Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained

Amal looked out of the window of the shuttle car, which he had boarded from College More of Sector V, gazing at the lake at Chingrihata- as the car sped past it.  He was returning from his office to the rented two-room flat he was staying in at Garia. Indeed the lake looked serene and immensely beautiful in the crimson twilight glow.

The lake reminded him of the lakes that dotted the landscape of his homeland- Cooch Behar. So much similar were they- bordered by the verdant green coconut trees, with their clear tranquil waters reflecting the blue sky, clouds, birds and everything else above. Such lakes have truly become a rarity in the rapidly growing city of Kolkata and its suburbs.

The sight of the lake also made him sad- aggravating his feeling of homesickness. He pined for being in the lap of his loved village- among his parents, grandparents, relatives and friends, and amidst the lush greenery and nature’s bounty that the countryside bestows.

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Amal or Amal Roy hailed from an accomplished farmer-family owning a sizeable plot of cultivable land in Anandapur village of Tufanganj sub-division of Cooch Behar. Throughout the year they would cultivate paddy and jute crop, and reap gains upon harvesting. Amal had been an intelligent boy- having insight into things since childhood, and had brought his family pride by becoming a graduate in commerce from Tufanganj College. Thus, he had attained a feat achieved only by a handful of people of the village and its vicinity. Besides, he had also undertaken training from a youth computer training centre at Cooch Behar town- honing his skills of computer operating, which he also found immensely interesting.

His success in studies together with the zeal to opt for something out of the way- apart from the humdrum work of village life- impelled him to join the bandwagon of educated jobseekers, who were on the lookout of jobs in Kolkata’s nascent software/I.T./B.P.O. industry. The objective of such urban educated youth was securing the quintessential ‘roti’, ‘kapda’ and ‘makaan’, and many a thing more of their choice- keeping in with the contemporaneous lifestyle- all with a trendy job in hand.

A placement centre from Siliguri with which Amal had enrolled for getting job offers, soon enough got in touch with him regarding the job of a S.E.O. Specialist at an I.T. solutions providing concern in Kolkata. Following two rounds of interviewing, Amal’s proficiency ensured his selection, and, at the seemingly lucrative pay package of six thousand rupees per month (considering that he was a fresher), he decided to take up the job.

Kolkata’s growing Sector V and the adjoining areas stand far from the sorrowful side of this city of joy- the slums, the abject poverty, the hoodlums and the pickpockets. Indeed, these developing areas signify the realization of dreams of the farsighted luminaries of yesteryears- who had planned the evolution of these places. The region has become the Eldorado of the enlightened youth of the day- who spearhead the contemporary Information Technology revolution, which seeks to transform the world of mortal limitations and lacks into the paradise of fulfillment.

Securing a place of work amidst such environs was like a dream come true for Amal. Being adept at working with computers and internet savvy helped him in easily getting a foothold in his new job. The company’s Kolkata centre had been recently set up. Amal’s colleagues were all young, smart, energetic and promising, and a significant number of them were fresh graduates like him. Amal got readily absorbed in the cherished cosmopolitan culture that they upheld. He thanked his stars that despite hailing from a so-called “backward” village, he could finally find his place among such voguish and updated souls.

Every day at his workplace brought with it many a learning experience. He got to know about various aspects of search engine optimization of a web page- coding and programming inputs, and content and designing effects. It seemed to him that there are boundless possibilities of excelling in the virtual world of the World Wide Web. And he delved deep into the subjects involved in web page creation and hosting, much more than what was required of him at his job.

The facilities provided by his employer were hearty. He could avail of the pickup and drop service to commute between his place of stay at Garia and his office. Free of cost snacks and beverages and subsidized lunches were also on offer for him to partake in. Besides, the company extended comprehensive insurance coverage to all its employees. These all made him overjoyed with a sense of all-round security and well being- such that he had never ever quite imagined- and all that at quite a tender age. What more could he ask for? Truly, Amal now dwelt in a paradise.

