The Digital Professional

3 Married to Work, Devoid of Romance post-lunch for one of his prized clients. There were other things bothering him at the back of his mind and despite the effort, he couldn’t quite recall them. Moreover, he needed to listen calmly and expressionlessly to the appraisal request of Suman, who started sobbing whenever confronted with a stern look. The brain juggled and set priorities without categorizing it rationally and Abhijit, our chief protagonist, flung into action, the very moment he reached his arena – the office. It was again a usual day which began with Sameer, his partner in the witness box. “Oh, you failed that date again, how many returns are left now? What went wrong, Sameer?” enquired Abhijit. Sameer was a stout and over-confident man, recently married, with a mysterious look always in his eyes and two thumbs on his right hand. It was always difficult to judge him. He would accept anything in the world except his mistakes. He had joined Abhijit as a trainee in 1993 and had gradually scaled-up to the “head of compliance” department of his firm. “Sir, it’s not my fault! Our clients are not prudent in giving papers or responding to queries. The 11 th hour working style is long-embedded and negates all regular reminders. Apart from that, the online portal where the returns are to be furnished, freezes quite frequently taking at least an hour to upload a file. I’ve tried my best, but I can’t do anything if the site hangs at the last moment,” defended Sameer. “Why does this happen every time with you? Why don’t you follow-up with the clients on time and get the details beforehand to complete the work? Why don’t you prepare a checklist of priorities and compliances at the beginning of the month so that you can plan your deadlines?” questioned Abhijit, in a tone filled with anguish and resentment. He understood the importance of his work to clients and the consequences attached if he wasn’t able to deliver. Under no circumstances was he ready to face humiliation for professional failure. He was a man of principles