The Shortest Stint

Lalit Shastri

Early one morning, just as I was about to leave for my walk, a car pulled up at my front gate. It wasn’t the time for visitors, but as I approached, I recognized a friend from the Industry Department. After exchanging greetings, I led him into the drawing room, where he wasted no time in getting to the point.

The early morning visitor informed me that his boss, XYZ, had been in New Delhi for several days, awaiting his appointment as CMD of Air India. The PMO had cleared his appointment, but the Civil Aviation Minister was sitting on the file, delaying the process. He explained that a senior journalist, known for covering the aviation sector, was also a close confidant of the Minister. That day, the Minister was scheduled to address a press conference, and if the journalist could raise the issue, it might put enough pressure to expedite the appointment.

"What do you expect me to do?" I asked.

He urged me to contact the journalist and request him to intervene. Right then and there, I called the journalist in Delhi, a well-connected professional I knew well. After I explained the situation, he cautioned, "That approach will backfire. The Minister will be offended. Leave it to me—I’ll handle it my way."

He already knew about the case and mentioned that the Minister was in no hurry to approve the appointment, as he was quite comfortable with the current acting CMD—a certain lady. A couple of days later, the journalist called me back. He had spoken to the Minister earlier that day, who had since signed the file. XYZ’s appointment order was expected by evening.

I tried reaching XYZ at Madhya Pradesh Bhawan in Delhi but couldn’t get through. So, I rang his home in Bhopal and shared the update with his wife. Then, I forgot all about it.

Months later, a journalist friend from a web portal specializing in bureaucratic appointments casually mentioned that he was off to New York, flying first class, with accommodation at the Hilton—courtesy of the new CMD of Air India. I congratulated him, unfazed—I had played my part in XYZ’s appointment without expecting anything in return.

Sometime later, during a casual phone chat, the Delhi journalist who had handled the issue took a dig at me.

"Funny thing," he said. "You flew first class to New York, courtesy of XYZ, but never told me about it."

When my friend found out that it wasn’t I who flew to New York City, he was livid. The journalist, laughing, added, "Wait and watch what I do to him."

He went on to reveal that XYZ had already landed in hot water—embroiled in two scams soon after taking over.

One involved a massive order for chinaware and server-ware for Air India’s entire fleet. On delivery, it was discovered none of it was microwave-proof, rendering the purchase useless. The second involved a suspicious hike in advertisement rates for Air India’s in-house magazine—a move clearly designed to benefit the publisher.

True to his word, my journalist friend exploited these scandals, ensuring XYZ’s tenure as CMD of Air India became the shortest in history.