Oops Subbu

Oops Subbu Iyer: Oops (Object Oriented Programming) was the first company I joined after my return from Bahrain and a hopelessly compromised one. From over 50 K salary there, I worked for a fifth of it here. I only saw the job as a makeshift and never let go of any opportunity to seek fortunes elsewhere.

Subbu Iyer looked hopelessly young; though he was 30 he looked a decade younger. A tall, lanky physique, and a man who made his mark in USA. He would sport a long beard like a Swamiji and a ponytail a month and the next would be clean-shaven minus that beard and a short haircut. He looked handsome too; fair Brahmin complexion, glittering eyes and a taut face. Anything to do with a computer the man was a genius. He had a technical collaboration with IIT, Madras on video-conferencing products to operate at low speed bandwidths for multi-conferencing. He was so good in programming that he would hold a class to the technicians at IIT. That gave him a larger than life profile and an ardent fan following. He could walk into the Dean’s cabin and haul him up; such was his expertise and also forceful personality.  

Subbu could be alternately friendly or too officious almost like a switch of a bulb. Though you could place your arm on his shoulder or argue on any subject under the skin, you will never know when he would turn cold and start to issue instructions. Within a month I had figured out that he was intensely distrustful fellow and his façade of friendliness were passing clouds.

My interest in Subbu was primarily because he resided in Besantnagar and I would ogle for a lift back home in his Ford Ikon. Once I asked,” Subbu, how many people stay with you in the house?” a roundabout way for querying on his marital status. Prompt came the reply,” Three. I, Me, and Myself”. He was just as lonely as me!!! His mother was dead after estrangement with the dad and brother. He never kept in contact with them holding some deep-held grouse.  

Subbu had friends in various professions; on one of the popular anchor’s suggestion he even hosted a programme on Star Vijay channel. What I remember with warmth even today were our sessions on a lunch table on the terrace under an asbestos sheet for protection against the elements. Rajendran was another long time friend of Subbu and he came to work more as a friend than an employee. He worked without compensation and that meant that he could not be bossed around. Then there was Ravikant and another longtime companion. At lunch all the four of us would gather under the asbestos sheet and I had the time of my life as we bantered no-holds barred. It was during this time the “Madhulika” story erupted and what a fun we had dissecting it as the story unfolded.  

Subbu’s technical expertise in the product we were developing was perhaps second to none in the world. He had that look of a master who could solve any issue with a mere tapping of computer keys. But when it came to woman he was weak. Rumour had it that he had a long affair in USA and she was married elsewhere. That passion still lingered each time she visited the country. In addition there was an attractive woman in office and he seemed to have explored her in the office. Subbu talked about scriptures and philosophies but they had not impacted him. A true genius but as a human being he still has a long way.

Verdict: Rajas

Lesson to be learnt: These people are extremely whimsical but they have their own utility. Be friendly but from a distance.   

Adline Ravikant

Adline Ravikant:  I worked with Ravikant for a story time in 2002 and each of his antics is still etched on the mind. He is a walking disaster and a very definition of a jerk. Owner of a small regional agency that released dealer panel advertisements for major brands or those erratic appointment advertisements, Ravikant is rich beyond his competence. Adline Advertising is one of the oldest agencies in the city and started by his father. That could not compete with even later entrants like R K Swamy or even Fountainhead can be wholly ascribed to the sons’ ineptness.

Ravikant was stocky built, fair Brahmin complexion, standing little over 6 feet, sturdy, and a pronounced nose. His mouth was his biggest handicap; prone to shout over trivials and hyperactive as to be ridiculous. He was so distrustful of his employees that he would ask them to call from the client’s landline to verify whether they had in fact gone there. Ravikant’s failing was that he was so petty that he tried to squeeze every advantage but always losing the bigger picture.

A man obsessed with pennies can never get the pounds.  

