The Road Less Traveled..

Driving home from the airport, Rahul was angry with himself for having given into his friend's emotional blackmail to attend his wedding. More so when the friend hadn't spoken to him in the last four years. But he always had difficultly saying "No". He made a mental note to himself that the first word I am going to teach my kid is "NO".

It was a long drive home with the airport about 40 kilometers from his residence. The road was empty with no signs of trafffic. People preferred the newly laid outer ring road but this was the shortest path to his house. In the distance he could see mirages of swirling water. It was incredibly hot for an April afternoon. He wondered how much worse was it going to be in May. His eyes suddenly rested on someone with a parked bike waving for a lift. Being a skeptic, Rahul didn't want to be the good samaritan who gets robbed in No Man's land. But for some strange reason he decided to stop and offer the person a lift. He stopped the car next to the person and drew down the windows. He was surprised to see that the person asking for a lift was a girl wearing a cap. It made him all the more suspicious but having stopped his car he had no choice but to let her in.

She profusely thanked him for it was not normal to offer a lift to stranger these days. Rahul would nod and say a few words but never paid any attention to what she was saying for he was lost in his own world imagining the worst possible things that could happen to him. He decided to play it cool and not show his emotions. The girl introduced herself as Meghana and that she worked as a HR professional in a consulting firm. He wasn't entirely convinced but kept his doubts to himself.

She explained to him how she had ended being on this road at this time of the day all alone on a bike. He would nod in silent agreement not that he cared about the story. Suddenly the girl put her hand into the purse she was carrying and drew something out. Rahul was scared for his life. Is she going to draw out a pistol? Am I going to be robbed point blank? But thankfully she just took her cellphone out. This relieved him greatly. May be it was not such a bad idea to help someone in trouble. They had just reached the outskirts of the city when she asked Rahul to stop the car for her home was close by. He could see some apartments in the distance.

Getting down from the car, she handed him her visiting card and invited him for a cup of coffee. Was she giving him her phone number ? He could read something beyond friendliness in her tone. He felt happy and proud at the same time that some girl other than his wife could be interested in him. All through his life he had  dreamed that he would fall in love and would have a great story to tell his kids but since that didn't happen he took the traditional route and let his parents find a bride for him. Otherwise he was pretty sure he would never have found the courage to ask a girl out.All these thoughts made him blush but he came back to reality and realized that this was an offer he would have to let go. He replied "Some other time.." and left the place lest he should be tempted to take up the offer.

He looked back one last time as she waved to him. Once he had moved out of sight, Meghna dialled a number and said - " He's clean". The woman on the other end replied "Thank you" and replaced the hand set. She picked up her mobile and dialed Rahul.....

Tale of a Paper Plane


It was a day of the week that Rohan wasn't reluctant to get out of bed. Unlike other days no one was after him to go to school. That was all the more reason he felt like getting up early and more over he could play cricket with his friends till 9 AM. Rohan's mom was also relaxed on sundays and gave him that extra bit of freedom to do things he liked and the way he liked them be it playing with friends, watching an evening movie or refusing to drink milk. He got away with almost everything. Perhaps being a working mom took its toll on her and she needed a break for herself.

This sunday was no different. After a decent knock of 14 runs which was just 2 runs short of his highest score he was pleased with his performance. He came back home, brushed his teeth and gobbled nine vadas - the same number as his age. He checked time. It was 9:45 AM - only 15 mins for the start of "Captain Vyom" on TV. Captain Vyom was a inter-galactic hero fighting crime across alien planets and enforcing justice. Rohan especially liked the Laser guns which sounded almost like the gun his uncle had gifted him for his last birthday. In excitement, he would start shooting alongside Vyom on TV.  They spared nothing that came in their way. But first things first. He rushed into the bathroom, took a bath for namesake and came out drenched in water and put on the TV. But sadly the TV didn't switch on. He looked around and realized that it was a power cut. He immediately ran to his dad to check when power would be restored. Sadly, there was some maintenance work in progress and power was off for the next two hours.

His sunday was being ruined by electricity. After running back and forth around the house, he decided to make the new paper plane that he learnt at school. This plane almost looked realistic and glided really smooth. The trick was in the tail. You had to get the length of the tail right for it to fly smoothly. After successfully making the plane and testing it to see if it was up to his expectations he headed out into the veranda to fly the plane. They stayed on the top floor of a 5 storey building. He was playing with the paper plane until a gentle breeze blew the plane just beyond the wall. He rushed to see where it had fallen. But then it had clung to the telephone wire coming out of the house. Too lazy to make another one, he decided to see if he can't reach the plane by stretching across the wall. The fact that this wall was 5 floors above the ground didn't make a difference to him. His finger tips were able to reach the plane but still it eluded him. He tried to bend over the wall a little and see if he can reach it. This time he could almost get two fingers to it but still couldn't grip it. All this while, his mom was cooking chicken in the kitchen and dad was busy glancing through the newspaper for the nth time

He grew confident about retrieving it back and stretched a little further down until more than half his body was on the other side of the wall. In a momentary shock he lost balance and slipped over the wall. All he could feel was the slight breeze blowing across and a sudden feeling of weightlessness. He realized in that second that he was falling through the air and was about the crash hard on the ground. His mind went blank for a moment.

