The story
Rishab was a compulsive flirt. In fact, he couldn’t stop at simply flirting. Till he managed to ‘conquer’ his prey and have her under his thumb, emotionally, he was unrelenting in his pursuit of her. He had seduced many a woman. The moment he saw that they were helplessly under his spell, he lost interest in them and sought out somebody else to entrap. He had been quite a Casanova even in his college days, with a new girlfriend every semester. His exceptional good looks, ready wit, and generosity drew girls to him like flies to honey. He seemed to have no qualms about breaking a girl’s heart. He didn’t think twice before dropping them like hot potatoes when his interest in them waned. This continued into his working life as well.
He was the manager at an investment company and a very intelligent one at that. The company owed its success to his competence in the field. He was married to Maria, a very successful entrepreneur herself, running a software company of her own. They were a power couple, achievers in their respective fields, and had no time to think of having kids. Neither of them was inclined and seemed to have mutually agreed that kids could wait. They hardly saw each other on weekdays; both busy with their high-powered jobs in the day and often attending separate official dinners in the evenings. They were only together on such weekends when neither of them was traveling on work assignments. It appeared to like both had gotten married only to be done and over with it because of societal and parental pressures!
A super-busy wife like Maria suited Rishab and his philandering lifestyle. Even marriage didn’t seem to have brought about any change in him. He often got away with hiding his marital status. On other times when it could not be hidden, he posed as the poor harassed, and neglected husband of a nasty and uncaring horror of a wife, who he was going to divorce any day soon!
Rhea, his new secretary, was his latest prey. She had been appointed about a month back, but so far had ignored all his advances and spurned his invitations for a cup of coffee after work with some polite excuse or the other. She was different. He recognized that she was going to be difficult; but with his years of ‘experience’ behind him, he was confident that he would have her eating out of his hand sooner or later.
He was right- Rhea was made of different stuff! She was gutsy. Just a week into her job she had realized the kind of man her boss was and had decided to do something about it which did not include tolerating it or quitting the job.
She had noticed that there were three more women in her office but were all much older. The one who sat at a desk closest to hers was Mrs. Das, a matronly lady of fifty-odd years. Rhea decided to confide in her about the boss’s behavior.
“Rishab sir appoints smart and attractive young girls like you and also fires them like one eats peanuts and discards the shells by the roadside. He chews on their emotions like one would on the nuts inside” said the senior lady, not at all surprised by Rhea’s distress. “I have been working here since before he joined and I have not seen a secretary last for more than three to four months with him. Do be careful, my dear. He is not a nice man, really”, she advised her young colleague.
“Why has nobody complained?” asked Rhea, fuming.
“I know,” explained Mrs Das, “ Legally they are supposed to have something called an Internal complaints committee, but since we don’t have more than ten people in this office, complaints have to be lodged with the Local complaints committee, which is only at our head office and rather dysfunctional. Many of your poor predecessors tried to nail this man by going there. I’m afraid, they didn’t manage to go too far. One of them even complained to his wife. But the missus didn’t believe her.”
Rhea was aware of how dismal the scene was in the country, as far as sexual harassment of women in the workplace was concerned. But she was not going to take this lying down. She decided to take the bull by its horns. She contacted her boss’s wife. She called her and without wasting any time she pleaded:
“Hello, Ms.Maria. My name is Rhea and I am your husband, Rishab’s new secretary. I want to meet you to share something really important with you, which I can’t do over the telephone. I know how busy you keep. I promise I won’t take too much of your time. Believe me, ma’am, you won’t think the meeting was a waste of time after you’ve heard what I have to tell you.”
The tone and urgency in the voice of the caller told Maria that it wasn’t to be ignored.
“What is this about, please?” she demanded to know.
“It’s about your husband. Ma’am, I’d appreciate it if you did not mention this to him,” Rhea said politely.
This decided it. Maria agreed to meet her that very evening. She asked her to come over to her office at 7 pm.
Rhea was there on the dot. Maria was impressed with her punctuality as well as how well-turned-out she was. After ordering a cup of coffee for both of them she said, “Shoot”.
Rhea came straight to the point and told her about Rishab’s obvious advances. She decided to block out, from her mind, the fact that she was talking about this lady’s husband himself. Her sharing was no-holds-barred.
Maria heard her out patiently without interrupting her or revealing any emotions. She was experiencing a distinct sense of déjà vu. She remembered the time when another of Rishab’s secretaries had also confided in her about her husband similarly. Maria disbelieved her and bought Rishab’s explanation as a “vendetta”! He claimed he had fired her because of her inefficiency! However, the seed of doubt, about her husband’s wayward behavior, had been planted in Maria’s mind. She had consciously suppressed its growth. Being a trusting wife, she chose to believe her husband more than a stranger.
But not this time. Not again. Something about Rhea told her that this kid meant business. She didn’t get a feeling that she was being asked for help. In fact, she felt that it was she who was being helped.
“What do you want from me?” she found herself asking Rhea.
