"Mr Aditya can we have a talk..will not take much of of your time",the HR executive commented.
Aditya somehow felt that it was bad news.As they entered the conference room,the IT guy placed a file in front of Aditya. "We have found some emails,chats,printer cache etc",
"We would like you to explain this Mr Aditya" said the HR guy coming directly to the point in a bit more assertive tone.
All the chat information,emails he had inadvertently sent some of his clients, all the resources he made use of the company he worked in was right there in front of him.When he was sending those mails,it dint even cross Aditya's mind that he might be trapped in this way.However for the IT department to look up only his account among the countless employees that worked in his organization surprised Aditya. He start feeling a bit suspicious.
As the HR and IT management rammed home the point about the number of ways in which Aditya had violated the ethics and business practices of the company,Aditya could only think that this was the handiwork of Dhruv and Inchara.He dint care about the job as he was anyways leaving it.However his profile would be blackmarked in the National Skills Registry and since most companies looked for the background of the person on this site,he knew this might keep away even some of his prospective clients.
His hands started twitching and he even rolled his hairs in a clear sign of tension.And the HR guy had this to say finally
"Mr Aditya i hope you realise that Stratum Inc is capable of suing you for damages,for using company's resources for personal work, using proprietary software of the company etc" , 14 other serious charges were levelled against him.And also with effect from that day Aditya was immediately relieved even though he still had a month to go.
Aditya slowly unknotted his tie and left the office premises.As he drove he could only revisualize the IT and HR guys surrounding him like vultures and tearing his character apart.His anger grew exponentially,he honked his way around the city and had near accidents.He finally stopped at one place,picked up his phone and called Inchara.
"Hi this is Mr Was Software Engineer of an MNC speaking Inchara"
Inchara could sense that Aditya was angry by his sarcastic tone.
"What happened Aditya?"
"You know i had started loving the way you were calling me like that,never knew you would use the same thing to hit me Inchara",hardly being able to swallow his own saliva.
"I am not getting you Aditya"
"Its alright Inchara,i know THIS IS BUSINESS,i was a fool thats all,not knowing how to think from my head,but believe me i am a quick learner,will learn all the tricks of you big ppl fast" said Aditya with his tone giving away aggression.
"Aditya can you please come to the point,i am not able to get you" repeated Inchara.
"Sorry Madam,i wont waste your time,i will come directly to the point,you called and informed my company isnt it,about me having my own company and stuff,i was fired from my job today Inchara,and you have virtually ensured that my career goes into a black hole",said Aditya now breathing more heavily.
"But dont worry,i will get back at you for this,dont think i am going to go away quietly into oblivion,you have hurt me today Inchara"
"Actually... thanks you have helped me to become a BUZINESSman,thanks" as he blabbered this he slammed the mobile down before Inchara could even explain that she hadnt done anything like that.She realized that Dhruv hadnt listened to her plea.
As Mike Shinoda sang "Forfeit the game,before somebody else takes you out of the frame and puts your name to shame,cover up your face,you cant run the race,the pace is too fast" in his car's stereo, Aditya was more determined to prove Shinoda wrong.
He directly went to Adiga."Mr Adiga,i want to be a full time partner of your company,i dont want to head Innovating Creativity anymore,i want more,please give me a chance to take on IHP,i want revenge Mr Adiga,please" he pleaded.Aditya had lost his senses,not being able to absorb what had just happened to him.
Mr Adiga wanted Aditya exactly in this desperate situation.He knew his trick of getting Aditya fired by giving information about Aditya to the HR manager who was a personal friend of his would work well for him.
Mr Adiga smiled cunningly
"Come son,you are still young,hot blooded,but successful businesses arent run this way,you dont give up on your own creations,dont close down Innovating Creativity,now is the time you calculatively think,make your moves smartly,imagine playing a game of chess,you need to win,whether the methods you use are ethical or unethical shouldnt matter to you,the only goal should be to checkmate the opposite player,think more from your brain,not from your heart" and so saying Mr Adiga was poisoning Adi's mind.Aditya who had grown up listening to his honest father's advices was now all blank as a slate.What Adiga would wish he could write on it.
Meanwhile....
Dhruv had gotten a meeting fixed with Kumaranna Gowda,a seasoned Karnataka politician,an ex Chief Minister of Karnataka who was now being pushed to the oblivion of Karnataka politics due to the new party which had come to power in the state with the help of Adiga and other rich industrialists who actively funded the party.
The land near NICE road which was reportedly taken forcibly by the builder mafia headed by Adiga without giving adequate compensation was an issue that Kumaranna wanted to take up actively .He wanted his political career to be restored to the hey days of glory.Dhruv and his father knew this.Inchara was just a pawn and excuse for them to go actively against the current state government and Adiga.
Adiga had earlier publicly humiliated Dhruv's father in a press conference saying that the Industry and Commerce Minister was forcing companies like Adiga's to fund them during elections in the Centre.This had led to a big media brouhaha in the national media costing Jay Panda the more plumpier Finance Ministry.
A big conspiracy was being planned by Dhruv,Jay and Kumaranna.The fight for the NICE land was to be taken up more violently ,bringing the government machinery down taking it to unmanageable levels,once this was done then the Central appointed Governor would ask for Governor's rule to be imposed on the state.
They knew for this to happen they had to take the government by surprise,protests were planned in front of the CM's and Adiga's residence.The protestors were given clear cut instructions to become violent if there was no response.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aditya knew of Inchara's plans of venturing into packed foods in the airline sector and that talks with King Airlines was in advanced stage.They drove to the King's CEO Ajay Mallya's resort,Aditya looked at his own reflection in the rear view mirror,with the wind making his jacket collar strike repeatedly against his face,he knew that a new dawn had come in his life,one where ,there would hardly be any space for emotions.