Ravikant was a practicing Brahmin and which meant that he did his monthly “tharpanams” and on those days he would be pompously late. I can recall one incident when he drove us – Peter, another executive and me- in his Esteem for a client meeting. As a time-filler, he said,” I know the Mahesh of Royapettah Chit Fund and how he swindled crores of rupees from gullible public. He declared bankruptcy and yet moves around in his Mercedes and still residing in his posh bungalow in Chamiers Road”. Peter would whisper into my ear,” He is envious and if he had a similar opportunity would even be a bigger crook. All these Brahmin bastards are such criminals”. Bang-on for the observation of Ravikant and on the community, I have not yet given up hope.  

I had to accompany him on a train to Mumbai for a client meeting and I made no pretense of any servitude by seating at least 4 cabins away. On return, we were took a midnight Air India flight – those are the cheapest, by the way – and here too I sat on the other end of the craft and on disembarking ran as fast to the auto stand as possible and avoid his attention. Ravikant generates that kind of cussedness with this miserly ways. Even on the midnight haul, he ordered for a dinner when almost everyone was content with a Frooti.  

His hyperactivity meant he would be running here and there for no apparent reason or fiddling the car-belt when seated or ask for some inconsequential file. The moment he comes to the cabin like a whirlwind, the very air would get animated. Ravikant to his credit slugged very hard into the nights but just did not seem to grab the business opportunities. Adline was empanelled to public sector companies – Indian Railway, or ONGC, or LIC- and those businesses came with a lot of greasing and lobby. For once he was perspicuous,” I go to an official’s home and from the look of it know whether he is corruptible or not. Even from the furniture or flooring or even curtains, the corrupt man leaves his mark”.  

The unfortunate thing about this joker was that even the family too had given up on him; never took us seriously as he rattled away. His younger brother Mr.Chandramouli looked after the Mumbai branch and unlike the Chaplainesque brother was savvy in his dealings; his censures were one-liners and even Ravikant had to listen. I chanced upon him after 7 years at Thiruvanmiyur temple and we were so close that for any evasive action. I offered my hand and said,” Hello, do you remember me?” Ravikant said without warmth,” Who can forget you?” I ruminated as to what he could have become had he only been a little normal.

Verdict: Tamas

Lesson to be learnt: Keep peace with such characters even when there is a tendency to ridicule.  

Anitha Laxman

Anitha: I used to a see a tall, healthy woman walk in Theosophical Society gardens in 1998. I had a huge circle of friends and we talked in a bunch giving free reins to our mouths. I would spot this woman in tracks cross in the opposite directions; we were close to finishing our walk and this lady just about to begin hers.

I worked for a small web development company and our main client was Citibank. Being the front-end of the account, I would frequently visit the plush offices of Citi on Shakti Tower. Those buggers at the bank would make me wait for hours on appointments. Waiting interminably in the sofas were so dispiriting and I saw this ‘TS” walker running around the premis es. We possibly must have locked eyes but I have no energy for fresh people.

I was a regular to the weekend lectures of Swami Paramarthananda and I would once again run into this figure. Still no acknowledgement or introduction! The woman was tall at over 5’ 8”, fair, hair like a cascade to shoulder length, pointed nose, and an almost typical Indian look. She was more than pedestrian in looks and if you watched the same face every day – like I did in TS- then that face began to grow on you.  

I introduced myself the first time at Vidyamandir; the lecture had gotten over and the people rushed out of a iron gate. I almost ran to arrest her stride and made a direct plea,” I have seen you in TS and Citibank. I believe you have referral system and I would be extremely grateful if you can get the contact details of people in HR”. She was gracious while introducing herself,” I am Anitha and I am a product manager at Citi. This is my visiting card and send your resume to this mail id. I’ll see what I can do”.   

After this short intro, each time we bumped into at TS, or at Citibank waiting ward or at Vidyamandir, we exchanged a brief hello or a stifled smile or just nodded to acknowledge cognition. We did not recognize each other for the first 6 months and now we spoke at every opportunity. Her mails were exhaustive and slowly she getting into my system.

