If God Was A Banker (16 page)

Amit Suri walked up to them. He was more balanced. 'So Swami, how does it feel to be back in India,' began Suri. Swami immediately felt at ease.

Sundeep had followed Kailash into his room. 'Kailash,' called out Sundeep, when they were out of earshot of the rest. 'There is something I want to talk to you about. If you have some time now, we can talk, else I will be back tomorrow.'

'What's it about, Sundeep?'

'Kailash, I was speaking to Mark Sheen in London last night. And he asked me something that got me curious,' said Sundeep, building up the suspense. Mark was the Global Retail Bank Head for New York International Bank, and was based in New York. He was in London on a business visit.

'What about?'

'He was asking me about Rakesh Makkar.'

'That's normal. Why should that raise an eyebrow?'

'No Kailash. It is not who he was asking me about that set me thinking. It was what he was asking me about him,' started Sundeep.

'What was the reason for Mark's interest in Rakesh?' Kailash was becoming more inquisitive now. Sundeep wanted that to happen. He now had his ears.

The room where Kailash and Sundeep were having this conversation was separated from the hall partly by a glass wall. Through that, Swami could make out that Kailash and Sundeep were in an animated conversation, though he couldn't hear them.

Rajendran went up to Swami. 'What's happening? Is there a problem? What is Kailash doing inside for so long?' Swami had no idea. He just shrugged his shoulders.

'Something is cooking,' said Rajendran and smiled.

Akshay, Anindyo and Atul were standing in a corner when Vivek joined them.
'Kuch gadbad lagti hai. Sundeep ki shakl bata rahi hai.'
They could make out from Sundeep's looks that some serious discussion was on. They had worked with Sundeep long enough to realise that.

Kailash's conversation with Sundeep lasted more than half an hour. Then they both emerged from the room with a smile on their faces. Almost immediately, Swami's team deserted him and crowded around Sundeep, much to Swami's irritation. Kalpana could feel Swami getting pissed, but couldn't do anything about it. Sundeep was far more flamboyant than Swami. When Sundeep excused himself and announced that he was leaving, she was very relieved. The spotlight was back on Swami.

From the moment Sundeep left, Kailash seemed quite lost. Something was o obviously going on at the back of his mind. He was itching for the party to get over.

Dinner was served at 10.30 p.m. The food was mainly South Indian. Nobody liked it except Swami and Rajendran.

'A
bse
to
har party mein yehi khana padega.
Remember the food we used to get at Sundeep's parties. And now, this stupid curd rice.' Akshay was quite annoyed.

'Can you believe it, we are having dinner at ten-thirty. With Sundeep around, parties would begin at eleven.' Anindyo seemed to agree with Akshay.

Looked like, they were not even willing to give Swami a chance. Had Swami lost the battle even before he had started fighting? Swami seemed to have lost the battle on issues not related to banking competence.

The party folded at 11.00 p.m., almost immediately after the dinner. Swami was the first to leave. Eleven at night was well past his bedtime. When Swami went up to Kailash for the customary 'Thank you for the nice evening' stuff, Kailash didn't even make an attempt to hold him back. He wanted the party to be over soon.

T
he moment all the guests had left, Kailash picked up his mobile and dialled the third number from his fast dial list.

'The number you are dialling cannot be reached, please...'

Click! Kailash disconnected the line. 'What the fuck is he doing at this time of the night?'

He began pacing up and down the alley. He stepped out into his garden. He was fortunate to have a garden in his house in a city like Mumbai. After all, he was the highest paid executive. It was 11.30 at night. The sky was cloudy, and it was warm and humid. Anybody would sweat in this weather. Kailash's anxiety made him sweat even more.

He picked up the phone and dialled the number once more. Same response. 'Bastard,' he muttered. 'This guy is never available when you want him.' After trying a couple of times, he finally sent him a message.

He kept pacing the lawns for the next fifteen minutes when he finally decided to go in. He kept his phone firmly by his side, to ensure that he picked it up, just in case this person decided to call him back. Sundeep had told him something that was very critical. He had to act in the next twenty-four hours. There was no time.

Twenty minutes after midnight, the phone rang. Kailash picked it up after just one ring.