He knew this contract with Mallya was one of the ambitious forays of Inchara and he wanted to hurt her here.Even though he had felt doing this was unethical Adiga had convinced that if Aditya wanted to be the headline then he had to do all this to reach the top. With "benefits" being explained to Mallya about what all he would be gaining if he decided to give Adiga the contract,he closed the deal successfully there.Mallya was promised that some portion of the land near NICE could be given to him for his aircraft maintenance work.As he came out , Aditya smiled to himself,-"Inchara you are going to be hurt BAD",he said to himself.
He then actively seeked Inchara's right hand Bharat Joshi and enticed him with the money to switchover to Adiga's.This would weaken Inchara internally.Next stop : few of the governments storage facilites which were leased out to Inchara.He asked Adiga to pay a higher price to get these facilties for themselves.
Inchara watched as Aditya started slowly crashing down her dream and also what was one time his own.Though until then she had hesitated to support Dhruv in his machinations she was now forced to.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Both were trying to undercut each other,Both felt a strange sense of agony when doing so.Both dint realise why.
As the contract signing day between Mallya and Adiga neared ...........................
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
FEELINGS III - Part 5
"Mr Adiga,I would want to join you",said Aditya,somewhat in a confused tone.
"I am glad son,let us just sit with my legal department and work out all the terms and conditions"
Aditya nodded.He was still not sure of his decision but he knew he had to be a flowing river,take the chances and opportunities when they come as Inchara had done.
As he drove back to his home he was thinking as to how he would tell this to Inchara.They had built the company jointly over 2 years.Though he was just a marketing partner to IHP,he was a key part of all the strategic decisions,plus being a startup there was hardly any boundary or definition of roles for each person.
The next two nights he could hardly sleep,the meeting with the legal team of Adiga was to happen in a week and before that he had to get things cleared with Inchara and IHP.
Next day,he went over to meet her in her office.Inchara received a call on the intercom,it was her secretary.
"Mam,Aditya sir has come to meet you".Inchara felt silent for a while,she had not met Aditya after that meeting with Dhruv and having known Aditya for the past few years,she knew he was hurt.However all the processes with Sketchy Zebra was consuming most of her time.
"Mam,shall i send him in?" ,the secretary repeated.Seeing the secretary ask Inchara again ,Aditya felt that things had come to such a pass that he was not allowed directly like before.
"Please send him in,he is our company partner,you dont have to ask me again" said Inchara.
"Sir,you can go in"
"Thanks", said Aditya with a smile that gave away his sarcasm.
As he went in,
"Hi Aditya,how have you been?" said Inchara ,with the same dimpled smile,trying to somewhat relax the tempers.However in Aditya's mind the strings of the guitar were playing in a violent manner.
"Hi" ,Aditya snorted back.
"Hows your mom,heard she was not well ",Inchara asked with genuine concern.
Aditya cut her statement and asked "Hows IHP running Inchara?"
"IHP,ya its running well Adi,why?" she asked.
"No since i dont get much of updates nowadays,plus you have new friends now,so just wanted to atleast know whats happening" ,Aditya snided back.
Inchara could feel the open hostility."I have been sending all the weekly reports no Adi,anyways lets just run them over once now,also we need to also make a decision about the contract for packed foods for King Airlines..",her tone was quivering now.
"Actually Inchara,you wont have to share any updates with me from now on",Aditya said.
"What do you mean?"
"I am leaving IHP and giving up on the share i had in this company,all of the 15 percent,all the various roles i had in this" said Aditya keeping a straight face,the guitar playing even more violently.
The room was silent,no one knew what to talk.Inchara's eyes had welled up a bit.
"Aditya i had no option,.."
"Dont Inchara,you already have given your explanation,i am seeking greener pastures"
"Oh! greener pastures huh,...,i really dont know what to speak Adi",Inchara knew now that both were trying to pull the metaphoric "rope" to their side,it could only break now.
"I have got a offer from Adiga and Bros,they are the big ticket i was waiting for,finally i can quit my job,this is it Inchara",Aditya was trying to talk in a casual way,fact of the matter was his soul was crying from inside too,but he dint know what had taken control of him,his ego,envy,jealousy,why did he feel so bad on Inchara partnering Dhruv.He was not able to solve his inner riddles.All he understood was that he wanted to show to Inchara what he was capable of,the power he could possess.
Lust ,greed and jealousy had clouded his true misunderstood feelings.Inchara dint want to lose her dear friend.She had grown so used to him ,having him along the entire 2 year journey,now all of a sudden knowing he would not be there,the emotional pressure was too much to take.
"Fine Adi,will ask Bharat to take care of all the papers",so saying she hurriedly went to the restroom,her face now washed with the tears rolling from her eyes,the partnership had ended before she was able to gauge the entire situation,she had felt what she was doing was right,had she taken a wrong decision?,the tears were not stopping nor was the nostalgia.
But she had to take control of herself.She couldnt allow personal feelings to come in the way.She had to be strong.She wiped her tears,tied up her hair,knowing she had to wage the battle without Aditya.
Aditya stepped out of the IHP office,looked at the board of the company,the logo and tagline of which he had designed,he was now going to be after his own creation, the song in his car was now "What I've Done" of Linkin Park.He drove fast,he dint want to hear his heart beat,dint want to look back.
