Anjali, Urvashi and I reached Vienna on June 5, 1996. Living abroad, rather than just a casual visit, was a totally new experience for us. I had to adapt to this new life devoid of lavish accommodation, chauffeur-driven cars and full-time household help like I had in field postings in India. Vienna would be different and the first challenge was finding suitable accommodation. Fortunately, I had an affectionate cousin living in the Austrian capital and she insisted that we stay with her until we found an apartment, which we were able to do three weeks later.
Like most Viennese, I used public transport throughout my stay. We had a house helper from Sri Lanka assist us twice a week with cleaning and some other household chores. Cooking was entirely our responsibility. That was a real sea change. I joined as regional coordinator, Investment and Technology transfer, Asia-Pacific Region at UNIDO, located in the impressive Vienna International Center (VIC) with a nice office on the eleventh floor. My team consisted of eight people and I reported to the director and managing director.
The work atmosphere was entirely different to the one I was used to. For starters, there were no bells on my desk to summon people, and neither a red nor green light on my door. There were no paper files, and most of the work was done electronically – completely different from India. There were no personal assistants to take dictations, but rather secretaries to assist with logistical issues. The culture was also very different. Everyone referred to each other by their first names – no “sirs” and “madams”.
In India, we generally work behind closed doors. Here, staff were expected to keep their doors open. As they say, old habits die hard and so I used to keep my door closed until one day there was a knock on my door and two women peeped in. I looked up, but before I could respond, they said in unison, “So, you believe in a closed-door policy?” Having said that, before even waiting for my response, they banged the door and vanished. My door always remained open after that.
On the work front, I struggled to create a role for myself. I convened a meeting of my team and quickly realised that each one was working in their silo and not as a team. There was no policy framework or guidance from the seniors. There was a complete vacuum in terms of substance, direction and supervision. I gathered that the functioning of international organisations, particularly the UN, was often individual-based and that supervisors found it difficult to instil a semblance of uniformity in approach or set common goals and targets. My first task would be to change this culture. It was by no means easy. I had to really struggle with my peers and supervisors. What came naturally to me was unusual for them.
I was summoned by the managing director and asked to fall in line. I resisted and requested that I be allowed to make a presentation to the larger group. With some reluctance, he agreed. I outlined what is akin to a work plan for my unit, with common goals and core strategies. It took a lot of convincing before I was given the go-ahead but I was warned about being held responsible should this approach boomerang.
After receiving the green light, I drew up a detailed work plan for boosting investment and technology transfer in countries of the Asia-Pacific region. India, China, Pakistan and the Philippines were some of the countries that would be covered under this plan. I took charge of India while my colleagues worked with counterparts in other countries. A very robust programme was drawn up and implementation began in earnest. It engaged the whole group and we started to work as a well-knit team.
The results were impressive. We not only managed to get close to five million dollars into UNIDO’s kitty but there was also an ever-increasing demand for our services. My team expanded; we became the talking point of the organisation. I became the favourite of the managing director who singled me out for an ‘outstanding’ rating in my professional evaluation. We were on a roll. All this took about a year. Anjali and Urvashi came back from India and joined me for a year from 1997 to 1998.
Urvashi enrolled with the international school where, after initial hiccups, she excelled. One day she called from school to tell us that the children in her class had confronted her class teacher and questioned her about Urvashi securing the highest marks in English. The message was loud and clear: how can a student from India top the class in English? The class teacher brushed them aside and said, “Look, she has topped not only in English but she has also topped the class!”
Anjali and I enjoyed our lunches at the VIC restaurant on a regular basis. On weekends, we made trips to the iconic Prater amusement park, which Urvashi loved, and the world-famous Vienna Zoo, with its adorable pandas. Soon, however, I was in for a rude shock on the work front. A deep-seated conspiracy was being hatched against me.
A former secretary in India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry had joined UNIDO as the managing director. He became the kingpin in the conspiracy. The ambassador wanted his brother-in-law to get an assignment in UNIDO. A new appointment was next to impossible in UNIDO those days as the US, Canada, and Australia had withdrawn from the organisation overnight, resulting in a 30 per cent cut in the budget. Several staff had been retrenched.
So, the “deal” was struck to get the ambassador’s brother-in-law to replace me. This former secretary was well-connected in Delhi also. That made the “deal” more secure. My contract was coming up for renewal in June 1998. That’s when I got a bolt from the blue – a final extension of just six months. How could a staff member whose record was considered “outstanding”’ become redundant overnight? I just could not fathom it.
I tried every recourse that was legally possible but met with no success. I was crestfallen at being the victim of a brutal and naked conspiracy. I packed my belongings and left UNIDO on December 31, 1998, sad and hurt. My colleagues were equally disappointed. For months and years, this episode left a scar on my psyche. I kept asking myself repeatedly how this had happened. After all, I was the one who had facilitated the former secretary’s entry into UNIDO. Why had he been so vicious?
Then, I suddenly remembered a statement he had made to me in passing. He held a grudge against my father-in-law on some score. Here, he got a wonderful opportunity to kill two birds with one stone – take revenge through me, and curry favour with the ambassador. I was only made a scapegoat for something I had nothing to do with.
But, as I have learnt over the years, whatever is fated will happen. In such situations, it is best to bow in submission before fate rather than fight it. I was destined to confront similar situations in the future but would be better prepared. Also, whatever god does, he does for the best. Had I continued in UNIDO, I would have had a rather mediocre career. I was destined for something better.
As I look back, what seemed to be the end of the world at that stage turned out to be a minor scar, a jolt onto another path that led to the present. I left Vienna a month later, bag and baggage, and reported to the authorities in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, for my next posting. A posting which would eventually turn out to be one full of challenges and achievements.
Excerpted with permission from Small Cogs in a Large Wheel: A Civil Servant’s Life, Naresh Nandan Prasad, Westland Books.