Married But Available: Chapter 1

          Some things have changed. Some things never will – not in this lifetime. I look at my face in the mirror of the guesthouse of my alma mater and try to discover the changes. I’ve just stepped out of the shower and am buttoning the black Polo shirt that has always been my favourite. The faded pair of Levis and black blazer complete the look. I shave and dab on some cologne. Like the scouts will tell you, ‘Be prepared’. Then I comb my hair and, looking at the strands of silver that have appeared of late around my sideburns, wonder idly if any girl would still find me attractive. After all, at age thirty five the girls on the MIJ campus will probably find me too old, unless I meet one of those who find older men sexy because they have grey sideburns.

The guesthouse is part of the new Executive Development Centre that the Management Institute of Jamshedpur is known for. It’s built like a five-star hotel, complete with a beautiful swimming pool and a poolside bar which has been featured in several issues of the Business Magnate.As I bend down to tie my shoelaces, I try and think of one good reason why Father Hathaway allowed it to be built at all, but I can’t think of any. There is one thing I do know: I hate these alumni meetings.‘You look just the same.’‘I’d never have recognized you. You’ve gone totally bald.’‘I’ve put on so much weight. The travel and eating out is killing me. So who did you marry?’Ten years ago when I left the Management Institute of Jamshedpur as a freshly minted MBA, I never imagined that I would come back under these circumstances. I prayed during the train journey to Jamshedpur that I would not bump into a known face. God was kind. The AC chair car of Ispat Express was clearly not a popular choice with the alumni.The knock on the door is discreet. I open the door and find a young lady smiling at me. She is wearing a formal skirt and jacket. Her shoulder-length hair has been shampooed and brushed till every strand is neatly in place.‘Hi, I am Cauvita.’ She offers me a business card.‘Hi. I’m Abbey.’ I look at the card. ‘President of the Students’ Association? Cool.’‘That’s me. And here’s your welcome gift.’I open the gift-wrapped photo frame and look at the collage of familiar faces. It brings back memories thathad begun to fade.‘That’s Rusty. I hope he manages to come from Dubai. That’s Gur standing next to Neetika. They are married. Gur is bursting at the seams now. You wouldn’t recognize him. That’s Pappu… my roommate in the first year. We were in Room 208, which overlooks Daadu’s Dhaba. Pappu is the craziest roomie anybody could have. He sleeps more than any other human being on the planet. Still does.’‘There were eight girls in your batch. How many of them got married to their batchmates?’I sidestep the question and say, ‘Can we go and sit on the steps of the auditorium?’‘Sure,’ she says. ‘I don’t mind.’I lock the door behind me and we set off.‘Is it still considered cool, going for a walk to the banks of the Subarnarekha?’‘Oh, I love watching the sunset from there. And look, it’s a full moon night.’ She points to the Dalma mountain range in the distance.I can’t stop the memories from taking over. ‘How is Daadu? Does he still play the flute? We used to get drunk at his dhaba. And his wife made such delicious jalebis.’‘Niranjan runs the dhaba now; Daadu and Didima just supervise. During exam time, we can get cigarettes, coffee and sandwiches delivered to the hostel.’I sit down on the steps of the auditorium and Cauvita settles down next to me. She’s an attractive youngwoman. I light a cigarette and blow a smoke ring, which allows me to look at her without her knowledge.‘Are you from Jampot?’‘I worked for three years after engineering and then I decided to take up HR. I wanted to dispel the myth that engineers can’t do touchy-feely stuff.’‘If you are looking for someone who is good at that, your search stops here!’ I smile at Cauvita, and she looks at me and giggles.‘Are you looking forward to meeting your old classmates?’‘Yes and no. Largely no, at this moment. It’s so predictable, you know. After the first five minutes ofbonhomie everyone gets down to competing with each other all over again. That’s what I hate.’‘But you had such cool dudes in your batch. Alpana Rao was here last month to screen her latest film, Dark Knights. It won her an award in France. I believe she is making her next movie with Shahrukh Khan.’‘Yeah, not everyone ended up in the corporate world like me. Arunesh Nanda – you know, the rock guitarist – is also from the batch of ’84,’ I say with unmistakable pride.‘That’s meant to be the surprise of this evening. He is performing the songs from his latest album, Mood Swings. My friend from Bombay says she often sees him in Bandra. I believe he lives somewhere there. What was he like when he was here?’‘He was always an amazing guitarist. His long hair made him look like a rock star even then. I rememberwhen he played Dylan, especially “Blowing in the Wind” – anyone would have said he gave Bob a run for his money. That’s according to Haathi. I believe he’s heard Dylan live, so he knows. Arre, you should hear him do Kishore Kumar. He is just amazing. I saw his photo in Stardust the other day. The fucker now wears an earring and that, too, in one ear.’‘So which company did you join after leaving MIJ?’‘Balwanpur Industries. I just wanted to be in Delhi, and those buggers were the only ones to offer me a job in a place that was close. After that I think I got lazy and never changed jobs. I loved being in the factory. And life in that township is amazing.’‘The idea of living in a township is so romantic. I would love it.’‘Come over and spend a weekend with me.’‘Are you serious? I might take you up on it.’‘Promise.’ I held out my hand and Cauvita put her rather cold hand in mine.‘Maybe I should use this alumni meeting to ask if any of them wants to hire someone like me. I am available to be employed by the highest bidder.’The moon is playing hide and seek in the clouds. I can hear someone checking the PA system.‘1,2,3, mike testing hello… hello… mike testing…’‘Who the hell is this Mike who goes around testing sound systems?’ I joke.‘Is it true that the first ten years of work are the most eventful in anyone’s life?’ Cauvita’s question takes me by surprise. Mine certainly were. When I joined MIJ in 1982, I thought that Delhi University had prepared me for everything I needed to know. When I joined Balwanpur Industries on 1 June 1984, I thought MIJ had taught me all the skiils required to navigate corporate India and life in general. I was bloody wrong.------------------------------You can have MARRIED BUT AVAILABLE delivered by mail by ordering it from the Harper Collins site. You can get a signed copy if you order by 30 September 2008.Download the cover of Married But Available