Since the project he was doing in the company was in the half way stage,Aditya decided to quit after 6 months.
4 months later:
4 months is a lot in the business world.Dhruv and Inchara led IHP successfully.The company's revenue was now soaring,going into newer businesses in the food sector.Adiga was feeling the heat.Aditya was trying his best but was failing everytime to Dhruv's machinations.He had also put down his papers in the company.Focussing on two things was getting impossible for him.
During one of the board meetings of IHP-
"Inchara,we are slowly cutting Adiga to size,the real punch will be if we get after his real estate business,if we plug that source of income for him,he will then no longer concentrate much on the food business,nothing can stop us from being no1 then"
"But Dhruv,our policy has always been to concentrate on ourselves,on how we can become better,i feel this is not needed".
"Inchara,u dont allow competitors to stand on their feet,he is feeling the heat now due to our rapid rise,ur friend has also not been able to do much there,i have contacts,Adiga is part of many shady deals,all his land near NICE road in Bangalore -Mysore highway is worth crores,but many of the farmers have not given up the land voluntarily"
"But i heard adequate compensation has been given,isnt it,btw Adi also had his software job to take care of,dont forget he was responsible for the jumpstart of this company,he is a lethal weapon if he just concentrates on this work" quipped Inchara.
"Yeah yeah ur friend ,anyways the Adiga issue can be made political,i know the person right for this,i will handle it dont worry,
btw ,what about Aditya?"
"What about him?" asked Inchara.
"We have enough cannon to go after him too,tax evasion,business conduct violations in his company"
"No we are not going after him Dhruv,please i cant allow that,you want to go after Adiga,go after him,but please not after Adi"
"Ok as you say,just see how i make this game interesting" said Dhruv with a smile.Being a conniving politician's son ,shrewdness and chanakyagiri came naturally to him.
One month before final relieving of Aditya:
The HR department executives and few IT ppl had come to his desk.
"Mr Aditya,can we have a talk ........."
"I am glad son,let us just sit with my legal department and work out all the terms and conditions"
Aditya nodded.He was still not sure of his decision but he knew he had to be a flowing river,take the chances and opportunities when they come as Inchara had done.
As he drove back to his home he was thinking as to how he would tell this to Inchara.They had built the company jointly over 2 years.Though he was just a marketing partner to IHP,he was a key part of all the strategic decisions,plus being a startup there was hardly any boundary or definition of roles for each person.
The next two nights he could hardly sleep,the meeting with the legal team of Adiga was to happen in a week and before that he had to get things cleared with Inchara and IHP.
Next day,he went over to meet her in her office.Inchara received a call on the intercom,it was her secretary.
"Mam,Aditya sir has come to meet you".Inchara felt silent for a while,she had not met Aditya after that meeting with Dhruv and having known Aditya for the past few years,she knew he was hurt.However all the processes with Sketchy Zebra was consuming most of her time.
"Mam,shall i send him in?" ,the secretary repeated.Seeing the secretary ask Inchara again ,Aditya felt that things had come to such a pass that he was not allowed directly like before.
"Please send him in,he is our company partner,you dont have to ask me again" said Inchara.
"Sir,you can go in"
"Thanks", said Aditya with a smile that gave away his sarcasm.
As he went in,
"Hi Aditya,how have you been?" said Inchara ,with the same dimpled smile,trying to somewhat relax the tempers.However in Aditya's mind the strings of the guitar were playing in a violent manner.
"Hi" ,Aditya snorted back.
"Hows your mom,heard she was not well ",Inchara asked with genuine concern.
Aditya cut her statement and asked "Hows IHP running Inchara?"
"IHP,ya its running well Adi,why?" she asked.
"No since i dont get much of updates nowadays,plus you have new friends now,so just wanted to atleast know whats happening" ,Aditya snided back.
Inchara could feel the open hostility."I have been sending all the weekly reports no Adi,anyways lets just run them over once now,also we need to also make a decision about the contract for packed foods for King Airlines..",her tone was quivering now.
"Actually Inchara,you wont have to share any updates with me from now on",Aditya said.
"What do you mean?"
"I am leaving IHP and giving up on the share i had in this company,all of the 15 percent,all the various roles i had in this" said Aditya keeping a straight face,the guitar playing even more violently.
The room was silent,no one knew what to talk.Inchara's eyes had welled up a bit.
"Aditya i had no option,.."
"Dont Inchara,you already have given your explanation,i am seeking greener pastures"
"Oh! greener pastures huh,...,i really dont know what to speak Adi",Inchara knew now that both were trying to pull the metaphoric "rope" to their side,it could only break now.
"I have got a offer from Adiga and Bros,they are the big ticket i was waiting for,finally i can quit my job,this is it Inchara",Aditya was trying to talk in a casual way,fact of the matter was his soul was crying from inside too,but he dint know what had taken control of him,his ego,envy,jealousy,why did he feel so bad on Inchara partnering Dhruv.He was not able to solve his inner riddles.All he understood was that he wanted to show to Inchara what he was capable of,the power he could possess.
Lust ,greed and jealousy had clouded his true misunderstood feelings.Inchara dint want to lose her dear friend.She had grown so used to him ,having him along the entire 2 year journey,now all of a sudden knowing he would not be there,the emotional pressure was too much to take.
"Fine Adi,will ask Bharat to take care of all the papers",so saying she hurriedly went to the restroom,her face now washed with the tears rolling from her eyes,the partnership had ended before she was able to gauge the entire situation,she had felt what she was doing was right,had she taken a wrong decision?,the tears were not stopping nor was the nostalgia.
