This Dubai hopes and dreams bite the dust. I
took two months and Rs.1,00,150/- to realize that I was taken for a ride. Though
the entire process looked fishy from the start, I did not have the strength or
smartness of mind to see through the lies and falsehoods. TH Iyer mama says it
best, “You were already clutching at straws and this swamps and drowns you over.”
Okay,
where did I go wrong? There was a very stupid FB contact Paarvathy Rajeev who
would comment on my posts. I never got friendlier with the female who portrayed
herself as a big disciple of Swami Dayananda. It seemed that this female must
have crossed my path in AIM FOR SEVA but one is never sure for the mind loses
it edge when it comes to names and faces as my clock hits a 50. She vibrated
badly in the sense I felt being pursued. There was a certain awkwardness; I had
a vague feeling of someone who had fallen for me. Now I am very clear: I learn
my lessons well and pUsHpA was my last internet romance. That experience taught
that whatever views one forms of people on an online medium just does not hold
water in the sunshine of reality. Besides I am in no mood for romance as I was fast losing my shirt with my earnings behave as a stubborn tap that no amount of
coaxing would get it to spout water.
Those
days I was lamenting the loss of a job prospect in BANGALORE. That felt a sure
thing after an extensive telephonic interview. On 11th May I went down to Whitefield
for further round of interviews with the COO and CEO. Everything about
Mindlogicx felt right including the salary range of 10-12 lacs per annum.
Around 24th May I get a regret letter from them wishing me the best
in future endeavours though I am very talented kinds.
The
next day I get a FB message from Paarvathy that read: I have a sister in Dubai
who is a recruitment consultant. Pay 100 dirhams for registration and within a
month you’ll get placed in a big company.
Now
what is Rs.1850/- when compared to the enormity of my unemployed days? I
transfer that money to Uma Gayatri the very next day and forget about the whole
thing. The next week I get a mail from Uma saying: I have arranged interviews
at Al Futtaim and Bab Al Shams. Come to Dubai immediately.
It
is the first week of June and my mind goes feverish exploring the world of
VISAs and air tickets for I am told that that I will be flying for these
interviews at my own costs. The lady gratuitously offered a free stay saying, “You can stay with us
for couple of days,” and I thought: My god, friends for life. And all my good
karma at work!!!! Those were the days of EID and finally on 20th
June, Uma writes: The CEO of Al Futtaim is gone for Eid holidays but their HR
department went through all your weblinks on the resume and have made a job
offer. A three months contract
extendable to another 3 or 6 months based on their needs and suitability and
10,000 dirhams for a monthly compensation. I wanted to negotiate to 12,000 AED
but friends like Mani Sir and Shyam advised caution, “Sathya, go along with this offer.
Get a toehold in Dubai and it will drastically improve your job profile.” Uma
also counselled, “ Sathya, I advise you to take it up for once you are in
Dubai, you are free to explore other writing or soft skill options and I will
help you source them.” Uma asked me to pay 500 dirhams for processing
of work permit and I was too happy and much too eager to transfer Rs. 9,300 the next day. I just
couldn’t believe my luck. Even at ADLINE no one interviewed me on the phone
instead made a job offer that I thought that this was normal: the company
issues a VISIT VISA for two months. The company gets the see the new recruit
for it to make its mind on conferring a work permit or not. Frankly not
speaking to anyone in Al Futtaim did not cause any doubt in me.
Then
on 27th June (20th anniversary of my heart surgery) I get
this devastating news: There is an immigration ban on me and that I had the
option of revoking it by paying 3320 AED through a court process. It is here I
made a first error of judgement. Rs. 60,000 is a lot of money especially for
one who is living out of a personal loan. Ideally I should have asked for more
papers like a letter that stated that I had a UAE ban or I should have asked
Uma’s mobile number and spoken to her. By now I was interacting with her
through emails for a month; I had asked her mobile number couple of times but
those requests were stonewalled. I was foolish beyond belief as I liquidated
the last one lac from a fixed deposit account and rushed to transfer the money.
