If God Was A Banker Read online

  'I have agreed with Brian that we will launch car loans, cash loans, and, as Swami mentioned, we will get into the mass market with motorcycle loans and employee loans for corporates.' Then Aditya paused.

  The statement was a very simple one, but its meaning was profound. Here was an organisation, which was willing to value a new thought process, new ideas, new principles, and a new approach, even if they came from someone who had no exposure to this business.

  'That's not all,' continued Aditya. 'There will be a team of five working on this project, and all five are in this room. This will be the core retail banking team for our bank.' Sundeep jumped out of his chair. 'Eureka! If there is anything better than sex on the beach, this is it.' Pin drop silence followed. Sundeep suddenly realised the inappropriateness of his statement and quietly sat down.

  Aditya burst out laughing. Everyone else followed suit. This was the most thrilling day in the life of each one of them. To be part of a launch team for one of the largest banks in the world, and that too within two weeks of joining. They couldn't have asked for anything better.

  'Swami,' Aditya continued, 'You and Kalpana will work on launching loans for two-wheelers, both scooters and motorcycles, and personal loans for corporate employees, and Sundeep, you will work on the launch of car loans.' Aditya's voice was music to everyone's ears.

  Aditya went on to explain: 'We have a ninety-day deadline for the launch of these two products. In the next three months we have to get these products up and running. We are in May right now. I have committed to Brian Close that we will launch these by the end of August. We will have till the year-end to make these into successful revenue generators for the bank. Come January, we are committed to launch credit cards in this country. This is a commitment made at the board level, and we cannot go back on it. If we do not make your products a success by January, we will have to shift our focus to credit cards.'

  The others in the room could not believe their ears. April got over twenty days back, so Aditya couldn't be playing an April fool prank on them. Swami was almost in tears. Natasha began to wonder what her role was, when Aditya continued: 'Since we have a lots to do and we do not have time on our hands, Natasha will be an assistant for the entire group. She will cease to be my secretary from this very instant and will move to a project role for the next three months.'

  'Will we begin work on this post our training?' Kalpana asked him.

  'Are you kidding? If you guys needed training, you wouldn't be here. All of you are off training from this very instant. If we harness any dreams of launching these products in the next ninety days, we cannot afford to waste a single moment from now on. I have spoken to Sawant and he has agreed to release the three of you right now,' said Aditya.

  'Get cracking, guys. We will meet everyday in the evening to take stock. We cannot afford to fail. I have stuck my neck out and believe me when I say this—I do not like my neck tickled.'

  20

  New York

  'Are you fine, Sundeep? Shall I get you something for lunch?' Louisa was getting a bit concerned since Sundeep had been behaving quite weirdly since morning. 'It's an hour past noon and you haven't had anything. Natasha called about an hour back. She wanted to know if you have eaten something, since you left quite early and didn't have breakfast at home.'

  'I am fine, Louisa. I will have my regular veg sandwich, without any butter. And brown bread, please.' That was Sundeep's regular lunch, ever since he had landed in New York.

  His health had been a bit erratic of late. Fluctuating sugar and cholesterol levels, sedentary lifestyles, and thirty cigarettes a day didn't look like a healthy package.

  Natasha ensured that he took care of his health. She also insisted on regular medical check-ups. Sundeep was smart. He would start controlling his dietary habits a week before his regular check-ups. This would ensure decent medical reports and keep Natasha happy.

  When Louisa interrupted him, he was thinking about his initiation into the world of corporate success. His first champagne toast had come within two weeks of his reporting for his first job. He was wondering how could he make that count?

  21

  Kalpana, Swami, and Sundeep slogged their butts off. Aditya was constantly on their backs, driving them crazy. But they did not mind it. They were here to learn the trade and this was an opportunity even a mad man wouldn't give them.

  Sundeep, who had to launch car loans, visited every single car dealer in town. He also started making rounds of car manufacturers for exclusive financing tie-ups.

