I wasn’t a slave always. My middle class parents weaved many dreams for my bright future. They wanted me to achieve what they cannot. They paid mammoth education fee for building my career despite money crunch and huge debt in our house economy. Understanding their pains, I studied hard and became an engineer in an extremely competitive environment. My parents felt their dreams were about to be fulfilled, when I got a job in one of the top IT companies in India. But who knew I was about to lose “right to freedom”.
Huge welcome on the joining day made me believe that the company has got a new CEO in me. Signing a bond of few ten thousands felt like an insignificant formality. However over a period of time, actual picture started appearing. Working on unchallenging tasks in odd working hours, no growth path and above all a dumb master (manager). Nothing was rosy except our receptionist whose name was Rosy. I was frustrated and felt suffocated. “Damn it! I am intelligent, I am extra-ordinary, I will find another job” I yelled. Interestingly, I found one in the next two weeks.
I rushed into my master’s office (manager’s office) with a resignation letter in my hand. He was shocked, he should be. He told me to wait for sometime. I wouldn’t have mind the wait if it would have been for few minutes or hours. But that “sometime” meant few days. Suddenly, he was the busiest person on this earth. After my untiring efforts for few days, I met him just to get my resignation rejected. I was made to believe that I was the most important slave in the company and can’t be freed.
I was helpless. This was the first time I realized that I am a slave. I started looking for any other slave who has gone through the same. To my surprise, I found many. Every slave had a unique story to tell. Few slaves had to pay their masters in hundred thousands to achieve freedom. Others, who were smart, tried avoiding this by vanishing from the slave locality. But to hire these smart slaves, their new masters asked for their freedom certificate (relieving letter) from previous masters. And finally (no more smart) slaves had to pay their previous masters hefty amount to get freedom certificate. Fascinatingly, slave trading is an upcoming trend these days. New masters pay old masters hefty charges (job agreement/ bond amount) to purchase the slaves.
I started worrying that how my story is going to unfold. I offered money to my master to get the freedom certificate (relieving letter). But my masters had a different view. They thought if I would be freed easily every slave will start dreaming about freedom. This will hamper the slave culture. They decided whatsoever they will not free (relieve) me. They decided to make me suffer so much that no slave even in the wildest of his/her dreams will think freedom.
Now, I am a slave. I am only doing what is required to fill my and my family’s stomach. And, I am reading about Sir Martin Luther King, who fought for the rights of black in America. “I have a dream. I have a dream that my little children will one day work in an organization where they will not have to suffer like their father did.”
Huge welcome on the joining day made me believe that the company has got a new CEO in me. Signing a bond of few ten thousands felt like an insignificant formality. However over a period of time, actual picture started appearing. Working on unchallenging tasks in odd working hours, no growth path and above all a dumb master (manager). Nothing was rosy except our receptionist whose name was Rosy. I was frustrated and felt suffocated. “Damn it! I am intelligent, I am extra-ordinary, I will find another job” I yelled. Interestingly, I found one in the next two weeks.
I rushed into my master’s office (manager’s office) with a resignation letter in my hand. He was shocked, he should be. He told me to wait for sometime. I wouldn’t have mind the wait if it would have been for few minutes or hours. But that “sometime” meant few days. Suddenly, he was the busiest person on this earth. After my untiring efforts for few days, I met him just to get my resignation rejected. I was made to believe that I was the most important slave in the company and can’t be freed.
I was helpless. This was the first time I realized that I am a slave. I started looking for any other slave who has gone through the same. To my surprise, I found many. Every slave had a unique story to tell. Few slaves had to pay their masters in hundred thousands to achieve freedom. Others, who were smart, tried avoiding this by vanishing from the slave locality. But to hire these smart slaves, their new masters asked for their freedom certificate (relieving letter) from previous masters. And finally (no more smart) slaves had to pay their previous masters hefty amount to get freedom certificate. Fascinatingly, slave trading is an upcoming trend these days. New masters pay old masters hefty charges (job agreement/ bond amount) to purchase the slaves.
I started worrying that how my story is going to unfold. I offered money to my master to get the freedom certificate (relieving letter). But my masters had a different view. They thought if I would be freed easily every slave will start dreaming about freedom. This will hamper the slave culture. They decided whatsoever they will not free (relieve) me. They decided to make me suffer so much that no slave even in the wildest of his/her dreams will think freedom.
Now, I am a slave. I am only doing what is required to fill my and my family’s stomach. And, I am reading about Sir Martin Luther King, who fought for the rights of black in America. “I have a dream. I have a dream that my little children will one day work in an organization where they will not have to suffer like their father did.”
(This blog is dedicated to my wife who is currently going through all this pain.)
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