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want more pao?’ I said.

    ‘You are third,’ a first-year student volunteer who assisted in placements told me.
    I sat on a stool with seven other candidates outside the interview room. We
    resembled patients at a dentist’s clinic, only more stressed.

    DX @ www.desibbrg.com

    The HLL interviews were on in the room across me. Ananya had moved up all
    the rounds and now waited to be called one last time. I reflected on what had
    gone wrong on Day Zero. OK, I only wanted a job for the money, but I had hidden
    that when they spoke to me. Then why did I screw up with five banks yesterday?
    What if Citi also screws me? I thought. Sweat beads popped on my forehead. Was it
    destiny leading me to doom after all these degrees and grades? Is God not on my side? I wondered if I had given any reason to God not to be on my side. I saw the HLL
    room from a distance. Ananya stood outside, looking beautiful in a peacock blue
    sari. Maybe God will not let me decide my future unless I give her clarity on her future.
    ‘Krish Malhotra,’ the student volunteer called my name.
    I offered mental prayers and stood up. I checked my tie knot and shirt collars.
    Remember you need this job, I told myself. Banks pay double, I could quit a
    corporate career twice as fast to do whatever I wanted to. I breathed in deeply and
    exhaled.
    ‘Welcome, take you seat,’ a man in an impeccable black suit spoke from his
    chair. He was rich enough to wear a Rolex watch and obnoxious enough not to
    look at me while he addressed me. He rifled through a pile of resumes to find
    mine.
    ‘Good afternoon.’ I extended my hand. I flexed my forearm muscles as people
    say a tight handshake is a sign of confidence and world domination.
    ‘Rahul Ahuja, managing director, corporate finance,’ he said and shook hands
    with me. He pointed to his colleague on the right. ‘And this is Devesh Sharma,
    vice-president in HR.’
    I looked at Devesh, a thirty-year-old executive with the timidity of a three-year-old. He came across as someone who could be kicked around despite being
    called vice-president. Anyway, I’d heard Citibank had four hundred vice-
    presidents to accommodate careers and egos of hundreds of new MBAs that
    joined every year. Of course, it took away the relevance of the title but at least it gave you a good introduction. Rahul signaled Devesh to start.
    ‘So Krish, I notice you have poor grades in your undergrad,’ Devesh spoke in a
    voice so effeminate, he’d be the obvious choice for female leads in college plays.
    ‘You are pretty observant,’ I said.
    ‘Excuse me?’ Devesh said, surprised.
    Cut the wisecracks, I told myself. ‘Nothing,’ I cleared my throat.

    DX @ www.desibbrg.com

    ‘So, what happened?’
    A girlfriend, fun-loving friends, alcohol, grass and crap profs happened, I
    wanted to say. But Ananya had told me the right answer. ‘Actually, Mr. Sharma,’ I
    said, emphasizing his name so he felt good, ‘when I entered IIT, I didn’t realize the rigours demanded by the system. And once you have a bad start, due to relative
    grading, it is quite hard to come back. I did get good grades in the last semester
    and my IIMA grades are good. So, as you can see, I’ve made up.’
    There were twenty minutes of stupid questions like ‘will credit cards grow in
    India?’ or ‘can India improve its banking services?’ where you easily answer what
    they want to hear (yes, they will grow and, yes, India can improve heaps). Finally,
    they asked the big question, ‘Why Citibank?’
    I want Citibank because none of the other five banks worked out. I sucked in my breath along with my stupid thoughts. BS time, buddy, I thought, the ten seconds
    that will determine your career start now.
    ‘Mr Ahuja, the question is not why Citi. The real question is why would any
    ambitious young person want to go anywhere else? It is the biggest private bank
    in the world, it has a great reputation, it is committed to India, and there are
    opportunities