Once Again.....

ONCE AGAIN……

“And now I request Mr. Sadanand to read his paper on “The Global Perspective on Tax Evasion.”

Mr. Sadanand rose smilingly from his seat to loud clapping by the audience, comprising the top experts from the field of taxation from all over the world, as the Presiding Officer said these words. As the Chairman of his country's tax department, he knew that his views would be listened to with great attention, as indeed they were, and as he ended his address there was once again a thunderous round of applause. Mr. Sadanand bowed gracefully as he proceeded to resume his seat.

Shanti Lal, sitting in his small apartment in Delhi, listened to the entire address on the TV as the proceedings of this conference in Geneva were being telecast live on one of the business channels. He could not prevent himself from being impressed by the force of the words and the freshness of the ideas and the novelty of some of the suggestions made, even though he had himself been the writer of the entire speech. As an officer in one of the wings of the tax department of his country, he had acquired a good deal of expertise in the subject, and with his excellent command of the English language he had written a few papers on the subject which had drawn appreciation from his seniors. He had therefore not been surprised when the Chairman had himself called him one day and asked him to write the speech which the Chairman could read at the Geneva conference. Shanti Lal had readily agreed; he knew that once he was in the good books of the Chairman there was no limit to the good things that could come his way. When the speech ended, Shanti Lal rose from his seat and stretched himself. He thought of the numerous nights which he had spent poring over journals and books in preparing the speech, even neglecting his food and sleep. He had even told his wife not to disturb him for the next few days much to the chagrin of his wife. As he turned he heard his wife’s voice;

“Happy? That was quite a speech!”

“Yes, it came out quite well. Frankly, I didn’t know I could write so well.”

“You always write well. And then you put in so much work. I only hope the Chairman gives you credit.”

"It doesn't matter, though I am sure he will recognize my effort. He is a good and generous man."

“We will see. Come now, let us have our tea.”

………………………..

The Chairman returned to Delhi after three days. Shanti Lal had been waiting for his return as he expected that he would be called and given a pat on the back. But as the first day after the Chairman’s return ended and there was no call from his office, he reasoned that there were so many things seniors had to catch up on after they returned from a trip abroad. The next morning, he took the initiative and called the Chairman's secretary to ask whether the Chairman was free and if could he just come in to compliment him on his speech in Geneva. The Secretary checked with her boss and replied that the latter was very busy for the next three days and could Shanti Lal check after that.

The three days passed and then the next three days too. Shanti Lal tried to seek some time with the Chairman, but never got a positive answer. The boss was always busy. Gradually Shanti Lal gave up all hope of being able to see him. He even gave up the idea of seeing him. What, after all, he reasoned, was the point? If the Chairman was happy with Shanti Lal’s work he would have himself called him and said a couple of words of appreciation. But then he reasoned why he should seek appreciation or recognition. He was, when all was said and done, a part of a large organization and it was only a part of his job to do sincerely whatever work was assigned to him.

Another part of his psyche, however, was not happy to accept this logic of doing seniors’ work without demur. Shanti Lal recalled that even when he was in school, some of his classmates who used to spend most of their time in the sports field used to give their notebooks to him asking him to do their homework. Sometimes he had to leave his work incomplete because he had to do the work of these boys. Later, he recalled, in the college cricket field, after the practice sessions were over his friends would leave and he had to gather all the stumps, bats, and gloves and deposit them in the sports store room. He sighed, recalling that he had always been taken advantage of, although at that time he did not know this or feel this way.

But Shanti Lal was no longer a schoolboy. Nor was he a college cricket player. He was a grown man, happily married, with a good job. He was also well educated, a man of the world and there was no reason he should yield to anyone who just wanted to take advantage of his abilities without even a nod of appreciation. He resolved that in the future he would say a firm no if someone tried to take advantage of his goodness, even if it was the Chairman. With this firm resolve, he felt light and cheerful. He even suggested to his wife that they go out for dinner and later, enjoy a movie. She was surprised, but the offer was too good to refuse and so they went out.

The next two weeks passed without incident. Shanti Lal was happy; he did his work sincerely, and now and then reminded himself of his resolve to be strong and to say a firm "no" whenever there was an attempt to take him for granted. It was at the beginning of the third week that he received a call from the Chairman's secretary.

“Sir, the Chairman wants you to see him”.

“OK. I will be there in a minute. Any idea what is it about?”

“No, sir. He did not say anything.”

On his way to the Chairman's office, Shanti Lal wondered what could be the reason for the Chairman to call him. It could not be to compliment him on the speech he had written, for it was too late for that. Could it be that he wanted to sound him for a posting to a senior slot that had lately fallen vacant? It was quite plausible; he had the qualification and the experience needed for the job.

When he reached the Chairman’s office, the secretary asked him to go right in. He went in and greeted the Chairman.

“Good morning, sir”.

“Good morning. How are you, Shanti Lal?”

“Quite well, sir. Thank You.”

“You know Shanti Lal, I have to preside over one of the sessions in a conference on Tax Havens which is going to be held in Singapore. I am leaving the day after tomorrow morning. Please write a speech and let me have it by tomorrow evening. You know what to put in such a speech. It should be about forty minutes long. Okay?”

“Certainly sir. It will be a pleasure.”

For a brief second, Shanti Lal thought of his resolve. But could he have said no? He wondered whether it was something inherent in his nature that had forever doomed him to serve and be happy.

When he reached home and had taken his tea, he went to his room and bolted the door, telling his wife once again not to disturb him for the next two days. He did not understand why his wife said, “You will never change”.