He was about to shriek when he realized that the fall had been arrested by him crashing into his own bed. It took him a minute to realize what had happened. He had been dreaming all this while. It all looked so realistic to him. In fact he could still recollect the feeling of falling through air. He was drenched in sweat in his own bed. He slowly rubbed his eyes got up and felt happy that it was just a bad dream and still had his sunday to look forward to. He cheerfully got out of bed and started padding up for his cricket match.

A Rose..


Stranded at a traffic signal near Andheri, I checked my watch and the signal alternately. I was in a taxi on my way to the Andheri sports complex. Traffic is at its peak this time of the day. There seemed to be vehicles lined up for about twenty meters. I told myself if not this time, I will get my turn during the next signal. Traffic signals act as market place for quite a few hawkers in Mumbai. People sell all kinds of things at traffic signals ranging from dust clothes to idols of gods. It is also a good hunting ground for all the beggars in the city. A frustrated man is bound to throw a coin in your direction just to get rid of you rather than out of sympathy for your plight. And Yes the beggars know it too.

Peering through the glass was a kid carrying roses in his hand. He kept knocking on the window persistently until I drew the glasses down. He kept saying to me - " Gulab hai bhai..lelo... kisi ko bhi dedo bhai..Fresh maal hai.. ". I tried to shrug him off saying - " Nahi bahi..mujhe nahi lena"

He persisted - " Kam se kam Ek lelo bhai. Bus 2 rupaiyaa hai"

In exasperation, I blurted out - "Lelete..lekin Dene keliye koyi nahi hai"

For a second, the taxi driver looked back at me and a smile spread across his lips. The kid grinned sheepishly. We all smiled at each other and the kid left. He realized that this was a sale he was not going to make but didn't seem to mind it. It is not often that someone offers him such a convincing reason not to buy.

The Banker Chronicles


It was Monday morning. Steve sat on the bean bag with eyes closed. He was lost in his own thoughts. How did it all come to be this? Where did it all go wrong? Faced with one of the toughest decisions of his five year career, Steve couldn't see light at the end of the Tunnel. He felt a splitting headache. He was exhausted more than anything else. All he wanted to do was curl up in his bed and sleep. But sleep had eluded him for the past 48 hours. He struggled to keep his thoughts focused on how to wriggle his way out of the mess he found himself in.

Three Weeks Back...

He had just closed a tough deal worth USD 50 million which was going to earn handsome profits for the company in the next 3 years. Things had been pretty tough. He not only had to convince the client about the transaction structure but also work with the Bank's legal and compliance departments to get their sign-off on the deal. His manager had long given up hope. His peers joked about the mirage he was chasing . But steve wasn't one who would give up easily. He had convincingly demonstrated to the internal stakeholders how he was managing all the risks to the bank while at the same time keeping the client happy in spite of the delay. For a change, the client was patient - the last thing you could hope for in a Bank. Finally at the end of a month's efforts he was able to crack the deal.

A huge party followed the night money was disbursed to the client. They were pioneers in the country so far as this transaction was concerned. For a Bank which was a mid sized player, this was a huge achievement. Steve stayed on till about 2 PM with friends and left for home in a taxi.

He was up early the next morning and reached office by about 9 AM. While he walked towards his desk on the third floor of the building, he received congratulations from all around -some familiar faces and some not so familiar. This was not his first success at the Bank. Ever since he joined the firm he stood out for his ability to get things done. He also enjoyed good visibility at the top rungs of leadership. He opened his mail box and was happy to see an invitation from Rafael - Director of the Debt desk to meet him in his corner office for lunch. This was the meeting he had been waiting for. He had been expecting a promotion and felt that the director would convey the good news today. His heart was filled with joy as he entered the director's office for lunch.

He had met the director only a few times before during company parties. But steve felt this was the beginning of a new chapter in his career. He shook hands with the boss man and sat opposite to him on the table. Rafael was a man of few words but was well-known for his shrewd mind and business acumen. He was believed to be the driving engine of the bank's growth.

Rafael spoke first - "Steve, I am a man who shoots straight from the heart. We have been watching you for the past few years and you haven't disappointed us. In more ways than one you have always performed beyond our expectations.But there comes a time when we have to decide if an employee is ready for the next big step and I am not being metaphorical here.."

Steve's heart started beating faster. The director's calm voice seems to create a soothing feeling on his mind. At that moment, if he said he could be happier in life, he would probably be lying. Finally the end was in sight.

