40 Stress Busters for Executives Read online

  Atul Sharma

  If you cannot be a poet, be the poem

  J-3/16, Daryaganj, New Delhi-110002

   23276539, 23272783, 23272784 • Fax: 011-23260518

  E-mail: [email protected] • Website: www.pustakmahal.com

  Sales Centre

  n 10-B, Netaji Subhash Marg, Daryaganj, New Delhi-110002

   23268292, 23268293, 23279900 • Fax: 011-23280567

  n E-mail: [email protected]

  Hind Pustak Bhawan

  6686, Khari Baoli, Delhi-110006

   23944314, 23911979

  Branches

  Bengaluru:  080-22234025 • Telefax: 22240209

  E-mail: [email protected] • [email protected]

  Mumbai:  022-22010941, 022-22053387

  E-mail: [email protected]

  Patna:  0612-3294193 • Telefax: 0612-2302719

  E-mail: [email protected]

  Hyderabad: Telefax: 040-24737290

  E-mail: [email protected]

  © Author

  ISBN 978-81-223-1256-0

  Edition 2011

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

  reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing from the author/publisher.

  Printed at : Param Offsetters, Okhla, New Delhi-110020

  An Imprint of

  Pustak Mahal®, Delhi

  Published by:

  Dedicated to My Parents

  &

  My Country

  Acknowledgements

  I am very fortunate to get the love and blessings of many people in my life. The joy of completing this book won’t be fulfilled if

  I don’t mention them. I thank Sundeep bhaiya for his immense help. I remember and thank the following:

  My dear GOD for showering me with “HIS GRACE”.

  My greatest treasure – my family which includes my parents, my wife, my son and my sister’s family. Whatever I am today is because of them.

  My Guruji for his blessings.

  My relatives and in-laws for being there with me wholeheartedly. I specially thank all my cousins for their love for me. They have stood by me in thick and thin. I thank my relatives staying abroad as well as their good wishes have been with me always. I also remember my dear ones who have left the world.

  My great friends for their invaluable contribution in the making of this book.

  My Sujanian family i.e everyone associated with Sainik School Sujanpur Tihra.

  My publishers for showing faith in my work. I thank the Editorial Desk for taking interest in my book.

  My dear readers because it’s for you that this book has been written. I’ll accept your criticism as graciously as your appreciation.

  1

  The Sunrise Villa

  “Some people go to heaven after they leave but some people create heaven before they leave.”

  Welcome to ‘The Sunrise Villa’, in the picturesque location of the hills covered with the greenery of devdar trees. This villa is located in a small beautiful place called Devpur, situated at a distance of ten kilometres from Shimla.

  “What an exotic place? I haven’t seen one like this in my life,” exclaimed Rahul Taneja who had come here for the first time.

  “This looks like some heritage property,” said his wife Divya.

  “Bhaiya, listen,” Rahul said to a middle-aged mature looking man who was passing by with a lot of baggage in his hands.

  “You seem to belong to this place. How old is this resort?” Rahul enquired from him.

  “Ye pushtaini ghar hai,” replied that man implying that this is an ancestral property.

  “Whose?” asked Divya.

  “Bauji’s,” said that man after a long silence and with a lump in his throat. His eyes seemed moist with tears.

  The Tanejas understood that he has a special bonding with that place and enquired about his name.

  “I am Haria,” the man said.

  “Where are you going?” asked Rahul.

  “I am a gardener here but now I am leaving this place forever and going back to my native place in Nepal,” replied Haria.

  “Have the people here thrown you out from your job?” asked Divya.

  “No, the circumstances here have pushed me out of this place,” replied Haria.

  Haria looked at the villa with his tear filled eyes and left.

  This small conversation with a stranger generated enough excitement in the minds of Tanejas who had come there with their children, Ira and Ishaan, to spend a weekend in this newly opened resort.

  “You’re most welcome,” said a south Indian man with a broad smile, his teeth shined more than his white shirt.

  “The reception looks more like a big drawing room rather than the reception area of any hotel,” said Divya.

  “Hi, I am Rahul Taneja. I have made a booking with Baxsons Tours and Travels for a three night stay in your hotel.”

  Rahul showed the booking voucher to the manager and entered his details in the register.

  “You are the first visitor in our hotel,” said the manager, Pratap. He also presented a bouquet of roses to them.

  “We are privileged to be the first visitors here,” said Rahul.

  “You can call at reception by dialling 9 from your room intercom for food and housekeeping service,” said Pratap warmly.

  “Raama, take their luggage to room no. 1,” Pratap asked that south Indian employee.

  Raama lifted their luggage and took them to the first floor.

  “Wow! What a room!” said Ira.

  “I’ll sleep in that separate bed,” Ishaan insisted while pointing to

  the single bed which is there in the room apart from the double bed.

  “No, I’ll sleep there,” protested Ira in a bid to win the contest from her brother.

  “You both sleep there but don’t fight now,” said Divya.

