Part 6 · The First Interview

Part 6

The First Interview

Five in the morning.

Everyone else was still asleep.

Meghla got up quietly.

She swept the rooms, washed the dishes, put the cooking on, made her nephew's tiffin.

By the time all the chores were done, it was eight in the morning.

She went to her room and put on a plain white salwar kameez. Tied her hair up neatly. Arranged her certificates in a file.

Just then her sister-in-law Sheela came and stood at the door.

— "Where are you off to, all dressed up like this?"

— "I have an interview at a company."

Sheela curled her lip and said with a smirk,

— "Is getting a job that easy? Run around for a couple of days and you'll see for yourself."

Meghla gave no reply.

She walked out quietly.

The first company was a small private office.

She wrote her name at reception and waited.

An hour later she was called in.

A middle-aged official sat in the room.

He looked over Meghla's certificates carefully.

— "Your results are quite good."

After many days, a small smile appeared on Meghla's face.

— "Thank you, sir."

But the very next moment, the man's expression changed.

He closed the file and said,

— "It's not hard for me to give you the job. But you'd have to meet me outside sometimes, after office hours."

At first Meghla didn't understand at all.

— "Meaning?"

The man smiled slyly and leaned back in his chair.

— "Does everything need to be spelled out? Keep me happy, and your future will be bright too."

In an instant Meghla's face turned pale.

She slowly picked up her file.

— "Forgive me, sir. I want a job, not to sell my self-respect."

Saying this, she walked out of the room.

Outside the office, she stood still for a while.

Tears had come to her eyes.

She was thinking—

"Are all offices like this?"

Just then her phone rang.

Her brother Subrata.

— "How did the interview go?"

Meghla stayed quiet for a moment, then said,

— "It didn't happen."

A sigh came from the other end.

— "All right, keep trying."

But back home, she had to hear something else from her sister-in-law.

— "I told you so! If there were that many jobs, would everyone be sitting around unemployed?"

Meghla went quietly to her room.

That night, sitting before her father's photograph, she said,

— "Baba, I won't give up. One bad person doesn't mean everyone in the world is bad. Somewhere out there, surely, there's an honest person who will respect what I'm capable of."

She did not know...

that the next day, a call for an interview would come from an even bigger company.

And that interview was about to turn the course of her life.

To be continued...

Part 7

Her Father's Friend's Door

The next morning.

Meghla was again getting ready to go out job-hunting.

Just then her brother Subrata came into her room holding an old diary.

— "This is Baba's diary. I found it while tidying the cupboard."

Meghla took the diary in surprise.

The pages had turned yellow.

In one spot, written in red ink—

"Binoy Sen — childhood friend. If ever in trouble, get in touch with him. A very honest man."

A phone number below it.

Tears came to Meghla's eyes.

It felt as though her father had left a path for her even before he died.

She hesitated for a long time.

"What if he doesn't recognize me after calling him after all these years?"

Still, she gathered the courage to dial the number.

After a few rings, a grave voice from the other end.

— "Hello, this is Binoy Sen speaking."

Meghla's voice trembled.

— "Uncle... it's Meghla... Sudhangshu Mukherjee's daughter."

A moment of silence.

Then suddenly, an emotion-filled voice—

— "Sudhangshu's daughter! How are you, my child? I think of your father often."

Meghla could no longer hold herself together.

Crying, she told him everything that had happened.

Arindam's death...

being thrown out of her in-laws' house...

the humiliation over jobs...

everything.

A long silence on the other end of the phone.

Then Binoy Sen said,

— "Come to my office this afternoon at four. I'm not promising anything. But for your father's sake, I'll at least meet you once."

Four in the afternoon.

Meghla arrived at the head office of Sen Industries Private Limited.

A large glass building.

The moment she gave her name at reception, an employee said respectfully,

— "Sir is waiting for you."

Meghla's heart pounded.

As the door opened and she stepped inside, she saw a gentleman in his fifties rise to his feet.

He looked at Meghla's face for a while.

