Back To Bliss: A Journey To Zero by Santosh Jha (pdf e book reader TXT) 📕

The owner looked unsettled. Probably too many things had come up in too short a time for him to grab and react. He lighted a cigarette and this time also offered Mayank. He took it but did not light up.

“Sir, if you allow me and extend some liberty, I would like to make things clear for you. I only request you not to react immediately; let the talk sink in, let issues get processed in leisure. You have the last word on all matters so; you have nothing to worry about.”

The Boss didn’t say anything, continued smoking and gestured him to go ahead, still in the same thoughtfulness.

“There is small bit of an attitude crisis, better call it a psychological trap for people who are big, successful, leaders in their fields of activity and owners of fortunes which they make with so much pain and perseverance.”

The Boss raised his eyes from the ashtray and fixed it on him. Mayank could see the apprehension in his eyes. He had succeeded in getting his attention back on his talk.

“Success and achievement becomes a habit and second nature for them. That is why; they pay more attention to answers than the questions. They do not want to listen to the problem but move ahead to talk about solutions. Answers and solutions are the script of success and continued achievement and it is quite natural that leaders and owners always avoid questions and problems. The trouble is; the top and middle management people, who always look for keeping the owners in good mood and remain his blue eyed boy, stop the access of problems and question to the owners. They actually kill the questions and problems. God cannot be him if he fails to listen to the problems and questions of his people. He may not solve them but every human has the liberty and faith to tell him his problems and this is how almighty remains their last hope.”

The Boss looked more focused now to him and his talks. Mayank thought of moving ahead with his dialogue but checked himself. He thought it more useful to take along the right perception of the owner with his talk so that he could be on the same plane of perception.

“It interests me to see things from a different perspective, the one you are putting ahead. I am also open to travel the path along with you, though not fully confident. Actually, to be frank, I am not mentally prepared to sit over such larger issues which I believe you wish me to. My immediate concern is; as you probably said it right, the solution of the current crisis. I am probably trained this way but even you would admit, solutions are important than problems. And I would surely like to see the solution of the problem at hand then move on to other larger issues which you seem to be interested in.”

“Sir, my purpose also is the solution. Actually, there never was a problem. It was made one and now it is being made out that the solution is difficult, which isn’t.”

“Do you understand we are losing big revenue because of the government ad ban?”

“Yes, I am a journalist but it does not mean I am not concerned about the financial health of the newspaper which provides me bread and butter.”

“Do you mean to say, there is a ready solution to get over the ad ban?”

“Yes sir; we can start getting ads from tomorrow, if we do a small thing.”

“Okay; let me say I trust you on that front but what about you?”

“My resignation is like the cry and wail of the monk to attract the attention of the almighty about the problems our institution and people within it have, which has no ready solution but needs one.”

“And what I have to do for you to take it back?”

“You are already doing it, giving me your precious time and attention. But I think I will need more of both, if not right now.”

“So, it is a deal now…”

“No sir, it is not a deal. It is a humble request from my side. I will work out the solution for the government ad ban and may be back to work after you sit out over the whole thing which I wish to tell you.”

“Call it what suits you but I call it a deal so that I could move ahead with it. What next?”

Mayank told him that he would get an appointment with the chief minister and the Boss along with the editor would meet him the next day. Both of them must go as it would relax the hurt ego of the politician. When they would meet him, the Boss would have two options. One, he could simply say sorry, making it clear to the chief minister that they could not calculate it right that the story could make such brouhaha. Even the chief minister knows the story was not incorrect but the timing was wrong and that is why there is no harm saying a simple sorry. Second option would be to throw up the coin of tit for tat. They would say to the chief minister that they were ditched. The rival newspaper also had the story and their editor had an understanding with their editor that both of them would run the story as the scam was more of a bureaucratic bungling with little political overtones. But unfortunately the rival editor played the game and held the story back. They would say they never believed that such a trouble would be caused and then would say sorry.

The Boss listened to his solution. He stretched back on the couch in a relaxed posture. Lighted another cigarette and took a deep gasp. He looked at his watch and rose up.

“We meet tomorrow. I want you to be with me when we go to the chief minister’s place. I presume you have not talked to the editor and others since you resigned and I don’t think you need to till tomorrow”, the Boss said in his usual authoritative voice as he gestured Mayank to come along.