'How are you, my friend?' It was such a relief to have heard that voice in the middle of the night. It was Naresh on the other side of the line.

'Where were you? What the fuck were you up to at this hour?'

'Yaar, Monica had sent across a new secretary.
Usika test le raha thai'
Naresh replied in jest.

'Ram, you need to check something out for me right now,' Kailash said.

'You seem very stressed out. What is the problem? Get a massage done. My secretary can fly down in case you want her to. You will be fine,' Naresh said with his usual wit and flamboyance.

'Sundeep came to see me today. Mark Sheen had called him yesterday about Rakesh Makkar. It seems they want to move Rakesh to New York to support the global management team in emerging markets. If that happens, Rakesh's current post becomes vacant. Only you can get it for me.' Kailash was asking Naresh to swing it for him.

'Understood. The grapevine is that Chetan Bindra is coming back as CEO for the group in India. They are meeting today to close out the moves.' Naresh knew everything. How did he manage his network?

'That's what Sundeep told me. Is there any way you can get me this job?'

'What's in it for me?' Naresh was never known to be discreet.

'How does half-a-million dollars sound? Will route it to you over the next six months.' Kailash was too keen on striking this deal.

Rakesh Makkar, the CEO-India of New York International Bank, was slated to move to New York and Kailash was keen to get that job. It meant a lot to him. Kailash had only a few years left before retirement. It was NYB's policy that anyone retiring as a Country Head would be entitled to retirement benefits that essentially took care of him for the rest of his life. The gross gain for Kailash would be much more than the half-a-million dollars that he would pay Naresh. And, in any case, this payout would not happen from his personal funds. If he did become the CEO, this amount would be paid by NYB. He would approve some marketing bills for Naresh's team over the next few months.

'Will you get Sundeep into your current role then?' Naresh was now cutting a deal.

'Ram, you know that I have just got back Swami from the US as the Head of Distribution. Both of them had joined the organisation together and are from similar backgrounds. This would not be fair to Swami. He cannot report to Sundeep.'

'Kailash, the call is yours. I know I can swing it for you. Half-a-million dollars and Sundeep in your role, and the job is yours. Think of yourself, Kailash. Why do you have to let this opportunity go because of that dog Swami.' Kailash wanted the job very badly and couldn't refuse. Naresh hated Swami and it was apparent. He wanted someone above Swami to manage him. Sundeep was the guy he wanted.

'I will call you tomorrow morning,' said Naresh before disconnecting the phone.

Naresh looked at his watch. It was 12.45 a.m. It would be early afternoon in New York. He dialled a number.

'Joseph Fernandes,' said the voice at the other end.

'Hi Joseph.'

'Hey Naresh. How are you?'

'Yaar, ek baat bata,
are you guys moving Rakesh Makkar to New York?'

'Yes, the management felt that given the focus on the BRIC nations, he can be of significant value in driving our strategy in the emerging economies. But the move is not closed yet. We are meeting today to discuss the options. Rakesh has been spoken to and he is keen to move. But, this is classified info. How did you get to know?' Joseph was curious.

'Who are the candidates you are looking at for Rakesh Makkar's replacement?' He ignored the bit on this being classified information. He knew Joseph too well to let that impact his manipulations.

'Chetan Bindra and Suneel Dutt are the candidates. But they don't seem keen to go back to India for family reasons. We might just have to hold back Rakesh's move because we are not able to get the right guy to replace him.'

'Are you nuts, fatso?' Naresh went a long way with Joseph and hence could speak to him in this manner.
'Bagal mein bacha, gali mein dhindoora.'
Naresh was telling him that with the kid right there beside him, he doesn't need to go looking all over.

Joseph was silent. He didn't understand what Naresh was trying to tell him.

'You have the best guy in Kailash Advani and you are looking all over the place for a replacement.' Naresh spent the next ten minutes canvassing for Kailash, and by the time he hung up, he knew the deal was as good as closed. It now hinged on Joseph's ability to convince the management committee.

The next morning, when Kailash got up, his entire body was stiff from lack of sleep. In fact, he had tossed and turned so much in bed that his wife had to go to the other bedroom to catch some sleep.

