Hello, Mr. Major General (1)

Chapter 34: Personal Limits and Professional Ethics

“He hung up on you? He didn’t say anything else?” Parth tilted his head to look at the room at the end of the
corridor, “Was it not a good time?
Maybe he had a guest.”

Shehnaaz frowned. “I’m not sure. He didn’t say anything and hung up before I could finish.”

Meanwhile, Kartik Sen was sitting in the single seater sofa before the French windows in his room. He held an application form and stared at the one 1″x1″ photograph for a few
minutes. He then called Rashmi Desai, his teaching assistant who lived next door. “Rashmi, come over for a
second.”

Next door, Rashmi closed her laptop. She fluffed her hair in the mirror and changed into heels before coming out.
As soon as she exited, she saw a young man and a young woman at the other end of the corridor. They made an
attractive pair—the man was slender and elegant, while the woman was delicate and beautiful. She eyed them before knocking on Kartik’s door.

“Come in.”

…

Shehnaaz persisted in continuously calling Kartik Sen’s phone. Kartik
didn’t answer right away, but let it ring relentlessly for a full 15 minutes before pressing on the speaker phone button. Rashmi quietly stood behind
him.

Shehnaaz’s mellifluous voice filled the room. “Am I speaking with Professor Kartik? I’m sorry to bother you,
I’m—”

“If you knew you were bothering me and still continued to call, that means it was deliberate, which is even worse.” Kartik’s voice was steely, shocking Shehnaaz to the point she almost forgot what she wanted to say.

She was quick to recover and hurriedly said, “But you didn’t answer all this time and never told me if you are Professor Kartik Sen. How was I being deliberate? I didn’t know, so I
only attempted to validate.”

“Oh? So you’re saying it’s my fault?” Kartik’s wide brow raised as if he were offended, but his expression displayed
no annoyance. Rather, he smiled
briefly, and then with a flash in his almond eyes, the smile faded.

“Of course I can’t say it’s your fault.” Shehnaaz quietly sighed. It was a tentatively earned victory as long as he didn’t hang up.

She flashed a thumbs up at Parth. Her face was beaming as she continued glibly. “I can only say it was a communication issue, thus we need more modes of communication. Professor Kartik Sen, can you please give me another chance? The last two times I missed the interview, I really—”

Hearing Shehnaaz mention missing the interview twice, Kartik’s face became stony once more. He
despised tardiness, and not only had Shehnaaz been absent, but she done it twice. This crossed the line.
Kartik sat on the sofa with one hand supporting his head and the other draped on the armrest. He impatiently said, “Late is late, missed is missed. No matter the reason, the fact remains that it is your problem. You don’t have to tell me and I don’t want to hear it.”

Kartik’s icy refusal angered Shehnaaz. Her fingers clamped on the phone cord and her voice was sharper than usual. ” Professor Kartik Sen, is that you?”

“Yes.”

“If you are Professor Kartik Sen, I’d like to ask why it is that you won’t listen to my explanation?”

“Because this is my personal limit. Your actions have crossed my personal limit.” Kartik Sen did not mince his words; his eyes were hard and his tone unrelenting.

Standing behind him, Rashmi smirked. She knew Professor Kartik Sen’s temper best—he never went back on
his words. Even in the face of many requests by rich and powerful at the Harvard School of Law, he had never once catered to anyone. This
Shehnaaz Gill was too insolent. Rashmi shook her head with only a small feeling of pity.

Who could know though, that the Shehnaaz  on the other end of the line would be even more audacious than what Rashmi had thought, as she began to directly challenge Kartik Sen’s limits. “Professor Sen, I respect your limits but I want to ask you: do your personal limits have any conflict
with the professional ethics you are required to abide by?”

Oh? What a smart little mouth, Kartik  thought. He couldn’t help perking up, his interest piqued. “My personal limits certainly have no conflict with my professional ethics.”

“If you say there is no conflict, I would like to ask you that as a B University law professor, shouldn’t you abide by the rules and regulations of B
University?”

Kartik Sen was an eloquent lawyer in court, so how could a fresh newbie like Shehnaaz Gill quip back at him so
effortlessly? However, this didn’t
compel Kartik to stop Shehnaaz from continuing, and so listened quietly.

Shehnaaz went on. “I applied as a B University Faculty of Law post-grad student as per regulations. Although I was late twice, the B University Faculty of Law guidelines for examinees state that ‘if the examinee is late due to force majeure,1 it is not considered the examinee’s fault. The
school shall give the examinee another opportunity for the final interview.'”

“I had suddenly become seriously ill, and that is force majeure. I’m only human; it is not possible for me to remain immune to every manner of illness or infection, right? I have a medical certificate from an
authoritative physician from the finest hospital in the India. No matter where this case is presented, I am not unjustifiable.”

Shehnaaz finished eloquently and awaited Kartik Sen’s answer.

A wrinkle of a smile emerged on the corner of Kartik’s lips, but his tone remained dry. “So what? You crossed the boundary of what I can accept, so I don’t want to give you another chance.”

“That was the point of my previous question. Professor Sen, may I ask again whether your personal limits are in conflict with you professional
ethics? As a B University law
professor, your professional ethic is to abide to the rules and regulations of B University and the B University
Faculty of Law. In the B University: Faculty of Law Rules and Regulations, nowhere does it state that being absent twice due to extenuating circumstances will result in the
disqualification for an interview. It serves to show that you are using your personal preferences, instead of the
university’s rules and regulations, as your measure of principles. As an esteemed figure in the profession of law, your disregard of the law and using your personal ideals to interfere in your duties means that you are lacking in your professional ethics.” Shehnaaz was certain Kartik Sen was
abusing his powers, and even doubted his professional ethics.

This girl has done it now! Rashmi covered her mouth in shock and
couldn’t utter a single sentence.

Kartik nodded his head and maintained his relaxed posture, his head supported by his arms. He opened his eyes and addressed her. ” Shehnaaz, you persistently found opportunity despite my numerous rejections. This spirit of perseverance is rare and commendable for a law
student. You didn’t submit in the face of rebuttals from authority, but were brave enough to question authority and respected the spirit of the law. Your determination to never
compromise is rare for law students. Well, Shehnaaz, you did not disappoint me as the top student in your class. I’ll give you another chance.”

What a reversal of fortune! What good luck! Shehnaaz was so ecstatic she could hardly resist jumping up and down.

She didn’t care that she was still holding the phone as she did this, and grinned at Parth. “Class Rep! Class Rep! Did you hear that? I got the
chance for another interview!”

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I hope you enjoy reading it.
Love you all.