Badal da had just come out of the toilet when he met Shyamal babu. Shyamal babu greeted him with a ‘Good Morning' and asked, "How is your Stomach?"
But before Badal da could answer, he hastily entered the toilet.
By the time Badal da reached his desk, almost all staff of the office had asked him about his stomach condition, but no one had time to listen to how he accidentally stumbled upon a magic pill. Ms. Swati sitting next to his desk, was busy on her computer screen. She never asked him anything personal. She would only smile at him once in the morning when she came and again when she gathered her things and got up in the evening to go home.
He felt a strong urge to tell her about the magic pill. But he restrained himself from doing so. The office boy Santosh came and informed him that his boss Mr. Trilok wanted to see him in his chamber.
He looked at the plate of hot Samosa on his table, which Nirmal had just brought from the canteen for him. He covered that with a paper. In his usual carefree stride, he walked into Mr. Trilok’s office.
“You wanted to talk to me, sir?”
Mr. Trilok greeted him with a broad smile, shook a warm hand with him, and asked him to be seated.
"So, how is everything, Mr. Badal?” Trilok was looking intently at his face.
There was something unusual in Mr. Trilok's behavior today. Badal da sensed it quickly and became more alert, “Everything is fine, sir."
“Hmmm,” Mr. Trilok started spinning the round paperweight on his tabletop with his fingers, “How is everything at home?”
"Fine, sir."
“You said your son went to Australia. Is he still there?”
"Yes, sir. He has obtained a PR status now."
"You mean to say he has got a permanent resident status…oh, that's good. Very Good, So what are your plans after your retirement? Do you plan to go and live with your son in Australia? You are fortunate, eh!"
"No, sir, I am not going anywhere. Who will look after my house then?"
"So you are not living in the Company provided quarter? Are you?" asked Mr. Trilok.
"Last year, my son sent some money from Australia. I added some money from my pocket and bought a beautiful Flat," said Badal da with pride.
“You have a Company quarter allotted in your name. Isn’t it?”
"No, sir. I surrendered it when I moved into my own house.”
"Ok-ok. Many employees don’t live in their allotted quarters and rent them out. You know that we do not allow this. This is unethical,” said Mr. Trilok
Badal da assured him, “You cannot expect such things from me, sir.”
“So, you will live all alone in your house after retirement?” enquired Mr. Trilok
“Sir, this is a three-bedroom flat on the ground floor and two toilets and two additional entrances through two balconies. I will keep one room for me and let out the two-bedroom section.”
“And what about your daughter? What is she doing?”
"She is in Delhi. This year she will complete her MBA. I expect to get her married in the next two years. I mean before I retire."
“OK, so you are retiring in two years?"
“Three years and two months from now,” Badal da said with a smile.
“Mr. Badal, have you gone through our new Voluntary Retirement Scheme proposal? Are you interested in this very attractive VRS? I think it is for people like you. You will benefit a lot from the scheme. If you agree, then I will personally recommend your name."
Now Badal da could understand where Mr. Trilok was leading him to. He became seized with panic, "Sir, if I take VRS, then soon I will become sick."
Mr. Trilok stared at Badal da for a while, and then slowly, a weird smile appeared on his face, "You are already very sick, Mr. Badal……. I have received a detailed report about your frequent visits to the dispensary.”
Badal da looked very disturbed, “Oh, that is only a minor problem. There is nothing serious. I often get mild pain in the abdomen. And do you know I have already found medicine for this? From now onwards, you will see that I will hardly ever visit the dispensary.”
Mr. Trilok did not seem to be impressed with his clarification. He continued in a serious note, “Your wife also had minor stomach problems till she was diagnosed cancer……. I again request you, Mr. Badal, to consider VRS. I will see that you get the benefits of VRS."
Badal da objected in a weak voice, "Sir, believe in me. I am as healthy as any other employee."