  “Where do you belong to?” Rahul asked Raama.

  “I am from Kerala. My home is in Palaghat near Coimbatore. My name is Raamanujlingam Swaminathan but everyone here calls me Raama.”

  “How long have you been here?” enquired Rahul.

  “I am working here for the last three years,” replied Raama.

  “But your manager said that we are the first visitors to your hotel,” Divya asked after getting puzzled by their contradictory remarks.

  “You are the first visitors after we converted our villa into a hotel,” replied Raama.

  ‘We’ in his reply made the Tanejas realise that Raama’s bond with this villa is not just professional but emotional.

  “Where are the kids?” Rahul enquired.

  “They are in the balcony,” Raama said pointing towards the balcony, adjoined exclusively to that room.

  “Oh my God! Its heaven here,” exclaimed Divya on entering the balcony which gave a view of the mountains and forests seen often in the paintings only.

  “The splash green mountains flushed with the trees of devdar are

  found only in the upper regions of the Himalayas,” Rahul said taking a deep breath of fresh air which might have deluded him in Delhi.

  “Where’s the river flowing?” Ira asked Raama after hearing the sound of water flowing.

  “This is the
sound of devdar trees. It sounds like the flow of the river,” Raama answered smilingly, looking more dangerous than friendly to the kids with his broad smile.

  “Please bring two tea and two glasses of milk,” Divya said to Raama.

  Two middle-aged couples arrive in the villa.

  “How was your journey?” Pratap asked them.

  “It was fine but the train from Kalka to Shimla took a long time to reach,” replied a pot-bellied Virender Bajaj.

  “You never enjoy the nature. I am still thrilled by sitting in the toy train and enjoying the beautiful views which we can never see in Ludhiana,” said his wife Kavita.

  “We’ll stay here for two nights and leave for Shimla day after tomorrow,” informed the other man, Amit Goyal.

  “The water tastes like sharbat,” commented Amit’s wife Varsha after taking a sip of water.

  “The water of this place is like mineral water,” said a waiter named Sanju while collecting the glasses.

  “Sanju, take their luggage to room no. 4 & 8,” said Pratap.

  “Are the rooms far apart?” enquired Virender.

  “These are adjacent rooms. One room is facing the valley and the other one is garden facing,” informed Pratap.

  “It’s difficult to control the smoking urge,” Amit said while lighting a cigarette after sending the ladies to the rooms.

  “Our wives like to enjoy nature while we enjoy nature only when we have a glass of whiskey in our hand,” Virender said sheepishly to Pratap.

  “That’s why we’ll stay in Shimla for two days so that we can enjoy our drink in ‘The Continental Bar’ at the Mall road,” added Amit showcasing himself as an equal partner-in-crime.

  The other guests also arrived and moved to their rooms.

  “We don’t feel attached to these guests like we used to feel for the guests of Bauji,” said Manoj, the sweeper in the villa, while cleaning the premises of the villa which had more open space and a garden.

  “Have a seat Maharaj,” Sanju said to a short-statured man when he came near them.

  “How’s the work going on?” enquired Maharaj, who was the chef in the villa.

  “It’s just the first day. Let’s see how the work unfolds,” replied Sanju.

  “Maharaj, you are the oldest employee of this villa. How are you feeling today?” asked Manoj.

  “My name is Rajkumar but no one called me by my name after Bauji named me Maharaj, which is used for addressing a chef or a cook. I am feeling very lonely today,” said Maharaj.

  “Good evening Sir!” said Pratap to a foreigner who arrived in the villa.

  “Namaste. I am Michael Henry from New Zealand. I had reserved a room online through your website,” said that tall and athletic gentleman having a big bag tied to his broad shoulders and books in his hands.

  “How long do you want to stay here?” asked Pratap.

  “I’ll stay here for two weeks. The calm and quiet environs of this place will help me complete my thesis,” said Michael who had come there for academic reasons.

  “It’s 8 p.m. now. How’s your preparation in the kitchen?” Pratap asked Maharaj.

  “Don’t worry at all. It’s not the first time that I have to prepare food for so many guests.” Maharaj assured Pratap.

  “Shall I lay out the buffet crockery in the dining hall?” Raama asked Pratap.

  “Leave it,” replied Pratap. Most of the guests want food in their rooms. The days of combined dining are gone.

  These sort of reminders kept the staff feeling a bit low time and again.

  During the conversation, the telephone bell rang.

  “It’s from room no. 3,” Pratap said looking at the intercom display board in the reception counter.

  “Good evening, may I help you,” asked Pratap.

  “Hi, Michael here. I need a knife to cut some fruits.”

  Pratap asked Raama to take a knife from the kitchen to Michael’s room.

  “Sanju, take the dinner orders from the guests in time,” said Pratap.

  “Help, help! Save me! Anyone! Reception!”

