The Day the Big Bull called
With my legs on the computer CPU and the chair stretched back, I was snoozing again, after lunch. A couple of bowls of good sambhar and rice are enough to set me back by a couple of hours, after lunch. That day was no different.
I heard my telephone ring. “Must be another public relations woman trying to convince me on how the new financial product being launched by her client is God’s gift to mankind ”, I thought and let the phone ring. ( I have a theory on how a lot of dumb women end up with PR jobs. But that I’ll leave for someother day)
But something made me pick up the phone. Seventh sense. “Rajesh Chunchunwala speaking”, said the voice on the other end. Well, if you are Rajesh Chunchunwala, I am Warren Buffett, I almost blurted out. “Is this Vivek Kaul?”, the voice on the other end asked.
“ Yes”, I responded, with a yawn. “Boss, I never spoke to you. How did you publish an exclusive interview with me”, he asked. That woke me up with a thud.
My mind went back to the previous evening, when the big bull had given a speech at a conference. “I am bullish”, he had said, like he always does. The Sensex will touch 50,000 in the next 6-7 years if corporate profits keep growing at the current rate” he had said. This on a day when the Sensex had fallen by almost 1800 points during the day, and then recovered 1400 points.
50,000. Ah. Newspaper Editors, love big round numbers. I was the only newspaper journalist around and I could already see the front page headline, “Sensex to touch 50,000, says the big bull.” What a sexy headline. Talking about 50,000 when the Sensex hadn’t even touched 20,000.
I had dutifully noted down everything. As soon as he finished speaking, I called up a colleague and blurted out everything that the big bull, had said.
“Hello, are you still there. I am talking to you” , the big bull roared, breaking my flashback. “Yes, I am still there”, I replied meekly. “Sorry sir. I did not speak to you. But I was at the conference. I had specifically said that you were speaking at the conference, but that got knocked out when the story was edited. And I apologise for that.”
Guess, I had become the latest victim of the “Exclusive” phenomenon. When all newspapers are trying to look different from newspapers, these kind of things happen.
“And why do you guys sensationalise things. I had said that the Sensex will touch 50,000 only if the current earnings growth is maintained by companies. After that you give headline saying, Sensex to touch 50,000 without putting the earnings growth part in the headline. I will take legal action against you guys”, he continued.
I heard my telephone ring. “Must be another public relations woman trying to convince me on how the new financial product being launched by her client is God’s gift to mankind ”, I thought and let the phone ring. ( I have a theory on how a lot of dumb women end up with PR jobs. But that I’ll leave for someother day)
But something made me pick up the phone. Seventh sense. “Rajesh Chunchunwala speaking”, said the voice on the other end. Well, if you are Rajesh Chunchunwala, I am Warren Buffett, I almost blurted out. “Is this Vivek Kaul?”, the voice on the other end asked.
“ Yes”, I responded, with a yawn. “Boss, I never spoke to you. How did you publish an exclusive interview with me”, he asked. That woke me up with a thud.
My mind went back to the previous evening, when the big bull had given a speech at a conference. “I am bullish”, he had said, like he always does. The Sensex will touch 50,000 in the next 6-7 years if corporate profits keep growing at the current rate” he had said. This on a day when the Sensex had fallen by almost 1800 points during the day, and then recovered 1400 points.
50,000. Ah. Newspaper Editors, love big round numbers. I was the only newspaper journalist around and I could already see the front page headline, “Sensex to touch 50,000, says the big bull.” What a sexy headline. Talking about 50,000 when the Sensex hadn’t even touched 20,000.
I had dutifully noted down everything. As soon as he finished speaking, I called up a colleague and blurted out everything that the big bull, had said.
“Hello, are you still there. I am talking to you” , the big bull roared, breaking my flashback. “Yes, I am still there”, I replied meekly. “Sorry sir. I did not speak to you. But I was at the conference. I had specifically said that you were speaking at the conference, but that got knocked out when the story was edited. And I apologise for that.”
Guess, I had become the latest victim of the “Exclusive” phenomenon. When all newspapers are trying to look different from newspapers, these kind of things happen.
“And why do you guys sensationalise things. I had said that the Sensex will touch 50,000 only if the current earnings growth is maintained by companies. After that you give headline saying, Sensex to touch 50,000 without putting the earnings growth part in the headline. I will take legal action against you guys”, he continued.
“Sir, but the earnings growth point is in the story”, I replied. “Boss, who has the time to read the story in this city. This is a city of headline readers” “Ok,sir. We will carry a clarification tomorrow saying you were speaking at a conference”. I replied, trying to assuage him.
“Hmmm. I will call you back” and he hung up. It has been eighteen hours since then and I am still waiting for him to call back. Oh, and yes, the clarification has not been carried.
posted by Vivek at 9:41 PM
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