THE CHURNING THE OCEAN OF MY LIFE PART 13

 

"Love looks through a Telescope; envy through a Microscope." 

Prologue to the Part 13

 

A peek into the future events that forced me to oppose the unlawful and dishonest acts of our executives.

 

In the last but one part (Part 11), I mentioned that I had a running feud with the corporate honchos M/S Progressive Constructions Pvt. Ltd., owned by the family of Sri K.S.Rao, ex- Minister and MP from Congress party (now, in BJP). It was no surprise that the bankers are still on the streets regarding the overdue accounts of this Corporate, even after three decades and plus.  Their over dues (exceeding Rs.1000 crores)

 

The most unethical and dishonest action of the Bank Management against all norms set by the IDBI. A strong opposition from me that had increased the gulf between me and the management.

Back in the 1980s, around 1983-84, M/S Progressive Constructions Pvt., Ltd., floated a sister concern, a Proprietary Firm, Hyderabad Builders, mainly for the purpose of carrying out construction of commercial and residential complexes. One such residential complex was Asiana Apartments in AC Guards, Opposite Sarojini Devi eye- hospital, in a prime locality of Hyderabad. They raised a Term Loan of Rs. 30.00 lakhs from our Bank, our Branch, where I was the official second-line manager.  (I was a mere 30 years of age then, hot in blood). Unlike Cash Credit accounts, in term Loans, debits and credits are not permitted on a running basis. The term loan is for a fixed term during which the borrower pays the loan in pre-fixed instalments. If, by any chance, the borrower credits an amount higher than the instalments, he is not permitted to withdraw the same again. In Cash Credit and Overdraft accounts, the borrower can credit and withdraw amounts any number of times and interest is charged on a daily basis on the outstanding amount. These are RBI guidelines which no bank can violate. 

 

The game played by Hyderabad Builders also known as Progressive Constructions Limited in cahoots with Senior Executives of the Bank, not excluding the “appearing honest chairman, YS Hegde”.

 

After one month of disbursing the loan the firm got a cheque of Rs.15.00 lakhs from IDBI ltd. that they credited to the loan account. This action effectively means the loan amount got reduced by Rs.15.00 lakhs. This, in effect means interest is charged only on the balance amount till loan is closed. RBI guidelines say clearly that such amounts credited into term loan accounts can not be withdrawn by the borrower again. The only way out is to get another term loan for Rs.15.00  lakhs sanctioned.

But shockingly, after one month, the firm approached me to disburse the Rs.15.00 lakhs again. I refused. My manager stood solidly behind me. There was a call from Chairman's secretariat. For one full day, there were heated exchange of words. I asked for a written communication from them. They refused. I stood my ground, so too manager. But, finally, we received Telex Instructions next day to permit them to withdraw the amount. We disbursed the amount. So they got interest benefit for a month on Rs.15.00 lakhs and also got back their part loan, against all norms of banking. On instructions from HO, we violated RBI guidelines. What happened in this one day? They called my minor lapses as dishonest acts, with a view to get rid of me. They violated RBI guidelines. Nowhere in their telex message did they mention RBI permitted them. Am I dishonest or the Management? Fools like my third brother may say billions of things based on hearsay. I am confident of my honesty.
The loan account became overdue. Here, the fun started. After taking back their fifteen lakh rupees, they stopped paying instalments and interest. Dues mounted to more than Rs.40.00 lakhs.

 

The most dishonest compromise by the Senior Executives who all happily retired and are enjoying retirement benefits’

 

The firm made a proposal. They had six unsold flats in the Asiana apartments. These were unsold, as they were on ground (abutting the parking lot) and first floors and were not preferred in a posh locality. Window panes were made with iron and ordinary see-through glasses were fitted to the windows. Any passer-by can see through the glasses into the bedrooms.  Washrooms had the cheapest fittings.

