Chapter 1

Sonia is sitting at her desk staring at the screen of her computer. She knows that every passerby will
check on the screen so the mail box is open and she pretend to read them. Everyone in the office pull
this trick to look busy and do nothing but not for her. She is workaholic by nature so it wasn’t a way to
avoid work; rather it was a way to avoid contact with anyone. Her mind was numb, not able to
communicate with anyone. Suddenly a voice in the background broke her silence and she raised her
eyes to check. There was a man standing at a distant wearing black pants and grey shirt. She recognised
that man, he was her boss when she had just joined the office. She went blank again, In her mind she
was living the day she decided to join the corporate culture. At that moment Government job was like a
fantasy which would do its magic and solve all the problems.

Sonia is a small town girl in her mid-twenties. She has a round face with clear bright complexion. Her big
eyes were accentuated by long lashes and thick eyebrows. Her average height gave her a cute girl next
door look. Her voice had a childish yet vibrant tone. Her mere presence would lighten the mood. On a
regular day talking to her would make the other person feel like playing with a teddy bear. Though her
bubbly nature would cheer the ambience but behind that cute childish girl there was a very strong
intelligent person who could crack any competitive exam. She always dreamt of becoming an
independent woman. She was a career oriented girl whose entire focus was on earning name and fame
for herself. Having lived in the small town for most her life she found it difficult to adjust in the fast
moving urban world but her strong determination made her overcome everything in the way of her
goal. Leaving her parents, her friends and life behind she went ahead to become the girl of her dreams.

She had no connections with the outer world and so to fulfil her dreams she found the most convenient
method. She prepared for entrance exams to get into MBA. Clearing the entrance exam was like a
cakewalk and it landed her in one of the most prestigious college for MBA where she pursued degree in
banking and finance.

She moved from her hometown to one of the most happening cities of the country. Her father
accompanied her to the college. The orientation was over and her father went back. Next morning was a
beginning of a chapter. She woke up very enthusiastically and took her toothbrush. Standing in front of
the washbasin she searched for toothpaste, then she realised that even the basic necessities needs to be
managed on her own. With this bitter experience her journey began.

Life in college was not like a fairy tale. Being alone has its own struggles but it was worth the effort.
From living under the roof with parents to flying free in the residential campus was liberating. She got
the freedom to roam around freely, talk to boys, read books. MBA was not just an upgrade in her
education but complete shift in the way she looked at life.

Just like her previous courses she excelled this one also and got many job offers. While she was confused
about her career choice, her parents were clear. Their attitude was just like every other parent and
insisted upon joining a government job. Since she had no particular choice of her own so fulfilling her
parents dream seem to be the only logical thing to do and finally landed into public sector bank.
She joined the bank with great enthusiasm. Like every other student who passed out of MBA, she also
dreamt of high heels, pencil skirts and formal shirts. The sarkari culture as it was commonly known was
nothing of the sort she had expected. The first thing she had to do was to tone down her wardrobe to fit
in surroundings. There was a lot of chaos around. No one run by the text book they made. Here
everybody seem to be unnecessarily hoarding the files and she had to adjust to their pace. People are
expected to work but on the contrary Sonia had to reduce her efficiency, despite this she was still best
of the lot. Being highly qualified and work oriented she quickly got attention from her seniors. She
received her due acknowledgment and was promoted. The promotion came with its own perks; there
was an upgradation in her salary and portfolio. She was called to work in the highest ranking loan
department of the bank at head office.

Office life was rocking. Her profile could easily make anyone envy. The ticket size of each loan won’t be
less than Rs. 50.00 crore. All the big shots of the business fraternity whom people just see in the
newspaper come to pay special visit to the office and being the dealing person she had the privilege to
meet these kinds of people in person. Fancy cars, stylish suits and costly watches were regular site. She
was now part of the dazzling world she had once dreamt of. The attention was simply flattering. While
she was overwhelmed by the indulgence others in the same portfolio were indifferent. They knew these
privileges will come at a cost.

Slowly this dream became a part of lifestyle and she could see beyond the glitter. People in her group
appeared to be happy but a little scratching on the surface revealed their depressed core. Most of them
were of similar age but no one had any passion to grow in their career, their zeal for life was also dead.
There was a very weird sadness engulfed around them but she never understood the reason for it. This
fact was depressing but she ignored to even acknowledge this and would remain chirpy. She was the
soul of her group. Whenever the group is called for a review meeting, they would all sit in the waiting
area and laugh to her stupid jokes and animated expressions. Every morning she would be eager to
reach office. She had a very cute habit of wishing everyone in the morning with a smile. Some would
return the smile, some would just move on but her ritual never changed. She was too bright for a dull
sarkari culture. While her colleagues enjoyed her warm and friendly attitude, her bosses were irritated
by this childish behaviour.

Office was going on like this and one fine day she received a proposal for sanction of loan of Rs. 100.00
crore to one of her client. The usual process is to start scrutiny of documents sent and understand the
fund requirement. She started with all the enthusiasm but while doing the appraisal she got to know
that the promoters of the company are also dealing in the real estate sector apart from food and agro
business. Though the company has requested money for expansion in its agro business but the financials
had a different story to tell. This was an unusual case which demanded extra attention. She wanted to
do in depth analysis before taking any decision rather she was reminded of all the TAT (turnaround time)
guidelines and pressurized to finish the case at the earliest. She could not handle the pressure but there
was no escape. She was sitting late in the office trying to catch up with the work. In those moments she
was tensed and unable to work. The stress was clearly visible on her face. She looked around and found
everyone with the same expression. In that moment her heart sank and it was realization that she is
caught in the same vicious circle as her colleagues. The realization brought her a kind of panic which she
wanted to shrug off.

She wound up her day and went home. Next day she came with extra energy. She dived deep into the
company’s finances and found that a lot of money was already diverted into the real estate sector. She
correlated the report with previous expansion plans of the company and going by the type of expansion
proposed this money also seem to be going into the real estate. So it was obvious that lending to such
company makes no sense. It was like throwing good money after bad money. This was the first time she
faced such kind of situation where lending makes no sense. Though it is not a big deal to have such kind
of proposal at the lower level but for any preposition to reach head office, it has to cross various layers.
She was surprised that things she found out in a day were not caught by anyone despite so many layers
of scrutiny. She was clueless as to what to do next.

She went to her group members and asked for advice but no one gave a clear cut solution to the
problem. At max they would say just note all you observations and discuss with your boss. After lot of
deliberation this seems to be a logical step. Now Sonia started collecting all the facts and figures about
the company in a presentable manner so that she can discuss with her boss and take a final decision.
Dealing with such kind of situation was new to her so she prepared a sheet stating all the facts and kept
rehearsing them all night.