“Right now I have nothing to show you as proof, ma’am. Trust me and give me just one chance, and I’ll show you all the proof,”
Maria decided to give her that chance. It was also her chance to get to the bottom of this. “I might as well know my husband's dark side if, God forbid, it existed”, she thought to herself.
“We are going to Goa for a meeting with some investors this coming week” Rhea continued, “I beseech you to come with us, ma’am. You could play along and pretend not to know anything at all. I promise you will be able to see for yourself. I assure you; by the end of the trip we will have enough proof beyond any doubt.”
“And if you are proved wrong?” asked Maria
“You have nothing to lose. You would have cleared the air about your husband. You can feel free to tell him about my dirty insinuations ensuring that he fires me. Or else choose to continue to reveal nothing about why you came along on this trip. Your husband will suspect nothing. I give you my word, I’ll quit. In either case, I stand to lose my job, while you lose nothing.”
“Okay. But why do you want me to be there? After all, my presence may only put him on guard. You might not get the proof you are hoping to get”.
“I know that, Ma’am. But, trust me; I have my plans laid out. I know I will get my proof, despite your presence. You being there will only make it safer for me. I will go as far as to say I do not feel safe going out of town with my boss, alone.”
Maria pushed back her chair and got up suddenly.
“I shall mull over this. Good night, Rhea.” Saying this she walked over to the door and showed Rhea out.
Rhea was rather disconcerted by the abrupt ending to the meeting. She had a sleepless night and went into the office the next day as if it was her last one there. Sure enough, she was summoned to Rishab’s cabin soon after he came in. She went in, fully prepared to face a fate similar to that of the other secretary who had dared to complain to Maria.
But she couldn’t believe her ears when she heard Rishab say, “Book one more ticket to Goa on the same flight as ours. My wife wants to accompany me on this trip.”
The creep didn’t even bother to hide his irritation at his wife’s wish to accompany him. Rhea barely managed to stop herself from whooping with joy! She quickly collected herself and said, “Oh!” and pointedly made it sound like she was disappointed as well! She had already started putting her plans into action! She did not fail to notice the shameless glint of joy on Rishab’s face at her apparent disappointment!
She went to her desk and immediately got down to work. First and foremost she messaged a heartfelt ‘Thank you, ma’am’ to Maria. After quickly booking the additional seat on the flight to Goa, she called Sheila, her friend there, who was already in the loop about Rhea’s plan to nail her boss. She was instrumental in not only laying it out but was also going to play a big role in its execution.
Next, she booked one more room in the hotel where they were going to stay in Goa. This one was for Sheila. She made sure it was right opposite hers, across the corridor.
Finally, the day to depart arrived. Rhea reached the airport and found Rishab and Maria already there. Rishab did the introductions and the two ladies pretended to be meeting for the first time.
On the flight, Rishab sat on the window seat, with Maria next to him, while Rhea took the aisle seat. In the middle of the flight, Rishab wanted to use the washroom. Both the ladies got up to let him pass. Maria moved into the widow seat, while Rhea settled down in the middle one. On his return, pretending to not want to disturb the ladies again, Rishab took the aisle seat. The visit to the washroom was obviously a ploy to sit next to Rhea. The two ladies exchanged knowing glances but decided to play along. The sleep-starved Maria soon fell asleep, with her head resting on the window. Rishab lost no time in resorting to slimy ways to touch Rhea- fidgeting and changing his sitting position repeatedly; managing to rub or touch Rhea’s arm, shoulder, and even thighs in the process. Rhea squirmed each time, tolerating it nevertheless, only for the time being.
The trip was for an official meeting because of which Rhea needed to accompany Rishab on it. He had been excited. He was sure she would be in his pocket by the end of the trip. His wife’s desire to take a break from her busy work schedule and accompany him on this trip to Goa was an inconvenient surprise. He had been a little disconcerted by her sudden, unusual behaviour. She was being unduly demonstrative in her affections towards him- something she was not, even in private, let alone in public. What had come over her, he wondered. It gave him a sense of foreboding. Nonetheless, he chose to ignore it.
Soon after they had checked into their hotel, complaining of a bad headache, Maria tucked herself into bed. Rishab told her to rest, while he went to discuss and prepare for the official meeting the next day, with Rhea in the adjoining room.
“Call me if you need anything” he called out sweetly as he sauntered out.
Rhea had changed into an attractive dress, which fell just short of her knees, and had been waiting for him. She knew she wouldn’t have to wait long. “Come in” she sang out cheerfully when Rishab knocked and announced himself. She was wearing a heady perfume and standing next to a big bouquet of flowers when he entered. She pretended to be pleased to see him and proceeded to go and sit on the two-seater sofa right opposite the flowers. She picked up her briefcase which was lying next to the sofa and took out her diary to jot down points for the official meeting scheduled for the next day.
Rishab sat down next to her, closer than necessary. Plucking out the dairy from her hand he said, “Work can wait. We should get to know each other better first. Don’t you think?” Rhea pretended to be surprised but asked coyly, “Sure sir, can I make you a drink?”