  For the car manufacturers, all this was new. No bank had ever approached them, leave alone pamper them. Sundeep was able to wrangle out special customer-friendly schemes for financing new cars. The manufacturers were quick to jump on to the bandwagon as they saw great value in some financier coming along to push car sales in order to pump his loan numbers. Sundeep convinced the manufacturers that they would be able to double their sales if the easy financing options which NYB was willing to offer was bundled with the car sales.

  Swami and Kalpana on the other hand started visiting large corporates and public sector units for cash loans to their employees. Who wouldn't want a loan? Those were the days when banks were deposit gatherers and lending was only done to large corporates. So when the young guns of NYB went around with their loan schemes, people queued up to hear them. Only politicians and film stars were supposed to elicit such an overwhelming response. In one unit in the Kolar Gold Fields near Bangalore, there was a virtual stampede to avail NYB loans. At the end of every day, Swami and Kalpana would wonder why anyone hadn't done this earlier in this country.

  The two businesses were a hit from the very start.

  There, however, was one casualty. Sundeep could see that Kalpana was losing interest in him. She was no longer responding to his advances. She would spend all her time with Swami. 'They are working on the same project,' thought Sundeep and consoled himself.

  In the first week of August, Aditya was called to New York. He left on a Thursday. 'Today's evening meeting has been called off, since Aditya is off to New York. He asked me to call all of you and pass on the message,' said Natasha over the phone. This was a god sent message for Sundeep.

  'Have you told Kalpana?' asked Sundeep.

  'You are the first one I called, heartless.'

  'OK. Don't bother calling her. I will call her and inform her. I will pass on the message to Swami too.'

  'Thanks. Call me if you need anything.'

  Sundeep kept the phone down and called Kalpana's extension. 'Hey, glad I caught ya. Today's meeting is off.'

  'Oh. Because Aditya is away in NY,' Kalpana said. 'I was hoping that we guys would meet up and talk without Aditya.'

  'If you got nothing to do tonight, how does dinner sound?' Sundeep was hoping Kalpana would say yes. 'It's been a long time since we did this.'

  'Dinner with you! Never,' said Kalpana.

  'What the fuck is your problem?' retorted a furious Sundeep.

  'Just kidding ya! I have already committed for dinner with someone else. Sorry, sweetheart. If you have time, let's pick up a quick coffee right now.'

  Sundeep was quite put off, even though he realised Kalpana said that in jest.

  'I am a bit caught up now. Need to go. Talk to you later.' He said and hung up.

  Later he realised that he was guilty of not spending time with Kalpana. He promised himself that he will find time to ensure Kalpana gets back to him.

  Natasha had just come up to Sundeep to hand over a few documents, which Aditya had given her. She had overheard Sundeep's side of the conversation with Kalpana. She could make out that Sundeep was not happy with the outcome. She was feeling bad for him and decided to step in. She invited him for dinner. 'It's been a while, Sundeep. How about tonight? I am free.' Sundeep, was quite pissed with Kalpana, and, on rebound, decided to go out with Natasha.

  Natasha knew that she was not Sandeep's first choice, but she didn't mind. All through dinner, she kept wondering why S
undeep liked Kalpana so much. There were moments when she felt like expressing her feelings to Sundeep, but the fear of rejection stopped her. She preferred to wait and watch.

  After returning from New York, Aditya announced at the Monday evening meeting: 'New York is extremely happy with our progress. We have managed to create a stir in the group's management. They are all waiting for the initial results. You guys are going to become stars. We cannot fail.'

  After this initial euphoria, it was back to business. 'Can I now get some updates from you guys,' demanded Aditya.

  'We are meeting Brij Mohan Munjal day after tomorrow. Will you be able to come with us, Aditya?' said Swami.

  Brij Mohan Munjal was the Chairman of Hero Honda Motors Ltd., the largest manufacturers of motorcycles in the world. Getting a chance to meet him was a special opportunity, not to be missed at any cost. If they wanted a deal, they had to get it now. There would be no second chance.

  'No, Swami. I won't be able to come with you. Why don't you go with Kalpana?'

