The Bankster (Ravi Subramanian) (5 page)

He drove straight into Tanuja’s parking lot and parked the CRV in the slot which was in a secluded corner of the basement.

‘Thanks for dropping me, baby.’

Vikram just smiled. Tanuja leaned towards him to kiss him on the cheek. Her lips soon moved to his eyes, brushed past his mouth, his chin, the side of his neck, and eventually everywhere conceivable. It was just a matter of time that their clothes came off and the seats got pushed to recline fully backwards. The ease with which both of them manoeuvred themselves in that space made it clear that this was not the first time the CRV had played host to their sexual exploits.

‘Nikhil has resigned,’ said Tanuja, as she pulled up her trousers and buttoned them up.

‘Yeah? I expected that.’

‘Next week, Stella Jones is coming to review the appraisal process.’

‘You told me that last week.’

‘She has just taken over a month ago as the Asia Pacific HR Head and India is the first country she is visiting. I don’t want this Nikhil issue to blow up and impact her perception of the India HR team.’

‘You think it will?’

‘Yes, it will. Guneet is adamant. He is quite happy to let Nikhil go, but won’t change his rating.’

‘Chutiya hai woh. He doesn’t understand anything.’

‘Hmm. . .but I don’t know how to play this.’ The romp in the car and the discussion had worn off the impact of the wine.

‘Find Nikhil a job in some other team.’

‘How? No one will hire him if they know his background.’

‘Hmm. . .that’s a problem. But you don’t worry. Send him to me. In fact, I wanted to hire him two years ago, but he didn’t want to move. You convince Guneet, and I will add Nikhil to my team. The position of the head of the Bandra cluster is open now. I would be more than happy to give it to him. You just make it sound like you have worked it out for him.’

‘Will Nikhil be happy?’

‘He better be. It’s a big job. He will have to manage six branches of GB2, spread over the western suburbs of Mumbai. If he does well, he can get his promotion soon.’

‘You’re sure you want to do this?’

‘Of course. I will do anything to make sure my dear HR Head doesn’t get into trouble. You just manage Guneet.’

‘You’ re a darling, Vikram.’ She leaned over, held him with her right hand and kissed him on his lips even as she pushed the door open with her left hand and stepped out of the CRV.

3

Bandra, Mumbai

March 2011

The two-bedroom, thirty-first floor apartment overlooking the Arabian Sea, with a panoramic view of the Mahalakshmi Race Course, had caught Divya’s fancy. The job of house hunting was left to her, for Nikhil was too immersed in his new role. In any case, the final decision was hers and Nikhil was smart enough to realize that.

For Nikhil and Divya, Mumbai was a far throw from Pune, where they had lived almost all their lives. Rentals were four times what one would normally pay in Pune, that too for an apartment one-fourth the size. Divya fondly remembered her apartment in Pune and longingly glanced one last time at the apartment and the lush green carpet of the racecourse through the large French windows in the living room, as she shut the door and walked out. She knew that this apartment, too, was beyond their means.

A week after landing in Mumbai, Nikhil was driving back from the Bandra Branch, which was the largest branch in Nikhil’s cluster and housed Nikhil’s office, to Taj Lands End Hotel, where he had been put up for a few days pending the shifting of his personal effects. His mobile phone rang. Pulling over to the side of the road, he stopped his car and answered.

‘Good evening Vikram.’

‘Hey Nikhil. How are you? Settling in well?’

‘Yes, Vikram. It’s a completely different experience. I am enjoying it.’

‘I am sure, my friend. Had dinner?’

‘Not yet. I’m on my way back to the hotel.’

‘Oh, great. Anika is also somewhere in Bandra. I’m on my way to pick her up. Why don’t we have dinner together? We can come over to the hotel if you are fine with it? I have never met Divya. Anika, too, will get a chance to meet the two of you. What say?’

Nikhil did not have much of a choice. Divya, not thrilled at this new development, understood that it was a part and parcel of corporate life and quietly toed the line.

Dinner was mostly a one-man show, where only Vikram spoke. He had an opinion about everything, and a contrarian approach to whatever anyone else said. Divya was getting frustrated. Thankfully Anika was also a bit tired after a long day and wanted to head back home. After ninety minutes of torturous conversation, the dinner was over. Divya and Nikhil walked Vikram down to the lobby of the hotel and waited with him on the porch till the CRV was brought in.