 

And the compromise started here. The firm made a written proposal to the bank that they would sell these flats to the bank, at a price 10% higher than market price. And the Management suddenly developed love for the local managers. They decided to provide readily built flats as their quarters in place of the rented buildings provided to them till then, at various localities as per the preference of the managers. The Managers of five branches in the city and a manager in the Regional Office were offered these flats as quarters. It worked like this. The firm, Hyderabad Builders, owned by a Congress politician was advanced Rs.30.00 Lakhs to construct an apartment block in a posh locality in Hyderabad. All kinds of illegitimate transactions were allowed in the loan account.  Interest amount was not collected for a month or more on Rupees Fifteen Lakhs. The firm intentionally defaulted in repayment. They are wilful defaulters who must be booked under the laws of those days. Instead, they practically forced the bank management to buy those very flats, that remained unsold due to the poor construction quality, at a higher price. The management succumbed despite strong opposition from managers. This is called dishonesty and a whole lot of executives deserved dismissal as punishment. Instead, I was targeted for minor lapses of judgment and failing to prove dishonesty, they took shelter under the SC judgment that said any loss to the bank above Rs.5.00 lakhs attracts capital punishment. Funny thing was this loss was manipulated and I was not allowed access to records, saying my acts amounted to criminality and I would be arrested. They could not extract a single letter from any customer that I took bribes, though they tried blackmail, threat and all means above the rule book. A question was asked by many why I did not go to court. Knowing the justice system, no individual who is innocent goes to court. As I was honest, I came out of bank with no money to buy rice. I had to beg a manager to send rice that he obliged.  My younger brother supplied other essentials for about six months. I stayed in a dungeon for one year. I stayed rent-free in my brother’s new house for one year. I begged and borrowed to feed and educate my children.  All because in the view of the management, I was dishonest and earned lakhs of rupees. Justice died the day I was dismissed, whatever wolves like my third brother may think and spread canards.

 

By the time our bank purchased the apartments, half the pumps were leaking. Paint was peeling off. After all, they were lying unsold for more than a year and we bought them to make their accounts regular. All in the game, no retribution. No car parking was available. Our Management meekly succumbed and purchased those unsalable apartments just to close the loan account. Managers were allotted those flats. No Manager was owning a car then. They occupied the flats without murmur. I remained a "stone in the slippers' of the company officials and owners. These powerful politicos were in a position to get loans and make the banks cough up the loan amount for cheap flats sold at high end rates. People like me lost in the game. I will again come back on the subject, when I come to the 1980s and my tryst with destiny in Hyderabad.

 

I flew where eagles dare. I suffered humiliation but I never succumbed to pressure. That was what made me different from other officers. Even after my dismissal, staff who worked with me used to stand in reverence till I sat. That was the respect I commanded as an honest and sincere officer. They did not envy me as my third brother still continues to. 

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I will travel back in time. A few incidents in Davangere. My own rise in

My working life at Mandipet, Davangere was full of successes except one sore note or two in the middle. It surprised many, including the otherwise skeptical Regional Manager. He could not, though unwillingly, but quote me in every Branch visit he was making in the region. "See that officer! Ask him any transaction! He will repeat with date and figures. When you visit Davangere, meet him without fail and learn his working style." was his refrain to the officers and Managers in every Branch.  By the mid-1980s, I was a house-hold name in the Region, so much so that when I took initiative to revive the defunct Officers' Organization in the Region in 1980, I needed no introduction. 

 

 

The second most exhilarating experience in my entire career in those parts was the next day after I was relieved. We were traveling by bus to Hospet, to catch a train for a final journey from Karnataka.  The bus was scheduled at 10.30 AM, the time Branch used to open. But the entire clerical and sub-ordinate staff, a few customers and few staff of PB Road Branch were in the bus station to say "Good Bye" to me. Branches started functioning at 11.30 AM that day. Customers did not object. Both Mr.Shivayogappa and Mr. Maheswarappa bid a tearful farewell to us. It was an unforgettable experience. I dared "where eagles dare" and came out with flying colors. Mr. Mallya must have been devastated with my performance. For an officer who sent me to Davangere just as a sheep is sent to butcher, my leaving his region with flying colors was in fact a sad song in his eventful career. But things never fell in place right for me. Mr. Mallya was promoted as Assistant General Manager and landed in Head Office in a position of strength. Mr. U.V. Nayak, who gave me lift was denied promotion and got stuck in the game of ladders.

