सही रास्ता

यह बात 1997 के आस पास की होगी। मैं उस समय बहराइच में काम करता था। मुझे उस शहर में आये हुए कुछ ही महीने हुए थे। वह एक छोटा सा शहर है इसलिए शहर में घूमते फिरते कई लोगों से जान पहचान होना लाजिमी था। इसी तरह एक सीनियर मेडिकल रिप्रेजेंटेटिव से मेरी जान पहचान हुई। वह बिहार के मुजफ्फरपुर शहर से आते थे। एक बिहारी होने के नाते मुझे उस आदमी से थोड़ा अपनापन सा महसूस हुआ इसलिए हमलोग जब भी कभी मिलते तो रास्ते में रुककर ही थोड़ी देर के लिए इधर उधर की बातें कर लिया करते थे। वह किसी ऐसी कम्पनी में काम करते थे जो एक सरकारी कम्पनी थी। 

एक बार उन्होंने बताया, “मेरी हालत बहुत खराब है। मुझे पिछले दो साल से सैलरी नहीं मिली है। मेरी बीबी एक प्राइवेट स्कूल में पढ़ाती है और मैं कुछ बच्चों को ट्यूशन पढ़ाता हूँ। तब जाकर बड़ी मुश्किल से घर का खर्चा चल पाता है। अब तो बच्चे भी बड़े हो रहे हैं जिससे हमारे खर्चे बढ़ रहे हैं। समझ में नहीं आता क्या करूँ।“

मैने उनसे सहानुभूति दिखाते हुए कहा, “ये तो बड़ी गंभीर समस्या है। लेकिन मेरी समझ में ये नहीं आ रहा है कि जब आपको पिछले दो सालों से सैलरी नहीं मिली है तो आप ये नौकरी छोड़ क्यों नहीं देते। कोई भी दूसरी कम्पनी ज्वाइन कर लीजिए। कम से कम परिवार चलाने लायक आमदनी तो होने लगेगी।“

इसपर उन सज्जन ने जवाब दिया, “तुम नहीं समझोगे। अभी तुम्हारी उमर कम है और तुम कुँवारे भी हो। मैं किसी भी कीमत पर एक सरकारी कम्पनी की नौकरी नहीं छोड़ना चाहता हूँ। सरकारी नौकरी की अपनी ही शान है।“

मैने कहा, “क्या बात करते हैं? ऐसी झूठी शान को लेकर क्या करना जिससे आपके अस्तित्व पर ही खतरा हो।“

फिर उन्होंने कहा, “पैसों की कमी के कारण मैं ठीक से काम भी नहीं कर पाता हूँ। तुम यदि मेरी मदद करना चाहते हो तो कभी कभी किसी इंटीरियर जाते समय मुझे भी साथ ले लेना ताकि मैं भी वहाँ कुछ काम कर पाऊँ। सुना है कि तुम बड़ा ही बढ़िया काम कर रहे हो।“

उसके कुछ दिनों बाद मैं पास के एक बाजार नानपारा जाने वाला था। संयोग से शाम में बाजार में टहलते समय उनसे मुलाकात हुई और मैंने कहा, “भैया, कल मुझे नानपारा जाना है। यदि आप चाहें तो मेरे साथ चल सकते हैं। सुबह आठ बजे तैयार होकर अपने दरवाजे के पास खड़े रहियेगा। मैं आपको वहीं से ले लूँगा।“

उन्होंने हामी भर दी और मैं खाना खाने के लिए पास के ही एक ढ़ाबे में चला गया। खाना खाकर मैं अपने घर गया और अगले दिन के काम के लिए अपने बैग में जरूरी सामान रख लिया। अगले दिन सुबह आठ बजे मैं जब उनके घर के पास पहुँचा तो वे दिखे ही नहीं। खैर, दरवाजे पर थोड़ी देर तक दस्तक देने के बाद वे आये, मुझसे देरी के लिए माफी माँगी और मेरी बाइक की पिछली सीट पर बैठ गये। उनकी गली से निकलकर मैं मेन रोड पर आया और दाहिने मुड़ गया। उसके बाद छावनी चौराहे से मैं बाँए मुड़ने लगा। जैसे ही मेरी बाइक बाईं ओर चलने लगी वे पीछे से जोर से चिल्लाए, “अरे इधर किधर जा रहे हो? तुम तो बता रहे थे कि नानपारा जाना है।“

मैने जवाब दिया, “मैं पिछले पाँच महीनों से लगातार नानपारा जा रहा हूँ। जहाँ तक मुझे पता है यही रास्ता नानपारा को जाता है। आप आराम से बैठिये।“