  'In case Aditya is unable to come with you, would you want me to come with you, Swami? I have worked with car manufacturers in financing tie-ups.' Sundeep was not really offering help; he wanted to somehow stop Kalpana from going alone with Swami. He had noticed her interest in Swami, but had ignored it, assuming that their closeness was purely professional.

  'I think we should let the two of them go,' Aditya quickly interjected. 'You already have your plate full with car loan deals, Sundeep.'

  Sundeep didn't like the thought of Swami and Kalpana being away together for three days, but he could do nothing now.

  After the meeting, while they were leaving Aditya's room, Sundeep walked up to Kalpana, held her by the elbow, and said, 'When you are back, we need to sit and chat.'

  'What's the matter, Sundeep? Anything I need to know?'

  'I would rather talk to you when you have some time for me.'

  Kalpana was a bit taken aback by Sundeep's abrupt manner. She and Sundeep went back a long way.

  'Sundeep, you appear to be quite stressed out. Come, let's get ourselves a cup of coffee. The coffee at India Coffee House is good. Swami and I have been there a few times.'

  The mention of Swami irritated Sundeep a bit, but he did not let it show. The India Coffee House was in Nariman Point, two blocks away from their office. On their way out, they met Natasha in the lift lobby.

  'Hey guys, headed home?'

  'No, we are just going to get ourselves some coffee,' said Sundeep.

  'Would you guys mind if I join in?' Natasha blurted out. 'I have a splitting headache and a cup of coffee will do me good.' But later she saw their grim faces and realised that it was a mistake.

  'Of course not.' Kalpana was forced to lie, as she couldn't afford to be rude to the boss's secretary. Sullen faced Sundeep headed with the two beauties to the India Coffee House. Sundeep was thoroughly pissed. He went out to buy a packet of cigarettes, while the other two stayed inside sipping their coffee. The next fifteen minutes were spent in silence, occasionally disturbed by two lines of pleasantries followed by monosyllabic answers.

  Sundeep finally gave up and said that he had to go. He left in a huff. Kalpana was concerned. What did Sundeep want to talk to her about? Why was he so stressed out? She wanted to call him back and drive him to his hotel, but before she could do that, he was gone.

  Sundeep spent the next three days on a bed of thorns. He was not at ease with himself. He had to talk to Kalpana. Was it too late? Would she be interested in him? He tried calling her once or twice in her room at the Delhi hotel, but couldn't speak to her, since she was never in her room. Once he even called well past midnight, but to no avail. Kalpana wasn't in her room. 'What the fuck is going on? Is the bitch sleeping around?' he wondered. 'With Swami?' He felt disgusted. 'Na. She wouldn't even look at the South Indian uncle. He is not her type.'

  Despite the self-assurance, he picked up the phone to call the hotel.

  'Good morning. The Imperial Hotel, Delhi. May I help you?' the telephone operator came on line.

  'Can you put me through to room number twelve forty-eight, Mr Swaminathan.'

  'Who should I say is calling?'

  Sundeep thought for a moment and banged the phone down. He couldn't bring himself to call up Swami's room, to check on Kalpana. What if she was indeed in his room?

  Something was not right, but he didn't know what. He couldn't even ask anyone.

  22

  Swami and Kalpana's trip to Delhi was a great success. Hero Honda agreed to an exclusive two-year, all-India arrangement for the financing of Hero Honda two-wheelers with New York International Bank. This was fabulous. Hero Honda sold over two hundred thousand two-wheelers every month, and this deal gave NYB access to the entire Hero Honda customer base. This was a deal any bank would kill and die for.

  There was more good news for NYB. Sundeep had managed a tie-up with Maruti Suzuki for car financing. To say that Aditya was thrilled would be an understatement. His hand-picked team had given him two of the best possible deals. What more could he ask for?

  They decided to celebrate, just the five of them. The celebration was planned for Saturday at Aditya's penthouse.

  On Friday, the day before the scheduled bash, Sundeep got a call from Swami about thirty minutes before the daily evening debrief.

  'Aditya asked me to call off the meeting. He has something else that has come up.'