 

 

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Back to the story. I was reverted to my parent branch after a successful stint in PB Road Branch on deputation. The skeptic reaction with which an officer on training used to be received when he joined a new Branch was absent as I already earned a name "the young man with brain and brawn," The incumbent Manager resigned from the Bank as he was facing charges and a meek-looking, just on the verge of retirement, extremely talented and good Manager, Sri Perodi Vasuddeva Rao took charge. He was non-controversial, always available for advice and highly knowledgeable man, but did not get promoted because his caste and nativity were barriers. That is banking for those, who do not know how caste and region played havoc with some people. Nothing changed much in the way the banks are run even now, I feel.

Two or three incidents during my service here are worth mentioning. Shivayogappa was basically a good-natured man. Yet sometimes he was cranky. He lacked tact. He was cranky and shouted at officers and other clerks. He was good with his work, but his poor English was a negative. After we became good friends, he used to express these many times. I had sensed very early that his militancy was not original but it was assumed because of his inferiority complex. Once I found out his weakness, it was very easy to tackle him. Many officers and clerks in the Region wondered how I was able to tame the aggressive Shivayogappa.

Maheswarappa, on the other hand, was not aggressive but cunning. He formed his own group of clerks. He was poking them to oppose the officers and Shivayogappa. But there were instances of these two shouting at each other. At times, they were physically fighting too. Those were difficult times in the early days of my stint at Mandipet Branch. Maheswarappa had one weakness too. He was an easy prey for praise. It took me some time to sense this. Once, I sensed this I used the weapon effectively. But it was a rough walk on a road filled with sharp nails. The double game I was playing with these two guys should never come out.  Though one or two clever guys sensed this, they had no proof and I moved my pawns speedily and effectively. Besides Ramnath Nayak, who was the undisputed leader of the Branch, there was Mr. Manjunath Karvey, an officer. He was more of a follower than a leader. He was maintaining a neutral stance so far as the Branch politics was concerned. He was confining himself to routine branch duties just as a clerk does. I was the third officer, though strictly speaking, I was not an officer, but only a trainee.

 

There was a third force to be tackled. He is Ramesh Prabhu, who represented the minority union. Though he had no strength to oppose the majority union, he used to create trouble in the branch behind the scenes. Quarrels between him and the majority union, were frequent.

 

Karvey was an officer for name-sake. When Mr. Ramnath Nayak was transferred, Mr.C.K. Kamath was posted to our branch as officer. As I already established myself as a very efficient officer with managerial capacity I was given total authority over the branch operations. In effect, Mr. C.K. Kamath had to follow my directions. Clerks used to mock him to my disliking. It goes to Kamath’s credit that one day he told me that he was very happy to learn branch work from me and whatever others say he would co-operate with me in the work and again requested me to teach the branch banking. After few months he was posted to Head Office again. I feel that his posting to the branch, where I was gaining total control was another ploy by Mr. Mallya. He felt a Senior Officer, who was my manager for months, would revolt against me. The opposite happened. So, he was transferred. Another officer, R.G. Shanbogh, a senior officer, was posted. He, too, turned out to be more of a follower than a leader. My status as a second-line officer, in fact, de facto manager to the branch.

 