There
were creeping of doubts as I was asked to transfer Rs. 9,300 to her personal
Canara bank account for the work permit on 20th June. Now another Rs. 60.100 went into the said account a week later as court charges. No
company works like that as Uma presented herself as an employee of Horizon
Consulting. Uma seemed a super smart recruitment consultant and her language
skills on the emails were impeccable. Not one grammatical misconstruction;
straight to the point and transactional just as you would expect from a
recruitment consultant. I paid 60 k with the knowledge that the court verdict
could go either way but since I had nothing at Chennai, I played along.
I
was almost communicating with Uma on emails every couple of days but as July
dawned I found the process go slack. I thought: maybe delays in court process.
On 14th July, I get a message: Mabrook! Congratulations. The court verdict
is in your favour but there is a fine of 2050 AED.
I
connect with Deepak Mehra in the meanwhile and he really was a sober voice in
this episode. He said, “Sathya, I will meet this Uma and check the court
documents and I will pay out of my pocket. You can reimburse when you are in
Dubai and working.” This was a huge
burden off my shoulders before Uma wrote back saying, “I will not interact with
Deepak Mehra. You have to trust me otherwise the whole thing is off.” I write to her saying, “Please show me the Al
Futtaim offer letter and the court documents and then I shall pay the court
fines.”
Uma
sent me the Al Futtaim offer letter that looked genuine though the HR manager who issued the
letter was not on Linkedin as I ran a check. I transferred 30 k saying that the
balance 9 k I will pay in person. My almost daily interactions with Uma over
emails, she came across as a no-nonsense super-smart recruitment consultant.
After
I pay this money I feel that I am almost in Dubai. My last 9 to 5 job was
Adline in Abu Dhabi and that was four years back. Since then I fell off the
cliff as I suffered a two years depression before I discovered
MINDFULNESS that got me off the anti-depressants and moodswings tablets. So
this job offer in UAE looked a divine grace and just what the doctor ordered. I
resolve myself and as I do the math: 6 months of Al Futtaim, I break even on
HDFC loans. One year and I begin to
FLOAT. Two years in Al Futtaim, it is a RECOVERY. Four years on and I should
have 50 lacs in savings and a car; maybe even a woman would find me attractive
at those numbers. But I don’t go overdrive as I refuse to buy things for this
new Dubai job instead feeling “let the Visa and ticket come in and then I will
make all the silly purchases which will not take more than a couple of days.”
Only cancelling the BSNL landline would take time, rest is just across the
counter purchases for new jocks and briefs and some eatables like muruppudi and
pickles kind.
I
go to Nagpur for 3 days Vipassana hoping that the Visa and air ticket would be
in Gmail. I find no such thing as we break our silence and our smartphones returned
on 26th July and instinctively I knew it was all a sham and I was
easy goat to a massive fraud.
Frankly
I did not have any offer in Chennai. The last 13 months were bone dry. I tried
my hand at Soft skill training that I fell in love but it had no takers even as
I marketed: I will do this program for FREE and if you find it WORKING then you
can engage me. It is here a city like CHENNAI feels a graveyard. It does not
have entrepreneur spirit that even a Bangalore has in plenty.
It
feels like death for this is the end of a Dubai dream and more than that those
mental calculations of reaching a shore of financial safety. I would steel myself
with the thought that “The FIFA world cup is over and I will have to be at Al
Futtaim till the next edition at Qatar and I have a very good chance the see
the games in person for a bucketlist goal.” Now I am left talking to Real
estate brokers for selling this flat (always a sick feeling knowing that you
have been a complete and consummate failure in life as to sell your dad’s
property to survive) and filing a police complaint in cybercrimes.
There
were three other prior instances in life where I played the complete jerk. In
2004 I ventured into a WINE BAR business where I lost 50 k even before the show
got started. In 2009 pUsHpA walked out of a relation which I felt was a poor
reflection of me. Last year, a movie director, touched me for Rs. 4,500 on
false promises to getting my smartphone repaired and Adidas shoes at throwaway
prices. But losing Rs.1,00,150/- on this misadventure hurts the most. Now I don’t
think I have the mental energy to get up and start looking for other job opportunities.
I SELL this thing and fill my life with VIPASSANA and wait for Yama to
come and relieve me of this burdensome life. Too poor of people and money, too
abandoned and lonely it feels like death would be a blessing at these
times. Truly licked and final nail in my career coffin.
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