Worth Thousand More: A Tale of Experience

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
    The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
    Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
    Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
    The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
    The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
    The best lack all conviction, while the worst
    Are full of passionate intensity.

The Second Coming
(William Butler Yeats)

        This story is about Neha Shrivastav, an innovative English Lecturer, who was not only enthusiastic about her life, but believed in living her life to the fullest, until the crash came that made her aware that world exist in black and white, and beyond that it’s nothing at all.

      As Durga Puja was nearing Neha Shrivastav, the Lecturer, excitedly awaited the fruits of her hard work. Hard work, where she felt she had put in all her heart, body and soul. When she had joined last year as a Lecturer, she was not happy with the prospect of doing marketing for the admission of the students also. She had known the marketing job to be a part of administration, never a part of academics. But, here there was no distinction of being either a Lecturer or Marketing Personnel. It was her dream institution, which she had admired for a long time, and was near her house, but the thought of marketing had unsettled her and made her uncomfortable. But, on her family insistence she had given in. Moreover, she was also promised by the head of the institution, that she would be put in the grade pay the next year. But, it was never in black and white. After joining, she had taken her work up as a challenge, and had contributed in admission procedure with good admission, bearing which the Director of the institution, had generously put many teachers on grade pay, with a handsome arrears which had made her very happy. Having worked hard in admission of students last year as well as this year, with an additional work of handling Summer Course, sending three thousand telephonic messages and making telephonic calls successfully, personally admitting ten students and more since last year, she was sure that the Director of the institution would put her in Grade Pay Scale, with an arrears from the month of April. Moreover, she had not forgotten the promises of her being put in the pay scale, even before she had joined it. She had also decided that whatever she would get beyond ten, she would hand it over to her parents who would be happy with her contribution, which in turn would fill her with happiness. But, other than that she had always enjoyed teaching, and was revered by her students for her teaching style. Even when an extra class was given to her, she had taken it with pleasure, because it made her forget everything. Once in class room, making the most difficult topic of language and literature easy, had been her passion, and that students enjoyed her class while learning, filled her with untold bliss. 

   She could have gone for an MBA degree, as desired by many of her family members. They considered her communication skill to be good, and which could have brought all the luxuries in her life sooner. She instead had found her bliss in being a teacher, and felt all the luxury of learning engrained there. She had heard about Bhaskaram Group of Institution, a reputed engineering college which had Junior college as well. She was romantically so much in love with it that she had wanted to start her career from this institution. But, as there was no vacancy during her early career, she had left her hometown and had worked in Bhubaneswar for six years. Even while working in Bhubaneswar, the awe of the institution had not left her, and she kept recommending students to BGI for engineering. And when after six years, she had got through her dream institution; she and her parents were on seventh cloud. She had heard a lot about the Director, as a great visionary and industrialist. Her respect for him had grown, when she had come to know about his humility and generosity. And, after what he had given to his employees last year, she had started weaving dreams in air. But, she didn’t have the slightest hint that her world of dreams was going to crash soon!

     The blow came just before the Durga Puja, the Fifteenth of September, when she was informed that she would just get a ten per cent increment on a consolidated amount of her pay, with no arrears and no pay scale. The reason being, that she had been in the service of the named institution for just one year. What kind of institution was it, that didn’t count either experience or hard work! What happened to their sweet promises! She felt heart- broken and was unable to understand as to where she had gone wrong. She cried and unable to hold her pain, she went to the Director of the institution, to request her to put in the Pay scale, without any demand for arrears. But, the head of the institution had just one thing to say that the system has changed, and that nothing was in his hand anymore. It really made Neha feel hilarious, to hear such statements. For it’s always in the hands of the Gods of the institution, to change the system according to their own wish. Other loyalists who had completed three years in the so-called-Godly institution were put in pay scale and were happy. But, for Neha it was the end of the line – her experience as a six year Lecturer meant nothing to the institution, neither her hard work. Her only fault being that she he had not been there since the beginning, and thus was worth thousand. While, someone who was her five years junior, would be seven times better paid then her! The only thing she had ever desired was a grade pay, but maybe she was asking more from a boss who was humble, generous but too much in love with his raised fund to part with it.

       In a corrupt country like India where Gas cylinders to vegetables were growing costly, she was in a dilemma how she would be spending her extra thousand. Her parents would be happy with whatever she gave, but she was feeling ashamed on handing over such a meager amount to them, when she was being over confident of getting a good pay with an arrears, since April. She was thinking of the various ways, she would spend that thousand, which though didn’t give her any happiness, would mean a lot who doesn’t have it. Should she donate that thousand to some needy, who would find more than one ways to spend it on its family and should she give up expecting anything good from her life, by ceasing to be an honest person! Sensibility got the best of her, and she handed over that amount to her mother, who knew what would be the best thing to do with the thousand. At least she knew she was worth more than the thousand for her mother.

    Romanticising the educational field turned corporate, was the biggest mistake of Neha’s life and a lesson learned well. The corporates have no feeling, and to carry feeling for corporate world a sign of stupidity. They will be their emotional best, only to get their work done. Wise are those, who never fall for such sweet traps. Money transaction is what they understand, and to have feelings in corporate world insane. Everything should be in black and white, for one never knows when the time starts running against you. She had also learned, never to advertise anything on mere hear say. She felt sympathy for people who worked day in and out, staying apart from their family, their sacrifice being immeasurable. Keeping the priority set though, is better than working hard! Work and give your best, but never at the cost of the time, which is meant to be spent with your family. Be smart and always weigh and observe the way administration work, even though you are not part of it. Priorities come first; never ever give your precious moment of your life which is meant to be yours. Until you are being given the desired importance in written! Expectation of increment should be nil, and what you receive consider it God sent. Corporate worlds don’t work on emotional or sentimentality, its pure business in their mind and soul! Your wit power is your best armor and the way one is treated, depends on oneself. The world is a stage and we are here to play different roles in this life with a purpose, see to it that you play your best. The best, only when the timing is right. Don’t be a thousand worth, but count and imagine yourself to be one in million. This is what Neha had learned from her experience of being thousand worth. A Lesson of lifetime, hard to forget!

Pic Courtesy: Google

Published in Labyrinth Journal, Volume 7 No. 2 - April 2016, ISSN 0976 - 0814