There was a system of rotating clerks from their duties every three months. This was primarily done to see no employee resorts to mischief by learning the tricks of the trade. There were two cashier posts. On one such occasion, I do not know how I was misled, but I posted a clerk of the minority union, whereas an employee from the majority union was senior to him. The cashier post was allotted based on seniority. All hell broke loose.  The majority of the union objected and asked me to reverse my decision. I was still a trainee then. I knew what would happen if I reversed the decision. I stand like a fool, and the minority union staff would hold the grudge. The minority union clerks unfortunately belong to the same caste as the RM. I told Shivayogappa firmly that I would not reverse the decision. The entire staff of the majority union resorted to a pen-down strike and went inside the dining hall.  There were two clerks of the minority union, myself and two other officers. I told the officers to do their regular seats, asked one clerk to act as cashier, and I started working on all five counters without delaying or troubling the customers. Shivayogappa was grumbling all the time. He was taunting me about how many days I could maintain all the counters. Silence was the best weapon in those circumstances. The meek manager was advising me to satisfy their demand. I refused. After an hour, Shivayogappa called Joshi. Joshi came rushing along with two other clerks. He heard the story and supported my stand, but he asked me how I would rectify the unintentional mistake. I promised him that the very time a minority union clerk becomes eligible for a cashier post, I would overlook him and allot the same to the majority union. He told the clerks to return to their seats, advised them not to trouble Chandramohan in the future and, surprisingly, he thanked me and went away. This incident went viral In the region, and one after another, managers and officers started visiting my branch to know how I tamed the tigers. I did not say anything, lest I antagonise the tigers again. My methods were my strength. Instant decision was my forte.

 

 

For two or three months, both Maheswarappa and Shivayogappa tried all the tricks in their books to trouble me. Though troubled, I never expressed my predicament openly. One opportunity came my way. A friend of Shivayogappa, who was engaged in the manufacturing of steel furniture, wanted a loan. Shivayogappa approached the manager. He asked him to contact me. He came nervously to me and requested for a loan to his friend. After verifying his credentials, I okayed. I took this decision immediately and sanctioned and disbursed the loan the same day. I knew it was within the discretionary powers of the manager and the guy was eligible for the loan. I also knew that an opportunity came my way by which I could tame Shivayogappa. From the very next day, he became very close friend of mine.  To the surprise of all and to the shock of Maheswarappa and Prabhu, he started helping me in the work, even by sitting after office hours. Taking a cue, I extracted a promise from him that he would not engage in arguments with anyone. Till the day I was relieved he remained loyal to me and was telling me that it was the first time in his career any officer treated him with such regard and respect that his friend was sanctioned a loan the very day he asked.

 

Maheswarappa was observing this from the sidelines. He understood that he should make my friendship to beat Shivayogappa at his own game. Slowly he started coming nearer me and helping in the work. During the year ends, bank used to supply calenders and dairies to be distributed to clients. I sensed an opportunity there. I called Maheswarappa to my quarters and asked him how many calenders and dairies he wanted. He was very pleased at the importance I gave him. I already gave a promise to Shivayogappa that I would keep aside a few of them for him. Thus, when opportunity came, within a year I ensured total peace in the branch. Prabhu was never the fighting type. So, my position was cemented in the branch. The news of all branches used to reach the RM through his couriers of rumors. So, whenever he was visiting a branch he was quoting my name as an example of sincerity and hard work and managerial capacity. Officers were calling me or coming to our branch to seek my advice whenever there was trouble in their branches. All this happened even before I became a regular officer of the bank. I was still a trainee.

 

 

 

We used to have two pigmy deposit collectors (Janata Deposit) attached to the branch. Commission earned on their daily collections was their income.  Soon after I gained control over the branch, I made it a point to check their collection register first and dispose them, whatever work I had on hand. This gave them more time to go for next day’s collections. Previously officers used to make them sit for hours in the Branch. My immediate identification with the problems faced by the low- level employees gave them encouragement and these two were present in the bus stop on the day of my final journey with a humble gift. One after the other, I used my skill to satisfy the needs all sections of staff, I never hurt their ego, I was humble and sincere and the way I did work amazed every one in the branch. I became a demi-God before my confirmation.

We had to sub-ordinate staff, attendants in the Branch, One of them was Shivappa Setty and the other Rukmaiah Setty. Both were speaking Telugu. But they were members of the two rival Unions. Once, there was a personality clash in between them. It took a Trade Union turn. immediate casualty was Branch work.  Me and Manager tried to resolve the dispute but it only multiplied. After one month the issue was still unresolved. Physical filing of papers was the worst casualty. I was finding it difficult to retrieve a paper. So, one fine morning, i woke up and came to the Branch at 6 AM, (I was staying in the portion attached to the Branch). My wife was shocked not to find me in the house but she knew I would be in the Branch and brought coffee and breakfast there only. By 10 AM, I completed filing, went home, dressed up and came back to the branch. The attenders saw this, the elder one Shivappa practically fell on my feet, both came to me together and took a vow that they would never quarrel and trouble me in future. They stood by their word. This was a great experience. I replicated this in almost all branches and I succeeded in winning the hearts, through my silence and my capacity to do any work without hesitation. All this was thanks to Dale Carnegie’s work, “How to win friends and influence people”. I read the book number of times and got the contents by heart almost.

