Tales from The East Wing

Our Satyam Days, part VIII

“For if life is vagabond, our memory is sedentary” - Marcel Proust

One learns many other things in an IT company; it comes with the turf. I learned early on that you can't win over everyone — especially not the person we reported to at the Satyam office on Raj Bhavan Road.

One thing's for sure, two things are certain — you cannot afford to undervalue yourself in a collaborative work environment where people interact, ideas flow and grow to scale, and feedback is received, as social interaction and joint attention to the problems the team might be facing may also be shared and resolved the best doable way, leading to convincing problem-solving. While this makes us better individuals professionally, the work gets done to yield better results that align with both short-term and long-term goals you may have conceived. To achieve this, we had three IBM desktops (laptops were rare at the time), including three corded Panasonic intercoms and a direct landline connection, all housed in our large cubicle in the East Wing of the building. What more could anyone ask for? All the office luxuries were at our beck and call.

Your demeanour, language, and behaviour shape your professional reputation in the organization. For every Satyamite in 1998 and after—unarguably the golden age of Satyam as a reputable IT company—these were specific points considered to be proven and settled for a long life in the IT industry. GG, the Chicha garu of the roaming division, battered us daily. But we did not flinch from the formidably gross boss-damaged hard times we encountered in his typical Timbuctoo-infatuated moments. We stood up to GG's daily haranguing in the best way possible as we went forward politely and cooperatively, setting boundaries as we went along together and trying to put our best foot forward in conducting ourselves as good-humoured software professionals; moral victory was more important to us than our boss's 'military victory.' I still hear our former boss's fanciful bombast: "That's the spirit, fellas," meaning — if you guys mess with it, I'm the most godless person you'll ever know. He's constantly criticizing and hollering, as is his wont.

Thankfully, we could still have a lot of fun while we worked. For that to happen, Mandeep was up for the task, for he was a masterclass of humorous timing and temperament, with Devi, Kavitha, Suresh, and me duly encouraging him to make merry as we would; actually, more the merrier it will be, so we bantered about back and forth as we worked in our corner. When you have a boss like "Chicha" (GG) amongst you people as the antagonist in the story, we also had gregarious Mandeep to nullify GG's bossy menace with teasingly chummy bantering, creating a full-blown adrenalized comedic relief that made everyone roll on the floor laughing. With an office colleague like him, you have to have a funny bone, too. So, feel free to laugh whenever you feel like cracking jokes. Feel free to learn and contribute. Feel free to help yourself with coffee or tea from our beloved Nescafe dispenser, which beautifully fizzles up while filling the paper cup to the rim. Feel free to go to the loo: that is urgently permissible!

+*+*+*+

Satyam's city offices had world-class state-of-the-art office infrastructure. Spacious seminar halls with premium sound acoustics which, in my experience, create a sense of calm: a peaceful ambiance that shields the auditoria from outside noises once you are inside; a reasonably well-stocked library in each office branch in the city; large cafeterias/food courts, on the terraces of the buildings, food courts were also on the ground floors; coffee/tea kiosks in the nooks and even on the patios, recreational facilities; tech-driven collaborative spaces; innovative learning centres; and even the restrooms and lobbies were spick and span — each one a cutting-edge facility that thrives in a smart, and vibrant, inclusive workplace accessible to all employees, visitors, and guests.

On the other hand, Satyam's flagship technology centre (STC), which was known then simply as STC until the company went under in 2008-09, had a unique ecosystem of manicured parks, expansive sprawling lawns in front, and even created inside the buildings like an atrial fountain, a zoological menagerie of captive animals, cafeterias, dormitories, galleries, large open passageways, and long winding roads leading to various facilities installed on campus, with picturesque settings and spectacular landscaping all around that only a leading global IT services company like Satyam's STC deserved.

Amidst the workday rush

Every December, the Satyam Technology Center (STC), the lively corporate headquarters of Satyam, played host to our highly anticipated annual client meetings and the year-on-year carnivals for Satyam employees called Satyamoutsav.

A vibrant gathering of domestic clients from Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta), Bengaluru (previously Bangalore), Pune, and Mumbai (once known as Bombay) took place alongside our esteemed business partners hailing from Denmark and London. Enriched by the presence of our team of executives from Satyam Computers, which comprised GG, Balaji, Renju, Gnana, Devi, Suresh, myself, and Mandeep, this eclectic gathering was a testament to Satyam's ability to provide a range of diverse IT solutions to the gravity of the issues at hand while demonstrating a culture of solidarity across the GSM mobile roaming operations spectrum.

As gracious hosts, we went above and beyond to create an atmosphere that made our clients feel truly at home, showcasing our state-of-the-art facilities with a warm reception and red-carpet welcome. The central theme of these lively and engaging gatherings revolved around the strategic leveraging of the ongoing digital transition in our GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) operations, commonly referred to as roaming operations. This focus highlighted our commitment to innovation and collaboration in the ever-evolving telecommunications landscape.

