September 27, 2011

I have been wanting to write about my friend for long, but could not find the right platform. Though I freelance for many print and online journals, the readers differ from media to media.

My focus is not on any individual, but through a particular case I wish to create awareness among young readers on how wrong attitude can cost your career and your life. Negative thinking too is one of the prime reasons today for our youth to divert from the right path. A person who I met some 40 years ago (he is still my friend, but may not read this article) is known to bottle inside him lots of things that have bothered him over the years, besides being one of those cynics who never appreciate good things in life, and are often given to feelings of jealousy. Most importantly, and amusingly too, I have seen him being envious of the very organisation he works for, after being instrumental in its sucess!

Can such a person really exist, you may ask. Yes.

I have tried a lot to understand him, tried my best to convince him, but all in vain.

Rikkie, a person of intellect and admirable command over English (he was in a seminary for some years, but left half way), had a decent job in one of the Middle East countries. When I once met him there, he was working for a bank, though his primary interest was journalism. He used to write articles to many journals locally as well as in India.

As it happens, good people are sometimes misguided and go in for adventures. Rikkie, perhaps in his haste to make some quick bucks by whatever means, goofed-up big time with some accounts. If it was in India he might have escaped, but over there, he had to face the music and pack up for his misdeeds. Thereafter he regretted his act, stopped talking to his friends, and even if people known to him were to meet, he would never maintain eye contact.

I tried to convince him a lot. "Such things happens in life brother. You made a mistake, you admitted it and faced the punishment; but start a new life now, you will succeed. You have good knowledge of the world, intelligence, talent and communication skills, why can't you forget the past?" I told him repeatedly. But something was in his mind, something he did not want to share. I tried to find out the reason for his behaviour from many of our common friends. Some said he had differences with his wife while others said that he was worried about being childless despite several years of married life. But such things are common and can happen to anybody, no big deal there.

One thing I could not understand was why he was hiding things from his close friends. This attitude led him to think negative and lose trust in others.

Nevertheless, with his intelligence and skills he managed to get a job with an advertising agency in Indore, where he worked day and night and helped the company in surging ahead. But one fine day, he seemed to be back to his old ways and I could detect a note of jealousy for the very company he was working for!

Strange, but true. 

And one day, wanting some straight answers, I asked him, "Are you happy with your job?"

"Yes Yen (he calls me Yen), but somehow I feel I am not getting the exposure I deserve."

"Then why don't you talk to the management and get the deserved recognition and reward? "

"No, it's the management that should grant it to me, I will not beg."

"Come on, this is a competitive world, you won't get anything unless you ask."

But his ego did not let him bend. Until then, he had high regards for the company he was in, and had even boasted, "I am working for the No 1 ad agency in city," but when he felt he was not being given enough credit or position, he started telling me, "I think the quality of this company has declined. Their English is too bad, they can't write one good sentence without my guidance. I don't think they can survive for long...." All such negative thoughts started emerging from Rikkie.

Whenever I got the opportunity, I tried to coax him out of the 'negative' world he had withdrawn into.

Then, all of a sudden he left the job, and joined a publication in Delhi as its guiding force.

"I got a great opportunity with good exposure. The owner and editor of the publication is young and does not have much knowledge - whatever I say is the final word. I am managing the whole show," he said when I met him.

"Good for you, that's what you wanted, isn't it? Instead of becoming a student of the intelligent, you want to become the king of 'idiots'..." I teased him.

Thereafter, for the next two-three years I heard nothing but showers of praise for the young publisher. "I find him very generous. Every week he calls for a booze party, gives me lots of gifts like computer peripherals, camera, and other electronic items...I am really happy now. I have been working day and night, and I am on the verge of taking the print journal to the No 1 position in the entire country."

"Thank God, he got what he wanted," I said to myself. I too was quite happy for Rikkie.

Thereafter we could not meet for sometime, until one day I happened to run into him at Mumbai airport. Incidentally, we were travelling by the same plane to Hyderabad. Luckily, we were seated not far from each other in the plane.

"Sorry Rikkie, could not keep in touch for a few months, but I keep reading your journal - I see lots of improvement, and I heard of the awards for your company...you are rising and rising..."

But he was not in the same spirit and vigour as the last time I saw him.

"What happened?" I asked him.

"I left them."

"But why?" I was shocked, but a second later I knew it was his attitude that came in the way again.

"As the company began to grow, they started sidelining me. No one was there to listen to me, all youngsters started teaching me..." he said.

I smiled at him. "This is what happens when you have too much ego," I thought to myself.

"Last month I read that the publisher has won several awards within a span of 2-3 years," I ventured, to keep the conversation alive.

"Hhhaa... anyone can get awards these days - all you need to do is pay money," he said with a smirk.

I was really surprised. The boss he was praising so lavishly was now being criticised, just because he was out of the company.

"But I must say one thing, editorials by your young boss are too good," I told him honestly.

"You know what, that man can't write even one sentence in English correctly. There are freelance writers or some good ghost writers who do the job for him," he replied.

I thought this was too much from this selfish man.

"But surely the paper has tremendous demand. I see lots of letters to the editor..."

"You will be surprised, but actually, their staff write those letters under fictitious names and publish them...they don't have that many readers."

I couldn't take it anymore. There is a limit to everything, but this attitude was too much.

"They will close the publication soon. Just check their online paper's ranking in alexa.com, they are nowhere. I don't think they can do anything without me."

I pitied him. He was saying all this because he had been ignored. When he was with them, he had nothing but words of praise.

"This bugger will join somewhere else and do the same thing there too, no doubt," I said to myself.

A week later, I managed to contact the publisher and find about Rikkie. But the shocking revelations indeed disappointed me, and I lost trust in my friend.

Rikkie had misused huge funds and broken the company's trust in him. He started blackmailing them once he became a permanent fixture and came to be seen as irreplaceable. Finally, he started demanding a share in the company's profit, and even used his liberty to abuse some political parties, individuals and corporates, which resulted in several legal suits against the publication.

That's not all. He would write controversial articles under fictitious names like Shenoy, Kamath, Ibrahim, Pasal etc and put in his thoughts to create confusion among the people of the same community.

The biggest blunder he did was hacking the emails of junior staff correspondents. He retrieved their private chats as he was forever doubting them, which was highly immoral of him. Perhaps he was suffering from some mental illness!

And that was the reason why the company had fired him.

I am not a saint, but being a journalist, I will not stoop to that level. Youngsters, irrespective of the profession they take up, must take care not to harbour such attitude, which can cause alarming damage. Today people give big talks outside their four walls, but back in their house it is "Ellara Maneya Dosege Toothu" (As Kannada say goes).

For the benefit of readers, let me share a quote I read somewhere. I do not know its origin or the author, and I would appreciate if someone could enlighten me.

One tree makes one lac matchsticks
But one matchstick can burn one lac trees

Moral: One negative thought can burn all positive things.