उन्होंने थोड़ी देर तक मुझसे नानपारा के सही रास्ते के बारे में बहस लड़ाने की कोशिश की। लेकिन जैसे ही हाइवे आया तो मेरी रफ्तार तेज हो गई और तेज हवा चलने के कारण हमारी कोई बातचीत संभव नहीं थी। लगभग आधे घंटे चलने के बाद हम नानपारा पहुँच गये। नानपारा पहुँचते ही मैने एक चाय की दुकान के पास बाइक रोकी और उनसे उतरने को कहा। जब हम वहाँ बैठकर चाय पी रहे थे तो उन्होंने कहा, “तुम तो यहाँ के रास्तों से कम ही समय में भली भाँति परिचित हो गये हो। दरअसल मुझे नानपारा आये हुए एक लंबा अरसा बीत गया इसलिए क्न्फ्यूजन था।“

मुझे बड़ा गुस्सा आ रहा था। मैने कहा, “अब मेरी समझ में आ गया कि आपकी कम्पनी दो साल से सैलरी क्यों नहीं दे रही है। आप यहाँ पर पिछले दो तीन साल से काम कर रहे हैं फिर भी आपको नानपारा जैसे अहम बाजार का रास्ता नहीं मालूम है। आप कोई दूसरी कम्पनी भी ज्वाइन कर लेंगे तो वहाँ भी आपकी सैलरी बंद कर दी जाएगी। आपके लिए बेहतर होगा कि वापस मुजफ्फरपुर जाकर वहीं ट्यूशन पढ़ाने का काम शुरु कर दें।“

जवाब में उन सज्जन ने कुछ नहीं कहा। बस चुप चाप चाय की चुस्कियाँ लेते रहे। 

Staying in a Five Star Hotel

I have observed that most of the people who join as medical representatives come from middle class backgrounds. When I joined Pfizer, India had yet to reap the benefits of liberalization because of a time lapse of just above two years. People of my generation were not exposed to things; like cable television. Internet was still in the realms of science fiction. As I come from a small town so even looking at a photograph of a good hotel was a thing of luxury to me.

Before joining Pfizer, I had been working with Cadila so had been to a three star hotel at Patna to attend some sales meeting. But staying in a five-star hotel was still beyond my wildest imagination. After clearing the written test and several rounds of interview at Bombay, we were told to go to a doctor for a round of medical checkup. After about a couple of days we were told to check in at the Ramada Hotel. I hired an auto-rickshaw and loaded my luggage on that to go to the above-mentioned hotel. Before starting my journey, I showed the address of the hotel to the auto driver. After a half an hour drive, the auto-driver stopped near a nice looking hotel and said, “Hey Sahib, here is your hotel. Pay my bill and get down here.”

I craned my neck to see an imposing structure in front of me. I was simply mesmerized at that imposing and glistening façade of the hotel. My first thought was that the auto-driver must have done some mistake by stopping near such a grand hotel. I meekly asked the auto-driver, “Are you sure, we have reached the right hotel.”

He said, “Yeah, you can check the address from your envelope.”

I once again checked the address, which was written on the envelope. To make myself sure, I tallied each letter of the hotel’s name on the envelope with what was written on the huge neon sign atop the hotel. I got down from the auto and placed my luggage on the sidewalk. Still being unsure, I was trying to peep through the glass door which was behind a burly mustachioed gatekeeper. The sight of the tall and well built gatekeeper further frayed my nerves. While my mind was going through all the turmoil, I could get a glimpse of many detailing bags (the typical leather bags of medical representatives) kept like a huge pile near the reception desk.

The sight of the stack of detailing bags gave me enough courage and then only I could enter the gate of Ramada Hotel; where our training was to begin from the next day. 

I Am on Actuals

Most of the pharmaceutical companies pay some daily allowance to their medical representatives and first line managers. The allowance is given so that the sales guy can manage to pay hotel bill and travel bill (for local commuting). Some of the companies also give some sort of food allowance so that the sales guy can buy food while he is working in the field. As most of the sales guys come from middle class background, so they always try to save some money from the allowance. But some companies reimburse the actual bill once a person gets promoted to become the first line manager. This is done in order to enable the first line manager to stay in a decent hotel and eat better food. Moreover, his laundry bill is also reimbursed so that he need not bother about the meager allowance and can focus on his actual job. This story is about the ‘proper use’ of the facility of reimbursement of the actual bill by a guy who was recently promoted to the post of the first line manager.

Unlike most of his colleagues, that guy was somewhat rustic in his behavior and dress sense. Just after becoming a firs line manager, he went for a joint working in the territory of one of the medical representatives in his team. The medical representative reported to him early in the morning at seven am sharp because they had to go to some interior for work. The moment the medical representative took a seat on the sofa in the hotel room, the manager asked, “Hey would you like to have breakfast?”