But she had to take control of herself.She couldnt allow personal feelings to come in the way.She had to be strong.She wiped her tears,tied up her hair,knowing she had to wage the battle without Aditya.
Aditya stepped out of the IHP office,looked at the board of the company,the logo and tagline of which he had designed,he was now going to be after his own creation, the song in his car was now "What I've Done" of Linkin Park.He drove fast,he dint want to hear his heart beat,dint want to look back.
Since the project he was doing in the company was in the half way stage,Aditya decided to quit after 6 months.
4 months later:
4 months is a lot in the business world.Dhruv and Inchara led IHP successfully.The company's revenue was now soaring,going into newer businesses in the food sector.Adiga was feeling the heat.Aditya was trying his best but was failing everytime to Dhruv's machinations.He had also put down his papers in the company.Focussing on two things was getting impossible for him.
During one of the board meetings of IHP-
"Inchara,we are slowly cutting Adiga to size,the real punch will be if we get after his real estate business,if we plug that source of income for him,he will then no longer concentrate much on the food business,nothing can stop us from being no1 then"
"But Dhruv,our policy has always been to concentrate on ourselves,on how we can become better,i feel this is not needed".
"Inchara,u dont allow competitors to stand on their feet,he is feeling the heat now due to our rapid rise,ur friend has also not been able to do much there,i have contacts,Adiga is part of many shady deals,all his land near NICE road in Bangalore -Mysore highway is worth crores,but many of the farmers have not given up the land voluntarily"
"But i heard adequate compensation has been given,isnt it,btw Adi also had his software job to take care of,dont forget he was responsible for the jumpstart of this company,he is a lethal weapon if he just concentrates on this work" quipped Inchara.
"Yeah yeah ur friend ,anyways the Adiga issue can be made political,i know the person right for this,i will handle it dont worry,
btw ,what about Aditya?"
"What about him?" asked Inchara.
"We have enough cannon to go after him too,tax evasion,business conduct violations in his company"
"No we are not going after him Dhruv,please i cant allow that,you want to go after Adiga,go after him,but please not after Adi"
"Ok as you say,just see how i make this game interesting" said Dhruv with a smile.Being a conniving politician's son ,shrewdness and chanakyagiri came naturally to him.
One month before final relieving of Aditya:
The HR department executives and few IT ppl had come to his desk.
"Mr Aditya,can we have a talk ........."
Thursday, June 10, 2010
FEELINGS III - Part 4
" And also i took a house for lease for 3 years in Jayanagar",she said."I can use this as a temporary office too".
Aditya was now curious to see who the person was.Having wrapped a few minute works,he drove to meet Inchara and the
"mystery person"
As his car came to a halt near the proposed meeting place of CCD,Jayanagar,he could see a tall smart person sitting next
to Inchara through his Aviator glasses.As he went inside
"Hi Mr Software Engineer in an MNC",she said smilingly.Aditya had grown to love this welcome now.
"Hi Inchara and, this is?" he asked.
"He is Dhruv Panda ,CEO of Sketchy Zebra- its the no3 Marketing and Pr consultancy firm in India" she said eying Dhruv
as though she had got a prized catch for IHP.
"Hello" ,Aditya said with a bit of unease.
"Wait a minute are you the son of Jay Panda,the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry?" Aditya asked.
"Yes,I am,SZ was actually started by my brother Vineet,but you might have heard about the Air India crash two years back.
He passed away in that,the media was reporting on his death too" Dhruv said.
Aditya had no clue about Vineet but he had heard of the crash.He nodded as though he knew every detail of the crash.
"After that i was elected as CEo of SZ.Anyways Inchara had wrote to us through our online portal asking for help for IHP
on a pan-India level.We had asked all the startups to write to us if they needed help.We would be charging a lower price
for such companies,i had come down to Bangalore to meet a few of these entreprenuers here",he said.
Aditya was now a bit worried.Dhruv would be encroaching on his business space sooner than later.More importantly he was mad at
Inchara for having taken these decisions unilaterally without even informing him.
The three had a small chat on the road ahead and how they could synergize.Aditya participated very less in the discussion.
Aditya realized that Inchara had not told Dhruv that he too had a low cost marketing consultancy company.Dhruv only knew
that Aditya was a director in the company and was also a minority partner.
After he left,Inchara quipped - "I am stressed out,game for Amoeba?",she asked.
Aditya looked at her with disgust."How could you Inchara?",he asked
"How could I what?"
"You are making SZ your marketing agency and you are acting as though you are unaware of anything"
now his tone even angrier than before.
"I acted in the interest of the company Aditya,the next step for us was to have our products in stores across India,for
that we needed a company who had a pan India expertise in doing this for us.Your company Innovating Creativity as of now
has only expertise in Karnataka and now a bit in Hyderabad,we couldnt possibly wait for you to grow" she said tersely.
"But i am asking Dhruv to support us only in Northern India circles and Mumbai,South would still be with you" she said with a milder tone.
"Yeah South will be with me,do you think these national players will accept such kind of deals.They wont agree to be reduced to a regional player for any
client"
"As you know competition is increasing every day,we need to be moving fast" she said.
"But now if SZ comes in,you are virtually cutting my company to size" he said angrily.
"I dint expect this from you Inchara,while i agree you cant wait,you cant grow at the cost of IC",he said.
"What about the way we started 2 years back and our friendship?" he asked.
