Book excerpt: Stalled promotions, pesky editors and other truths of journalism in India

Exit Interview, published by Rupa Publications, is a work of fiction where journalist Rasha Roy moves from one job to another, struggling to find a foothold in the world of journalism as she deals with sexual harassment in the workplace, nepotism and lands in a dangerous situation because of a shocking expose. Writer Amrita Mukherjee is a journalist who has worked with leading publications in India and in Dubai.  Following is an excerpt from her book.    A month later, Rasha’s boss called her to his desk. His expression was grim. Instead of peering from behind his glasses, he was looking down. ‘The increments and promotions are due. I am afraid you are not getting any promotion although others are. You are not ready for a promotion. You need to work on a lot of things before you can get one. Barnali is getting a promotion. I am telling you about her because I don’t want you to find this out from someone else,’ he said. Rasha and Barnali were of the same age and they had joined Indian Cronicle on the same day. ‘Barnali is working at the desk and there if you are good at subbing and making pages you are good enough. But in features, you have to be an all-rounder which you have not yet become. But if you are a good girl for the next one year, you will definitely get a promotion,’ he smiled. The smirk never left his face. [caption id=“attachment_2272990” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The book cover.[/caption] Rasha didn’t say a word. ‘I don’t think with your capabilities, you can land a job anywhere else at the moment. You need to work hard and prove yourself.’ She just kept looking at him uninterestedly and that seemed to annoy him. She had wanted to slap him so many times and today she was ready with the biggest slap that would hit him where it hurt the most. Rasha handed him a piece of paper. It read: Dear Ms Rasha Roy, We are glad to offer you the post of senior sub-editor/reporter in Our Times. As discussed with you, your joining date will be 1.3.2005. Thanks, J. Kamaraju VP, Our Times Now it was her turn to speak. ‘You might not think I am ready yet, but then a newspaper with three times more circulation than yours thinks I am.’ She tried hard to imitate his smirk. Rasha had waited for this moment for two long years. So many times in bed at night she had thought of ways of getting back at her boss. She had plotted and re-plotted in her mind. But she felt she just did not have it in her to deal with her crooked boss in a crooked way. She was too straightforward for her own liking. Then she would go off to sleep thinking, my time will come one day. Finally, her time had come. And she just wanted to enjoy every bit of it like one enjoyed vintage wine—pouring it in a glass and letting it stand for some time for the different flavours to mix, then deeply inhaling the aroma and finally taking a sip and swirling it in the mouth for the taste to seep in. She loved sitting there, watching her boss’s expression going from surprise to anger, although he tried hard to cloak it all. He made one last attempt to make things difficult for her. ‘I don’t know if we can release you that quickly. I have to check your contract.’ Saying this, he went to the resident editor’s room. He came out fifteen minutes later and told her his boss was calling her. Rasha, until then, had not thought of how the resident editor would react to her leaving Indian Cronicle, because she was so engrossed with her own boss. Now she felt a bit ashamed of facing him. This man had given her a lot of opportunities that people as young as her didn’t usually get. Rasha didn’t know how to say goodbye to him. She sat in front of him sheepishly. He looked as kind as ever. ‘So you are joining Our Times. Good!’ Rasha looked up. ‘According to your contract, you are supposed to serve a three- month notice period, but I guess you are joining them in a month. Your boss doesn’t want to let you go before three months, but I have checked with the HR and you still have two months of paid leave that can be adjusted, something I have not told your boss.’ He smiled. ‘You will be able to join Our Times on time.’ Rasha said a feeble thank you. Then the resident editor dropped a bombshell. ‘I am sharing a secret with you that no one here knows. I am leaving too. I am moving to Delhi as the editor of one of the biggest magazines. I will give you the details later, but right now keep your mouth shut.’ Rasha finally breathed freely. ‘I know you were having trouble with your boss, so I think it’s a good idea to move on. But I am not sure if you are landing from the frying pan into the fire. I don’t know Surit Basu personally, but I have heard a lot of things about him. But good luck. Life is a journey and you have to undertake it.’ The resident editor’s last words kept ringing in Rasha’s ears—from the frying pan into the fire. But at that point, she preferred trying out the fire because the frying pan had left her scarred, de-motivated and exhausted. She did not mind exploring new possibilities even if it meant dealing with yet another letch of a boss. But she reasoned that the supposed fire she was jumping into had already given her a career leap at least. From a sub-editor, she had become a senior sub-editor/reporter.