The medical representative answered in affirmative. Hearing that, the manager made a call to the receptionist and ordered for breakfast, “We want a full plate of chicken chilly, two plates of omlettes, a full plate of fish fry and two plates of butter toast for breakfast.”

The medical representative was stunned. He said, “Sir, I thought of having something light for breakfast. I think it is going to be too much for two of us.”

The manager replied, “Don’t worry mate. Your old colleague has got a promotion now. I am on the actual; so I no longer need to worry about the bills.”

The medical representative took a plate each of butter toast and omlette and a few pieces from the chicken chilly and fish fry. Rest of the food was gobbled by the manager.

When they came back from the interior, it was the time for lunch. The manager once again called the reception desk and said, “Hi, can you write down my order for lunch? Please send two plates of mutton curry, one plate of chicken tikka, one plate of fish fry, ten pieces of naan and two plates of fried rice. You can send two plates each of gulab jamun and ice cream for dessert.”

The medical representative was a frugal eater and hence said, “Sir, I would take just two naans and a few pieces of chicken tikka for lunch. You can order accordingly. There is no need for ordering so many items.”

The manager said, “Don’t worry mate. Your old colleague has got a promotion now. I am on the actual, so I no longer need to worry about the bills.”

After finishing the lunch, the medical representative went to meet the wholesalers. The manager remained in the hotel to complete his daily quota of the afternoon siesta. The medical representative came back in the evening as they had planned to meet some more doctors in the evening. Looking at him, the manager asked, “Hey, would you like to have something for the evening snacks?”

The representative said, “No, thanks! I am full.”

The manager said, “You are a young guy. You should eat a lot because you need to work really hard. I am not going to hear anything from you. I am going to order for some snacks.”

The manager once again called the reception desk and ordered, “Please send a full plate of chicken chilly, four egg rolls and two coffees for us.”

The medical representative once again said, “Sir, I can have coffee if you insist. But I am not going to eat chickens. I love non-vegetarian food but I usually take a non-vegetarian meal once or twice in a week.”

The manager said, “Don’t worry mate. Your old colleague has got a promotion now. I am on the actual, so I no longer need to worry about the bills.”

After finishing their work, they came back to the hotel at half past nine. While the medical representative was busy preparing his daily report, the manager asked, “Hey, what about dinner? Let me order for the dinner. Would you like to have a couple of beer as well?”

The medical representative said, “Sir, beer would be fine. But please don’t order too many items for dinner.”

The manager once again called the reception counter and said, “Please send four naans, a full plate of plain rice, a full plate of mutton curry, one plate chicken chilly and a plate of fish fry. Yeah, we will have some finger chips for snacks.”

The medical representative had had enough of it. He said, “Sir, I already told you that I don’t want to eat so much. You can order whatever you wish for you. But please spare me from the torture of shoving so much into my stomach.”

The manager once again said, “I am on the actual, ……………..”

The representative interrupted him and said, “So what if you are on the actual? Why are you making your tummy a graveyard for all the dead chickens and fish? It is understandable that the bill is going to be reimbursed by the company. Does it necessitate that you go on eating everything in the name of getting the reimbursement?”

But the manager did not pay heed to his colleague’s advice. Instead, he gorged on everything which he had ordered. He emanated a loud burp after the meal and said good night to the representative.

When the medical representative went to the hotel on the next morning, he found the room door ajar. While he sat on the sofa; waiting for his boss, he could hear the rumbling sound from the bathroom. Within a few moments, the manager came out of the bathroom. He appeared highly exhausted. He said, “I am suffering from diarrhea since night. Can you bring some ORS for me? I have planned to observe a fast for today. But you can order whatever you wish for breakfast. In fact, I am on the actual.” 

Illegal Connection

This story is about the old proverb ‘Unity is strength’; in context of the life of medical representatives. No matter how high they think about themselves, medical representatives are seldom noticed by the mainstream society. People only notice them when they appear to be the hindrance when a patient is waiting for his turn outside a doctor’s chamber. But this incident made many people of the town to acknowledge the existence of a species called ‘Medical Representative’.

This incident happened in Dhanbad; during the mid 1990s. Two medical representatives from two different companies were living in an outhouse as tenant. Their landlord had not taken the proper connection of electricity. He was using hooks to siphon off electricity illegally from the power-line.

Once the state government issued a notice; about its plans to take action against all those who were using illegal means to get electricity supply. After that, there was a raid on their outhouse on a fateful night. Both the guys pleaded with the police team about their innocence. They requested the police to book the landlord but it was of no avail. The police arrested them and immediately put them in the lockup.