“Cut out the ‘sir’, Rhea. We are friends aren’t we?” said Rishab as he took the liberty to put his arm around her shoulder, as she made his drink at the small bar in the corner of the room. He was testing her and she seemed to be passing his test with flying colors! “Only friends?” she said throwing her head back with a laugh as she walked back with her drink to the sofa. This time he came and sat even closer. He was surprised at the speed at which his charm was working! And to think he had once thought Rhea would be difficult! He had erred in his judgment this time, he concluded happily.
His hand was on her thighs now. Rhea cringed but could not afford to show it. She held his hand in hers and said teasingly, “What about your wife, sir?”
“Oh, forget the old hag.” He shot back irritated. “She hardly cares.” And, quite predictably, proceeded to tell her about how their marriage was all “wrong from day one”. “But I don’t think Maria cares, really. The only thing she’s ever loved is her work”.
Just as Rhea was wondering how to react to this sob story, the intercom rang. She excused herself and went to answer it. It was Maria. She told her that they were nearly done and that ‘sir’ would be with her in the next ten minutes. The call was just to indicate to Rhea that Maria was now in Shiela’s room. The plan was on track. So far so good.
Rhea hung up. When she turned around she froze! Blood drained out from her face as she saw Rishab standing next to the flower vase and fishing out the spy cam from under the leaves and flowers. He was red with rage with a vicious look on his face. As he continued to disengage the wire of the spy cam, Rhea lost no time in dialing 202 on the intercom. This was Shiela’s room number. The bell started to ring in the other room. Rishab, by now had managed to pull out the whole contraption. He smashed the device onto the floor and stomped on it. It was crushed to pieces. He pulled the cord and advanced menacingly toward Rhea. “Trying to be over-smart, eh? You scheming bitch! I’ll finish you” he screamed. He pinned Rhea against the wall and wagging a finger in her face said “If you dare to tell on me to Maria or anybody for that matter, I will only turn the tables on you and say that you were trying to misbehave with me. And with all your proof gone, let me tell you, she will only believe me. Ha ha ha ha……” He laughed sadistically.
No sooner had he finished his threat than the doorbell rang. He ordered Rhea to open the door, repeating his threat while he picked up and hid all the broken remains of the spy cam. Rhea opened the door and Shiela walked in. She was in plain clothes but flashing her ID, which said ‘Women’s cell, Goa police’, she ordered the uniformed constables accompanying her, to arrest Rishab.
Rishab was horrified! “What’s this? You can’t do this. What are your charges?” he cried.
“Sexual harassment of women in the workplace,” said Sheila coolly. “And adultery and cheating in marriage”. This came from Maria who had also entered the room now.
“You too? Don’t believe them, Maria. These two are trying to frame me. They have nothing to prove their charges.” He fumed. Turning to Sheila, he added, “I want a lawyer”.
“We’ll see about that later. Though, I assure you, no lawyer can save your skin now. For now, just go cool your heels!” Saying so, Sheila instructed her constables to lead him away to the lock-ups at the police station.
Rhea, meanwhile had gone pale. She had been gesturing madly, trying to tell her friend that they now really had no proof. It was all gone. As soon as Rishab was led away, she pulled out the broken pieces of the spy cam from where they had been hidden. Sobbing hysterically she said, “Look at all the broken remains of our proof, Sheila! Just when I thought we had pulled it off so well, he discovered it. Forget what will happen to me, I have ruined Maria’s life and your reputation as well.”
But Sheila was cool and Maria was smiling. They both calmed her and sitting her down on the sofa, Sheila drew her attention to the open-mouthed lion’s mask that was hanging from the pelmet over the curtains, opposite the sofa. Hidden inside the open mouth was a CCTV camera!
Rhea hugged Shiela and started jumping with relief and joy. Her smart friend had arranged a backup, just in case the spy cam was discovered! The terminal of the CCTV camera was in Sheila’s room. She and Maria had watched over her all this while!
The recordings of the short circuit camera helped them prove both the charges against Rishab easily. Maria was well rid of him. She thanked Rhea and they became the best of friends for life.
Remarks
It is truly a sad comment about societies all over the world, not just in India, that the incidents of sexual harassment in the workplace are so largely prevalent. Laws against it are very much in place but there is much to be desired in their implementation. The case of the medal-winning- wrestlers is a fine example of the current times in India.
At workplaces, the problem can be combatted by taking proactive steps for its prevention, protecting whistleblowers ensuring their anonymity, clear policies defining unacceptable behavior, counseling and support for scarred victims, and stringent action against offenders.
In India The Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act Called the PoSH was passed in 2013, for the prevention, prohibition, and redressal of sexual harassment in the workplace. It defines sexual harassment, shifts accountability from the individual to the institution, prioritizes prevention, and provides innovative redressal mechanisms. A person committing the crime can be booked under Section 354 A of the IPC under which he is punishable with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.
Setting up internal complaints committees as well as district complaints committees are mandatory requirements of workplaces.
Sexual harassment in the workplace and anywhere for that matter, is a deep-rooted cultural issue, which needs attention right at the family level. Girls need to be educated and made aware of ‘good touch’ and ‘bad touch’. More than that, the boys need to be educated to respect girls and value their dignity. Only then can healthy cultures be fostered.