GOD USED TO BE A MALLU!!

Jan 3, 2007

I was lazing around in bed. I glanced at my watch. It was only 9am. Too early for me to get out of this slumber. That too on a cold winter morning! No way. Delhi winters for a second year B-School student post the placement week are meant to catch up on the lost sleep. Sunlight was peeping through the torn sheets of newspaper which I had pasted on the windows as a substitute to curtains. I had been trained to think like a manager in the last year and a half. What should I ideally be doing to solve this crisis? Whether I should go for a long term fix or a short term patch up? What will be the ROI in both these cases? Which one will be more feasible? Damn, I cursed the sun and pulled up the blanket over my face. That confirmed I had transformed into a manager! I don’t remember when I slipped back into the divine state of sleep. When I got back to senses, it was 12 in the afternoon. I had a lecture to catch at 12:30. Rather than heading straight to the bathroom in a state of urgency which would have been the case one year ago, I rummaged through my bag to look for my diary. I flipped the pages till I arrived at the one wherein I had made a note of the classes I had missed. My eyes were searching for “IED(Innovation and entrepreneurship development)” which was scheduled at 12:30. I rebuked myself, “Gosh! I have committed a cardinal sin. How could I do this?? The professor has missed me just once till date. How can I take all his attention when other mortals need an equal share? I would miss today’s lecture for you, my friends. Just for you”. After saying these comforting words to myself, I slumped back into my bed.

It was 4 when I woke up for the 3rd time in the day. I put on my favorite jeans dismissing its frantic pleas to get itself a wash. I had been trained to behave like a manager wherein my topmost priority should be getting the maximum mileage from my team. And at 3 months without a wash, this jeans of mine was nowhere close to getting an appraisal. I walked down to Panditji’s Dhaba and ordered a parantha and a cold drink to wash it down my foodpipe. It didn’t matter whether i was broke or without any credit cards to boast off. It only mattered that I had an “Account” at Panditji which would take care of my 2 years at the School of Management. Come what may, I would never die of hunger here. But unlike credit cards, your credit limit goes on decreasing with passing time here. I could not order one of the expensive dishes on the menu because my account had grown from a small baby to a monster, and like other carnivores, the mother “Panditji” had stopped taking care of its babies. They had been on their own. The next moment Mithun arrived and ordered a plate of Chilli Chicken. The very mention of the dish reminded me that it had been long time that I had not caught up with Mithun. I sat besides him and started discussing the surging economy and the exciting sectors to watch out for in the next decade. This discussion then moved towards india’s political scenario and social issues, with Chilli chicken serving the perfect add on. My points started drying up as soon as the last piece went down my food pipe. Mithun paid for the dish and we bade goodbyes. I came back to my hostel room and headed straight for the bed. It was 6 and there was still time for the 9.30 pm movie that we had planned to catch up on. I slumped back into my bed. Life was so under control. I was so carefree. I felt so light. I could feel my wings. I felt I was nothing less than a God. GOD WAS A MALLU THEN!!

Jan 3, 2008

I was lazing around in bed. I glanced at my watch. It was only 9am. Shit!! 9 am……I cursed myself. I had a meeting with the marketing HOD’s at 9.30 sharp. How on earth could I have missed the alarm I set at 8. I checked my diary. I had attended the last two meetings. I was required to present my verticals plans for the upcoming event next month. If I would slump down in my bed this moment, I will be a roasted chicken by tomorrow. I rushed as if the world were to end just to make it in time. I was panting even after gulping a glass of water and settling down. I got free from the meeting at 2 pm. I was damn hungry. Canteen was swarming with employees. I filled my plate and took a seat besides Amit. We discussed the surging economy and the exciting sectors to watch out for in the next decade. The discussion moved towards india’s political scenario and social issues and then towards the dipping sensex. There was no Mithun nor his plate of Chilli Chicken to serve as an add on. Neither was there any need for me to grab anything from Amit’s plate because of the abundance. I reached my cubicle after the lunch only to find a letter placed near my desktop. It was from my credit card company mentioning that they were offering me a platinum card instead of the gold one I used at present with a higher credit limit. I pushed the letter aside and got back to work. The next time I glanced at my watch, it was 7 in the night. I packed up for the day and headed for home. I cancelled the movie plan I had with my colleagues at 9.30 pm because i was too tired to make it. I had a simple dinner at my flat and retired to bed. I did set my alarm at 8 am before dozing off. There was a conference call scheduled the next day at 9.30 am. I feel like a mortal nowadays. GOD USED TO BE A MALLU!!