"Aditya you are mixing personal and professional things here.THis is Business,if we all keep letting emotions take
control of our decisions,then we are going to end up no where but down,"we are friends but thats at a personal level,i have
200 families to feed,so my decision will not be with respect to me alone,please try to understand Aditya"
"Hmmm ok,true THIS IS BUSINESS" he said and quietly walked away from there.Inchara dint want to hurt Aditya but in the
face of increased competition she had no choice.
Two days later Aditya attended a state level investors meet,the pass for which was got by his uncle.Many top industrialists,hoteliers,angel investors,
venture capitalists,entreprenuers etc were expected to attend this meet.
His uncle a top IAS officer in the government took this opportunity to introduce Aditya to new people,whom he thought could be beneficial for his business.
Sadanand Adiga,the proprietor of Adiga and Bros-the no 1 player in the South Indian markets in the ready to eat category had also come there.Aditya's uncle
always wanted him to work with the bigger and established players rather than a fringe player like IHP.He dint care whether IHP had gained a lot in the past
few months or not.
"Hello Sadanand!How are you doing?"
"I am fine Shankar,how are you?Btw what about the contract you were supposed to give from your association?" Sadanand said,with a smile that showed
signs of connivance.
"It will come,it will come,but you also have to make some effort" his uncle said.
This usually meant a underhand deal was supposed to happen.
"How is you diabetes by the way?" his uncle asked.
"Its fine,who is this young man?"
"He is my nephew Aditya,works as a software engineer in a top US company,also has his own consultancy firm,very hardworking boy Adiga,see if you can make use
of him" his uncle quipped.
"Hmmm what experience do you have young man?"
"I am basically into low cost marketing and consultancy,have a few clients like Inchara Home Products,Mocha etc",he said.
"Oh you are part of that IHP,its been making rapid strides,that young girl is doing really well" Adiga said.
Aditya could almost feel his ego kicking him from the back.He thought that he was primarily the reason IHP jumpstarted from a village endeavour to
being in stores across Karnataka,AP and also having a niche market mostly in the US.
"Well i was also responsible a bit,it was a small village venture,used my skills to get it to where it has" he said now authoritatively.
Sharks like Adiga who had been in the business for long could instantly sense something amiss.
He then called Aditya to his office two days later.
"Welcome Aditya,how have you been,please have a seat" he said when Aditya went to his office to meet him.The desk was folded dosa shaped
and the walls were adorned by all the awards Adiga had collected over the past 20 years.
Adiga thought IHP was a thorn in the flesh and was observing its steady rise despite the presence of other giants.
"Aditya i was thinking over the past couple of days,we need a young energetic company which can give us innovative ideas to market our
products to the young demography of 18-30 better,why dont you join us?" he said.
Adiga knew what he exactly wanted.Shrewdness was something he had mastered over the years and his rivals were weary of this quality of his.
He believed in getting anything by hook or crook,he had businesses in real estate and had figured in various shady deals.
He tried to make the deal a sweet one with Aditya,he knew money could make anyone dance,seduce them into doing something
which otherwise they wouldnt have.
Aditya felt this was the opportunity he couldnt let go,after all the returns were good.
"I am interested Adiga sir,its very kind of you to give me this chance" he said,now thinking his prospects had suddenly become good
after the heartburn of Inchara's meet.
"BUT i have a condition son,you cannot be a part of IHP anymore,anyways the returns you are getting here would be atleast
six times more than what you are making there even as a partner.
Aditya saw the skyline of Bangalore and the lalbag gardens in between from Adiga's plush 1oth floor office.
His company would itself have not been founded had it been not for Inchara,the close friendship he had with her,but she also
dint even think twice before trying to isolate him in the company,yet his company would not have come to this position only
without the expertise he had got through IHP,6 times the money...his mind started playing games.The new condition meant he had to think twice.
He was in a dilemma,a slight drizzle had started and the city was wet,he made his decision.
"Mr Adiga .....
Aditya was now curious to see who the person was.Having wrapped a few minute works,he drove to meet Inchara and the
"mystery person"
As his car came to a halt near the proposed meeting place of CCD,Jayanagar,he could see a tall smart person sitting next
to Inchara through his Aviator glasses.As he went inside
"Hi Mr Software Engineer in an MNC",she said smilingly.Aditya had grown to love this welcome now.
"Hi Inchara and, this is?" he asked.
"He is Dhruv Panda ,CEO of Sketchy Zebra- its the no3 Marketing and Pr consultancy firm in India" she said eying Dhruv
as though she had got a prized catch for IHP.
"Hello" ,Aditya said with a bit of unease.
"Wait a minute are you the son of Jay Panda,the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry?" Aditya asked.
"Yes,I am,SZ was actually started by my brother Vineet,but you might have heard about the Air India crash two years back.
He passed away in that,the media was reporting on his death too" Dhruv said.
Aditya had no clue about Vineet but he had heard of the crash.He nodded as though he knew every detail of the crash.
"After that i was elected as CEo of SZ.Anyways Inchara had wrote to us through our online portal asking for help for IHP
on a pan-India level.We had asked all the startups to write to us if they needed help.We would be charging a lower price
for such companies,i had come down to Bangalore to meet a few of these entreprenuers here",he said.
Aditya was now a bit worried.Dhruv would be encroaching on his business space sooner than later.More importantly he was mad at
Inchara for having taken these decisions unilaterally without even informing him.
The three had a small chat on the road ahead and how they could synergize.Aditya participated very less in the discussion.
Aditya realized that Inchara had not told Dhruv that he too had a low cost marketing consultancy company.Dhruv only knew
that Aditya was a director in the company and was also a minority partner.
