"Next time rinse your cup, before leaving..." the tea serving house keeping boy said. Sunaina thought she had heard wrong, she asked the tea fellow to repeat. He again repeated the same thing. Immediately Sunaina flared up, her ears became fiery red, knees felt weak, she started shivering with rage. She could not believe that this illiterate fellow had the audacity to actually order her to wash her cup before leaving the cafetaria. She felt like slapping the tea serving boy but knew better. Reacting in such a manner is not a demeanour expected from respectable employees of a reputed organization. She could almost imagine the smirking smile of her colleagues who were sitting in another table at one corner of the cafetaria.
This was not the first instance that this fellow had shown impudence. Employees in the company usually carry a cup of tea to their workstation and the tea serving guy, Rakesh collects the cups from everybody's desk and takes them for washing. Sunaina often would carry her cup back to the washing sink, at one end of the cafetaria. One day, she forgot to take her cup to the sink and this guy too did not bother to collect the cup from her place. The next morning when Sunaina went for a cup of tea, Rakesh ordered "Keep your cup in the sink after having tea". Sunaina felt insulted and surprised too at the fact that although this guy used to collect the cups from everybody's workstation, yet it was only she whom he had ordered to keep the used cup in the kitchen sink. Sunaina was new in the organization and did not react. She kept quiet at Rakesh's insolence. Rakesh was a Tamilian and Sunaina , a bengali girl. Rakesh did not speak much of either english or hindi, the two languages Sunaina was comfortable speaking. Sunaina thought of explaining Rakesh that he should not be talking in such a rude manner with an employee in the organization. But language was the biggest barrier. Alas, Rakesh would understand very little of what Sunaina would say.
Sunaina noticed that this guy especially behaved rudely with her. He was otherwise good to other people. Many girls would call him 'hero' and it made him feel very proud. Sometimes he could be seen standing in front of the mirror placed at one end of the cafetaria and practice various dancing poses. All the girls and the guys in the office would joke with him and were rather fond of him. Most of them considered him to be rather sweet. Rakesh a dark , thin fellow with curly hair and a filmy style considered him no less than any movie hero.
Sunaina could no longer tolerate Rakesh's impudence. Sunaina an introvert, a quiet docile person has a temper like a sleeping volcano. She usually is very patient until things go beyond tolerance level. The sleeping Vesuvius was now gradually melting and molten lava started emerging...Sunaina's mind said "enough is enough...I cannot take it any more". She barged into the administration officer's cubicle and told him everything. He tried to pacify her telling that he would look into the matter and talk to the guy.
The next day Sunaina received a mail from her manager, her manager had been approached by the behavioural team of the company. They had felt that Sunaina had certain behavioral issues, was not getting along well with some people in the company. It seems they had talked to Rakesh and had researched about him. They felt that he was a very polite guy, it was entirely Sunaina's fault. Sunaina being from a privileged background was ill treating this poor fellow. Sunaina was asked to appear for a couple of psychology assessment tests. Suddenly the behavioral assessment team had become very busy, they had found an issue in the organization which had to be sorted out. They often are on the look out for 'guinea pigs' and the moment they get an opportunity they start testing their psychology assessment learnings on that person. The other day when a girl in the office collapsed due to low pressure and was writhing on the floor, one girl in the behavioral team commented that the other girl was having a 'panic attack'. Sunaina appeared for a couple of online tests, the results of which were never revealed to her. The pleasant looking girl in the behavioural team councelled Sunaina on how she could get good behaviour from that tea guy by smiling at him and trying to be friendly with him. Sunaina was upset, she had never misbehaved with anybody, she had never in her life ill treated any person , socially placed at a lower pedestal than her. She always talked politely to her maid, her driver, the watchman and so on and now she was being judged as an arrogant person misbehaving with the tea serving guy in her office. She was unhappy that she was being misjudged but felt that it would be better for her to ignore this incident.