  At around 7.30 p.m., Sundeep went up to Aditya's room to have a word with him. His room was closed and there was someone in his room. He looked at Natasha, eyebrows raised.

  'The two have been inside for the last two hours.' Natasha had understood his unsaid query.

  'Which two?' Sundeep was beginning to get curious.

  'Aditya and Kalpana.'

  'What? Why? What happened? Where is Swami?' Sundeep inundated Natasha with a barrage of questions.

  'He was here about thirty minutes back. Just left.'

  There was a blank look on Sundeep's face. Natasha hurriedly clarified: 'Swami. He was here. Aditya had called him in.'

  'Anything serious?' Sundeep's eyebrows fell and wrinkles appeared on his forehead.

  'Yes. Apparently Kalpana wants to quit.'

  'For god's sake, Natasha. Get serious,' Sundeep was losing control. The last thing he wanted now was someone playing games with him.

  'I am not kidding. Swami told me so.' It didn't take Sundeep too long to realise that she was not kidding. He could sense something was wrong. He felt helpless, and he didn't like it when he was not on top of things.

  'Swami had to make a few calls, so he has gone back to his desk. Said he might be leaving for his hotel soon.' Natasha explained.

  Sundeep had no clue what was going on. He started prancing up and down the lounge waiting for these guys to come out.

  'Do you want me to get Swami on the line?' Natasha could see his anxiety and wanted to help. She pressed the speakerphone button and started dialling without waiting for Sundeep's answer.

  'Hi, you have reached the voice-mail of Swami...' Swami's voice-mail came on after six rings. Swami had left and there was no way to contact him. He would be on his way to the hotel, and at this hour it would be a good fifty minutes before he reached. There were no mobile phones in those days.

  Sundeep was very fidgety and nervous. He kept pacing up and down the lobby outside Aditya's room, like an anxious father-to-be outside the delivery room. Why did Kalpana want to quit? Was Aditya not happy with her? What about Swami? Did things go wrong professionally between the two of them? 'I am sure this fucking Swami would have tormented her and pushed her to the limit, because of which she now wants to quit.' Numerous possibilities flashed through his mind. Poor thing, she would be in tears. He just wanted to rush into the room and take charge of the situation.

  At that very moment, the door to Aditya's room opened and he peeped out.

  'Natasha, coffee,' demanded Aditya and then looked at Sundeep. Kalpana was sitting with her back to the d
oor and hence Sundeep couldn't exactly tell what was going on. Was she crying?

  'Hey, Sundeep. What are you doing here? Come on in.'

  'Things don't look so bad. Else Aditya won't be smiling. Everything looks fine,' Sundeep heaved a sigh of relief as he walked into the room.

  'Natasha, coffee for my friend too.' Aditya was addicted to coffee. His mind wouldn't work without a coffee every half an hour.

  As he strode past Kalpana to occupy the sofa on the other side, he saw that she was smiling. A big grin on her face told Sundeep that everything was indeed fine. 'What's going on? What's the fuss about?' he wondered.

  'Young man, this lady here wants to quit, and I don't know how to stop her,' these words from Aditya reinforced what Natasha had told him. 'Maybe you can try?' he added.

  'But why? What's wrong with you, Kalpana? We have just about started getting somewhere in this business and you want to quit. You cannot just walk out on us like this.' Sundeep was extremely anxious. He couldn't hide his desperation. Or was it frustration?

  'This has been going on for some time. I have been mulling over it and talking to Aditya and Swami for over a fortnight now.'

  'Swami again !' wondered Sundeep.

  'It has now reached a head and we have to take a decision one way or the other,' Aditya was quick to inform him and looked at Kalpana and smiled at her. Kalpana grinned back.

  This was irritating Sundeep no end. Everyone but him seemed to know what was going on. Were they serious, or were they playing him on? 'Kalpana, enough of fun. It's close to eight in the evening. Can we get serious?' He was not amused one bit.

  'I am getting married, Sundeep.' This blew the wind out of Sundeep's lungs. Sundeep felt like he was at the epicentre of a nuclear blast. He was now sure that they were having fun at his expense.