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Thoughts of his home, however intense, could never persuade Amal to part from this ‘paradise’ even for a short while. He knew he had to aspire for the stars in his field of operation. Besides, he could not afford to miss out even a single day of the eventful life of his circle of friends and acquaintances- a circle that had now included a certain Ms. Molly Ghosh, for whom Amal had ostensibly been developing a special liking. Ms. Ghosh was a charming lady, working as a Human Resource Manager with an ace concern of software solutions. Amal and Molly had got to know each other at the marriage reception of a female colleague of Amal, who was Molly’s school friend. The two had stayed in touch with each other since then, with Molly occasionally dropping in to join Amal’s circle of friends at their jaunts.

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Times however keep changing, and the season of mellow fruitfulness gives way to the challenging times of bitter chill. Amal had been consistently meeting the targets set for him by his superior. Yet, pressure had been mounting on him in the form of enhanced targets. The fact was that the economic downturn of the west had been showing its effect on outsourcing business in India too, and concerns had to fight tooth and nail to keep up with the changing times- or else perish.

Testing times for the company implied extended working hours of employees- regardless of any individual’s completion of assignments or fulfillment of target. This went on for days, weeks and months on end. Alongside, downsizing reared its ugly head. Many of Amal’s colleagues, who were looked upon as “non-performers” or considered incompetent in other respects, were summarily fired while being made to settle with inadequate compensations. They were soon enough forgotten- as they moved out of the circle.

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Adherence to the socialist school of thought had been an important facet in the life of Amal at the village. There may have been some influence of his family members in this regard. However, it was the baritone voice of Bose Babu and his logic and reason laden speeches- urging one and all to stand for the greater cause of humanity- both politically and socially- that had instilled the spirit of socialism in the educated mind of this youngster.  He always revered the discourses that Bose Babu or Mr. Palash Bose had provided on the revolutions/upheavals that have taken place around the globe in the post industrial revolution period, and those that are ongoing. All of which have been aiming at transforming society, shedding its evils and removing disparities among classes- so as to reach out the fruits of modernity and development to one and all. Citation of the formulation of the laws on labour- limiting the number of working hours to eight among other provisions, which had been an epoch-making achievement for socialists at one point of time, had received Amal’s special acclaim. 

Amal’s conscience thus eventually could not take the unfavourable change in trends anymore. He made a casual complaint to the H.R. Manager. This irked the management and instead of getting any word about redress he was chided by the H.R. Manager on behalf of the management. He began to be cornered as someone opposed to the appropriate work culture of the times.

However, despite being disapproving of Amal’s views, the management could not help but rely on his competence to sail through in the rough weather. He was even promised an incentive for the extra effort that he would be required to put in. The circumstances impelled Amal to somehow keep going. Toiling way beyond office hours had become the norm. Indeed it was deplorable how so many companies of the day flouted labour laws and even human rights with impunity.

Amal had become heartbroken. He had been compromising with his values for far too long. His personal life suffered greatly. He felt that he had quite certainly lost his ‘paradise’.
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The resignation of Amal came like a bolt from the blue for the management. However, the experienced H.R. Manager had anticipated it. The management made a last-ditch attempt to retain him by assuring him of some hike in his salary from the very next month. But it was of no use. What the businessmen failed to understand was that money just could not sway Amal’s determination to remain steadfast to his values and ethics.

Securing a new job in the backdrop of a worldwide recession was a difficult task. Amal realized that it would take some time before he could get suitable employment again. So, he decided to visit his home for a change.

Before leaving for his village he wanted to meet his circle. But he was quite shocked to find that most of his friends were trying to avoid him. To them he had become a ridiculous “emotional fool” hailing from a “backward village” who had ventured on a move of self-destruction with regards to his career. What hurt him most was that Molly too shared somewhat similar views. And there was an unmistakable, marked disinterest in her demeanour, which Amal could easily read.