Anitha was younger to me by 5 years, a BITS Pilani graduate and an MBA from IIM, Ahmedabad. She drove Esteem (in 1999!!!) and resided in palatial bungalow on Vth Avenue (I stay in VIIth!!!) and I was falling in love. She once narrated as to how she and her mother struggled – she was a lone child – after her father sudden demise. She studied on scholarships and I felt deeply affected. Now she was in a job that took her to Europe and Far East almost every month. Anitha was also a trained Hindustani singer and all these added up to an angel image in my mind. But I checked any further impulse: the gulf between us was unbridgeable. She is a high-powered executive shuffling between airports while I was a lowly job seeker.  

But I was sad; she was the first person I really wished to marry, an option I denied after the heart surgery and job losses. I mourned my own incompetence and wretched fortune. Each time I looked at Anitha a wave of envy would stab me; hers was exactly the kind of career I would have wished on myself.  

Anitha settled in USA and there has been no contact in years. Though they were whispers of her wild orgies at Fisherman Cove and those did not add to the “divine” image in my head. But I doubt the veracity of those; any person who heard Swamiji’s lectures, or walked in TS must be intrinsically decent.

Verdict: Rajas

Lesson to be learnt: If those whispers are true then I must learn not to generalize. I made a similar error with PW where Ph.D and social scientist just did not add up.     

Krishna Kant

Krishna Kant: If Durai Babu was the branch manager of Hakkudu Percept, Krishna Kant was thrust on me and an unwelcome intruder. Percept won the Airtel account for pre-paid cards and the account was huge in terms of billings and a pan-Indian operations. Suddenly Percept with presence in just Delhi and Mumbai were forced to open branches in Bangalore, Madras, Bhopal, Kochi, and just about almost everywhere. I was appointed to do the Madras chores while Krishna Kant was entrusted to manage Kochi; he was working in an agency in Bangalore prior to this and maybe, this gave him an opportunity to go homeward.

Krishna Kant is tall and Dravidian in complexion, his mustache could be seen from miles so thick and so dark, the face was rather square and he had a build of a buffalo. He spoke with the speed of a sub-urban train; reaching peak very quickly and ready to apply abrupt brakes. That staccato speech can be testy to the ears. KK was born-again Mallu and he knew how to promote himself even without subtlety.

Airtel was to have opened their Kochi branch but that did not happen and by which time, Percept had gone ahead and chosen their man. This meant that there was no work for him and he was bundled to Madras to lend a helping hand to me. I was gracious to take him through all the strategy documents and taking him to client meetings never suspecting anything sinister. This man soon got up-to-speed on my activities and then completely took over. He would rush to brief creative even before I could gather my thoughts and even talk to the clients on clarifications. Even the client was genuinely perplexed as to who was the contact person.

It soon transpired that the Kochi branch was not happening for the next 12 months and two senior persons in Madras were too heavy an expense. The way KK manipulated to ensure that he stayed at my cost was politics of a kind I had never experienced; he started relay my every minor shortcoming to our boss in Mumbai even it was so frivolous. Once I had gone to a bar with a friend and I recounted the tale to the folks at office the next day,” I had a nice time at Heritage yesterday and when it wounded it was past midnight. Both of us walked kicking a plastic soda bottle for amusement.” KK twisted this prattle to the boss in Mumbai,” Sathya is dangerous anti-social breaking glasses on the road fare in midnight after a drink”. Such gross distortions and absurdities soon began to pile up and when it was decided to axe one of us, he was the one who survived. I was so flustered by his antics that I wished to engage goons and breaking a few of his bones. I have never felt an intense hatred to anyone before.  