‘Have you managed to find a house?’

‘Not yet Vikram. Divya has seen some in the last few days but we haven’t closed on any yet.

‘Oh yes. . .the only issue we are facing is that apartments here are quite an apology, as compared to what we get in Pune. And my God, aren’t they expensive!’ Divya exclaimed.

‘What is your budget?’

‘About a lakh a month. The best we can afford is a two bedroom apartment,’ said Nikhil.

‘And to think, we were staying in a lavish four-bedroom palace in Pune,’ added Divya.

‘Hahahaha,’ laughed Vikram. He put his right hand inside his pocket and pulled out a key. Dangling it in front of Divya, he looked at Nikhil, ‘Go tomorrow morning and take a look. If you like it, we will talk.’

‘What’s this Vikram?’

‘An apartment in Casa Grande, in Parel. I’m sure you would’ve heard of it. It’s a nice four-bedroom apartment. The apartment number is on the keychain.’

‘Whose apartment is it Vikram? And four bedrooms? I don’t think we can afford it.’

‘Take a look. I’ll call you tomorrow.’

The CRV had arrived while Vikram was talking to Nikhil. He got into it with Anika and drove off, leaving Divya holding the keys.

Early next morning, pressured by the deadline prescribed by Vikram, Divya and Nikhil went to Parel. The apartment was a fabulous four-bedroom one. Nikhil estimated it to be a minimum of 2700 sq. ft., huge by Mumbai standards. The interiors were exquisite and tastefully done. It was clear that the owner had spent a lot of money on it.

‘Let’s go,’ said Divya.

‘Why? Didn’t like it?’

‘It’s lovely. But do you think you can afford it?’

‘I wish I could,’ said Nikhil as they walked into the shiny steel elevator.

Back in office, Nikhil called Vikram. Vikram was talking to someone on his mobile. Nikhil stayed on the line. It was evident Vikram was talking to someone about a property deal.

‘Oh. . .okay. Look, it cannot be in my name. The rental agreement with GB2 will be made in the company’s name. Anika is the owner and director of that company. I am talking about the fourth shop. And make sure that the rental cheque comes only in the name of the company.’ Then there was pause. ‘I know we need only three shops for the branch. However, it’s within my authority to approve a slightly larger area for the branch. Go ahead and do it. We’ll talk later. And make sure that no one gets to know of this. If anyone does, you are history. . .’ Another pause. ‘Okay, call me if you need clarity on structuring this deal.’

‘Hello. . . Hello. . . Hey Nikhil,’ Vikram came on the line. He seemed to have forgotten that Nikhil was on the line and was a bit surprised when he realized that Nikhil was still on hold.

‘Good morning Vikram.’

‘Morning. . .morning. Tell me.’

‘Vikram, we had gone to see the apartment this morning. It’s lovely. But I don’t think we will be able to afford it. It’s too big, it won’t fit into my budget.’

‘Why?’

‘It will be beyond our means.’

‘You had a budget of a lakh right?’

‘Yes sir.’

‘Give me a minute.’ He went off the line for a minute, leaving Nikhil to wonder what he was up to. He could hear some taps of a keyboard and then Vikram came back on the line.

‘I have just sent you something. Take a look.’

‘Email?’

‘Yup.’

‘Just a moment sir,’ and Nikhil refreshed his inbox. An email from Vikram popped up on his screen.

Nikhil read through the contents. His eyes grew wider and wider. He was grinning from ear to ear. ‘Thanks Vikram. This is so completely unexpected!’

‘You’re welcome my friend. Now tell me, can you afford to pay me a rent of two-and-a-half lakh a month for my apartment or not?’

‘I don’t know what to say Vikram. I am highly indebted to you. Whatever you say is fine by me.’ Nikhil was too overawed to say anything else.

Back home that night, Nikhil and Divya got into an animated discussion. ‘A second promotion in eighteen months is unheard of at this level. Wow! You’re a star Nikhil.’ Divya couldn’t hide her excitement.

‘I know Divya. I knew the job was graded higher than my personal grade, but I didn’t expect them to give it to me so soon. I thought they would give it to me sometime towards the end of next year. But now this promotion, and the increase in salary, is so unexpected. Let’s enjoy it while it lasts. I’m not complaining.’