"You tell everybody from morning till evening that you are suffering from some strange stomach illness. I am sorry, Mr. Badal. If you refuse this offer, then you will have to face the Medical Board," Mr. Trilok said in a cold voice.
This sentence stunned Badal da, and he could not speak for a long moment. Mr. Trilok was watching his face intently. At last, he moved out of his chair and came close to Badal da. He put his hand softly on his shoulder, and with lots of empathy, he spoke into his ears, “See Mr. Badal, I am also an employee. I have been asked to convey this message to you. If you take my suggestion, you should opt for the VRS. Then you can get lots of money. Go to Australia to your son. Consult world-famous doctors over there. Get the best treatment on the earth. Enjoy life."
"Sir, I have found out the medicine. Soon I will be all right," Badal da could speak with much difficulty.
Mr. Trilok turned around and walked back to his chair. His face was grim. He sat back and concluded, "Look, Mr. Badal, you have to choose between the two. If you do not want to avail of VRS, then you are going to the Medical Board. You know the consequences very well. If the Medical Board finds you unfit for the job, then you will have to quit without getting any benefit of the attractive scheme.”
"Sir, please don't do this to me. All these years, I have proved that I am not a good for nothing fellow. I can still contribute a lot to the Company,” Badal da said in a soft moaning voice
“You will get the papers tomorrow,” Mr. Trilok interrupted.
Badal da could not remain seated. He rose slowly from his chair and prayed, “Sir, please don’t do this to me……. If I don’t have any work, I will die ........ soon.”
“One day, after all, you are going to retire. Why not this month? And you are getting all your retirement benefits,” Mr. Trilok argued.
“Sir, I thought I had three years to plan for my retirement. Sir, please give me some time to think."
"OK, granted. You have two days in hand. By Wednesday, let me know what you have decided."
“Sir-sir,” Badal da hurriedly said, “Only two days for a lifetime decision?”
“Well, I can give you a maximum of the one-week time. You can go now, Mr. Badal, and inform me by next Monday what you want,” Mr. Trilok got himself busy with the papers on his table.
Crestfallen Badal da walked out of the chamber. He was cursing himself for making his stomach problem the talk of the town. His wife had asked him so many times not to publicize everything that happened to him or everything that he felt or thought. Today he had to pay heavily for this.
He looked at Ms. Swati. She was occupied with her work. Till recently, she was ‘Mrs. Swati Sengupta'. One day she changed her nameplate and wrote, ‘Ms. Swati Ghosh'. For the last three years, she had been fighting a divorce case and finally was able to get a divorce from her husband.
She was working in the office for the past twenty-five years. But no one in the office knew she had a disturbed family life and she had to file a divorce petition. Only when she changed her name from ‘Mrs. Sengupta' to ‘Ms. Ghosh', the office staff could come to know she had separated from her husband.
Someone in the office had asked her, ‘what was the matter?' and she had replied calmly with the same usual smile, "There is a limit to everything."
And at the other end was a blabbermouth Badal da.
When he came and sat at his desk, he looked very miserable. He looked at the Samosa, but his appetite was gone. He looked around and saw Ms. Swati watching him. He gave a pathetic smile and asked in a husky voice, “Would you like to have Samosa please?”
She made faces and refused, "I do not take Samosa…. very oily. It would help if you also did not take it. Not good for health."
“No choice. Who will cook for me?” Badal da shrugged his shoulders.
"There are so many things that you can cook yourself. Like readymade noodles, boiled eggs, omelet, oats, porridge, toast, hot milk, khichuri, or you can buy Idli. But please don't take Kachori and Samosa. They are not good for your health."
“You are right,” Badal da was not in a mood to listen such things at the moment. He signalled Nirmal to take away the plate of Samosa. He ordered some tea and tried to concentrate on his computer screen.
An open lunch box came into his vision. He raised his head and saw Ms. Swati offering him some chapati and cooked vegetable from her lunch box, “It is not good to remain hungry in the morning hours. Please have some."
Badal da thanked her and said he would share it during lunchtime.