Weeks went by, Rakesh still would talk rudely to Sunaina and she would simply ignore. Sunaina was rather taken aback to see that most people including the pleasant looking girl from the behavioral team, would simply leave their cup in the sink without bothering to rinse it. The rule of rinsing the cup after having tea was solely meant for Sunaina. Sunaina was really bothered now, was something wrong with her?? what made that guy talk rudely to her for no fault of her's. She too started wondering whether it was a behavioural issue as was diagnosed by the behavioural team. However she admonished herself saying that she could have confidence on herself, no body can be a better judge of her character than she herself.
Suddenly one fine morning a devastation occurred. The company decided to lay off several employees and close the operations in that entire office. Every body was crestfallen , scared of the connotation of losing a job and starting a fresh search for a new job. But destiny always has its final call, so Sunaina like many others bid adieu to the organization which had earned her bread for the past 9 months.
A month later, Sunaina visited her old organization for certain leaving formalities and due clearances. When she walked up to the receptionist's desk, she noticed a familiar face, a guy sitting on the stairs, it was none other than Rakesh. Rakesh too had been laid off, just like the others. He was dressed in a navy blue T-shirt and a tattered jeans. The usually cheerful fellow looked crest fallen, the serious demeanour somehow did not suit him. Sunaina could not help but feel sorry for the guy. She walked up to the guy and smiled at him. He was a little taken aback, he had not expected Sunaina to smile at him. Sunaina asked "Kaise ho Rakesh?". He stammered and some how managed to say..."th..thi..thik hoon MADAM". It was now Sunaina's turn to be surprised, Rakesh had never addressed her as madam as long as both were working in the organization. Now when he was no longer a subordinate, he had actually addressed her respectfully. Suddenly Sunaina felt a sort of kindred with this guy, he too had suddenly turned jobless, just like her. Suddenly Sunaina remembered that one of her friends ran a staffing agency and was hiring some people. Sunaina inquired from Rakesh on whether he had managed to get another job, to which he said 'no'. Gradually Rakesh told Sunaina about his family, his ailing mother and school going brothers. He was the sole earning member in the house. Sunaina wrote down her friend's address in a piece of paper and told Rakesh to meet him. Rakesh looked at her gratefully, his eyes reflected many things which he could not express in words. Sunaina felt good , after a long span of time she felt good for doing something selflessly.
This was not the first instance that this fellow had shown impudence. Employees in the company usually carry a cup of tea to their workstation and the tea serving guy, Rakesh collects the cups from everybody's desk and takes them for washing. Sunaina often would carry her cup back to the washing sink, at one end of the cafetaria. One day, she forgot to take her cup to the sink and this guy too did not bother to collect the cup from her place. The next morning when Sunaina went for a cup of tea, Rakesh ordered "Keep your cup in the sink after having tea". Sunaina felt insulted and surprised too at the fact that although this guy used to collect the cups from everybody's workstation, yet it was only she whom he had ordered to keep the used cup in the kitchen sink. Sunaina was new in the organization and did not react. She kept quiet at Rakesh's insolence. Rakesh was a Tamilian and Sunaina , a bengali girl. Rakesh did not speak much of either english or hindi, the two languages Sunaina was comfortable speaking. Sunaina thought of explaining Rakesh that he should not be talking in such a rude manner with an employee in the organization. But language was the biggest barrier. Alas, Rakesh would understand very little of what Sunaina would say.
Sunaina noticed that this guy especially behaved rudely with her. He was otherwise good to other people. Many girls would call him 'hero' and it made him feel very proud. Sometimes he could be seen standing in front of the mirror placed at one end of the cafetaria and practice various dancing poses. All the girls and the guys in the office would joke with him and were rather fond of him. Most of them considered him to be rather sweet. Rakesh a dark , thin fellow with curly hair and a filmy style considered him no less than any movie hero.
