Even
today my day started when others had already been done with their half days
work. Winding up with my daily chores I started my march towards the office. No
meetings lined up and no other tasks pending only meant that my stroll to the
office would take much more than usual. I even managed to stop by at the ‘Chai
tapri’ for a cup (or should I say half) of hot tea. I always had a complain for
the tea vendor, for he never used to fill the cup and all it too was a sip for
me to gulp down the contents into my stomach. The Rs.2/- that he was charging
for it, didn’t made any sense to pursue my case. Like any other day I slipped a
Rs.10/- note for which he replied with “chutta de do sa’ab”. This had become an
institutionalised trick for shoving a few candies down my throat. So here was I
richer with half a dozen ‘chloro-mint’ back onto the path that led me to my
office.
Reaching
the office reception lobby, it was a scene quiet different than rest of the
days. It was much crowded than otherwise. We used to experience such
pandemonium during the walk-in drives for freshers, but surely with recruitment
had dried up for long and those good old days were just a part of memory.
Last time
I had seen it was such crowded when there was a recruitment drive at our
office. Graduates, mostly freshers used to throng our premises by the dozens.
We too enjoyed those drives as it used to be a god sent opportunity for some
bird-watching. We never let go such opportunity when in we take our pick
amongst the many pretty faces. The anxiety or shall I say the nervousness used
to make look even more splendid, or did it? At times, we tried to be the big
brother giving them so called valuable insight in the recruitment procedure of
out company. All the hopefuls, girls included used to surround us. Guess that
was the only time I had girls around me.
But gone
were those good old days. Since the recessionary bug had bitten most of us, our
company had virtually put a freeze on the recruitments. Only the commitments
through campus placements were honoured and there had been no intakes beyond
that.
But today
was definitely different. For a moment I thought it was a recruitment drive for
they had the anxiety on their faces, but it wasn’t the usual nervousness that
we saw generally. Besides a more inquisitive glance and I saw a familiar faces.
Not that I knew them by their names, but I had definitely seen them earlier.
A few
pings to my brain cells and I had the eureka moment. These were the freshers
who had joined just a few weeks back. They were the campus recruits who were
undergoing training at our learning centres. I had seen them in the cafeteria
and thats how I could recollect a few faces.
Offlate
we used to time our lunch so as to clash with their schedule. This was how we
would get the glimpse of few pretty faces in the office. For in a mundane day,
this used to be the only glowing beam of sunlight. But this programme soon got
routine and we lost the interest in all the girls but one.
Resha,
was definitely the prettiest face in our campus. Not very tall but one who
would still stand out. She had very
angelic looks and she ensured her make-up enhanced it.
“Lagtaa
hai puraa powder ka dabba khaali kiya hai” Shakti had once commented on her.
Shakti
wasn’t among the one who would pass an comment on anyone but her overdose of
make-up was simply a bit too much for him to take down his throat.
Those big
eyes, with the eye-liner making them look even more bigger. Those flashy
eye-lashes. Those blonde streaks over her burgundy “coloured” hair. The
straightened hair flowing over her shoulders but adequately revealing her long
earings. To add to all this the impeccable dressing sense, made one feal she is
here for some fashion show.
She was
definitely a head turner. For the beauty starved guys and equally so for the
critical female folks who just could not hold back their evil and jealous
stares. But Conscience of these stares that she was, she ensured she enjoyed
every second of hogging the limelight. Always moving with a bunch of sidekicks,
she made us look like a political leader moving around with his bunch of
toadies.
I
gathered my thoughts back as I un-consciensely tried to locate her amongst the
crowd. Disappointed that I could not get her glimpse I moved towards the lift
door. The panel indicated that the lift had was ascending and I shall have to
wait for quiet some while before I could avail it.
Waiting
at the doors of lift, I repeatedly pressed the button on the panel to summon
the same. But I knew the lift wasn’t in any hurry to airlift me to my
destination and the button was just a placebo.
As I
waited there I had a feeling of missing something. I don’t know why but I had
forgotten something and it was bothering me.
“What is
it?” I said to myself just as it struck my mind.
Among all
this hoi polloi I had missed staring at Stacy. I had moved quiet far from her
desk but I knew even for this far her looks definitely deserved a few steps
backwards. However I resisted myself the temptation of taking the walk back
risking of making my stare pretty much obviously.
While
“How can
do this to us? We haven’t been given adequate oppurtunities too?” these words
fell on my ears from the crowd.
“You bet.
Guess they were to chop somebody. And who better than us freshers?” countered
somebody else.
This
words suddenly rang a bell in my head, and I quiet strongly suspected that
these people were shown the door.
A chill
went down my spine. Our company had resorted to large scale of employee
retrenchment. The management had virtually goten rid of the huge new-joinees
with a concept of virtual pool. The same people whom they had recruited a year
back sensing tremendous business growth and luring them with exorbitant pay
package were be asked to stay at home. All the hopes that they had build up in
them with the appointment letter with 6 figured salary and incentives had been
shattered with a single mail from the chief HR officer.
I had
seen a few faces in tears when they had seen they short lived career dream come
crashing down. I cursed the management because I had high hopes of luring one
of those pretty faces at least this year. I have been trying to hook someone
with arrival of each new batch, but needless to say had single till date.
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