Litmus Tests

(published in an in house magazine)

This is stylized version of a few real life incidents, narrated in the first person.

***

               The ‘tring tring’ sound distracted me from my computer. I was trying to shoot a bug for the past two hours in vain. I took my sight off the monitor and transferred it to the mobile. A cheerful, familiar face smiles at me, with its name, ‘Ravi’, superscribed on the top. At 16:15hrs, it was quite unusual for Ravi to call me. I wondered what would have gone wrong.

Of Leaders & Losers 6. The Valmiki Part II (concluded)

(contd from previous post)

Life cruised on merrily until he bumped into former class-mate of his on one of his regular visits to the station.  ‘Hi, Vishy, are you going somewhere?’ asked Mohan.

‘No, I am here to help someone I know get into the train’, said Vishy.  After the exchange of pleasantries, Vishy learnt that Mohan was appointed as a clerk in the Accounts Department of the Railways, and that he got his ticket confirmed through the Emergency Quota.  Suddenly, Vishy felt odd-indeed, a petty clerk had a right royal way of getting tickets confirmed (i.e., by being a railway employee), while he was dealing in manipulation and earning his livelihood by it! Moreover, jobs in the Railways were permanent, and one could be assured of regular income and lead one’s own life, with no requirement to bribe one’s way through.  The best way to beat bureaucracy was by being a part of it, he felt.  Suddenly, he was overwhelmed by guilt and wanted to get into the railways to be assured of traveling accommodation.

Of Leaders & Losers 6. The Valmiki- Part I

Prologue:

          This is the story of a man who wasn’t a manipulator per se, but sought to ‘adjust’ to the ‘system’, but finally reformed himself.  We know of several people who reformed themselves, but neither do we nor they reflect on such reformation.  This is an amalgamation of umpteen such transitions, accumulated as one as a piece of fiction.

* * * * * * * * *

          Yes, he had understood it, rather proud to have understood.  He’s managed to get the better of system.  How many people have done that?