Sunaina could no longer tolerate Rakesh's impudence. Sunaina an introvert, a quiet docile person has a temper like a sleeping volcano. She usually is very patient until things go beyond tolerance level. The sleeping Vesuvius was now gradually melting and molten lava started emerging...Sunaina's mind said "enough is enough...I cannot take it any more". She barged into the administration officer's cubicle and told him everything. He tried to pacify her telling that he would look into the matter and talk to the guy.
The next day Sunaina received a mail from her manager, her manager had been approached by the behavioural team of the company. They had felt that Sunaina had certain behavioral issues, was not getting along well with some people in the company. It seems they had talked to Rakesh and had researched about him. They felt that he was a very polite guy, it was entirely Sunaina's fault. Sunaina being from a privileged background was ill treating this poor fellow. Sunaina was asked to appear for a couple of psychology assessment tests. Suddenly the behavioral assessment team had become very busy, they had found an issue in the organization which had to be sorted out. They often are on the look out for 'guinea pigs' and the moment they get an opportunity they start testing their psychology assessment learnings on that person. The other day when a girl in the office collapsed due to low pressure and was writhing on the floor, one girl in the behavioral team commented that the other girl was having a 'panic attack'. Sunaina appeared for a couple of online tests, the results of which were never revealed to her. The pleasant looking girl in the behavioural team councelled Sunaina on how she could get good behaviour from that tea guy by smiling at him and trying to be friendly with him. Sunaina was upset, she had never misbehaved with anybody, she had never in her life ill treated any person , socially placed at a lower pedestal than her. She always talked politely to her maid, her driver, the watchman and so on and now she was being judged as an arrogant person misbehaving with the tea serving guy in her office. She was unhappy that she was being misjudged but felt that it would be better for her to ignore this incident.
Weeks went by, Rakesh still would talk rudely to Sunaina and she would simply ignore. Sunaina was rather taken aback to see that most people including the pleasant looking girl from the behavioral team, would simply leave their cup in the sink without bothering to rinse it. The rule of rinsing the cup after having tea was solely meant for Sunaina. Sunaina was really bothered now, was something wrong with her?? what made that guy talk rudely to her for no fault of her's. She too started wondering whether it was a behavioural issue as was diagnosed by the behavioural team. However she admonished herself saying that she could have confidence on herself, no body can be a better judge of her character than she herself.
Suddenly one fine morning a devastation occurred. The company decided to lay off several employees and close the operations in that entire office. Every body was crestfallen , scared of the connotation of losing a job and starting a fresh search for a new job. But destiny always has its final call, so Sunaina like many others bid adieu to the organization which had earned her bread for the past 9 months.
A month later, Sunaina visited her old organization for certain leaving formalities and due clearances. When she walked up to the receptionist's desk, she noticed a familiar face, a guy sitting on the stairs, it was none other than Rakesh. Rakesh too had been laid off, just like the others. He was dressed in a navy blue T-shirt and a tattered jeans. The usually cheerful fellow looked crest fallen, the serious demeanour somehow did not suit him. Sunaina could not help but feel sorry for the guy. She walked up to the guy and smiled at him. He was a little taken aback, he had not expected Sunaina to smile at him. Sunaina asked "Kaise ho Rakesh?". He stammered and some how managed to say..."th..thi..thik hoon MADAM". It was now Sunaina's turn to be surprised, Rakesh had never addressed her as madam as long as both were working in the organization. Now when he was no longer a subordinate, he had actually addressed her respectfully. Suddenly Sunaina felt a sort of kindred with this guy, he too had suddenly turned jobless, just like her. Suddenly Sunaina remembered that one of her friends ran a staffing agency and was hiring some people. Sunaina inquired from Rakesh on whether he had managed to get another job, to which he said 'no'. Gradually Rakesh told Sunaina about his family, his ailing mother and school going brothers. He was the sole earning member in the house. Sunaina wrote down her friend's address in a piece of paper and told Rakesh to meet him. Rakesh looked at her gratefully, his eyes reflected many things which he could not express in words. Sunaina felt good , after a long span of time she felt good for doing something selflessly.
