A Journal of Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya

of people, he had become restless and
unprotected. He was not able to understand
which complicated plant he is embroiled
with. Conversant to the core with the site
plant, he was a total stranger for this
cosmopolitan plant. As if the same plant
had totally changed on paper.
On his transfer to Delhi, congratulations
had poured in from all sides. ‘Sir is going
to the headquarters. Delhi is the control
room of the company. The whole country
is controlled from Delhi. It appeared that
Sir has long hands on his approaches;
otherwise, people spend their whole life
and never reach Delhi. Now, the exile
of his career is over. Now he will enjoy
the city life. It will be easier there lobbying
for the next promotion. Approach with
the big shots becomes easy - in Delhi.
In any case, he is due for promotion.
There is competition too. It appears that
they have chosen you only; that is why,
they are calling you to Delhi and have
sent Saluja Sahib here at the site in your
place.’
In spite of being happy superficially,
he knew that things would not be so easy
in Delhi. Going to Delhi on official duty
for some days and staying in luxury hotels
and moving throughout the day in taxi,
and living in Delhi are two very different
things. He used to say to the people —
‘Brother, I am not going to Delhi as PM.
The problems there are different.’
He got a house at a rent of nine hundred
Rupees more than his entitlement. He bore
these nine hundred Rupees as residence
tax of Delhi. Saroj was prepared in advance.
She sold off many items at the site itself.
There it was a huge bungalow with four
- five rooms, and here only a flat with
two bedrooms. When it pinched, she used
to say — ‘It is a house or a nest. Just
stay—hovering... it was so spacious there.
I used to grow all the vegetables. And
also used to distribute in the colony there,
it is an additional fine of nine hundred...’
He also used to feel the brunt when
he could find parking space with much
difficulty after coming back in the evening.
There were more vehicles than the number
of flats. There was a scramble for space.
He used to remember his site bungalow
where the guard used to run to open
the gate at the hoot of his car. Here there
was no company car or the driver. His
own Ambassador car, unused for long,
was the only support. He used to drive
it himself. Due to the company vehicles
with him for years together, personal
Ambassador was in a bad shape. Now
it was perhaps taking revenge of this neglect.
In any case, it was not habituated to
movement nor had any experience of Delhi
traffic. Like him, the car also didn’t have
any experience of the cosmopolitan plant.
Both used to sympathise with each other
and also were apprehensive. Neither, he
had confidence in the vehicle, nor the
vehicle in him.
98 :: January-March 2012