Jaganathan

4) Jagan: No man has ever exuded an orphan image at first sight than Jagan. It may be due to his blanched face devoid of sufficient blood or the perennially cussed expression on the face. That sneer at the mouth which cuts across a pencil thick mustache. Standing tall at 6ft and increasing girth in the middle – visibly he has grown shorter in the last 6 months - he has all the requisite to look like a film hero. But those eyes which betray him for being so brown as to enhance a cat than a human.

I believe even with those eyes – a handicap as any - he could be counted for something. People who are domineering in instinct must atleast have an ounce of superiority in comparison to their brethren; this fellow doesn’t. Jaggy is skilled on the computer and can tangle any knots. He has that gift and knack for exploring the machine but very poor with human beings.

He talks on philosophy but even as it comes out of the mouth, you know it is just lip movement. Those who do the daily pranayama have a glow and generate warmth of enveloping bonding. This fellow though an enthusiastic AOL volunteer is immue of any of the stated benefits. In contrast R K Laxman, another hyper colleague is a striking example of how this programme has affected an individual; from a jerky hustler to a sober character.

The thing that used to infuriate me about Jaggy was his weakness to collect people like stamps. He finds myself in any circle and soon learns to dominate it. He has that gift with people around. But if anyone does not acknowledge his superiority he is prone to throwing the dishwasher at them.

He will come to office at noon and nobody dare question and will be conveniently explained away by a weak-minded Ravi as compensation for working late into the night. He is related to the MD and that partly explains the timidity.

Add to his massive ego is his moodiness. That too gets explained away by an extraordinarily benign management as “creative” swings of an artist. Each time I worked with him on advertisement copy while this fellow for layout had left a bitter taste. He wants me to pen “advertising copy” to his “pre-set visuals”. And even if the text is agreed upon he will no doubt change it later and make it ludicrous. Any argument of sanity will never penetrate someone so dense. He blocks his mind determinedly to anyone not digestible.

Now and then he would go down for a smoke and a gutka and he is by far, a loner in the city. One feels a natural sympathy to an underdog and this forlorn-looking patient if only well-behaved could get a friendlier vibe as you are left in doubt about your own goodness. Jaggy for all his weakness, lack of focus is an extremely hard worker; he can stay a week at the office and not tire an inch. But the flipside is that he would not have contributed much to move the work forward. He is just in his mid 30s and recently married and he has all the ingredients to redeem himself. If only he stops being mindful of dominating others!!!!

Verdict: RAJAS.
Lesson to be learnt: Learn to pander to his abundant ego with the skill of Ravi for your own survival.