Then said slowly,

— "Looking at you, it feels like I'm looking at your father."

Meghla's eyes welled up again.

Instead of taking his own chair, Binoy Sen asked her to sit.

He went through all her certificates one by one.

He asked no unnecessary questions.

He simply said at the end,

— "You're qualified. But more important than that, I know how honest your father was. A man like that couldn't have raised his daughter to be dishonest."

Meghla lowered her head and said,

— "I just want to work with dignity, Uncle."

Binoy Sen smiled gently and said,

— "Starting next Monday, you'll join our company. You'll work as a trainee for three months. If you do well, you'll get a permanent position."

Meghla could hardly believe her own ears.

Tears of joy rolled down her cheeks.

She stood up and said,

— "I will never forget this kindness."

Binoy Sen answered calmly,

— "This isn't a kindness, my child. It's what you deserve. But remember one thing — not everyone in this office will wish you well. Never lose your own honesty."

Meghla nodded in agreement.

She did not know...

that hidden within Binoy Sen's words was a chilling warning.

Sitting in a corner of the office, the corrupt manager Rajat Dutta was watching Meghla through the glass window, smiling faintly.

Meghla did not yet understand what that smile meant...

To be continued...

Part 8

The Unknown Examiner, A New Path

Ten in the morning.

Meghla, dressed in a clean sari, arrived at the office of Sen Industries Private Limited.

Ten or twelve other candidates were already seated in front of reception.

Some held thick files, some held certificates of experience.

Meghla sat quietly in a corner and arranged her papers.

She had only one prayer in her heart—

"Let me get a job today."

Just then, an elderly man carrying a register walked into the waiting room.

Dressed in plain clothes.

He looked like the office caretaker.

He said with a smile,

— "Everyone please write down your name, address, and educational qualifications. Sir will be a little late."

Everyone began writing down their details one by one.

The gentleman exchanged a few friendly words with each person.

He asked one candidate,

— "If you get the job, will you work here for five years?"

One said,

— "I'll stay as long as the pay is good."

Another said,

— "I'll leave the moment I find a better job."

The gentleman just smiled and wrote it all down.

Coming to Meghla, he said,

— "My child, what's your name?"

— "Meghla."

— "Why do you want this particular job?"

Meghla thought for a moment and said,

— "Because I need work. But not just for the salary. I want to stand on my own ability. Whatever organization I work for, I'll treat it as my own."

The gentleman asked again,

— "What if someone asked you to do something wrong?"

Meghla answered without hesitation,

— "I might lose the job, but I don't want to lose my honesty."

The gentleman looked deeply into her face.

Then made a small mark in the register and moved on.

Speaking with a few more candidates, he asked the same kind of questions.

One said,

— "As long as the work is light and the pay is high, it's fine by me."

Another said,

— "Good relations with senior officials get you promoted faster."

The gentleman argued with no one.

He just quietly took notes.

An hour later, an announcement came from reception—

— "Everyone, please come to the interview board."

The candidates began going in one by one.

When Meghla was called, she opened the door, stepped in, and was left stunned.

Seated in the middle chair of the interview board...

was that same plainly-dressed caretaker!

Today he was wearing a suit.

An official seated beside him stood up and said,

— "Let me introduce him. This is the owner and managing director of our company, Binoy Sen."

Meghla stood there in astonishment.

Binoy Sen smiled and said,

— "Don't be afraid. Your real interview happened a long time ago."

Meghla asked in surprise,

— "Meaning?"

Binoy Sen answered,

— "Degrees, marks, and experience matter. But a person's honesty, sense of responsibility, and mindset matter even more. What I was discussing with all of you in the waiting room — that was my first test."

He closed the register on the table and said,

— "Many asked for the job for their own convenience. But you said you'd look after the company's interests as your own. Your answer wasn't rehearsed — it came from the heart."

The other members of the board nodded in agreement.

Binoy Sen said with a smile,

— "Meghla, congratulations. We've chosen you for this position. I hope one day you'll prove that today's decision wasn't a mistake."

Meghla's eyes welled up.