More on Davangere and Karnataka experiences in the Part 14, with my tussle with big Corporate honchos as Prologue. 

 

 

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"Courage is reckoned the greatest of all virtues; because unless a man has that virtue he has no security for preserving any other" - Samuel Johnson 

 Always have the situation under control, even if losing. Never betray an inward sense of defeat.

 

 

Part 12

 

THE CHURNING OF THE OF OCEAN OF MY LIFE - MY OWN 

 

STORY PART 12 - GAME OF LADDERS AND SNAKES 

 

BEGINS IN RIGHT EARNEST- SNAKE II

                                     

 

THE CHURNING OF THE OCEAN OF MY LIFE – PART 12

 

BACK TO FAMILY PRESSURES – OUTSIDE INFLUENCES AND ENVY RULES THE ROOST - LIFE GOES IN THE SAME DIRECTION- BLAME FOR FAULTS OF OTHERS FALLS ON ME

 

                                       *************************************

 

I shall go back a little and turn my attention to the family affairs. As usual, my third brother's envy has been constantly haunting me, with one blame or another directed at me. My success in resolving the issue of our father’s pension and the publicity given to my resourcefulness in getting the impossible work done only added to his envy. 

My elder sister showed little interest in her studies. Her concentration was on making friends with both genders. On a Saturday, I was returning from the office. She was walking on the road very close to a boy. I stopped them and asked the boy to leave. I asked for details about him. She said he was a Christian boy who was in love with her, and she was discussing about attending his birthday party. I was very angry and told her that she had to complete her graduation before she thought about love and marriage. She said she was not interested in studies. The blame game started. I pampered her too much. I was solely responsible for her abrasive and wayward behaviour. I did not understand. I only showed her fatherly love as she lost her father at a very early age. It was true I pampered her and spent huge amounts of money to keep her happy and to see that she forgets the loss of a parent at a tender age. What was my fault. I suffered a lot at the hands of my elder brother and his family. I did not want a repeat of that.

True to speak, I was a bit sensitive to feminine feelings. In the process, I bought a chain, spending Rupees One Hundred those days to a girl. She was a friend of my sister. She showed it to her and told her I bought it. My sister told the news at home. I do not remember why. At that time, both my second and third brothers were at home. They started beating me. I ran away from home. My mother chided them for blaming me for that. She also chided me for going after girls. My brothers declared that I was responsible for all the ills at home. I asked them to take the whole family to their places. I had no objection. That silenced them. Later, I married a girl of my choice. Again, my third brother started an issue in front of my wife why I did not wait till my elder sister was married. I had my reasons for hurrying through the marriage in a Registrar’s Office. I asked him why he could not wait. He was silent. So, even before I left for Bellary, an informal decision was made that my sister should be married as early as possible.

 

It was not difficult. If we go back to the days when we stayed in Tenali an unexpected incident took place. Unable to face harassment by our landlord, we decided to search for a new place on lease. Through some sources. Someone told us that a portion of a house near Venkateswara Theatre was vacant. I accompanied my mother to see the place. We saw the place. The rent quoted was very high. Then, the landlady came to talk to my mother. An unexpected event took place. My mother and the landlady saw each other for few minutes. They did not say a word. After few minutes, they hugged each other and started crying. “You are so and so; you are so and so”. I was a mute spectator. Later it came out that they were best friends as children. Her husband was a Dy. Tahsildar in Tenali. He earned a lot, as it is usual with Revenue Department officials. He had six boys and two girls. The story did not stop there. After we came to Hyderabad, she saw my elder sister, it seems.  Immediately, she proposed a marriage between their fourth son and my sister.  My mother was elated. She never dreamed of sending my sister to such a rich family, and the bboy’s mother was her best friend. She immediately gave her consent.

