Swastika is known to be a girl of jolly nature and full of energy. She returned home from the office after a tiring day. After changing, she was relaxing when her phone beeped. She checked the phone, it was a message from her senior Satish, so she opened the phone. The message read:
SATISH: Are you free tomorrow night?
SWASTIKA: Actually, I do have an off tomorrow, but I have to make a visit to my parents’ home.
SATISH: Why? Anything serious?
SWASTIKA: No…actually, it’s a long gap since I last met them. So I thought of making a small visit.
SATISH: At what time will you leave? We can meet before that?
Swastika just saw the messages from the ‘pop-up’ and kept her phone away. Around 2 minutes later, her phone rang for a call. She hurriedly rushed towards her phone and to her utmost surprise, it was Satish calling her. Swastika was extremely irritated by this. She didn’t pick the call and went away. Her phone rang again and it was Satish yet again, and she again left it. Suddenly, a flurry of messages pops up on her phone
“Hey…why are you not picking up my phone…you don’t have any manners…pick it up…or else it won’t be good for you”.
Swastika got extremely scared and switched off her phone and went to sleep. The next day she left her home early. She joined the office two days later and she was of the opinion that Satish will be normal now. She didn’t know that she will be proved wrong just so badly. After some while, Satish passed from her desk, intending that he is having a check. He picked Swastika’s files and threw them down “Come into my cabin at once!!!”
She entered the cabin and Satish was sitting there with full rage. “Sir…you called me?” she asked. Satish gestured her to sit down and she went ahead and sat in the chair in front of his table
Satish’s expression changed to angry and he pressed a button on his remote. Swastika followed the voice and she saw that all the curtains of the room are closed now. She got scared and asked, “What is wrong sir…why you have closed the room completely?”
SATISH: SHUT UP…will you? Who the hell do you think you are talking to?
SWASTIKA: Sir…
SATISH: Can you explain to me why you didn’t reply to my messages and why you didn’t pick up my phone. You think you are too smart…huh?
SWASTIKA: Sir…I was a little too busy at that time…
SATISH: Oh…so I am of the least importance…right?
SWASTIKA: No…but
SATISH: HA HA HA HA HA…I was just kidding…you thought I was serious…
SWASTIKA (sense of relief): Oh Sir…I was so scared
Satish got up and quickly sat beside Swastika’s chair. He put her arms around her and said “Relax”. Swastika felt a little awkward and then he started getting closer to her. Swastika moved his hand away shouting “Excuse Me”. Now, Satish loses his cool. He pulls her towards him, twists her hands and pushes her over the table. He pounces over her and says “It’s too much…okay. I have been observing all this for too long now”.
Swastika had tears in her eyes “Leave me please”.
Satish shouted ” Hey…don’t act as if you are very innocent. In every break, you are on the terrace smoking with the boys, in every month-end party, you drink and dance like crazy with all the men out there. Now, when I want to FUCK you…you are acting like a virgin. A drunker, smoker and reveller like you has no right of all that…you understand”.
Swastika was crying badly by now, and Satish’s cabin being away and in the very corner meant the voice won’t go outside. So, Satish kept on moving his hands over various parts of her body. He said, “Next time…don’t ignore me”. Swastika uttered in her trembling voice “But you were texting me for personal time…Aaah”. Satish again twisted her arms “I was what…say again”. Swastika just continued crying. Just then, the telephone on Satish’s table rang.
Satish shouted “Oh…Shit” and he had to rush towards his phone. Swastika used the opportunity at its fullest and rushed towards the door recollecting herself. She went out and went to the washroom to cry her hell out. Satish looked with violent eyes and cried “You know you will be the sole bearer of the consequences”.
Swastika did file a harassment case but Satish being the Head of the Department was able to bribe all those, who could have gone against him. Not just this, he circulated the gossip in the workplace that “Swastika is drunkard, smoker and a characterless girl who was getting too close to Satish sir. She was expecting a promotion in return and when Satish sir refused, she started falsely implicating him. Satish was rich enough to get the recording of his cabin labelled as ‘Not Working’ and the WhatsApp chats anyway didn’t have anything much significant.
Now, it was not less than hell for her to work there and she had no option other than resignation. Here, the main point of concern is not workplace harassment. Instead, we need to seriously think about the people who easily give a ‘Character Certificate’ to a girl who drinks or smokes or does the party. Neither is smoking or drinking a good habit, but nor does it mean that the girl or anyone can be judged upon that. Just look around yourself and think deeper into the question.
THE END
