I work in a MNC and being a language specialist, I always get assigned to different projects which need our translation services. Earlier, I had worked for a project, which was operating from Hyderabad, but then as they needed translators and I couldn’t relocate to Hyderabad, I could support from Bangalore itself. They call it remote support. After a stint of 6 months in Hyderabad- based project, I moved to another project and client, which was also German. This time, the project was based in Pune and yet again we were asked to support remotely. All the German translators in Bangalore came under one roof for this project and that was the fateful day when I met this lady, who I would be referring Ms. Suzi henceforth. I have never seen such a specimen in my life and true to what the people had to say about her, she made all other’s lives miserable and boring..
Here is an account of how I vent out all my frustration and anger and helplessness in a letter to her, which I never sent her, but after writing it down, I felt much better and things became much more bearable!
It goes:
Dear (Should I really address you as dear?? I do not want to, but then I have to follow certain etiquettes, isn’t it?) Suzi,
It is almost 1 year that I am blessed to be associated with you on a day to day basis.
I really wonder why God did this to me when he brought you and me together in one team. I had always heard about you and I must confess, it was not that encouraging and so I was always happy to have been working away from you all this time. But then as it is said, happiness doesn’t last forever and God made me sit with you for earning my bread and butter for the current project. I will definitely question him for doing this to me, he could have done anything else but meeting up with you.
Noooooooooooooooo
Where should I begin to narrate your greatness to this world?
Oh, I am short of words and phrases and idioms and in fact being silent would be the best option to describe you. But, then all people can’t read silences, can they?
So, here I go to show this world what they were missing (rather not missing) all this while!
Your confidence (or rather over-confidence) is just out of this world. The way you prove to the person standing opposite to you that he/she is here by mistake and that he/she is not even worthy enough to talk to you leaves me awestruck. You spare no chance in telling the outside world (who is never actually interested to even notice you) that this world, this country, this state, this city, this company and this organization is functioning just because of you. Had you been not there to take care of the daily matters in the team, the team and the project would have famished and would have gone to the dogs. How can the managers and the senior managers and the offshore guys ever thank you for what you have done for them and the project.
I am also short of words when it comes to talking to you. Why? Because you never let me talk. And it is more often you asking questions and you only answering them. It has to be always you who goes on and on about your driver and your spacious house and your education and what not. Do you ever accept that there are other people who can be as good and intelligent as you or rather far better than you? No, you never accept anyone above you and you are of the opinion that you are the only person who is well read, intelligent, compassionate, caring, organized, meticulous… and the list goes on. See, I am again short of words!!!
I sometimes wonder if you ever know the meaning of being meticulous and organized in work. At least your working style never reflects that. You are the most confused person I have ever met in my life and to explain simple things to you leaves me almost dead. I am left with no energy or enthusiasm to even laugh at your clumsiness and silly jokes of self-obsessive nature. I have to thank God for giving me a lot of patience when it comes to you, but I would like to let him and you know that I am slowly and steadily running out of it too!!!
You had Ms. Rosy to do every little thing for you at office. You enjoyed being there just for the name of it and I always thought that you both took each other as boss and secretary. You always assigned her ppts, excels, presentations, which she had no choice, but to execute them. She also had her own work which was assigned to her from her so-called project manager, but then how could she not help you out when you needed her. She was literally living in your shadow and I can imagine why and how she got promoted in a short time inspite of having a less experience in this field. She never said No to you and you also never took a No very sportingly. She was damn afraid of you I suppose and dreaded the fact that if she ever got cross with you, her career would be ruined! And I can imagine her happiness when she finally freed herself from your clutches and heaped a sigh of relief. She left the organization for some different reason which she officially communicated to everyone, but then I think you were also one of the reasons for her resignation. I really envy her and I also have suicidal attempts of letting this job go just because of you!!
You lost a secretary in her and yes also an admirer. She admired you (for whatever reasons!!!) and always appeared so “close” and good to you on face. She was also well aware that you like people who butter you and say good things about you and you also do the same to all important people in the hierarchy, whom you think can be of some help to you. You are very good at creating good impressions prima-facie, but then all people are not fortunate enough to change their impression about you later. They maintain the same good impression as they had in their first meeting with you. They all should come and work with you and get to know you better (for worse, I am sure!!) and then decide if they still are impressed with you and your personality.
It is often evident from your talks that your family doesn’t pay much attention to what your say at home and you hardly matter to them. Have you ever thought why people avoid you even at home? Your attitude towards life, people is a distraught one. I have no clue in which world do you live and what has gone to your head so much that you have become so self-obsessive? You do not realize how much you hurt the team and other people with your prejudiced thinking and negative commenting. You are so good on their face that when I listen to u and them talking, I think I will get diabetes. You portray yourself to be very perfect, but then I think you have blinded yourself to your short-comings and I am sorry to say, that you are not perfect. No one is. Even if you admit sometimes that you are not perfect and tend to make mistakes, you never act like it or believe in it. You think you are above all and whatever you say and do is always correct and that other people also should appreciate you in the same way even if they do not believe in it. I sometimes feel that you should seriously take help of some psychiatrist or medical counselor. There might be some chemical imbalance in there and that might be encouraging you to behave like this, without you being really conscious with you. But no, I do not want to empathize with you and get emotional as I have had enough from you by now.
I can go on and on, but I am really sick and tired and bored of you and your idiosyncrasies now. If you might have noticed me lately, I hardly give you any eye contact and show the least interest when you are boasting about yourself. I have really no inclination or interest to engage myself in knowing how you cook rice in the microwave daily and how your husband and son do not eat food till you cook rice or how you help your maid in helping her daughters to study. Everybody should do their own bit for self-development and other people’s development. But then you have marred self-development and hampered other’s development as well. No one, who knows you closely, can even speak a few positive words about you.
I really pity your ignorance sometimes and wish God gives you some sound lessons and opens your eyes some or the other time. There has to be someone who would challenge you and put an end to your boastful bouts of self-praise and tell you boss, enough is enough, and I cannot bear you any longer.
Please introspect sometimes and give a thought, why I wrote this letter to you and what is that you really need to work on. Clear off your head which has stupid ideas about your self. Being confident is good, but being proud and haughty leaves you with nothing.
I am eagerly waiting for that time when even I can be happy like Ms. Rosy and move away from you forever. I would not like to meet you again in my life and I wish you lots of luck and wishes in your future endeavors of charming people and creating “good” impressions on them.
God spare me please!!!!!!!!
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