 

Now, why did such rich family opt for a poor girl like my sister? My sister was very pretty; there is no doubt. But beauty does not provide money. The Tahsildar, (he became Tahsildar before retirement was, by nature a miser and the two objects of his love are his wife and money. We have his wife on our side but we do not have money. When the mother of the boy told her husband about the girl , he immediately objected. “They cannot give dowry”. Outside my son gets huge amount of dowry. After marriage, the brothers will not be able to provide him with gifts, as it is an obligation “. The boy’s mother insisted. He was caught between his love for his wife and his love for money.  His wife insisted. Then he accepted on one condition. The condition is that we should give the dowry, as demanded by him. The three elder brothers of mine took dowry of Rs.5000 to 5500. We were prepared to spend the same amount as dowry for my sister. It is not appropriate to talk of the personality, age and other aspects of the boy. After all, I married one of the prettiest girls. He was working in a rural railway station, as station master. He was not a graduate. After both the boy and girl saw each other and agreed to marry, the real picture came out.

My brothers were not satisfied with sending our sister to a rural place. But my sister was ready. She was in a hurry to marry. It is not her fault. Fault partly lies with me. If I were not married, she would have waited. She would not have waited for long, anyhow. She decided to discontinue studying. I came to our place for only one day. That was the day the formal meeting of the boy and girl was to take place. As I had no leave, I rushed back to Bellary. My brother was working in the Telecommunications Department. As it was free he remained in constant contact with me. My elder brothers should know why he was in contact with me and not with them. The reason was simple. I was committed to my family. My family members were attached to me. They knew I was the only person who could make things happen.

 

So, the negotiations started. My brother and my mother only negotiated with that gentleman. My brother was going to Guntur to meet the retired Revenue Department official. He demanded a heavy amount. And my brother informed me. I said it was not possible. My mother was pestering. After days of negotiations, his demand increased as my brother-in-law got selected as clerk in a Bank. After a lot of to and fro, I finally gave a go-ahead for Rs.8000/-, in cash as dowry besides some other demands. My younger brother was worried. I told him that he could contact the other brothers and each of us would contribute Rs.2000/- each. That would be Rs.10000/-. We had a fixed deposit of about Rs.4,500/- , the amount of arrears of the pension and PF of my father. I promised him that I would borrow more money if required.  (I was not having even the Rs.2000/-, as I was bankrupt by then. The mother of Venkateswara Rao lent me the money again. I do not remember if I repaid them or not).

 

So far, it went well. One morning, my brother called me and told that the gentleman is demanding a silver plate and a glass, which would have cost Rs.8000/- those days. The ball was back in square one. I did not blink or think. I told him to take one of the silver plates and one of the glasses to a gold shop and remodel it without investing much as extra cost. We were too young and my brother was , by nature not so courageous. I told him to approach our maternal uncle and take his help. With his help the old plate and glass were exchanged for new ones. An issue was solved.

 

Always have the situation under control, even if losing. Never betray an inward sense of defeat.

 

 

Part 12

 

THE CHURNING OF THE OF OCEAN OF MY LIFE - MY OWN 

 

STORY PART 12 - GAME OF LADDERS AND SNAKES 

 

BEGINS IN RIGHT EARNEST- SNAKE II

                                     

 

THE CHURNING OF THE OCEAN OF MY LIFE – PART 12

 

BACK TO FAMILY PRESSURES – OUTSIDE INFLUENCES AND ENVY RULES THE ROOST - LIFE GOES IN THE SAME DIRECTION- BLAME FOR FAULTS OF OTHERS FALLS ON ME

 

 

                                       *************************************

 

I shall go back a little and turn my attention to the family affairs. As usual, my third brother's envy has been constantly haunting me, with one blame or another directed at me. My success in resolving the issue of our father’s pension and the publicity given to my resourcefulness in getting the impossible work done only added to his envy. 