Next day, the news spread like a wildfire among the medical representatives. Most of the medical representatives began to gather near the area where most of the government offices were located. Some leaders of the medical representatives’ union were leading the crowd. Almost everyone was dressed in the business attire. The well ironed dresses with shining leather shoes and neckties were somewhat an oddity in the premises of government offices because government employees in most of the small towns are shoddily dressed. Many government employees could be seen in leather slippers; wearing loosely fitting shirts which may not have been tucked inside their trousers. Many of them were even sporting three days’ old stubble on their faces. They appeared to be so overawed by the presence of neatly dressed guys that they allowed all of us to meet our colleagues in the lockup.

Those poor chaps were highly depressed because they had been arrested for no fault of theirs. They pleaded with us to quickly do something to ensure their early release. After that, we came on the main road and all of us sat on the boundary wall of the office premises. One of us ordered a tea-vendor to serve tea to every medical representative present there. Then we collected two rupees from each and paid the bill to the tea seller.

It was a sight worth seeing. About one hundred and twenty people were sitting in a row on the boundary wall. Almost all of them were in formal dresses. Almost equal number of two-wheelers was parked in a parallel row on the roadside. The road; passing through the office premises; is the main road of Dhanbad. It is one of the busiest roads in the town. Most of the people who were passing by were looking at us with deep sense of wonder. Many could also be seen stopping to kill their curiosity.

A small delegation from our team went to the nearby District Hospital to meet the CMO. Even the CMO was closely acquainted with us because he was an important customer for most of the pharmaceuticals companies. He issued a letter on his letterhead; addressed to the SHO of the police station. Based on that letter, the SHO allowed our colleagues to go to the District Hospital for a round of medical checkup.

The doctor made a certificate that those two guys needed bed rest and advised their immediate release from the lockup.

Once we were successful in getting them shifted to the District Hospital, they felt highly relieved. After that, some senior medical representatives held a couple of rounds of negotiations with the lawyers and the police. By that time, even the policemen were convinced of our clout with the medical fraternity. They were also wary of our collective strength. Thus, our pressure forced them to release our colleagues; without framing a charge. 

Hometown Connection

Most of the people have a deep connection with their hometown; at least during initial years after leaving the hometown. I belong to Darbhanga and had spent my formative years in this town. Sometimes, the deep affection with your hometown can give you enriching experience during the journey of life. Once I had been to Kolkata to attend a launch meeting. During one of the evenings, I was taking a stroll near Howrah Bridge; the famous landmark of Kolkata. My two colleagues were also with me. After taking a leisurely walk for some time, we felt an urge to have tea. While we were searching for a tea stall, I could see a rudimentary tea stall on the sidewalk. The person managing the tea stall was in his early thirties. He was fragile in appearance and was of medium height. He was wearing a lungi and banyan. A towel was tied around his head to serve as the quintessential headgear. He had a kerosene stove, a kettle, some glasses and a couple of tin containers in the name of tea stall. His tea stall was highlighting two important aspects of business. The first aspect was how to run a business on a shoe-string budget. And the second aspect was about ways to create the smallest possible carbon footprint.

As I and my colleagues were unable to enjoy the kick from highly sophisticated version of tea being sold in the five star hotel, we decided to enjoy the typical roadside tea. I asked the vendor to make special tea. I requested him to add ginger for extra flavor. I also asked him to boil the tea for a little bit longer to infuse strong essence of tea leaves.

The guy was too happy to cater to our demands. While we were sipping the freshly brewed tea; we were also talking to him. His tone of speaking gave away his roots. I could guess that the tea seller belonged to my hometown or to some village near my hometown.

I asked, “Bhaiya, you appear to belong to Bihar.”

The tea seller replied, “Yes sir, I come from Bihar.”

Emboldened by his answer, I further asked, “Which town from Bihar?”

He replied, “Sir, I belong to Darbhanga.”

I could not conceal my glee and said, “That is great. What a coincidence? I also belong to Darbhanga. It is a great pleasure for me to have tea from a tea seller from Bihar that too in Kolkata.”

After that, I must have talked to the tea seller for at least half an hour. To add more personal touch to our conversation, we shifted to the regional language which is being spoken in Darbhanga. We were talking in Maithili and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

After we finished the tea and I finished the talking, I asked the tea seller, “It was nice talking to you. You make really tasty tea. How much should I pay for the tea?”

The reply of the tea seller was surprising for me. He said, “Sir, you have come from Darbhanga. I feel fortunate to serve tea to a person from my hometown. It does not look nice to charge a bill from my own people. Consider this as a compliment from my side.”

The tone of his voice and the expression on his face was so powerful that I could not refuse to accept his complimentary gift. I could not muster the courage to pay for the tea. I just gave him a hug and said goodbye to him.