Inspector Dhruvi 02 Conspirator by RV Raman

Author:RV Raman [Raman, RV]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hachette India
Published: 2018-03-23T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Kaushik’s executive assistant, Sampath, was waiting for Dhruvi in front of the lift as she got off on a lower floor. A middle-aged, composed man with sharp eyes and a shock of black hair falling over his forehead, Sampath greeted her sombrely and led her through a maze of desks and tables towards a glass cabin with Kaushik’s name written on the door.

Just outside the door were three desks – one large and two small.

‘This is my desk,’ Sampath said, indicating the large one. ‘But we can use Mr Kalari’s cabin for our conversation.’

A young man was working on the desktop computer at one of the smaller desks, with a girl looking on, her expression one of visible anxiety.

So absorbed were they in their work that neither of them even glanced her way as Dhruvi passed by and entered Kaushik’s cabin. Sampath waved her to a chair and offered water and beverages, which she declined. Sampath settled himself in another chair and looked at her expectantly.

Dhruvi began by asking him about Kaushik’s usual routine and if the editor had been facing any problems or challenges lately. Sampath spoke slowly and at length, but said nothing of any particular interest to her. The inspector’s questions then focused on Kaushik’s conflicts within the newspaper, in particular, and within the group, in general. Sampath grew cautious and began choosing his words with care.

‘As regards conflicts, Inspector,’ he said in a measured manner, ‘there is something I would like to impress upon you. The newspaper business is a high-octane, high-pressure one. It is one of the very few businesses that releases a new product every single day. The product, namely the day’s edition of the National Pulse, is designed, created and assembled in just a few hours.

‘It moves from nothing to a finished newspaper in mere hours, during which countless decisions are taken by a group of men and women, all working simultaneously and with intense concentration. Once the reporters and editors – each with his or her own views and preferences – complete writing up every word that goes into the day’s edition, the newspaper has to be formatted, printed and distributed before the wee hours so that it’s ready for you to read early next morning with your coffee. That involves a lot of work. I can’t think of any other product that takes shape from scratch under such relentless pressure – day after day, every single day.

‘The result is that the newsroom becomes a pressure cooker. Conflicts are aplenty here and at every level you can imagine. Not a day passes without tempers fraying and heated words flying. But the people here take it in their stride, for that is the nature of their business.

‘So if you ask me about conflicts, Inspector, there are plenty every day. What, specifically, do you want to know?’

‘From what you say, I can imagine what it’s like, Mr Sampath. I guess I was a little naïve in posing my question.’

Sampath smiled sympathetically.

Dhruvi went on, ‘I was not referring to run-of-the-mill clashes that occur regularly at work.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.