She said quietly,

— "Thank you, sir. I'll try to live up to your trust."

Her first working day. Monday morning.

Today a new chapter of Meghla's life was beginning.

Waking at five, she finished all the household chores at her brother's house just as before.

Then she put on a pressed, light blue salwar kameez. Tied her hair in a bun.

Standing before Arindam's photograph, she said,

— "Today is my first day of work. You would have been so happy if you were here. Give me your blessing."

Putting a small diary and Arindam's black helmet's keyring into her bag, she set out for the office.

Nine o'clock sharp.

The moment she wrote her name at reception, an employee said,

— "Miss Meghla, this way please. I'll take you to Human Resources."

There, she was given her ID card, attendance card, and briefed on the company's rules.

A little later, the departmental manager Rajat Dutta walked into the room.

He was about forty-five years old.

An expensive suit, a sweet smile on his face.

He said,

— "Oh! You're the new employee? I heard Mr. Binoy Sen hired you himself. You're very lucky."

Meghla replied politely,

— "Thank you, sir. I want to learn the work carefully."

Rajat Dutta smiled slyly and said,

— "You'll learn the work, of course... but in this office, knowing the job isn't enough. You also need to know how to read people."

Hearing this, Meghla felt strangely uneasy.

A young woman sat at the desk beside hers.

She said with a smile,

— "I'm Ananya. Let me know if you have any trouble."

A smile appeared on Meghla's face too.

For the first time, it felt like there was at least one person she could call her own in this office.

She spent the whole day learning the work carefully.

Data entry, filing, preparing reports — she picked it all up quickly.

In the afternoon, Binoy Sen himself came to the department.

He asked a few questions.

Meghla answered all of them confidently.

Satisfied, Binoy Sen said,

— "Very good. Keep working like this."

Seeing this, a few older employees exchanged glances.

One whispered,

— "Did you see that? The owner himself came to check on her!"

Another said,

— "Won't take long. Getting this much attention goes to a lot of people's heads."

Standing at a distance, Rajat Dutta was listening to all of it.

The mark of envy was clear in his eyes.

He said to himself,

"Today the owner's favorite employee... tomorrow I'll see how she stands before me with her head bowed."

The office closed in the evening.

As they were leaving, Ananya said quietly,

— "Can I say something?"

— "Go ahead."

— "Avoid Rajat sir as much as you can outside of work. He isn't the same on the inside as he seems from the outside."

Meghla asked in surprise,

— "Meaning?"

Ananya glanced around once and said in a low voice,

— "I won't say anything more right now. You'll find out everything when the time comes. Just be careful."

With that, she hurried away.

Meghla turned once to look back at the office building.

Today there was joy in her heart, but also an unfamiliar unease.

She did not know—

that the very honesty for which the company's owner had given her this job would soon be put to a difficult test.

To be continued...

Part 9

The Unspoken Rule

The next morning.

Meghla reached the office even earlier than before.

She noticed that although everyone arrived on time, many of them went and stood in front of manager Rajat Dutta's cabin before starting work.

Some greeted him with a smile, others went in carrying small packets.

And came back out again a little while later.

The matter seemed strange to Meghla.

She quietly asked Ananya, seated beside her,

— "Why does everyone go into sir's room?"

Ananya, without looking away from her computer screen, said,

— "Don't go looking for the answer to every question right away. There's an unspoken rule in this office."

— "What rule?"

— "Those who ask too many questions don't last long."

Meghla said nothing more.

At noon, Binoy Sen came into the office.

He suddenly asked to see some files.

Rajat Dutta handed them over confidently.

Binoy Sen looked them over for a while and said,

— "Very good work."

Meghla watched in surprise — in front of the owner, Rajat Dutta was a completely different man.

Polite, calm, cheerful.

But the moment the owner left, his expression changed.

He called an employee over and shouted,

— "There's a comma wrong in this report! Is this what you do for the salary you're paid?"

The whole office fell silent.

In the afternoon, Meghla went to the manager's cabin with a file.

