubling every eighteen months, there was a blitzkrieg of new product launches, and they were going places. By this time, Sammy was drawing close to 200,000 US dollars plus a sales incentive in the range of 20,000 to 50,000 per annum, which was big by any standards. California was an expensive place to live in, but not for Sammy. He bought a brand-new SUV. This was unusual, even in the US, because most expat Ind
ians in the IT industry could not afford new cars at all, let alone SUVs. American colleagues often pitied Asian expats for using decades-old cars. Sammy’s new car became the hot topic of discussion at expat gatherings, of which there were many. Sammy and Roma moved into a bigger apartment. When Sammy wore formals, they were usually Armani suits— tuxedos for the occasional black-tie events—and Roma sported branded accessories too, like a Gucci bag or a Rolex watch. Life rocked. When travelling for work, Sammy flew business class which was, of course, paid for by the company. To maintain his status, Sammy and Roma travelled the same way even when they went on vacation. That this gave them a certain kind of privacy in the air was a plus. Always awaiting them at their destinations, were high end hotels.
Sammy believed that he should do in Rome as the Romans did, and so he adopted the rich-American lifestyle. He worked hard and enjoyed life to the hilt. This was accentuated by Roma’s matching nature. Soon they became known in their circles as a perennially honeymooning couple. Sammy would hit the office early, sometimes when Roma was still asleep, leave around noon, either jog or cycle a few miles, and then go home for a shower. Roma and he would eat lunch together on most days, except when Sammy had a client meeting or another official engagement. An occasional afternoon siesta was not ruled out either. Sammy would go back to work by three in the afternoon and then come back between seven and eight in the evening. As both of them liked to travel, they went on fun trips practically every weekend. Every few weeks, they would invite close friends home to party. Roma was a great hostess, in addition to being an expert baker. She was adept at cooking many cuisines and enjoyed learning new ones. Sammy made it a point to help Roma as much as he could in the kitchen. There were quite a few Americans in their circle who had their first taste of Indian food at Roma’s place and became instant fans. Some of them even developed ‘non-American’ habits, like eating spicy, pungent, red-hot foods.
One of them, Victor, became well-known in their circle for biting into green chillies during both lunch and dinner. The story went that on his first visit to Roma’s place, he liked her chilli chicken so much that he took a huge helping and filled his plate to the brim. He was enjoying his chilled beer and chilli chicken when Roma, worried about the impact, cautioned him. Victor went on, unfazed. In fact, after a few beers and a couple of large helpings of chilli chicken for starters, he asked for fresh green chillies with his dinner.
Sammy joked, ‘I’m sure we’ll hear Victor’s cries all the way from the loo in his house tomorrow morning. He will learn first-hand why Indians use water instead of toilet paper. And he’ll probably call in the fire brigade.’
‘Don’t worry, I won’t blame you,’ said Victor.
The cross-cultural socializing meant that Sammy and Roma were invited to many American homes. Apart from the mutual enjoyment on the social front, this helped Sammy professionally, too. They were one of the few Indian couples who did not remain confined to the Asian ghetto. They assimilated well with American culture, even attending church regularly.
On the work front, Sammy was doing great. Then, sheer chance propelled Sammy into an even bigger league. SVT’s overall product head resigned and Hendrick was moved up to look after the entire product portfolio. Knowing Sammy’s expertise and potential well by then, Hendrick appointed him director of healthcare products. He was one of the youngest and the first expat to hold this position. The elevation acted like an elixir on Sammy. Having understood the market quite well, he went all out for business and, over the next few quarters, his division grew exponentially, far eclipsing any performance till then. He often surpassed his own sales target by a wide margin. He approached business development with an assassin’s precision and purpose, and did everything to meet the target. He had also mastered the art of convincing clients.
By this time, the IT industry had become a ‘booking’ industry. Getting a ‘Letter of Intent’ from a client was enough to include that business in the books, irrespective of whether the revenue was realized or not. And for booking a business, sales people went all out. By 1999, SVT’s turnover had increased to nearly half a billion US dollars and Sammy’s division contributed more than 50 per cent of it. His sales incentive moved to six figures and he was earning close to 350,000 US dollars annually.
Around Christmas time in 2000, Sammy and Roma went on another vacation. Roma had long been wanting to go on a sea voyage. Sammy booked a week-long luxury cruise beginning on Christmas Eve. Their suite had a large bedroom, a lobby, and a big lounge. The whole ship was decorated lavishly for Christmas. They partied till late at night, finally went to their room dead tired, and crashed into their ornate double-bed.
They had their morning tea in a private area facing the sea. They occasionally saw tiny islands of vegetation as they cruised along. The rest was just calm water. They were truly in the holiday mood and did not hurry for anything: breakfast, lunch, dinner, or entertainments. They lived lazily, enjoying every bit of hospitality the ship had to offer.