Rafael continued - " Now before we shoulder you with the big responsibility, we want you to handle one more important responsibility. The knack with which you were able to close the Bernstein transaction leaves me with no doubt that this should be a cake walk for you. Get in touch with Robert and be assured you are on your way to be a future leader of this bank"

Coming from someone like Rafael, this was a huge compliment. Steve knew that Rafael wouldn't hand him something if he did not believe in his capabilities. He immediately spoke to Robert and asked him to forward all emails pertaining to the transaction.

The first week was spent following up with different stakeholders trying to understand the transaction. All the while steve could almost feel an undercurrent from whoever he interacted with.  There was a sense of anxiety which people went great lengths not to show. Key people who had worked on this transaction had already moved onto different banks. Most of the knowledge he could gather was from different email dumps he received from Robert who himself did not know much about the transaction.

Two weeks into the Task...

Finding it difficult to make progress on the transaction, he got in touch with Arnold who was the VP who was instrumental in executing this transaction. Arnold had recently joined an investment bank in CBD (Central Business District). He was initially reluctant to meet but steve's powers of persuasion prevailed over him. They met in the chinese restaurant along the bay. When steve questioned him about the transaction, Arnold was mostly evasive in his replies. It seemed that he was not comfortable discussing anything related to the deal. But inadvertently, Arnold let out that the deal was mired in some legal tangle. This heightened steve's fears.

Steve went back and looked through all the documentation to see if the legal team had indeed approved of the transaction.His follow ups did not yield any positive new. Meanwhile he received a email from the internal audit team informing him that the central bank would like to audit the deal. Steve started putting the pieces together. One leg of the transaction which was a Letter of credit was funded by the client but never executed. The fee collected simply could not be traced. He did a quick check on similar transactions and all of them eerily followed the same pattern. The money was siphoned off. It was just not about the money. Any leak of this to the press and He could almost see the next day's headlines - "Bank dupes customer - Financial scandal of the decade". The regulator would immediately get into action and could lead to severe penalties or even cancelling of the Bank's licence.

The Final Nail in the Coffin..


Steve knew he had to act and act fast. He tried explaining things to his manager but he didn't seem to pay much attention. He was deliberately ignoring him. All his efforts to reach Rafael failed. He had gone on a vacation to Tahiti Islands and couldn't be reached for the next one month. He reached out to the company's Legal Head - Bob. Bob had been a bank's veteran. Aged closed to 55 he always joked about setting up a restaurant once he retired. But it was difficult to get an appointment from him. His previous interactions with Bob had helped him gain his trust. He rang Bob - " Bob there is a transaction that I need to urgently discuss with you and I need at least an hour..".

Bob was surprised. He wouldn't even grant the company's CEO an interview for one hour and this young kid was asking him for a hour. After a moment's pause he said - " Look kid..I would really like to help you but don't think i can meet you this week..". Steve knew he had to make an impact on Bob. He said - " Bob my only job for today is to talk to you. I want to discuss in particular about a transaction where some legal sign offs are missing!!"

There was silence at the other end. He knew he had made the right noise. Bob said - " 3 PM kid and you have half an hour". Steve met Bob at the appointed hour and took him through the transaction details. Bob listened patiently and finally said - " In sharing these details you have brought up a very serious issue but you also need to understand that there is a larger responsibility that you owe to the bank. You need to become a whistleblower.."

Ah.. how steve wished that Bob hadn't said that. He was hoping Bob would take the lead and ensure that everything was set right. But it wasn't to be. Being a whistle-blower was something that wasn't an easy thing to do in the world of finance. Word always leaked out on the employee who went against the system. The inquiry that follows is a long drawn process and usually the bank covers up its mistakes and victimizes the whistleblower. Only occasionally does the real culprit get punished. But for the whistleblower it was a slow death to his career.

Time to bite the bullet...


The conversation with Bob had shook him off completely. He decided to take the rest of the day off feigning illness. It was a friday and that offered him two days to make up his mind. Did he wish to be a hero and put his career on line? How he wished if he could turn it all back and wish he was never a part of this. His best instincts told him not to go ahead with this. He could always go on an unplanned vacation and come back after things were sorted out. But his morality didn't agree to that. He was caught between the rock and a hard place. For the next 48 hours, he kept thinking if there was a middle way where he need not be the martyr and yet save the bank.

Answers eluded him. Finally his conscience won over his ambition. He met Bob Monday morning and told him he was ready to do the right thing.

Epilogue:

Today marks Ten years to the incident.  Steve is 42 years old. He no longer works in finance. The long drawn inquiry did not punish the guilty but it took corrective measures to protect the bank's interests. Steve moved out of the bank in disgust but he had already been branded a traitor. Word spreads quickly in banking circles and he became notorious as a trouble maker. Finding it tough to find a footing in the banking industry, he slowly moved onto smaller jobs in other sectors.

Now he works as a Purchasing manager for a mid sized conglomerate. His career hadn't exactly rocketed as he had hoped for but his clear conscience ensures that he stays happy. In the end isn't that what really matters!!