‘So now you don’t have a choice but to take the house.’

‘Yes,’ nodded Nikhil. ‘He has been so good to us; it will be difficult to say no to him. He said that he had increased my salary by eighteen lakhs per annum, to make sure that I am able to afford the rent, otherwise the normal increment with this promotion would be around two to three lakhs only.’

‘We have one life. Let’s enjoy it to the fullest.’ said Divya. ‘When are we shifting?’

Within two weeks they shifted into their new pad.

Having spent the day unpacking, both Nikhil and Divya were about to go to bed early one evening when their doorbell rang. Divya opened the door.

‘Hi,’ said the pretty young girl at the door.

‘Hi,’ said Divya with a blank look. In her assessment, the girl was at best in her late twenties.

‘I am Sukanya, your next-door neighbour. We moved in about a week ago. I saw you shifting so I came in to check if you guys needed any help. Should I send some food? You must be tired.’

Sukanya was friendly and Divya had been yearning for company ever since she had moved to Mumbai. They hit it off well. During the course of the conversation, Divya brought up the issue of the rent in Mumbai and how expensive real estate was in the island city as compared to Pune. The discussion veered towards the rentals in Casa Grande.

‘Oh. We pay a lakh and sixty as rent. That’s the best hubby’s company could afford.’

The moment she said that, Divya looked at Nikhil. He too had a shocked look on his face. Neither said anything.

After Sukanya left that night, Divya walked up to Nikhil. He was lost in thoughts. ‘What are you thinking?’

‘Vikram took us for a ride.’

‘As in?’

‘He coerced us into taking a flat, which would have fetched him a rent of around a lakh and sixty, and charged us two and half lakhs a month. In the euphoria of the promotion, we, like suckers, agreed to it too. He hiked my salary so that the differential was taken care of. By doing this he ensured that I don’t crib and keep my mouth shut. By increasing my salary, he’s made a huge profit, can’t you see that?’

‘Hmm. . .’ was all that Divya could say.

For the first time, Nikhil was exposed to the games business leaders play. He was angry, but he knew Divya was right. Wasn’t he also the beneficiary of the largesse? Had he lost the right to complain?

4

Devikulam

March 11
^th
, 2011

The entire world woke up to an event of tragic and monumental proportions on March 11th 2011—something that had never been seen or heard of in the past. The island nation of Japan was struck by a massive earthquake, measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale. Striking seventy kilometres to the east, off the coast of Tohoku Peninsula, it was the largest earthquake to have ever hit Japan and the fifth largest the world had ever seen since 1900— the time earthquake intensities started getting recorded. The impact of the earthquake was so devastating that it triggered off violent tsunami waves, which ran up to a height of over forty metres in Miyako and drove sea waves over ten kilometres inland. So intense was the earthquake that the entire earth shifted on its axis.

While the world was watching the dramatic visuals of the tsunami on their television screens, a disaster, with potentially greater repercussions, was just about to take place. The tsunami-propelled seawater overshot the thick walls at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant and entered the compound. Moments earlier, the earthquake had caused the disaster protection mechanism to automatically kick in, consequently shutting down the power to the installation. The emergency generators took over and were managing the electronic network and the supply of coolants to keep the nuclear reactors from overheating. However, once the water came gushing in with full force, it caused the generators to flood. The generators stopped functioning. This impacted the power supply to the nuclear reactors; the pumping of the coolant to the reactors got disrupted. In the absence of any coolant, the heat generated by the reactors rose at a rapid pace.The rising heat level of the reactors was worrisome, because if the temperatures approached the melting point of the nuclear rods, it could result in a core meltdown. It was a nuclear disaster waiting to happen.

The government swung into motion. Mass evacuations were carried out around the nuclear plant even as the administration and teams of scientists put their own life at stake to control the reactors and prevent radioactive leakages. However, multiple explosions hindered their plans to shut it down. Radioactive readings near the plant were beginning to get alarming. The Japanese government rated the situation as a Level Seven disaster—considered to be the highest possible level for a nuclear plant.

Eventually after significant collateral damage, the plant was brought under control. However, it was not before it had resulted in an enormous amount of radioactive leakage into the seawater, ground and atmosphere around the nuclear plant.