Tyrant Toms Terrorizing Jerrys

Media, these days, has its daggers drawn out against some tyrant Toms and rightly so: starting off with the Tejpal case to the newbie on the block, the retired Supreme Court judge A K Ganguly. (Here the culprits have followed one definite pattern though, targeting the juniors; because vahan shayad dal jaldi gale.)

Both Tejal and Ganguly have been accused of sexually harassing their juniors. When Tejpal’s case was out in the open, I was smiling away gleefully; at least …at least someone had the courage to spill her guts and pull the rug off from a high-flying boss’s feet. At least, at least, someone this time had supporting parents who didn’t mind their daughter playing the role of a victim cum protagonist in a sexual harassment case. At least, at least someone this time had not let ‘sab chalet hai' attitude come in her way of seeking justice and  then blindly sweeping the incident under the carpet.

Anyway, I am damn sure; this was not one of rare incidents. The bosses’ misdoings must be famous all along among his acquaintances and friends.  While most of them might have turned a blind eye to his immoral acts, some might as well have given in to his wild fancies. After all, the entire question boils down to who’ll the bell the cat? Specifically, when the cat here in question is mighty powerful and comes with political strings attached.  What is difficult to digest though is how come the watchdogs of democracy who frame and propagate laws, even sexual harassment laws for that matter, so easily distance themselves from the very laws they had come to be associated with?        

The retired Supreme Court judge AK Ganguly was reported to have made sexual advances towards his intern, despite her clear and vocal disapproval. The advances were made on her on Christmas Eve last year at Delhi’s Le Meredian Hotel.  It is being reported that the intern literally ran out of the hotel room, while the judge followed her down to lobby offering apologies.

Both these men come under the fatherly and grandfatherly figure category. The Jerrys' must be of their daughter’s age.  Apparently, what appears from both these cases is that it’s easy to victimize junior most employees, who are yet to familiarize themselves with the ways of the corporate world.

That said, even senior female employees are not safe from the evil designs of their bosses. My hubby once mentioned that his boss, an oldie and an IIM graduate at that, had proposed to one of the senior most female employee.  Nope, she was not unmarried. In fact, she was a mother to two adorable kids. Nope, she never wore skimpy clothes. In fact, she was always draped in complete 9 yards. Nope, she never once showed any inclination towards any relationship. In fact, on hearing her boss’ indecent proposal, she decided to opt for ‘work from home’ option.

Okay, agreed, there may be several women who’d love to climb on the back of their bosses and then stand on their shoulders to climb up the corporate ladder, but that doesn’t mean all women are cut from the same cloth and will give into bosses unreasonable fantasies and demands.

I hope, these two high-profile cases awaken all wayward bosses from their slumber and don’t take a women’s dignity for granted. I hope, these two powerful men get an appropriate comeuppance for outraging a women’s modesty outrightly.