Vegetarian Only

I am Viransh…I wanted to be a techie..which I thought would be an easy option to get out of my unending poverty, so it took me to the field of B.tech and good sounding computer science engineering.This is the second year since I completed my graduation..or otherwise unemployed since 2 years.Half of my graduation went offline and half online,Where COVID also completed intermediate along with our batch.The moment we realised COVID almost ended most of jobs,education moved to the internet world and COVID  made us more familiar to the words of Recession,extended poverty,unemployment,inflation which sound more of Economic.

                 By The time I started my trials  for employment,companies started layoffs taking limited employees with specific to ‘experienced’ candidates. Unable to cope up with the ongoing situations some of my friends bought a fake experience certificate to get a job but here are two things. First,when the company finds out it is fake the candidates end up in hell to find another.Second, those who are working, are residing in hell to manage the work which they don’t know…and waiting in turn for the day of truth.

 I decided not to end up in any of the turmoil rather in the meantime to keep my spirits,difficulty to manage my things I found a part-time..It is difficult because it  comes with flooded unemployment even for minimal  jobs now.Almost in a span of year and above I attended almost  50 interviews including start ups,MNCs..& etc…in every interview I came up with new hurdle  like communication,aptitude,may be I am not up to their expectations,rather the employer felt that I am not competent for job.I felt all those are real reasons for my rejection.I felt to allot time to overcome those by investing some productive time by continuing my daily trails.Within less span of time I was able to improve all my areas of which I lag behind.Soon I landed in one job in one start-up but with very minimum paying.I felt it is better than before, let me earn some experience and get into another later.But the game starts here with more peak time working hours with targets,and no intime payment of salary.I had to wait two months to get my first time month salary after second month. They put me out of job by not even paying the remaining one month salary, not even issuing my payscale slip and experience certificate. Though I protested, I couldn’t do much.

                       Despite the odd situations  I tried maximum to stay positive.My daily routine would be to check any vacancies in online job portals and send my resume to them.Later I check my Mail whether I was called for any interview.Some of the employers  ask me to send my resume first,so they could call me later,where half of them never.In that, some of them will call me for  interview and after the end of interview they say “will inform later” but failed to turn up further. I used to wait some weeks,sometimes a month unless,until I realised that they won’t call me anymore. Life is going so slumber. Oneday as usual  while I was checking my mails I got a call for an interview.I checked the location and reached in time.I entered the interviewer cabin,he looks tall,white in complexion exhibiting some managerial attitude.The room is surrounded by some good aroma of Incense.I handed over my file to him.He had a brief glance through my certificates.Later he asked some Questions  which  I answered with utmost confidence.He grilled me with some technical Questionnaire here also I did well. I don’t know this time my confidence reached an altitude  when I almost  reached the end of the interview.Finally the interviewer said the much awaited sentence,” you are selected.” I felt relaxed. Later he told me about my job profile,and talked about my salary. Everything seemed to be going so smooth and fast.

    Finally before I leave,here comes  one last intriguing Question he asked ” Are you a Vegetarian ?”.

I did not understand what he meant to ask first ,so I asked, “What sir?”He stressed,”Are you Vegetarian ?”.

I replied, “No Sir, i am Non- vegetarian ” 

He told me that you are selected but on one condition that ‘you must be a vegetarian’ to work in this company.I became sterned and perplexed with the Twist that nobody had  imagined in his wildest dreams ever .

I freezed for a moment.I woke up from the shock and asked, “why sir?” 

he replied, “see I am a vegetarian.firstly, I don’t like people who are non-vegetarians.I also wanted to be surrounded by vegetarian people At Least in my company.” 

 Later,he asked me, “ Does it sound so odd to you..?” 

Though a little bit frustrated with what he said, I didn’t know what to reply at the moment and slowly, “Nooo sirrr…” 

He continued further, “ I don’t understand why people eat Non- veg,how they are able to eat it..”and he continued his flow where it went to the sharing of his knowledge  about benefits of eating Veg and different kinds of healthy vegetarian foods etc…

While he was delivering his emotional vegetarian speech, the thoughts are taking a voyage in my mind.One side, the frustrated question of  ‘what is the link between the food I eat to the job I do’.

On the other hand, I know definitely he won’t give me the job if I say, “ I can’t be the vegetarian for the job”.As I like to have Non-veg mostly.

But my intuition is telling, “this is the least that you can sacrifice at this moment to move out of your situation.”

I decided to go with my Intuition. After his uninterrupted vegetarian speech,I answered the most expected question as, “yes..”

 But he never seemed to be happy with my reply.He started over stressing the topic and with the flow he asked, “ how can I know whether you are eating veg or non-veg at home..” 

He is unnecessarily checking my patience ,to some extent I got irritated.But taking a deep sigh 

I said, “No sir,I will stick to my word.” He went on to say, “you may be lying in future,who notices..!!”

I became impatient,but said, “No sir..! not like that..”…

 Finally he exhausted his questions and posed the extreme one, “ Ok, if you stick to your words then Promise on your Parents that you are not going to have Non-veg Ever.” 

I am already counting on him.He finished his choices of respect and my patience towards him, By hearing the last one the uncontrollable magma in me has bursted into lava..

I stood up from the chair by pushing it back with a creaking sound and shouted at him, “Idddiottt…” 

 The sound resonated in the cabin on four sides.He was shocked, stunned and stared at me. 

I continued, “ Hell with your food job, Because of the sheep like you who lack basic sense, sitting as an employer and judging our Talents is the fate of the hardworking.You have options to fail us. You need communication,you need skills,you need leadership qualities,you need everything under the sun that we should possess to become a sheep in your flock.If  we possess everything for the job again you re-invent one more qualification to discard us because of you people the eligible are ending their fate or reduced to the condition of Underemployment.If you really want  Vegetarians only

to cook your company  job then keep your board of discrimination outside and Don’t call the hard fate unemployed to your company and kill their true spirit.Goodbye to your shepherd job.” 

I noticed the erupted Lava turned his Face into Ashes and I abruptly took my file from his hands and left the cabin, gusting from the  building.My mobile pinged with the  notification from the online job portal then I started for the next Interview…………….

13-09-2024

*( based on a true event)