New journey begins....

Santanu Saraswati Kolkata, November 8--It doesn't happened very easily, but took seven long months. The advertisement came out on February 28 in a Vernacular daily and I applied for the post of Additional General Manager-Corporate Communication on March 6--I still remember. It was not a smooth journey, but full of bumpy roads and stories of mistrust. My mother used to tell me the sermons of Thakur Ramakrishna Paramhamsadeva: "Fix your mind on God. You will attain spiritual awakening. When one sincerely prays to Him, one can fix one’s mind on Him – then one does develop pure love and devotion at His lotus feet." I too, used to strongly follow Master's word in life. But problems and devils perhaps were in love with my fate. The advertising agency--Idea Inc--where I used to work, was not going well financially. And we were not getting salary on time. And most of the time, part salaries were paid. I was having a huge responsibilities on my shoulder--the responsibility of a father, a husband and obviously a son of a septuagenarian widow. To make everything going, little smoothly, I started helping the non-governmental organisation--READS, where I was the president. But the secretary was unscrupulous! He cheated me like anything. A womanizer, the secretary used to gobble up the lion's share of the funds flowing in, paying literally nothing to the staff and hapless children. I was simply searching in the dark, finding nothing in front. Thought, if I could get the job with this state government institution, I could at least, repay all my loans and at the same time meet the sky-rocketing educational expenses of my daughters. Luck was perhaps not with me. The proposed interview got postponed with the announcement of the panchayat polls in the state. And everything got delayed by another three months. I was loosing my patience and lost my sleep. Sleepless nights after nights--thinking of how to pay the school fees, private tutors' salaries and meet other surmounting expenses. My wife was always beside me. So is God. That might be the reason, which made me still living. Master too, was perhaps worried with me. To rescue me from this situation, Master, perhaps sent few people in my life--my childhood friend, Chirantan Chandran, and obviously the then principal secretary, power & NES, Government of West Bengal, Malay Kumar De. Whenever I have asked for any help, Chirantan didn't even take a second to say, yes. And so is my respected then power secretary. One fine morning, I met him at his office at New Secretariat. And told him everything, I had to say as a father, a husband and a son of a widow, who is a cardiac patient. The state power secretary's office, assured me that it will surely give a positive look on my CV. From then my counting begins. I got the intimation of interview on July 12--the day, I still remember. It was around 2 pm, and I was checking my emails in my BlackBerry phone. I thought it as a spam mail and was about to delete it just like another spam mail from British Petroleum or Tata Consultancy Services. I opened up the mail--really don't know why--and took at least 10 minutes to understand it it is inside. The email confirmed me my berth in the interview scheduled on August 3 at 11 am at 8th floor, Vidyut Bhawan. I took a 15 days leave from my office--because I knew this chance will never come again in my life.

No one in this world knew about my application except--my wife, Chirantan and obviously three other people--whose name I don't wish to divulge. I didn't divulge, since I missed the opportunity in 2009. I started studying hard--day in and day out--with a zeal that whatever the board might ask, I should reply them with confidence. An insider informed me that there will be nearly seven to eight people in the interview board--asking me questions--any thing under the sun. And I have to reply them reasonably well and sound. My daughters never saw their father studying like them. As if its not my elder daughter preparing for her first biggest examination of life--Madhyamik--but me who will be sitting along with her and score very high to keep his nose tasking like a tower--like before when he was a journalist with Hindustan Times--the largest selling national English daily from New Delhi. My younger daughter is little immature. She kept on asking me: "Papa, are you sitting for another Masters degree?" I replied her with a smile: " My child, this exam can save all of us or end all of our life, if I fail to achieve. I have to do it. Its now or never." I really don't know, what she understood from my reply. She said: " Ok, my best wishes. I hope after this you can buy me things I will ask from you." The D-day finally arrive. And I reach Salt Lake little before the scheduled time. The room where, I presently sit and run my office--was the place where we were told to wait. I was the first one to reach. And slowly and slowly candidates started coming in. I thought, I might have to compete with all the other seven people came for the interview, but finally came to know--there was only one more. Others were to appear for Chief Medical Officer and senior medical officers' posts. The board called me at around 11:45 am. And It went for 40 to 45 minutes. All the members were very nice to me--and to my utter surprise, didn't ask a single question that could put me into trouble. It was nice and great going with the board members--and I was little confident about the outcome. I was so happy after the interview that I forgot to take the lift and started coming down using the staircase. Thanking God for what he is to me, I took a taxi from Karunamoyee and came back home. September 17--the day of Viswakarma Puja--the call came in my mobile from the HR-department of WBSETCL, confirming my selection for the post of Additional General Manager--Corporate Communication. On September 21, I submitted my acceptance and agreed to join on October 1, Tuesday,--the day of the week I was born in 1968. I informed my well-wishers in the Government--and all of them congratulated me. I informed my best friend--Chirantan--who made me indebted --by helping me in the odd hours of my life. Its a new journey at the age of 45 and I am prepared to keep my cool and take the tasks whatever is being assigned by the authority. Till date, its quite a smooth journey and support from the colleagues of this esteemed state enterprise. Yes, I believe: If one has unshakable love at His feet, every place becomes heaven to one, everything is then full of bliss. You may have this by His grace. Thank you. Thank you all.