After he left,Inchara quipped - "I am stressed out,game for Amoeba?",she asked.
Aditya looked at her with disgust."How could you Inchara?",he asked
"How could I what?"
"You are making SZ your marketing agency and you are acting as though you are unaware of anything"
now his tone even angrier than before.
"I acted in the interest of the company Aditya,the next step for us was to have our products in stores across India,for
that we needed a company who had a pan India expertise in doing this for us.Your company Innovating Creativity as of now
has only expertise in Karnataka and now a bit in Hyderabad,we couldnt possibly wait for you to grow" she said tersely.
"But i am asking Dhruv to support us only in Northern India circles and Mumbai,South would still be with you" she said with a milder tone.
"Yeah South will be with me,do you think these national players will accept such kind of deals.They wont agree to be reduced to a regional player for any
client"
"As you know competition is increasing every day,we need to be moving fast" she said.
"But now if SZ comes in,you are virtually cutting my company to size" he said angrily.
"I dint expect this from you Inchara,while i agree you cant wait,you cant grow at the cost of IC",he said.
"What about the way we started 2 years back and our friendship?" he asked.
"Aditya you are mixing personal and professional things here.THis is Business,if we all keep letting emotions take
control of our decisions,then we are going to end up no where but down,"we are friends but thats at a personal level,i have
200 families to feed,so my decision will not be with respect to me alone,please try to understand Aditya"
"Hmmm ok,true THIS IS BUSINESS" he said and quietly walked away from there.Inchara dint want to hurt Aditya but in the
face of increased competition she had no choice.
Two days later Aditya attended a state level investors meet,the pass for which was got by his uncle.Many top industrialists,hoteliers,angel investors,
venture capitalists,entreprenuers etc were expected to attend this meet.
His uncle a top IAS officer in the government took this opportunity to introduce Aditya to new people,whom he thought could be beneficial for his business.
Sadanand Adiga,the proprietor of Adiga and Bros-the no 1 player in the South Indian markets in the ready to eat category had also come there.Aditya's uncle
always wanted him to work with the bigger and established players rather than a fringe player like IHP.He dint care whether IHP had gained a lot in the past
few months or not.
"Hello Sadanand!How are you doing?"
"I am fine Shankar,how are you?Btw what about the contract you were supposed to give from your association?" Sadanand said,with a smile that showed
signs of connivance.
"It will come,it will come,but you also have to make some effort" his uncle said.
This usually meant a underhand deal was supposed to happen.
"How is you diabetes by the way?" his uncle asked.
"Its fine,who is this young man?"
"He is my nephew Aditya,works as a software engineer in a top US company,also has his own consultancy firm,very hardworking boy Adiga,see if you can make use
of him" his uncle quipped.
"Hmmm what experience do you have young man?"
"I am basically into low cost marketing and consultancy,have a few clients like Inchara Home Products,Mocha etc",he said.
"Oh you are part of that IHP,its been making rapid strides,that young girl is doing really well" Adiga said.
Aditya could almost feel his ego kicking him from the back.He thought that he was primarily the reason IHP jumpstarted from a village endeavour to
being in stores across Karnataka,AP and also having a niche market mostly in the US.
"Well i was also responsible a bit,it was a small village venture,used my skills to get it to where it has" he said now authoritatively.
Sharks like Adiga who had been in the business for long could instantly sense something amiss.
He then called Aditya to his office two days later.
"Welcome Aditya,how have you been,please have a seat" he said when Aditya went to his office to meet him.The desk was folded dosa shaped
and the walls were adorned by all the awards Adiga had collected over the past 20 years.
Adiga thought IHP was a thorn in the flesh and was observing its steady rise despite the presence of other giants.
"Aditya i was thinking over the past couple of days,we need a young energetic company which can give us innovative ideas to market our
products to the young demography of 18-30 better,why dont you join us?" he said.
Adiga knew what he exactly wanted.Shrewdness was something he had mastered over the years and his rivals were weary of this quality of his.
He believed in getting anything by hook or crook,he had businesses in real estate and had figured in various shady deals.
He tried to make the deal a sweet one with Aditya,he knew money could make anyone dance,seduce them into doing something
which otherwise they wouldnt have.
Aditya felt this was the opportunity he couldnt let go,after all the returns were good.
"I am interested Adiga sir,its very kind of you to give me this chance" he said,now thinking his prospects had suddenly become good
after the heartburn of Inchara's meet.
"BUT i have a condition son,you cannot be a part of IHP anymore,anyways the returns you are getting here would be atleast
six times more than what you are making there even as a partner.
Aditya saw the skyline of Bangalore and the lalbag gardens in between from Adiga's plush 1oth floor office.
His company would itself have not been founded had it been not for Inchara,the close friendship he had with her,but she also
dint even think twice before trying to isolate him in the company,yet his company would not have come to this position only
without the expertise he had got through IHP,6 times the money...his mind started playing games.The new condition meant he had to think twice.
He was in a dilemma,a slight drizzle had started and the city was wet,he made his decision.
"Mr Adiga .....
Friday, June 4, 2010
Feelings III - Part 3
The first week passed by quickly and Aditya was sad that he had only more week to stay in Kumta.After that it was back to the daily grind of computers.
The annual village jatre was to be held that week and Aditya went to the temple to check out all the ceremonies.He saw Inchara walking ahead of him all decked up in traditional Indian wear.
"Hi Mam,u are also heading to the temple?"