  The loud cries of Michael Henry turned the villa into a happening place. The entire staff rushed to the first floor from where the cries asking for help were coming from. There were eight rooms in the first floor and guests in every room opened their doors in horror and came near room no. 3. Seeing the entire clan of the villa in front of him, Michael calmed down.

  “He wants to kill me,” Michael shouted while pointing his finger towards Raama.

  Everyone stared at Raama who had a big chopper knife in his hand and looked like a serial killer of any south Indian movie.

  “No Sir, believe me, I am innocent,” Raama said as he too got scared.

  Pratap understood the situation and started laughing. Others got puzzled and wanted him to clear the air.

  “Raama, why have you brought this chopper knife to cut the fruits and why didn’t you carry it in a tray?” asked Pratap.

  “You shouldn’t have held it by handle. It made you look dangerous,” opined Sanju.

  Michael understood the reality and got embarrassed for his childish reaction.

  “Anyone can get scared on opening the door to see someone holding a big chopper by handle,” said Michael. And please get your beard shaved off tomorrow. You look dangerous with it.

  Everyone dispersed but Raama still needed time to regain normalcy.

  “I have taken the dinner orders and will start serving by 9 p.m.” Sanju informed Pratap.

  Raama comes to the reception with an angry face.

  “Will now these things happen in our villa?” murmured Raama.

  “What happened?” asked Pratap.

  “The guests in rooms 4 & 8 want non-vegetarian food,” said Raama.

  “Who? Bajaj and Goyal party!” asked Pratap.

  “Yes. They are drinking and abused me when I told them that we prepare vegetarian food only in our villa,” said Raama.

  Sanju then called Maharaj to discuss the issue.

  “Although I used to cook and eat non-vegetarian food before joining here but I haven’t even touched it after Bauji told me that they were pure vegetarian,” said Maharaj.

  “We’ll have to take Raghav bhaiya’s permission,” said Pratap.

  All the employees in the villa addressed Bauji’s grandson as Raghav bhaiya.

  “I’ll personally go to the guest house to seek his opinion,” said Raama.

  While going to the guest house, which was inside the premises but 50 metres away from the villa, Raama’s thoughts went into flashback. He was not covering this short distance for the first time but this time it seemed long. Raama recollected the moment when he first went to the villa from the guest house.

  ‘‘How uncertain I was about my job when I first came here but I am sadder now because those who stood by me during that time are fast losing their own ground now!’’ thought Raama.

  The distance from the villa to the guest house was pleasant as one passes through a beautiful garden having variety of flowers, especially roses.

  ‘‘Perhaps I never noticed before that the roses are covered with thorns,” Raama thought.

  The complete villa was spread in an acre of land. The whole premises included the villa, a guest house, a garden and a badminton court. There was more open space than the constructed area and the total boundary was well fenced. It’s an old saying that the strength of a house is determined by its gate. By this parameter ‘The Sunrise Villa’ was strength and beauty personified. One could feel the

  novelty attached to the place on entering the villa. The pathway amidst the garden leading to the villa presented a beautiful picture. The eye-catching views from there could make anyone spellbound.

  Raama stopped near the badminton court and recollected something that was hidden in his memory.


  When Raama first came here, the villa was the abode of the family of Purshottam Anand, fondly called as Bauji by all. He lived here with his son Vijay, daughter-in-law Neha and grandson Raghav. He had a flourishing apple orchard business. His apple orchard was the biggest in the area and fetched handsome money for them. The orchard was not too far from the villa. During the apple season in the months of July and August, there used to be a lot of activity in the villa – drafters, packers and contractors came here for work. The guest house was the place where they all stayed. But today it was the home for the family whose own home had become a hotel.

  Raama came here with a contractor for the job of packing the apples. He met Raghav near the badminton court.

  Flashback

  “Why are you strolling here in hot noon?” asked Raghav.

  “I have come here with Satish Sir for packing and grafting work in the orchard,” replied Raama.

  “Do you work here?” Raama asked Raghav.

  “Yeah, I do work here sometimes. It’s my family’s orchard,” replied Raghav.

  “Sorry Sir. I didn’t know that you are the owner of this place,” Raama said apologetically.

  “It’s all right,” Raghav said and shook hands with Raama.

  “Even my contractor has never shook hands with me while the owner of this place has no qualms to greet an employee like this,” Raama thought.

  “I didn’t see you before. Are you new to this job?” asked Raghav.

  “Yes Sir. I met Satish Sir in the grain market of Chandigarh,” replied Raama.

  “What did you do there?” asked Raghav.

  “I worked in an Aarthi shop (a place where fruits and vegetables are sold in bulk). The dusty environs of that place didn’t suit my hygienic nature. Satish Sir noticed my unhappiness there and asked if I was interested to work in an orchard. My employer had no objection to send me as there were more people standing outside to walk-in for a job than those who wanted to walk out,” said Raama.

  “You seem to belong to south by your accent,” said Raghav.

  “I am from Kerala,” replied Raama.