He picked up the phone lying by his bedside and dialled Naresh's number. He tried calling Naresh. His phone was not reachable. He called Naresh's residence. His wife picked up the phone and told him that Naresh had gone out for a game of golf. Mobile phones were not allowed on the golf course. There was no way he could have got in touch with him. He left a message for Naresh and hung up.

K
ailash was the first person to reach office the next day. It was 8.15 a.m. when his car entered New York International Bank's India HQ.

He was about to enter the lift when his phone rang. One look at the screen told him that it was not Naresh. The screen read
Private Number
. It meant that the call was from an international number. He let the lift pass and stepped aside on the corridor to take the call.

'Hi, is it Kailash Advani?' a heavily accented voice came on.

'Yes.'

'Calling from New York. Mr Bridge would like to speak to you. Should I connect you.' Tedd Bridge was the CEO of NYB globally.

'Sure. Sure.' Instinctively his hand went up to set his hair, when he realised that Tedd Bridge would not be able to see him. He cleared his throat instead.

Kailash could feel his heart pounding. He sat down on the sofa in the lobby. His legs were weak and could give way anytime. Anybody with a weak heart would have had a cardiac arrest.

'Good morning, Kailash.' Tedd Bridge's voice reverberated on the line. It was late at night in New York, but Bridge was still in office.

'Kailash, this is Tedd Bridge from New York. Hope I didn't disturb you too early in the morning.'

'No, Mr Bridge, it's an honour to receive a call from you. Wondering what I have done to deserve this call.'

'Hey Kailash. You haven't lost your touch, old man. Not changed one bit.'

Kailash had worked with Tedd Bridge when he was in New York. Being a career NYB guy, the seniors in the US knew him well.

'Kailash, a huge career opportunity has come up and hence we have decided to move Rakesh Makkar to New York.' Kailash had his heart in his hand.

'That's great for Rakesh, Mr Bridge. I am sure Rakesh will be thrilled and feel extremely challenged. What role will he be moving into?'

'Kailash, he will be moving into a strategic role. He will be driving our global strategy for emerging markets.'

'That's fabulous. He will stay engaged with India.'

'Yes, that's correct. I have just got out of a meeting with the leading team that looks after the emerging markets. Joseph Fernandes strongly felt that if Rakesh Makkar moves, you should get the top job in India. The committee discussed a few other candidates and eventually agreed with his recommendation. I just wanted to check with you if you have any reservations or concerns before I formally congratulate you on your appointment as the new CEO of NYB in India. This would, of course, be subject to regulatory approvals in India. Wanted your go ahead before we release this story to the press.'

Kailash was silent. Tedd Bridge's call had knocked the wind out of his lungs. He clutched the phone tightly lest he dropped it and the phone got disconnected.

'The press conference is in another fifteen minutes. You will have to make up your mind and call me back in the next ten minutes,' said Bridge, implying that he was disconnecting the call.

'Mr Bridge,' Kailash said hurriedly, 'It will be a matter of great pride and honour for me to lead the India team.' Kailash knew that anything could go wrong in ten minutes, if he didn't accept the offer then and there.

'That will be great, Kailash. We will make the official announcement soon. Please be discreet about it till it is formally announced. I have got to go now. Congratulations and best of luck.'

'Thank...' The line went dead even before Kailash could complete his line.

He went up the lift to his office. No one was around. He turned the key and opened the door to his room. What he saw surprised him. A smile came onto his lips. He was about to become a big man.

There was a large basket of flowers in his room. He couldn't figure out who had left it there. Who could it be? Maybe the security guys would know.

He was dialling the security extension when there was a knock at the door.

'Come in,' he thundered. He had the right to be loud, now that he was the CEO.

In walked a person who he had not expected in his wildest dreams to be there. In walked a beaming Ram Naresh.

'Kailash, I wanted to be the first one to congratulate the new CEO of India,' Naresh said and extended his hand in congratulation.

Naresh had taken the first flight out of Calcutta to be in time to congratulate Kailash. Joseph had called him a couple of hours after his call, to tell him that he had personally spoken to nearly everyone in the committee and they had all agreed to let Kailash become the CEO.