It's not what you say, Mr Goyal...

but how you say it!

The shock and pain over the sacking of 1900 employees by Jet Airways continues to dominate the headlines. We all realise this is a desperate measure. That tough times may call for tough decisions.

But must we take 'axing' of jobs literally and deliver the news with the force of a sledgehammer?

TOI reported yesterday : "About three and a half hours before a flight, the office transport reaches your home to pick you up. In the wee hours of Tuesday morning, hundreds of cabin crew members who were rostered for early morning flights waited in their uniforms to be picked up."

When the worried flight attendants started calling up the airline despatch office they were told they had been derostered until further notice.

That was the first 800. The remaining 1100 got the news when they turned up for work on Wednesday morning.

The same crew was referred to as 'family' in better days. Now all we get is cold, calculated corporatespeak from CEO Wolfgang Prock-Scahuer:"As painful as it may be for every single person affected, this adjustment was inevitable in the greater interest of regaining viability of Jet Airways and securing its economic health."

Naresh Goyal himself is conspicuous in his absence.

Laying off a single person - even when he is underperforming- is difficult. Laying off hundreds of people (for no fault of their own) is a hundred times more difficult. That is why companies take the 'easy' way out and do it so coldly and impersonally.

The equivalent of dumping your girlfriend by sms, because you cannot face her tears.

Nareshji, it was your responsibility and yours alone to convey this message. Maybe you would get emotional, and so would these young people. But hearing from you that you are sorry this had to be done would have helped them to grieve for their loss. And move on.

And Mr Mallya, much as I like Kingfisher airlines I doubt I will enjoy your hospitality in the near future. As you and Mr Goyal conspire to make air travel unviable once again, for the ordinary insaan.

Sapne dikhaye aur ab waapas dharti par pahuncha diya.

Chalo, aisa hota hai. But set us down gently, and we will remember you fondly. For the good times.