When they were going for a leisurely breakfast one day, Roma started feeling a bit uneasy. Sammy put it down to sea-sickness since this was her first voyage, and tried to divert her attention. Roma didn’t seem to be enjoying the spread before them, barely eating anything. Sammy kept talking to cheer her up, and succeeded to some extent. After breakfast, she wanted to go to the room and rest. Sammy was worried now. He escorted her towards their room. Halfway through, Roma started to feel giddy. Sammy held her close and, feeling her sag against him, almost dragged her along. She looked pale and her eyes were closed. She was also sweating. Some of the cruise staff noticed the situation and raised an alarm to summon a doctor. By this time, Roma had fainted in Sammy’s arms. Sammy lifted her in his arms, an attendant rushed to open the door, and he gently laid her on the bed. When he sprinkled water on her face, and a few drops in her mouth, she gradually opened her eyes, and managed a weak smile. Sammy anxiously asked her how she was feeling. ‘Better,’ she whispered.
In the meantime, one of the doctors on-board had arrived. He introduced himself and sought permission to examine her. He checked her pulse and blood pressure and said, ‘Everything seems fine by the looks of it.’
‘Then why did she faint?’ asked Sammy anxiously.
The doctor continued his examination, taking a little longer this time. He said they might need to do some tests for an exact diagnosis. He tried to lighten Sammy’s obvious anxiety and asked him to give Roma some lemonade and let her rest for a while. On his way out, he said he’d come back for some tests in a while.
When he returned, there was another doctor with him who repeated the examination and then asked Sammy to leave her alone with Roma for a few minutes. Sammy’s anxiety deepened. A little later, when Sammy was allowed to re-enter the room, the atmosphere there was very different. Roma was smiling and rosy-faced when she looked at Sammy. The doctor said with a smile, ‘She’s pregnant. Congratulations to both of you.’
She went on to add several dos and don’ts for Roma—some for Sammy’s ears, to ensure that he got Roma to follow them. While Roma listened with rapt attention and excitement, Sammy was holding himself still with the support of the headrest of the bed. He looked blank and somewhat pale— but mostly, not there.
***
Abraham Samuel was washing his hands after surgery when a nurse rushed in and said, ‘Ma’am is being brought here in an ambulance. She’s in labour.’
Abraham hurried to the reception and called home but there was no response; they had set out for the hospital. Mary was his colleague at the hospital and a dentist. She was pregnant and had just crossed her due date. Being doctors, they did not worry too much about a few days’ delay in labour. They also knew that the position of the baby was breech and Mary would likely need a caesarean section. Abraham was more like a doctor in handling Mary’s pregnancy than a husband, but having a child is not an exact science.
So, in spite of all the prior discussions and plans, Mary panicked a bit when the pains started—
although she did the right thing by calling for an ambulance. The paramedic in the van was trying his best to comfort his ‘Ma’am’ but to no avail. She had asked to talk to Abraham when she called the hospital but he was in the OT at the time. As a doctor, she would have considered this entirely normal. But today she was an expectant mother going into labour. In her panic and pain, half-formed thoughts spun around her mind.
‘He’s not bothered about me. He could have taken a break from OT this week. There are other surgeons in the hospital.’
‘He is so uncaring.’
‘He does not understand that he is not only a doctor, he is the father of the child.’
Half an hour later, the ambulance reached the hospital. Mary’s gynaecologist was ready with her team and they took her straight into the labour room. Abraham walked alongside the stretcher and tried to comfort Mary, but she wasn’t listening. At the door of the labour room, the gynaecologist asked Abraham to wait outside. Mary grabbed his hand and indicated that she wanted him in the room. Abraham was relieved. He knew that Mary would nag him forever afterwards for not being beside her when she was in agony and her conclusion would be, ‘He is always like that. He always does this.’ And that would strain their relationship.
For nearly four hours, the doctor tried various methods to induce normal labour, but in vain. Finally, she decided to operate. While this was expected, Mary behaved as if it was news to her. Abraham held her hand throughout, murmuring words of comfort, but he wasn’t sure if she was even listening. When the gynaecologist said Abraham could come in to the OT, Abraham politely declined. By now, Mary was only half-conscious. An hour later, the cry of a baby signalled the arrival of Paul Samuel, son of Mary and Abraham. Within a few minutes, the door opened and the doctor emerged. ‘Congratulations, it’s a baby boy. You can go in.’
Abraham thanked the doctor and entered the room. The nurse had cleaned the baby and wrapped it in soft, white linen. A feeling of amazement flooded Abraham. The nurse brought the baby to him. He was a bit scared. The baby was so small and delicate that he was afraid to hold it in his arms. After a bit of hesitation, he carefully brought his son close to his chest. Being a doctor, and a rational human being at that, he could not explain the flow of soothing energy between them. Like the sight of water to a thirsty man, a mirage in a desert, moonlight on a dark night, drops of rain on parched land, it seemed to bring Abraham an indescribable relief. He went close to where Mary was lying unconscious under the effect of anaesthesia. He put one hand on Mary’s still head while holding the baby with the other. This time, the energy flowed through all of them.