My elder sister showed little interest in her studies. Her concentration was on making friends with both genders. On a Saturday, I was returning from the office. She was walking on the road very close to a boy. I stopped them and asked the boy to leave. I asked for details about him. She said he was a Christian boy who was in love with her, and she was discussing about attending his birthday party. I was very angry and told her that she had to complete her graduation before she thought about love and marriage. She said she was not interested in studies. The blame game started. I pampered her too much. I was solely responsible for her abrasive and wayward behaviour. I did not understand. I only showed her fatherly love as she lost her father at a very early age. It was true I pampered her and spent huge amounts of money to keep her happy and to see that she forgets the loss of a parent at a tender age. What was my fault. I suffered a lot at the hands of my elder brother and his family. I did not want a repeat of that.

True to speak, I was a bit sensitive to feminine feelings. In the process, I bought a chain, spending Rupees One Hundred those days to a girl. She was a friend of my sister. She showed it to her and told her I bought it. My sister told the news at home. I do not remember why. At that time, both my second and third brothers were at home. They started beating me. I ran away from home. My mother chided them for blaming me for that. She also chided me for going after girls. My brothers declared that I was responsible for all the ills at home. I asked them to take the whole family to their places. I had no objection. That silenced them. Later, I married a girl of my choice. Again, my third brother started an issue in front of my wife why I did not wait till my elder sister was married. I had my reasons for hurrying through the marriage in a Registrar’s Office. I asked him why he could not wait. He was silent. So, even before I left for Bellary, an informal decision was made that my sister should be married as early as possible.

 

It was not difficult. If we go back to the days when we stayed in Tenali an unexpected incident took place. Unable to face harassment by our landlord, we decided to search for a new place on lease. Through some sources. Someone told us that a portion of a house near Venkateswara Theatre was vacant. I accompanied my mother to see the place. We saw the place. The rent quoted was very high. Then, the landlady came to talk to my mother. An unexpected event took place. My mother and the landlady saw each other for few minutes. They did not say a word. After few minutes, they hugged each other and started crying. “You are so and so; you are so and so”. I was a mute spectator. Later it came out that they were best friends as children. Her husband was a Dy. Tahsildar in Tenali. He earned a lot, as it is usual with Revenue Department officials. He had six boys and two girls. The story did not stop there. After we came to Hyderabad, she saw my elder sister, it seems.  Immediately, she proposed a marriage between their fourth son and my sister.  My mother was elated. She never dreamed of sending my sister to such a rich family, and the boy’s mother was her best friend. She immediately gave her consent.

 

Now, why did such rich family opt for a poor girl like my sister? My sister was very pretty; there is no doubt. But beauty does not provide money. The Tahsildar, (he became Tahsildar before retirement was, by nature a miser and the two objects of his love are his wife and money. We have his wife on our side but we do not have money. When the mother of the boy told her husband about the girl , he immediately objected. “They cannot give dowry”. Outside my son gets huge amount of dowry. After marriage, the brothers will not be able to provide him with gifts, as it is an obligation “. The boy’s mother insisted. He was caught between his love for his wife and his love for money.  His wife insisted. Then he accepted on one condition. The condition is that we should give the dowry, as demanded by him. The three elder brothers of mine took dowry of Rs.5000 to 5500. We were prepared to spend the same amount as dowry for my sister. It is not appropriate to talk of the personality, age and other aspects of the boy. After all, I married one of the prettiest girls. He was working in a rural railway station, as station master. He was not a graduate. After both the boy and girl saw each other and agreed to marry, the real picture came out.

 

My brothers were not satisfied with sending our sister to a rural place. But my sister was ready. She was in a hurry to marry. It is not her fault. Fault partly lies with me. If I were not married, she would have waited. She would not have waited for long, anyhow. She decided to discontinue studying. I came to our place for only one day. That was the day the formal meeting of the boy and girl was to take place. As I had no leave, I rushed back to Bellary. My brother was working in the Telecommunications Department. As it was free he remained in constant contact with me. My elder brothers should know why he was in contact with me and not with them. The reason was simple. I was committed to my family. My family members were attached to me. They knew I was the only person who could make things happen.