"Oh Hi Mr Software Engineer,yeah i am going to the temple,have to give all this pooja items to dad,he has been nominated to be the priest to perform the main pooja this time na"
"You know you got to stop addressing me in that way,i get a bit irritated,anyways me also heading that way"
"Oh you get irritated eh,then i got to call you like that everytime" she said with a mischievous smile.
On the way she asked him
"You know any low cost marketing companies who can promote us a bit in places like Bangalore"
"You see our products can be very useful to all the working women there,our ready to eat items are popular in Hubli,Dharwad and some even in Goa,the export business has not taken off that well,but we have not been able to make an entry into Bangalore at all.First the competition is intense there with multiple players,plus retail stores there are not ready to keep our items as they charge a very high cut,the first step is to get the big players to house our products in their stores,for that we need someone who can negotiate,who is local the place there"
"Can you help us out here?" she asked.
Aditya did have some contacts.He was thinking - instead of letting someone else take this opportunity,why not take it himself,start his own marketing cum consultancy firm,he even had the first client ready.The opportunity was too good to let it go.
That entire day he thought over this.The next day he went to Inchara's home.
"Hi !"
Inchara was arranging all the kannada papers scattered all over the place by her dad.Surprising thing for Aditya was that he had never gotten to meet her dad.He had seen him once during the wedding they had attended but apart from that he never got the opportunity.
Moving her loose hair from her face,she turned back
"Hi Mr..."
"Please i beg you" he said.
"Ok ok tell me"
"Remember you had asked me yesterday about wanting someone to negotiate on ur behalf ,i have got someone for you",he said with a sense of pompousness.
"Really so fast,who is that" she asked.
"ME"
"You joking" she asked.
"Nope heres the deal,i have contacts,you want business,how about me becoming a partner in ur company?" he asked.
Inchara fell silent.She was not sure,An inexperienced person to take her business forward,it could ruin the future prospects of her small venture if Aditya failed to deliver.
"I am not sure Aditya,i mean you are a software engineer,you dont have any experience in this field,i dont know what to say" she said trying not to hurt his ego.
Aditya was now desperate to prove himself."Try Me" he said with an audacious tone.Seeing his confidence she asked -
"So how does this work,all the partnership stuff"
"Simple i want 20 percent of ur topline"
"Isnt that a lot?" she asked.
"Not if i bring u the business that i think i can"
"Can you give me a business proposal?once you do that we can formally sign a contract",she said.
Aditya had never done a business proposal before.He promised to mail her soon.Life was getting exciting now for Aditya.
Six months later:
Aditya had proved his mettle.Though he had not yet left his stale IT job,he was getting to use his creativity somewhere.A meeting was fixed with a Senior Store Manager of Future Group where a deal to house their ready to eat products was to be done.Inchara came down to Bangalore.They had decided to meet at the headquarters directly.Seeing her for the first time in a business suit,Aditya was a bit taken aback.She looked different today - all prim and proper.
"Hi looking good boss!!" he said
"Thank you Mr Software Engineer"
"Ah!! its been so many months and u still havent got rid of that tagname for me"
"So all set for the meeting" he asked with his infectious smile.
"Lets do it!!,This is a huge step for our company" she said
"And thanks a lot for making this happen in such short a time"
"Hey dont thank me,i gain when u gain",came a pat reply from Aditya.
The meeting went off very well and within one month the "Inchara Home Products" were there in all Future stores.
Sales were slowly picking up and the products were gaining word of mouth publicity.
6 months later:
IHP was 3rd in the list of the ready to eat category in Bangalore.
Aditya and Inchara were both back in Kumta to celebrate this,also it was Inchara's birthday-so there were two reasons now.
Inchara's favourite point being the beach,both decided to celebrate her birthday in a small way.At 6 in the evening both headed to the beach.
Since the beach would be usually be empty at this time,it made good sense.But to Inchara's surprise Aditya had arranged a surprise party with whatever minimum he could get there.All the workers of IHP were there.There were songs played,guitar strummed by Aditya,drinks gulped down,even the villagers were attracted to this and were welcomed in too.
In the midst of all this Inchara went silently and sat on a rock away from all the noise and hoopla.With wind blowing her hair all over the place,she silently wished her mother was alive to see this all.Aditya came up behind her
"What u doing here?,remembering ur mom?" he asked.
"Yes" she said softly.
"Shed be real proud of you Inchara,that too from a village u have been able to establish this business of urs"
"Aditya,u have helped a lot too"
"You want to dance?" she asked all of a sudden.
"Dance?here with all the people around?"
"Bloody outdated!! the people are far off,whats there in a dance,come" she said.
Mobiles being the new music players,Inchara played all the soft chick songs,while both danced with the setting sun in the background.
"Nice yaar,you dance quite well" she said.
"Yeah actually i am the one who taught Hrithik Roshan his first steps" he said with a wink.
They then sat down on the sand with wind blowing more heavily now.
"So when are you leaving your IT job?"
"Yeah soon,once i get more clients and stabilize a bit more i will leave it"
They had gotten used to each other now.Aditya was trying for more clients and Inchara was trying to set up new infrastructure to produce more products.Whatever small export business she had also started to do better.Their professional and personal chats had become less frequent.Though they missed the emotional high of chatting up,it was BUSINESS.They had to be focussed.
An year passed by with both getting more busy.
Aditya then received a call from Inchara to meet her in Bangalore.
"Theres something we need to talk about,theres someone i want you to meet...........
The annual village jatre was to be held that week and Aditya went to the temple to check out all the ceremonies.He saw Inchara walking ahead of him all decked up in traditional Indian wear.