At the door, when Mayank was about to leave, the Boss said, “Your second option is a better one, if we pull it off well.” Mayank only nodded in affirmative.

**

CHAPTER 7

The quartet of infinite intelligence, as Mayank would love to call them, the top and middle management pillars of his newspaper were faced with a precarious situation. The Boss had asked them to hold a meeting among themselves and list those areas in their respective fields which affected the work excellence and quality management. He had asked them to then come to his hotel suite for a post-lunch meeting with him and discuss solutions of all outstanding problems.

The editor, general manager, sales and marketing heads were at loss as what they were supposed to do. Fifteen minutes had passed since the start of the meeting but nothing was discussed.

“What is this work excellence and quality management stupidity...fuck this bloody job...who the bastard devised such cactus ideas that owners use to bleed the asshole of their employees”, the editor said in utter exasperation.

“Editor Saaheb, Marco Polo traversed over twenty-four thousand kilometers and visited many countries in search of the excellence and quality but still he could not find one. How can you find it in an hour’s meeting? I think, you should go to the Boss, hand over your resignation to him and take off to an unending journey similar to Marco Polo”, the sales head said in his typical jocular style.

“Editor Saheb, I think I can understand a bit what the Boss meant”, the marketing head intervened, looking serious as he would always be.

“Please...keep your knowledge to yourself. Am I interested? Am I troubled? I am doing as best as I could. If Boss asks me, I will simply say, given the team of idiots in the editorial, I am bringing out the best possible newspaper. And despite that, editorial quality is the best in the market. The poor newsprint and those typical sales problems are none of my concerns. If the management cannot sell a good content what the editorial can do? I have no quality problems rather; it is my efforts that even these idiots in my team deliver excellent results”.

“Editor Saheb, we are using the best quality newsprint. Others use the foreign and Indian newsprint in 40:60 ratios whereas we do it 45:55. You cannot complain about the newsprint”, an irritated general manager said.

“Then...that shifts the blame on the sales team. But can we sell apples if we are given peanuts. Sales is a simple love affair. What looks good sells good. And I am not talking about the face but the whole body. The most voluptuous and ripe whore gets the best price. Customer satisfaction is not in the face and limbs; it is in the torso of the body. I have time and again said that the newspaper has emaciated torso pages. Customer has a choice and he will buy the best. Or, I suggest you lower the price. Even then you may not get the desired result. If you ask me, I am not sleeping with a flat-chest size-zero whore even if she comes free.”

“I also feel that something is missing in our pages. The same news we have in our newspaper too but you get more satisfaction when you read it in rival newspaper. I do not understand much about the content thing but it seems, they present it better and the layout is also clean”, the general manager added, looking expectantly at the sales head.

“Sir..., with due respect to all, my trouble is that my clients say they get lower response per ad insertion even when we claim, as per the latest IRS figures that our readership has gone up. The rivals have edge over us as clients feel their response ratio is better than us”, the marketing head said avoiding eye contact with the editor.

“It is quite natural...that is what I was saying”, the editor picked up his arsenal, “it is because of the faulty sales policy…how can you expect good response when you sell the newspaper to the tea stall, roadside vendors and petty retailers. Haven’t I complained in the past that the sales guys never visit the apartments and affluent households? And how can you expect this from these sales guys who look no better than street-side loafers. They look as intimidating as recovery agents of a private sector bank. And what about the poor quality gifts the sales team has distributed to the readers for the subscription schemes?”

“Editor Saheb, only recently you complained that sales guys were paid more than your editorial people and they looked like sahibs in comparison to the later. You had even told the boss that your editorial team had inferiority complex vis-a-vis the sales guys as they were given smart dresses from company whereas your team wore the same stinking shirt for three days. This blame game serves no purpose. Newspaper is like a team work, I am not denying that but there is also no second opinion that it is the product and its USP that creates brand. The brand searches its own market. We only ensure that if there is a demand, our channels are in place to keep the stocks ready and on top of the shelf”, the sales head said, looking straight in the eye of the editor, keeping his left arm on his shoulders.

“Pandey Ji, it is easy to say things. I accept, content is the real brand but this brand is raped every day. You expect us to swim with our hands tied. You yourself sold the newspaper like a hot cake the day we broke the medical scam story. What happened? Everyone, including the Boss is out to cut a slice out of