The Inseparable 'Jugaad'

Last night I saw a very strange dream. In my dream, I saw myself as an HR manager of a multinational, working with my laptop and sifting through some important documents. The peon entered and announced that the candidates for the vacancy of Junior Manager were waiting outside to be interviewed. I told him to send them in one by one. He nodded and left.

The first candidate entered. He wished me good morning and I asked him to take a seat. He looked very ordinary but his eyes seemed honest. When I asked, he introduced himself to me in such a style that I had never heard before. When I put to him questions on his academics, he deftly answered all of them. He tactfully managed the other questions too. I had immediately made up my mind to select him but I had to follow a procedure and so I asked him to wait outside. Then I summoned the next one.

A boy came in. He was dressed in casuals. After the exchange of greetings, I asked him to take a seat. When I asked him his name, he replied the same in a nervous tone. I asked him to be a little loud as I put my next question. He stammered even though he was qualified enough to answer properly. After a volley of questions, I found him inappropriate for the position and made up my mind to reject him. I told him in a polite way that he would be informed if selected. At this he gave me a look that baffled me. He too seemed in a paralytic shock on what he had heard from me.

Somehow, he got up and left. I was about to ask the next candidate to enter when the phone on my table rang. My boss was on the other side. He asked me about the very same fellow who I had just sent back. I explained the situation to him. He then told me to call him back and give him the job. I asked him the reason to which he explained that the fellow had a relative in a senior position of an organization with which we had good business relationship. That senior person had requested a senior of my company who in turn asked my boss to do the same. Thus I must follow suit.

I called the guy back and asked him directly about his ‘Jugaads’. He immediately started rattling off the names of his relations in all the group companies I knew of. Thus I came to know where and in what capacity his uncle, brother, sister, friend’s brother, brother’s friend and many other combinations-worked. His voice had got a sudden boost which was not there when I was asking him questions related to the work and academics. I then understood the power of ‘Jack’. I was about to issue him his appointment letter when I was distracted by a strange noise. Everything in front of my eyes started fading away and I found myself lying on my bed with the alarm ringing. I thanked the almighty for saving me from cheating with my morals but I kept wondering about the boy who was waiting outside.