Swati asked him, “Mr. Badal, you look very upset after you came from Mr. Trilok’s chamber. What happened?”
Badal da remained silent. Swati again asked him with compassion, “Tell me na.... what did he say?”
“He wants me to take VRS.” Badal da blurted.
“VRS? Why? You are not required by the Company anymore?” Swati was shocked to hear this.
Both of them remained silent for a long while. At long last, Badal da said, "He says, I am a sick man. Often go to the dispensary…. If I do not opt for VRS, then he will send me to the Medical Board. If they find something, then I will be forced to resign, and I will lose many benefits that I will get with voluntary retirement."
“Are you suffering from any major disease?”
“No, only some minor stomach problem.”
“Then why are you afraid of facing the Medical Board?”
“I don’t know,” Badal da’s face was tense, “If they have decided to remove me, then the Medical Board will find something for sure. I have not yet planned how I will spend my days after retirement. I am in a fix. I don't want to get written off so soon."
"You are unnecessarily getting apprehensive. If you don't want to opt for VRS, then go for the Medical Board. Nothing will happen. When they don't find any medical problem with you, then they cannot force VRS on you," Swati suggested.
“And if they find something, then?”
"Then, you come to know your diagnosis, and after treatment, you will get cured.”
"Can't they diagnose and treat me rather than throwing me out of a job?" Badal da complained, “Why have I been visiting the dispensary for the last two years? Only to find some relief and they are making it an excuse for my removal. It is their failure to treat me rather than my fault.”
Badal da dug his head between his two palms and said in a deep hollow voice, “I will die if I retire so soon.”
Swati realized that if she continued, he would come into tears. She concentrated on her work. She took a printout of a report and went to Mr. Trilok's chamber.
Badal da suddenly got up and went to the urinal. He walked out of the building from the back door of the urinal, which was used by the sweepers and entered the ‘smoker's paradise'. It was a narrow space between the boundary wall and the building, where smokers would come stealthily and smoke. Otherwise, the whole office was a ‘smoking free’ zone.
He lit a cigarette and hurriedly inhaled deeply. In five or six puffs, he finished the cigarette. He came back, rinsed his mouth and washed his hands properly so that the smell of smoke goes away. Swati had said one day that she could not bear the smell of a cigarette.
When he reached his desk, he saw Swati reading a paper. He immediately recognized from the color of the paper that it was the VRS application form. He could not hold himself from asking, "Who gave you this form?"
“I asked for it. I am applying for VRS.”
"Why are you doing this? You still have maybe six or seven years of service left," Badal da almost shouted.
She smiled and looked at him. He immediately realized it was none of his business. But then she said, “I don’t see any harm in opting for the VRS. You can start enjoying life before you are too old,”
Swati was thrilled to think of an early retirement, which reflected on her face.
Badal da asked, “Did he say anything about me?”
“No, not a word.”
After half an hour, when she finished her work and turned towards him, she saw he was still sulking and picking his nose. She made a bad face and turned around.
In the lunch break, Badal da would go to the canteen. But today, he remained in his seat. Except for Swati, everyone else went away. Everyday, she had her lunch on her desk. After that, she read from the book until lunchtime was over. She brought with her books written by Annapurna Devi, Taslima Nasreen, Jhumpa Lahiri or Arundhati Roy.
Swati asked Nirmal to bring some biscuits and forced Badal da to share her lunch after washing his hands properly with the handwash liquid; she poured on his palm.
They had lunch together and tea after that. Badal da again started the topic. She took a keen interest in his problem. They kept on discussing till lunchtime was over.
For the first time, Badal da realized that this doe-eyed, bespectacled, slim and elegant lady was quite intelligent too. She had told him how easily he could get out of the adverse situation.
She discussed in detail the ‘game plan’ for successfully avoiding early separation. Badal da stopped biting his nails. He was happy again and as usual, was excited to tell the plan to the whole world. But he was warned by Swati not to utter a single word and proceed according to the secret game plan.