"Hi Mam,u are also heading to the temple?"
"Oh Hi Mr Software Engineer,yeah i am going to the temple,have to give all this pooja items to dad,he has been nominated to be the priest to perform the main pooja this time na"
"You know you got to stop addressing me in that way,i get a bit irritated,anyways me also heading that way"
"Oh you get irritated eh,then i got to call you like that everytime" she said with a mischievous smile.
On the way she asked him
"You know any low cost marketing companies who can promote us a bit in places like Bangalore"
"You see our products can be very useful to all the working women there,our ready to eat items are popular in Hubli,Dharwad and some even in Goa,the export business has not taken off that well,but we have not been able to make an entry into Bangalore at all.First the competition is intense there with multiple players,plus retail stores there are not ready to keep our items as they charge a very high cut,the first step is to get the big players to house our products in their stores,for that we need someone who can negotiate,who is local the place there"
"Can you help us out here?" she asked.
Aditya did have some contacts.He was thinking - instead of letting someone else take this opportunity,why not take it himself,start his own marketing cum consultancy firm,he even had the first client ready.The opportunity was too good to let it go.
That entire day he thought over this.The next day he went to Inchara's home.
"Hi !"
Inchara was arranging all the kannada papers scattered all over the place by her dad.Surprising thing for Aditya was that he had never gotten to meet her dad.He had seen him once during the wedding they had attended but apart from that he never got the opportunity.
Moving her loose hair from her face,she turned back
"Hi Mr..."
"Please i beg you" he said.
"Ok ok tell me"
"Remember you had asked me yesterday about wanting someone to negotiate on ur behalf ,i have got someone for you",he said with a sense of pompousness.
"Really so fast,who is that" she asked.
"ME"
"You joking" she asked.
"Nope heres the deal,i have contacts,you want business,how about me becoming a partner in ur company?" he asked.
Inchara fell silent.She was not sure,An inexperienced person to take her business forward,it could ruin the future prospects of her small venture if Aditya failed to deliver.
"I am not sure Aditya,i mean you are a software engineer,you dont have any experience in this field,i dont know what to say" she said trying not to hurt his ego.
Aditya was now desperate to prove himself."Try Me" he said with an audacious tone.Seeing his confidence she asked -
"So how does this work,all the partnership stuff"
"Simple i want 20 percent of ur topline"
"Isnt that a lot?" she asked.
"Not if i bring u the business that i think i can"
"Can you give me a business proposal?once you do that we can formally sign a contract",she said.
Aditya had never done a business proposal before.He promised to mail her soon.Life was getting exciting now for Aditya.
Six months later:
Aditya had proved his mettle.Though he had not yet left his stale IT job,he was getting to use his creativity somewhere.A meeting was fixed with a Senior Store Manager of Future Group where a deal to house their ready to eat products was to be done.Inchara came down to Bangalore.They had decided to meet at the headquarters directly.Seeing her for the first time in a business suit,Aditya was a bit taken aback.She looked different today - all prim and proper.
"Hi looking good boss!!" he said
"Thank you Mr Software Engineer"
"Ah!! its been so many months and u still havent got rid of that tagname for me"
"So all set for the meeting" he asked with his infectious smile.
"Lets do it!!,This is a huge step for our company" she said
"And thanks a lot for making this happen in such short a time"
"Hey dont thank me,i gain when u gain",came a pat reply from Aditya.
The meeting went off very well and within one month the "Inchara Home Products" were there in all Future stores.
Sales were slowly picking up and the products were gaining word of mouth publicity.
6 months later:
IHP was 3rd in the list of the ready to eat category in Bangalore.
Aditya and Inchara were both back in Kumta to celebrate this,also it was Inchara's birthday-so there were two reasons now.
Inchara's favourite point being the beach,both decided to celebrate her birthday in a small way.At 6 in the evening both headed to the beach.
Since the beach would be usually be empty at this time,it made good sense.But to Inchara's surprise Aditya had arranged a surprise party with whatever minimum he could get there.All the workers of IHP were there.There were songs played,guitar strummed by Aditya,drinks gulped down,even the villagers were attracted to this and were welcomed in too.
In the midst of all this Inchara went silently and sat on a rock away from all the noise and hoopla.With wind blowing her hair all over the place,she silently wished her mother was alive to see this all.Aditya came up behind her
"What u doing here?,remembering ur mom?" he asked.
"Yes" she said softly.
"Shed be real proud of you Inchara,that too from a village u have been able to establish this business of urs"
"Aditya,u have helped a lot too"
"You want to dance?" she asked all of a sudden.
"Dance?here with all the people around?"
"Bloody outdated!! the people are far off,whats there in a dance,come" she said.
Mobiles being the new music players,Inchara played all the soft chick songs,while both danced with the setting sun in the background.
"Nice yaar,you dance quite well" she said.
"Yeah actually i am the one who taught Hrithik Roshan his first steps" he said with a wink.
They then sat down on the sand with wind blowing more heavily now.
"So when are you leaving your IT job?"
"Yeah soon,once i get more clients and stabilize a bit more i will leave it"
They had gotten used to each other now.Aditya was trying for more clients and Inchara was trying to set up new infrastructure to produce more products.Whatever small export business she had also started to do better.Their professional and personal chats had become less frequent.Though they missed the emotional high of chatting up,it was BUSINESS.They had to be focussed.
An year passed by with both getting more busy.
Aditya then received a call from Inchara to meet her in Bangalore.
"Theres something we need to talk about,theres someone i want you to meet...........
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