The Partition of 1947 saw collapse of traditional monarchialrule of Mushtanda dynasty in Heer. Yet, death of traditional imperialism wasgradually followed by birth of new age imperialists of power-elites who beganemerging and dominating all walks of socio-economic-political life of Heer,& by 1990s, they became living realities of Heerian society. The mostdislikable example of the power-elites was represented by corporateimperialists who by their colonisation of thinking & behaviours ofemployees for hefty perks, as against cowries with which slaves in olden timeswere bought for lifetime servitude by their masters, had replaced traditionalimperialism’s control of the “subjects”: who were then hapless-common-masses and now hired-livestock-of-employees.
Against my core wishes of having a different living, in late1990s, the destiny, after the demise of my father, Mian Ji, pushed me to fall,as a manager, in the employment of one such banking company of Heer. It wascalled HBC: Heer Banking Corporation. Initially, HBC was a modest organisationwith humble background but, 1990s globalisation succoured its growth to acquirethe image of an imperialistic corporate entity at the top of which sat an MD.Like Shri Chingroo Singh Mushtanda who had a royal household in the past, theMD of the HBC had a corporate household of darbaris working under him, who,under the corporate nomenclature, were called High-Executives andLow-Executives.
Since I, Shah Ji, was working like a Bihari coolie in abusiness outlet of the HBC, I would hardly get opportunity to have pleasure ofseeing or meeting the MD whose throne was fitted in the ivory tower of thetopmost floor of the corporate headquarters of the HBC. Even though the MDs hadbeen coming & going, as yet, all of them, without bit of difference,carried the monarchic mentality. By dint of resting bump on the corporatethrone, they would inherit, like congenital disease, the traits ofpower-frenzied mad caps & display foolish arrogance of emblematic God’srebel called Nimrod. The HBC abounded with instances of employees’ harassment& victimisation by the MDs, & for their hubristic pride pumped up intotheir heads by hot-chair-power below their bumps had earned each one of them somenickname more in ridicule than in respect.
Mian Ji in the past, as told in earlier narrative, wasinvited for a royal tea by the ex-king of Heer, at his royal palace at Gatkar,I, his son, wasn’t invited by my Bank-king, MD, Bandshah Phingroo for any prize-winning.I was rather once propelled by a situation to call at his corporate darbar.Actually, I was under transfer to a far flung mountainous branch of HBC atBowanje & my health condition didn’t allow me to move to such a far offarea of Heer as Bowanje. So, I drafted& lodged a representation against the transfer order with BandshahPhingroo’s darbar on health grounds. Failing to receive any response to it forsome days, I decided to meet him personally in his palatial chamber atcorporate building. I was asked by a receptionist to sit & wait on a sofain the lounge. The lounge was well decorated with three large sofa sets infront of which were three teapoys holding magazines on their bottom-shelves.The sofas were set in a square shape in the centre of the lounge with paintingson its walls, wood carved & glass etched works on its wall-sides, andelegant hanging lights & ceiling-fitted bulbs. While I was waiting &turning pages of a magazine, the private secretary of Bandshah Phingroo, whowas his close confidante, strolling in the lounge, came near to have a word inmy ear about the corporate manners that I was required to follow while meetingthe Bank-king in his audience chamber. Under the corporate tips, I had to weara smile, albeit artificial, on my face, like a grinning imbecile, & setright my slightly titled neck tie, like a circus clown, before I was taken toBandshah Phingroo’s audience chamber.
As it seemed quite strange to me, I asked the privatesecretary: ” Sir, is everything OK? My face always wears a natural smile on itbut don’t know why you still ask me to re-wear it, like shirt over a shirt…..?”He replied:”Nothing serious Shah Ji. Just yunhi/by the way…..You please waitfor sometime more as Bandshah Phingroo Sir is busy with some guests inside…..”. And then he left.
Without moving eyebrows, I kept my eye on ticking wallclock. For about one hour, no message, no call, came from the Bank-king’ssecretariat but after 1.10 minutes wait, I was conveyed through thereceptionist that MD Sir didn’t have time to hear me that day. Next date ofmeeting was conveyed to me orally through the receptionist & I noted myappointment date with Bank-King was due three days later. I returned asattendees at the palace of Shri Chingroo Singh Mushtanda had been returningafter failing to get the maharaja’s darshan for several days.
For next two days I had to prepare myself for a colonoscopytest. Under my physician’ instructions, I had to fast & take stronglaxatives for the test. On third day, my colonoscopy was done at thephysician’s private hospital. My physician put me on a strict homemade dietaryschedule and lot of medicine & care for couple of months.
The day following the colonoscopy test, I had appointmentwith Bandshah Phingroo at his corporate darbar. I was feeling too weak due tonumber of medical examinations that I had undergone day before. I took allmedical evidence with me to show to him to get my transfer order modified. ButI was carrying a ‘false’ hope that his response to my representation will bereasonable & humane as power-heat had done it all in his brains.
I was made to wait for almost 1 ½ hours in his corporatesecretariat. A well known personal butler of his corporate pantry was moved bymy long waiting for meeting the Bank-king. Doing a favour, he went inside theBank-king’s office-cum-audience chamber & got an oral permission from himto let me in. It had ambience of world class private cabinet of a corporatemonarch. He was red with temper as the butler had pleaded my case favourably,the thing he hadn’t liked at all.
With colourless response to my representation, BandshahPhingroo, like a disgusting egotist, yelled at me: “I can suspend you…., stopyour salary, & will see how your family maintains it then, you move theSupreme Court, then, ….I have power, what have you…..”.
“I’ve nothing but submission,Sir……”, I replied calmly.
“I am MD of ten thousand employees, will take your non-compliance with mytransfer order as insubordination ……you know, God has power, so have somepeople , so have I ……what have you …” he repeated his power antics .
“..Butler….” He pointed to his personal butler sitting nextto me: “Let a chef be provided to Shah Ji who will prepare tasty dishes ofWazwan for him at Bowanje…”.
“Yes Sir…..” , the butler noted a mock-order in his diary.
I knew Bandshah Phingroo was behaving like a corporatetishtish trampling upon my representation with his corporate foot & makingonly fun of my representation, not paying due regard to the grounds of my representation, since his mindwas corrupted by silly power ignorance. I was treated with a corporatemonarchial & flippant attitude by the corporate fool. It wasn’t muchdifferent from what Shri Chingroo Singh Mushtanda had done with my father, MianJi, in the past at his palace.
Then, I spoke out: ” Sir….if it is a question ofinsubordination, I’ll be joining at Bowanje……..God is Lord of the Universe , weall have to return to him…..”, I broke down while narrating these divine words& sought permission to leave from his room. But his words that “God haspower….so have I, resounded in my ears, again & again……” It confirmed mybelief that not always big, infinite, but too small, infinitesimal powers toocan have great potential of turning men Hitler, arch enemy of humanity orNimrod, emblematic God’s rebel. As with my father, after that meeting with thecorporate monarch, there wasn’t left a nugget of desire in my heart of meetingany neo-monarch of the new age, then.
And, while leaving the corporate building, the unknown hushwhispered in my ears: “Shah Ji….Have you forgotten Kharaboo of village Charsi& Mishi of village Phuri, two notorious politicians, of the country Heer ,who had played major role in elevation of Bandshah Phingroo as MD of HBC.
Note: This is a work of fiction only.