The client meetings conducted were something to look forward to every year. GG would brief us in his deep baritone thus at the Raj Bhavan Road office —

• “As you know, we will be hosting clients from all over India, and our partners from Denmark and London will also attend the annual meeting. There will be conferences and meetings with clients.
• Arindam… Mandeep, you guys must review file transfers, status reports, and other specifics related to GSM mobile roaming operations. Email or call our partner from Denmark, Susanne, to resolve all pending issues. Be prepared; up-to-date information should be handy with you guys. Take help from Balaji if necessary. I leave that to you."
• And then again, GG adds: “Make sure you learn more about Transferred Account Procedure version 3 (TAP3)...” Mandeep, Devi, Kavitha, Balaji, Suresh, and I exchanged glances as we anticipated what would happen next. Kavitha was on the verge of tears, about to spill down her face, visibly anxious.
• Almost everything was unpredictable with our manager — a rhetorical, magniloquent, big-talking, high-sounding GG. Then his bafflegab burst out of his mouth like a runaway freight train on a dead-end track — “LOOK AT ME WHEN I AM TALKING TO YOU…!" “Yes, GG.” "… ARE YOU, BY ANY CHANCE, DISTRACTED…? DO YOU WANT TO HAVE SOME COFFEE...TEA...? ANYTHING ELSE TO MAKE YOU FINE SIRs COMFORTABLE?" “No, GG.” "…HAS THE CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE?" “No, GG.” "WHAT ‘NO GG’?" “Yes, GG!” "…IF YOU DON’T GET THE FINANCIAL SETTLEMENT INVOICES, CREDIT, OR DEBIT NOTES TO THE PARTNERS ISSUED, THEN I TELL YOU… YOU’RE SCREWED." “Yes, GG.” "WHAT ‘YES GG’?" “No, GG!” "I’LL THROW YOU OUT OF MY CABIN!” Which was fine with us!
• “Coming back to the point, this is for you all: Learning about TAP3 might not be required presently, but connecting with clients can be beneficial if you have the necessary TAP3 information to confer upon. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" All in unison — “YES, GG!””
• GG speaks (louder than necessary): “BALAJI…?” Balaji looks up, hair probably prickling at the back of his neck but he doesn’t tell (and why would he!). GG, in defiance of good behaviour, hollers shabbily, “WILL YOU PLEASE TAKE OVER?” Balaji replies delicately, “Ah yes, GG.”, without further blowing off GG’s permanently fused goddamn switches!
• GG bashed on, regardless of the decorum he, as a boss, is expected to maintain in the meeting, “Devi and Suresh may need further information on the billing records of all mobile roaming network clients, especially INDCC and INDSC files that are still pending processing. Both these networks may grill us, so please ensure you get it processed before we all convene at STC for the annual conference."
• Again: "Report back to me when it is taken care of; you have a week... Take this on a war footing, will you? Proceed with the assistance of CyberNet's Michelle. She is going to attend the meeting next week.”
• Finally, militarily — “That will be all for today. DISMISSED!”

As you can see, GG, a modern-day Caligula, an Angulimaal, was not a nice man to know. (But the annual seminars were something we all looked forward to every year.) His Monday morning meetings (later rescheduled to Wednesday) were regularly insulting, sometimes even going so far as to be outright offensive. To keep our jobs going, we took it all in our stride. Perhaps, around the time of annual seminars, it may have been the only time in the year that half-crazed but highly diligent GG spoke to us somewhat respectfully, though much less politely, or did not care much at all. Otherwise, his filibuster conversations would consistently result in stern warnings and unpleasant awakenings on every occasion, leaving us on edge throughout the day. GG had a reputation for his abrasive demeanour and tendency to drain the joy out of any interaction with this unbelievably foul man.

Our Sojourn at STC

STC was great.

At STC, every aspect of the annual review conference was carefully arranged, including every detail about the guests' stays at the dorms or in the star hotels. Utilizing the cutting-edge facilities at Satyam Technology Center, we aimed to provide each client with a customized experience that resonated with their business expectations in a way that Satyam could favourably impact.

Mandeep, Renju, Gnana, Devi, Suresh, and I attended every workshop with our clients for four days at the STC, with our chief, who had the teeth-gnashing name GG, magnificently (gloriously) discussed the past year's performance, upcoming challenges, etc., for the coming year. GG presented numerous PowerPoint presentations during the sessions, answering customer queries with convincing data-driven insights, ideas, and resolutions that made it easy to comprehend the issues and the resolutions that address them. He demonstrated cooperation, dedication, coordination, and commitment among us at Satyam Hyderabad, our partners Danet Denmark, and CyberNet London while impressing them with his clarity of thought.

A little “boss bashing” never hurt…
It’s good for employee morale!

GG was deferent and courteous when he interacted with clients, who, of course, expected nothing but how good he was at delivering on what he was promising; nonetheless, when working or talking with us, he turns into a transgressive, wrong-headed, and constantly agitated dingbat, permanently pissed off on a whim. Staring one right in the face, he was an enfant terrible in his profession, the epitome of toxicity — a true-blue Hari Sadu, that's him. Regretfully, that was only one of the numerous reasons we disliked this ill-tempered, exasperating, chromosomally abnormal, hard-line, Hari Sadu-like character during the three long years of working with him at the roaming division under his rigid direction and iron-clad control. That's understood, knowing that we'd return to work the next day as mere private employees allowed our foul-mouthed, deadly boss to afford to grow fouler and fouler by behaviour every day.

But of course, with the clients, he cannot ever afford his detrimental conduct to come in the way because if they go away and make a run for it, they won't return for business ever. As a consequence of that, GG himself would become the target of his ouster from Satyam. Or so we felt about this Tyrannous Rex. Urgh!

(To be continued…)

By Arindam Moulick

Also published on Medium.