Karma – The beginning

I have often wondered about myself. Where did i get this patience from ? I am not, by nature, a patient person. So, what happened? I think I figured out that the objects in my path were too large to remove in one, two or three shots. In hind sight I realised that if I had looked too far ahead I would have given up before I started the fightback of my professional career and my life itself. At that time it was a miracle that I did not want to see everything.

It’s six and a half years since I almost gave up. I panicked like I have never done before in my professional life. What was my Core problem? The problem was one NBFC . No more details about this entity as it’s not what I am writing about.

Do not look too far ahead while in a battle.

The heading is my own and may be critiqued but it is what kept me going. I was impatient as a person, all my life. I was very emotional. I felt sorry for myself and wallowed in self pity, quite often. All terrible ways to fight a long battle. I am still all the above but many degrees lesser than before.

To add to the above, my problems with depression wasn’t helping. I was changing Doctors and that was not good. So, I went back to my original team and started the long climb back here also.

So, I took things one step at a time. Faced each challenge as they lined up ahead of my path. I was threatened, abused, ignored ( that can be very insulting) and almost every one of those who were professionally with me, left my side. From having a team of over a hundred staff, it came down to twenty, then fifteen and now ten.

The problems were never ending. Because of my mistakes in business my family was bearing the brunt of the pressures. What had they done to deserve this? I had made mistakes, all to pay back that wretched NBFC and was paying the price. Often, at the end of the day I had over a hundred calls. I never avoided even one. That was not my way. This paid off later.

To help me in my recovery from depression and to keep myself occupied I started gardening – I have a vegetable garden on one terrace and a flower garden on another. I did all the work in tending them. I listened to more music in my life than I have ever done before. I read less, but I ensured that I read. The only social media on my phone was WhatsApp. ( I am still too hooked to that and must break the chain). Twitter and LinkedIn is on my Laptop. No other apps.

So, when I was able to get home in one piece ( figuratively), every evening, I was grateful to God. The reader may not understand this feeling but it is amazing, trust me.

Then..

The NBFC in question began to get hammered from all sides. It collapsed but not entirely. Suddenly, I looked up from keeping my head down and realised that Karma was a price everyone paid – entity or human.

The scheduled banks, which reek with corruption ( will write more about my experiences with these people, who I must say are honourable, elsewhere) were the next set of thugs ahead of me. They give loans left right and centre to people who did not deserve them ( but they are honourable people) and when many loans turn bad, they go after the easiest to squeeze. Who is a better catch than a Real Estate Developer who is struggling? In any case the no one trusted Real Estate Developers.

So, they come after you and send goons after you. First the goons will warn you , then they will file cases, then they hire people to come and sing and dance in front of your office and home. Then they threaten to have you picked up in the early hours of the morning. The fear that they generate is not funny. If you manage to live through it, the memories will never leave you. That is why I try not to look back. I hope to do so when I am done with all this.

Why do you think many people run away? These enforcers are pure evil. They look like those characters who are villains in fight scenes. Then the uniformed ones get into the act. But the civilians working in these banks are the worst – they make you sign documents giving away your assets, take your passport and do everything to harass you. The enforcers take money to stay away from you.

It’s a never ending battering. Then, one day you get fed up and seek similar kind of support. It’s then a question of who will back down. I was very clear – I would fight till my last breath and not leave my post as long as it took me to win the WAR.

So, you stand your ground when totally collared and cornered. When you are on the floor and boxed in – you have two options. Learn to be patient or get mad and give up. I took the former option. I sought legal solutions to all my issues. I met personnel from every institution that harassed me and started working on closures. I did not realise it but personnel get transferred and Karma works in the form of good people occupying posts, both uniformed and otherwise.

A time comes when you can suddenly feel a small breeze behind you and the storm in front of you starts to slow down a bit and through the grey ahead of you silver shades begin to appear. I believed that one must recognise small miracles that come your way and not wait for the large ‘water turned to wine’ miracle. God was my constant help, relief, support and companion.

Then, the Valmiki scam happened. What’s that got to do with me? Nothing actually but everything. The prime person from the bank was who harassed me no end went into hiding, where she remains to the day. I could only look up and thank God for Karma…

This is one part of many episodes that will explain to you, dear reader, what it takes to become patient and why Patience is the greatest emotion. It will also explain why you must not condemn people who give up in India. A business that goes South is the worst punishment in the environment in India. Karma is what evens things out in the end. There are miles to go before I can sleep..but, right now, I can lean on my chair and take a nap…more later..to be continued.