I was made an dummy and powerless “Account Planner” and KK was in-charge of the day-to-day operations of Airtel account; that way he was a lot safer from the firing squad. Unlike how generous I was prior in sharing about the daily tasks and activities, he never bothered when it was his turn at the helm as I drifted to idleness and futility. KK headed the Percept operations in Chennai for many years to affording a Maruti Vesta; there was a lot to talk as how he pocketed commissions from printers and adding more to the monthly pay-cheque.

KK to me was a typical politician; he knew how to squat in someone’s territory and grab that successfully. He spoke as like hustler but his actions were directed in enlarging his importance. I have never detested a Mallu before but after this chastened experience, I am a lot more circumspect of my Kerala neighbours.

     

Verdict: Rajas

Lesson to be learnt: With these kinds, save your ass. Don’t talk at length and keep a safe distance. Each time you shake hands with people like KK, count whether they are in place after each occasion. 

Devarajan Babu

Devarajan Durai Babu: Again a 2000 acquaintance as I took employment with Percept Advertising. Babu was the branch manager of Hakkudu Percept and well ensconced; he became a one-man operation for them in Madras and within a year had expanded the business and the team to over 10 people; Durai Babu had that kind of competence and way with clients!!

He was in his early 40s and just back from Tirupathi after a head tonsure; his mother was ill and on her recovery shaved off the hair in gratitude. Despite the bald plate that was just started to bristle, he looked handsome; a Dravidian complexion, tall at 6 feet, lean face but puffed up sufficiently for that look of solidity. He dresses in formal full-hand shirts and when he spoke you at once realize that he is thoroughbred in corporate. He spoke with a smooth rhythm and added more sniggles along the way and was essentially a friendly person. He was never got personal in his dealings and still adept in keeping a distance; a fine art if one has to survive in this jungle.

As a manager, he was astounding and one of the best. He was like a benevolent monitor to his boys at school; he rarely pulled them up and when he did, it was a near slaughter. So the team members joked and laughed with him and they had complete freedom; if you were in need of a calculator and found that he had on his shirt pocket, you would intuitively reach out to it. I still recollect the time when we stood under the hot Chennai sky outside a restaurant for nearly an hour as he hosted a lunch in welcome a newly joined “Creative Director” as the office-boy had not reached the venue.

At Hakkudu Percept everyone had a bike and office boys would borrow the keys from the owners and go about their office chores. Such was the comraderie! Durai Babu would collect used envelopes from the numerous junk mails he received and reuse them as an eco-friendly measure.  

Durai Babu had been an advertising man throughout and he was competent to the extreme. To see him haggle rates with film producers was a treat; he could almost itemize the various components and assign a cost to them. So all the TVCs produced under his tutelage were the most cost-effective. There was a lot of savoir faire and elegance about the man; almost a languid grace as when went about the job. If you are trainee, you cannot learn better elsewhere than under him.

Durai Babu never talked much about his family or even where he resided. He had 4 children from 2 marriages. I have heard whispers that he met a Christian girl while working in MAA Bozell and the tied the knot the second time for an upheaval in the house. But things have smoothened out and he has still kept the first marriage alive and kicking.   

Slowly as he grew in stature in the Madras advertising circles, he started to lecture at various forums. I quite admired the way he mentored raw account executives and they were quite simply the best trained in the city.  

Percept, our company who he was to supervise from a distance, proved slothful. They never bothered to send our salaries or even pay for operating costs and it tested all our patience to no end. Durai Babu wrote a considered note to the CEO,” I was there to help your new recruits but I cannot allow Percept to draw more water than I can afford”. This terse note swung things into action and since then there were more receptive to our pleas. Babu’s English is extraordinary and has that class and even knew the meaning of “soliloquy”. A smart and classy man who knew the ropes of his trade and how to lay on the butter thick!!!!

Verdict: Rajas

Lesson to be learnt: Befriend such characters and learn from them; so miles ahead in smartness they provide an opportunity to tackle this mad society. But beware, don’t get personal!!!!