আমি ডাক্তার ফরাই [in Sylheti] (I teach doctors)

[This is purely an act of fiction. Names, characters, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Content designed may provide helpful information on the subjects discussed along with presentations/illustrations for highlighting the plight of an aggrieved. The author assume no liabilities of any kind with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents. Any resemblance to persons living or dead may be purely coincidental]

With vivid inputs from Zuam – Amit Chaudhuri

Times were difficult those days in securing a job and more so, when the family income was starved of a decent living. That was suffocating for the members of Joy’s family that saw loss of jobs with dwindling family income in a very short time. The frame of mind was inexplicable. Dearth of jobs was a nationwide syndrome with opportunities getting scarce. Sustenance was getting difficult by the day with spiraling prices and hope of getting a job reducing by huge margins. No relief was in near sight and, setbacks igniting the crises, saw no saviour to blow away the intriguing darkness!

Joy had completed his graduation in the second division and, in those days, it was considered good enough in view of the strictness of the university, to secure a clerical job at the least, if not the best of it. Every morning, like the ones that we often saw in the movies of yesteryear, he would go out, neatly dressed, pray at the temple nearby and, would come back dejected in the evening. Culling of jobs were like a pandemic.

It had been long since he had registered in the local employment exchange for a job. But that too didn't fetch any intimation either and, the frustration was catching up fast. A day, out on his daily job hunt, he chanced an opportunity in the local newspaper while sipping tea at a tea stall nearby. It was an advertisement for recruitment of salesmen in a pharmaceutical firm. That’s what we call as the job of medical representatives now, who address the established medical practitioners about their products, chemical compositions, offer free samples along with freebies of lucrative denominations. Such professionals, these days, can be seen outside the doctors' chambers waiting for their chance to lecture on the medications offered by their firms. The gracious and remunerative cut-throat profession as medical representatives was quiet unheard of in those days. But he didn’t have any choice either and the salary looked good, apart from traveling allowances and other perks, that could plug the leaking outflow of finances. He quickly jotted the address down along with other requirements placed in the advertisement.

Every evening, on his return home, his sick grandfather would ask from his bed, “কিরে, কিসু হৈল” (any progress on the job front). His silence assured him that the day did not bring any good news. “যাই হউক ভগবানরে ডাক” (come what may, never lose faith in God) was all he would say. Cost of medications were also rising and it was pathetic to see the family sink into poverty after his father lost his job. His grandmother had departed early and his two aunts were married. The burden of sustenance would have been higher had they been all under the same roof.

His eyes brightened up and their requirements, exactly matched with his qualifications. That fateful day, he dressed up perfectly in his best piece of garments that he had preserved with great care for such occasions. The fear of being judged or rejected was playing havoc in his mind seeing the long line of queued candidates at the gates of the office, not to speak about the bottled up stress gurgling all over the body. As a premonition, all seem to be somehow possessed with greater and deeper wisdom and knowledge of the world and its ways. By the time his turn to usher into the interviewing chamber came, he was completely drained out and hungry. Conversation with those coming out after being interviewed were ridden with all the unexpected. All pearls of wisdom took a beating as the interview board thew the unexpected at candidates to gauge how ell they could tackle a situation remaining cool and determined. That contributed towards everyone's rise in anxiety levels. Depression was a term unheard of in common parlance, those days.

Joy pleasantly ushered himself in and, an interviewer motion him to sit. As usual, the cocktail of questionnaire made the tired Joy difficult to enjoy the grueling grilling session despite exercising extreme caution and care. He desperately needed the job. Being salt of the earth, men of imagination and determination has always had remarkable manifestation of mind. Our Joy was just that despite his achievements in undergraduate studies. His replies were perfect reasonable explanations to the questions asked. Harassed and harried, he came out sailing serenely with his heart thumping loudly, craving for water. He left the place in a hurry dodging queries of others who were next in the unending queue. All the time, on his way back home, he wondered where the game was going. Him getting an opportunity, in such vulnerable times, was whirling in his already tired mind.

Days passed and, all his endeavours to get a job to support the sinking ship of the family were all in vain. Even he wasn't getting an offer for most menial of jobs for which he was desperate to do despite a decent qualification. He was getting restless as days passed and cantankerous, getting annoyed at the slightest hint. His routine and schedules continued as usual without any respite. Those days of despair still bite him today and haunt throughout.

After almost two complete months, exactly from the day of that interview, he received an envelope delivered by the postman. Those were the days of snail mail and, that was the only mode of communication throughout the country offered by the government. Who might have sent that to him crisscrossed his mind in all queries. The envelope bore the insignia of a multinational drug firm with its address in Bombay (present day Mumbai). With trembling fingers, he neatly ripped it open to discover a typewritten letter that was the harbinger for appointment in that firm. Tears rolled down in happiness that knew no bounds and, in a leap, prostrated before God, touched the feet of his grandfather, mother and father. Everyone enquired as to what the job was, to which he replied that, it was a call to attend training on a stipend for a month in a pharmaceutical company in Bombay. Salary would be fixed after successful completion of the training. The culture to shout out loud “YEA”, was unheard of those days. Jubilation always was “Hip Hip Hurrah”! Happy was the entire family but saddened that he had to leave for Bombay the very next day to mark his acceptance, as the snail mail had already consumed much time in transit. It was totally an unknown terrain for the small town boy as he'd never ventured out of his hometown, located in the north eastern part of the country.

Rail road was his only mode of conveyance as he could never afford a flight in the lone airline that operated in the country. Realising that he didn't have much time in hand, he set off for the railway reservation office located in the centre of the city. Those were the days of manual reservation system. A break journey at Howrah and a further onward journey that would take 3 to 4 days. Thus began his journey, never to look back.

Upon his arrival back, his grandfather asked, কিরে, অখন জানা গেল, কিতার চাকরি ফাইলে? (Do you realise now about the job that you are in) to which a jubilant Joy replied আমি ডাক্তার ফরাই (I teach doctors) to which his grandfather's eyes lit up in delight.

Since then, he never looked over its shoulders to get a glimpse of the road taken, to rise to the level of a CEO of that firm, traveling far and wide, gaining experience from what he experienced as an avid learner.