[Exit: Preeti.]
[Enter: Nritya followed by Preeti.]
Rekha: Are you Miss. Nritya?
Nritya: Yes, madam.
Rekha: Are you married?
Nritya: No, I’m single.
Rekha: When did you join the company?
Nritya: On 14 March.
Gopal: Oh, it’s hardly a week.
Rekha: In which department are you?
Nritya: In the HRD.
Ramya: What’s your designation?
Nritya: Stenographer.
Ramya: Is it your complaint that Mr. Nayak sought sexual favours from you not to terminate your services.
Nritya: That’s true madam.
Rekha: Was he forthright in his demand?
Nritya: Quite so madam.
Gopal: Is there anyone you can vouch for your allegation.
Nritya: There is no one as he said what he said in his chambers on the day I reported to him. On my complaint I was moved out of the department the next day.
Rekha: Preeti, please ask Mr. Nayak to come in.
[Exit: Preeti.]
[Enter: Nayak followed by Preeti.]
Rekha: Are you Mr. Nayak?
Nayak: Yes, Mrs. Rekha.
Rekha: What are you in the organization?
Nayak: I’m the Head of the HRD.
Ramya: Had Ms. Nritya ever reported to you?
Nayak: Yes, she did.
Ramya: And for how long.
Nayak: Luckily it was a one day ordeal for me.
Margaret: What do you mean by that?
Nayak: Why she was such a pain in the neck.
Rekha: Ms. Nritya complained that you threatened to fire her if she failed to grant you sexual favours. What have you got to say on that?
Nayak: Actually it was she who was warming up to me.
Nritya: He’s lying, the old lecher.
Rekha: Mind your language Miss. Nritya.
Margaret: Mr. Nayak, what was your response to her alleged advances?
Nayak: I didn’t fall for her as she is not my kind of girl.
Nritya: Oh God, he’s adding insult to injury.
Nayak: Miss. Nritya, what was your complaint but a character assassination.
Rekha: Mr. Nayak, the agenda is to go into Nritya’s complaint and not to get into a debate about her appeal to you.
Nayak: I say her devious complaint is devoid of truth.
Rekha: Mr. Nayak, why should Nritya scandalize herself by making a baseless allegation against you?
Nayak: That’s the crux of the matter and the malady of the times. It’s all about overriding ambition to make it big by hook or crook. Miss. Nritya wants to climb up the career ladder fast and furious never mind a slip or two on the moral line. Why in someone so fresh and young, this attitude is quite amazing. Well, I didn’t want to play ball with her as that would have lowered our Hares & Hounds. Worried that I would report against her, she scandalized me before hand. Now it is for the committee to consider the ill affects of having such a lose woman in the company rolls.