*Run Start Credits

A speeded up car journey through baking hot streets, crowded with people, dogs, goats, cows and motorbikes hurtling down the wrong side of the road. Political slogans should flash at just above subliminal speed as we reach a purpose built IT park in central Chennai. As the credits run, a security guard will check the car  for bombs while his colleague accepts a pass showing a heavy set bald man from a slim blonde girl. As the car comes to a stop, we see a young Indian man sat over a disassembled and totally destroyed laptop, he grins and gives a thumbs up.*

WELCOME TO THE SATYAKAM SHOW

Exterior day – two men walk in bright daylight along a path, one of them is our hero, young and grinning, politically connected and with an exaggerated swagger to his walk. 

We never see the face of the other man, whether to protect his identity or to shield the audience from a gaze that after six weeks here would scare a Gorgon; we’ll never know. 

SATYAKAM “So, if you take all that into context and then overlay page 16 of the contract that shows that any ad-hoc change might be a service request or a costed change, then you’ll see why I decided to take the action that I did. I believe that this will save us money and give us the proper framework for this type of thing as we go on.”

THUNDERDOG “But what”

SATYAKAM “Please let me finish, furthermore I think that if we show others the way that I have reverted this issue and shown the client a better way of doing the needful, I think that we will build team morale and gain client confidence”

THUNDERDOG “Yes, but.”

SATYAKAM “Sorry, but I must say this, around six months ago, in a team meeting I believe that the whole team discussed just this approach and I sent an email to the head of offshore services in India as a follow up and it wasn’t rejected by anybody as an approach. Which should have happened if anybody disgreed with MY idea.”

THUNDERDOG “B..”

SATYAKAM “And again I reverted this type of issue to onshore and wrote a poilicy document framework that has the first two pages completed, I just need the team leaders to add the details for the next sixty pages and I can then issue MY document. But there seems to be some sort of issue with them doing this and so I have had to escalate to the managing director offshore to get these guys to do their jobs properly. I also raised this issue if you remember when we visited Berlin and I had to come up with a working practice for collaborative working.”

THUNDERDOG “Were you in Berlin then? I don’t remember you and I was there the whole time.”

SATYAKAM “Yes, Yes I  was there, but I had conference calls every day.”

THUNDERDOG “Getting back to the point, the client had a reasonable request that has now taken three days with no action.”

People walk past as the two men walk around sculpted grounds and past switched off fountains. Kingfishers can be seen on a lake around 50 metres away. 

SATYAKAM “But that is what I was explaining, I have reviewed the request and filled in a form to get more resources in for the team so that we can accomodate this request. I have personally vetted six candidates and have narrowed the choice down to two people, one is more experienced and costs more but I believe that he can do the needful on this request. I have set a meeting in your schedule for next Wednesday and he would be able to start the day itself.”

Satyakam smiles broadly and performs an expansive hand movement

THUNDERDOG “So, to be clear, that’s eight days from the initial request.”

SATYAKAM “Yes, that is the quickest time possible, wait, I must answer my phone.”

Satyakam holds his phone to his ear and mumbles incoherently in Tamil for a few minutes while casting furtive looks at Thunderdog . 

SATYAKAM “that was resourcing, it is bad news my preferred candidate has received a job offer and we must increase our bid if we wish to employ him, I believe that we should do this with immediate action lest we lose him. Will you approve the extra funds?”

Thunderdog cocks his head, looks at Satykam for a long thirty seconds and walks away. 

SATYAKAM – running to catch up “What is your judgement ? We need to act quickly on this.”

THUNDERDOG – doesn’t move, the shoulders and arms on his suit jacket bunch up and he lets out a long sigh. 

“The client flew home this morning, all he wanted was a cup of tea”

*end credits roll*

THere is no Satyakam, any tea making is fictional.