INTRO

Rahul was greeted with a plastic smile by the striking receptionist at the 6th floor of the head office of the MNC bank, where all fresh management trainees were asked to report. He was given his schedule for the four week rigorous training and directed to the conference hall for the introductory session. Given his ways, Rahul tried to strike a conversation with the receptionist, but the menacing look from her eyes told him that he is creating disturbance in her very busy schedule. Rahul wondered whether she had been given some kind of specialized training to master the art of having a frown look in the eyes and a plastic smile on the face at the same time.

On entering the conference hall Rahul had a feel like being in his college auditorium, with so many same age co-trainees sitting around, but the eerie silence reminded him of the difference. Another striking difference was the well groomed and well dressed persons all around, much against what Rahul had expected. He had a notion that it would be more or less like any typical MNC company with pretty much informal situation, and he was rather surprised at the rather formal milieu. He was a little amused to find only himself dressed in jeans and t-shirt, and as he went for a seat in the auditorium he could find that almost all eyes have been following him. Rahul could immediately sense that all his fellow-trainees-cum-colleagues are in essence his competitors in this bloody MNC community, and he has to have a battle with each one of them in his pursuit of success. He sort of enjoyed the obnoxious look in their eyes, and he reminded himself of the management lesson that leaders do things differently, and he has already scored a point with his different attire. No matter how much he tried to make himself take a seat in the front row, but his years of slothfulness got the better of him taking him to the usual last row.

In comes the team of Directors, who take their seat on the dais for the inaugural session. The light in the conference hall fades slowly with focus only on the dais. A tall young elegant lady, stylishly dressed in a blue sari takes up the microphone and says "Welcome you all to our family...this is Pooja Sharma, Assistant Manager PR...lets us start the proceedings by a presentation on our lineage, heritage and values". All through the brilliant presentation Rahul could only grasp the sweetness of her voice and the radiation of her beauty. Like every time Rahul felt instantly that this is indeed the girl of his imagination and almost blurted out 'koi na duja bas tu Pooja'. Rahul finally managed to take his eyes off the dais and look around. He could see from the open mouths and blank expressions of the other trainees that he has to battle with them for the attention of the PR Department also.

In another part of the city, Mr. Kumar waited patiently in the hostel common room wondering what is taking so long for Rajiv to come downstairs. Little did he know that in the lobby of hostel room of fresher’s, all the fachhas were neatly lined up of in a kaan-pakar-murga pose. In that back-breaking pose if any fachha shifted or grumbled with discomfort, he was soon greeted with a solicitous kick on his backside. The fresher’s merely looked at one another with warm sympathy and mutual support. It was slowly dawning on them that ragging was the only way to connect some disconnected boys with a shared sense of shame so strong, that they felt they were attached by umbilical cords. Rajiv watched everything with the corner of his eyes, scared even to move his lids, lest he catch some senior’s attention. Rajeev wonders as to whether the seniors standing before the fresher’s would someday indeed become engineers and responsible citizens. He thought he had prepared himself for this well-expected ordeal, but to face it in reality brought him unfathomable fear. Trying to humor his beaten senses he recalls a scene from one of his favorite movie and muses to himself – all is well. As though injected with a sedative, he immediately felt a lot lighter, but all his relief and happiness vanished as soon as he felt a stinging pain on his cheek. As he looked up he saw a burly figure looking menacingly at him. The senior then took him by his ears and says “Intro”

One by one all freshers gave their introduction, amidst constant interruptions and jeering in the most abusive language by the seniors. After the introduction all freshers were given their first task of measuring the corridor length with a one Rupee coin. Even Rajeev felt amused to see all his hostel batch mates bent down on their knees, taking so much pain to measure. Suddenly an idea struck Rajeev. He took the coin given to him, and mapped his shoe length with the coin, and thereafter much to everyone’s surprise he started to measure the length of the corridor walking. After completion of his task, Rajeev's presence of mind was appreciated by all seniors, one of whom points at him and says "ye hai khara sikka...aur tum sab baki freshers ho khote sikke". Thus was born the nickname of Rajeev which was there to stay for his entire four years of graduation - "sikka".


Finally after some more rounds of such pleasantries, all freshers were released for lunch. Rajiv met his dad in the common room, and assured that all is really well here and there is absolutely nothing to worry. Mr Kumar took leave, and went for his office. Feeling relieved from the responsibility of his younger son, he thought what Rahul must be doing in office. He glanced at his watch, and took a guess that perhaps he might be having his lunch at office.