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Anandapur seemed to have changed very little over the past two years- Amal realized as the van he had boarded from Tufanganj bus stand entered his village. Only one new shop- offering mobile recharge, photocopying and courier services- had come up beside Bose Babu’s shop of the same offerings. It was 10.30 a.m. and Bose Babu was opening his shop. Amal decided to get down there. He paid off the van driver and went to Bose Babu. “Kaku!’” he called out and touched his feet. Bose Babu was taken aback. “Arey, Amal! “, he exclaimed, “So, finally you have come”. He was overjoyed and touched Amal’s head in a gesture to bless him. “I hope you will stay here for some time,” he said, “We all miss you very much Baba”. Amal’s tears expressed that he too had been missing everyone dearly.

Thereafter Amal recounted the happenings in his life at Kolkata- how finally his ascribing to the value system of Bose Babu had led to the apparent debacle in his career. Bose Babu was touched seeing the extent to which someone of the present generation- that comprises primarily of seekers of easy money- could imbibe his values. Tears swelled in his eyes too. He controlled his emotions and then enthusiastically went on to relate the striking events unfolding at the village since Amal left.

Pondering over the vagaries of the weather and other unforeseen factors in their rural lives and the associated fluctuating fortunes from agriculture, Amal’s father, uncles, and several other farmers of the village and its outskirts had approached Bose Babu for advice- to find a way out of the insecurity. Upon his suggestion they decided to form a primary agricultural co-operative credit society. After a little deliberation, this seemed to be the only plausible way to obtain some protection from the uncertainties of agricultural output and consequential impacts on income, which had always been bothering the farmers of the village.  

Erratic rainfall, pest attacks and plant disease outbreak, and the ensuing crop failure had been a perennial problem of farmers. This had led to rural indebtedness and had posed as a hindrance to the well-being of farmers. Moreover, single handed efforts at procuring finances, seeds, fertilizers etc. had also been an uphill task. To alleviate these problems it was important that the farmers should all come under the umbrella of the primary agricultural co-operative credit society. The co-operative movement had demonstrated its success across the globe- in places where its features were advocated. So, it was felt that incorporating the enterprise at Anandapur should also prove to be beneficial.

Indeed, since the inception of the society, lives of the farmers and their kith and kin had seen a dramatic transformation. Now they were all working for their common cause and collective gains, setting aside petty rivalry, and also succeeding as individuals in their agricultural endeavours- thanks to reliable support systems that help to augment their incomes.

Amal wondered why no one from home intimated him of all these happenings. But then he did not show any interest either to know about such things- being all too carried away by his newfound success at Kolkata.

Much surprise awaited Amal at home. Beside the house of the Roys now stood a concrete structure- the office of the society set up, with a board outside displaying the name: “Anandapur Krishak Bandhu S.K.U.S. Ltd. “

Amal’s family members all rushed out to receive him with much fanfare, as he had come back after so long. He got a mild scolding from his mother for not having informed of his arrival over phone earlier.   

After relating the story of his experiences over the last two years, Amal gathered that the society established had begun reaping profits soon after its inception and registration- thanks to the sincerity of the members and their active participation.

At the insistence of the members of the society, it was decided that Amal would henceforth take to the maintenance of accounts and streamlining of activities of the growing society. The society had even purchased a computer of a first-rate brand recently; and with the welcome arrival of Amal, with a prolific mind, any doubts about who would effectively handle it was assuaged. Amal was to join in as an employee of the society with a remuneration as per market standards- as the society was in a position to afford it! And of course he would certainly not be overburdened or forced into any compromise in this friendly setup.

Word of Amal’s arrival spread fast across the village, and very soon most of his friends and relatives dropped in to his home. Standing coyly among the visitors was Shyamoli, the village belle who always looked on Amal with admiration. Amal, too obsessed with pursuing his dreams, never used to give her much attention before. Amal overheard the elders discussing in hushed voices about the prospects of Shyamoli as a suitable bride for Amal.  And now Amal did not find it too bad an idea either…for he too had a subtle, subdued affection for her.

Thus Amal regained his paradise. And this haven of peace, prosperity and plentitude was not a superficial paradise.