Knocking on the door, she said,

— "Sir, the report you asked for..."

Rajat Dutta looked at the file and said,

— "Good work. You've picked things up so fast, even though you're new!"

Then, smiling a little, he said,

— "Listen, if you want to get ahead in this office, knowing the job isn't enough. You need to earn my trust too."

Meghla answered calmly,

— "I want to earn everyone's trust through my work alone, sir."

For a moment, the smile faded from Rajat Dutta's face.

He realized this girl wouldn't easily fall in line with what anyone said.

After office hours, Ananya took Meghla outside.

Standing at a roadside tea stall, she said,

— "What you said to the manager today was the right thing to do. But be careful."

— "Is he really that bad?"

Ananya stayed quiet for a moment, then said,

— "A lot of people in this office have gotten promoted. But not all of them earned it on merit. Some through money, some for other reasons."

Meghla stood there, stunned.

Just then, an expensive car pulled up across the street.

Rajat Dutta got out and walked into an old sweet shop nearby.

The shop's signboard read—

"Madhumoy Sweets Emporium"

Looking at the shop, Ananya said very slowly,

— "That's not an ordinary sweet shop..."

Meghla asked in surprise,

— "Then what is it?"

Ananya didn't answer.

She only said,

— "One day you'll understand it all yourself."

Meghla still had no idea...

that this little sweet shop would one day unravel a corruption scandal worth crores of rupees.

To be continued...

Part 10

The Five-Thousand-Rupee Sweet

Two weeks had passed since she joined the job.

Meghla could now handle most of the office work with skill.

Binoy Sen too praised her work from time to time.

This had become like poison in the eyes of some employees.

That afternoon, a businessman suddenly arrived at the office.

He carried a large box of sweets.

He said at reception,

— "I'd like to meet Rajat sir."

A little later, the manager's PA Sanjay came out and said with a smile,

— "Sir doesn't accept gifts. Please take this back."

The businessman said, disappointed,

— "But my file is very urgent."

Sanjay glanced around once and said very quietly,

— "Sir doesn't take bribes. But he loves sweets very much."

— "So then?"

— "Go buy sir's favorite sondesh from the 'Madhumoy Sweets Emporium' up ahead. We'll take care of the rest."

Meghla was listening to all this from her desk.

The words sounded strange to her ears.

"Will buying sondesh get the file passed?"

After office hours, unable to contain her curiosity, Meghla went and stood in front of that sweet shop.

The shop was very ordinary.

A wooden counter, a glass display case, plain decor.

It looked like a shop many years old.

She went inside and said,

— "How much for a kilo of sondesh?"

The shopkeeper smiled and said,

— "Which sondesh, madam?"

— "Whichever is the good quality one."

The shopkeeper held out a menu card.

The moment Meghla opened the menu, her eyes widened in astonishment.

Gulab-khas Sondesh — ₹5,000 (per piece)

Rajshahi Kesar Sondesh — ₹10,000 (per piece)

Maharaja Special — ₹25,000 (per piece)

Samrat Deluxe — ₹50,000 (per piece)

Meghla said in disbelief,

— "Are these made of gold?"

The shopkeeper only smiled slyly and answered,

— "Our regular customers never ask the price, madam."

Just then, that same businessman walked into the shop.

Without a word, he said,

— "Give me two gulab-khas."

The shopkeeper wrote up the bill—

₹10,000.

The man paid immediately.

Then the shopkeeper handed him a small white receipt along with the box of sweets.

Written on the receipt was only a number—

GK-247

Meghla stepped out of the shop and stood across the road.

Five minutes later, the businessman walked back into the office.

PA Sanjay looked at the receipt and smiled faintly.

Then he said,

— "Your file will be signed today."

Meghla's heart trembled.

She understood...

that it wasn't sweets being paid for here, but something else entirely.

But she didn't yet have real proof of that mystery in her hands.

And far off, watching everything from behind his cabin window, Rajat Dutta smiled faintly and said,

— "As long as people keep buying sweets, no one will ever be able to prove I take bribes."

To be continued...