 

So, the negotiations started. My brother and my mother only negotiated with that gentleman. My brother was going to Guntur to meet the retired Revenue Department official. He demanded a heavy amount. And my brother informed me. I said it was not possible. My mother was pestering. After days of negotiations, his demand increased as my brother-in-law got selected as clerk in a Bank. After a lot of to and fro, I finally gave a go-ahead for Rs.8000/-, in cash as dowry besides some other demands. My younger brother was worried. I told him that he could contact the other brothers and each of us would contribute Rs.2000/- each. That would be Rs.10000/-. We had a fixed deposit of about Rs.4,500/- , the amount of arrears of the pension and PF of my father. I promised him that I would borrow more money if required.  (I was not having even the Rs.2000/-, as I was bankrupt by then. The mother of Venkateswara Rao lent me the money again. I do not remember if I repaid them or not).

 

So far, it went well. One morning, my brother called me and told that the gentleman is demanding a silver plate and a glass, which would have cost Rs.8000/- those days. The ball was back in square one. I did not blink or think. I told him to take one of the silver plates and one of the glasses to a gold shop and remodel it without investing much as extra cost. We were too young and my brother was , by nature not so courageous. I told him to approach our maternal uncle and take his help. With his help the old plate and glass were exchanged for new ones. An issue was solved.

 

Again, my brother called. The gentleman is demanding marriage in Guntur. It would have cost our lives to perform a marriage in a hall in Guntur. Then my second sister-in-law came to our rescue. Her sister was owning a palace-like building in Guntur. There was an outhouse too. She magnanimously offered her palace to us and said she would sdjust in the outhouse. It was a great relief. There was a large terrace. There was enough open space in front of the house. My brother , mother and sisters went there early and made all required purchases and other arrangements. I reached only one day earlier. We performed the marriage in a way the Tahsildar was very impressed. I was not allowed to be the near the marriage Mandap.  The Tahsildar made me sit with him and went on relaying how he earned so much money, how he loved his wife, how she stood by him in summer and winter of life, about his children and what not. He praised me and my younger brother in the most loving words. He said that being children we could not perform the marriage so graciously. After marriage , time came for lunch. We invited them for lunch. I feel proud for me and my brother that the Tahsildar insisted that both of us should eat first. He said they were not our guests but both of us were their guests. At that age, getting accolades from a man of our father’s age (if he were living) was like honoring us with gold chariot. After my sister went to their house, he wrote me a very affectionate letter praising me the way I brought up my sister.

 

I had to write all this because a month back, in a family What App group, our brother-in-law boasted that his father did not insist on dowry those days and applauding his courtesy.

 

A doubt may be raised as to why such purely personal and family matters should find a place in a story of my travels and travails in life. There is a reason. It shows how people us when needed and throw us away like garbage once they settle into their lives. Until my sister got married, I looked after her as the most important part of my body, the eyes. Even after her marriage I was constantly looking after her needs and I was in constant contact with her. 

During my absence, my younger brother took the responsibility of her needs. I quote a few incidents that showed their character and my commitment to their welfare.

 

During 1979, my sister conceived for the first child. I was in Davangere. My wife was too carrying our second child. After my brother brought my sister home for delivery, I sent my wife for assistance. The delivery had gone bad and she gave birth to a deaf and dumb child. My wife breast-fed her to see she remains healthy.

 

When I was in Davangere only, I purchased a gas connection for them. It was easy there as I was in a Bank and demand there was less. In Hyderabad, it was taking three to four years to get connection. The minimum period for the new connection to be transferred to a new place was six months. During those six months , I was constantly being pressurized to send my connection papers to them. I found it funny. Why should I send my gas connection papers and keep connection in their name and suffer life-long. Even today, both of them blame me that I misused their money. Just imagine how I feel in such circumstances. I ket quiet because I knew the truth. As long as I was away, she was not visiting my brother as he was not in the habit of doling out money. After I returned back in 1982, she made it a habit to visit us saying she wanted to see her mother. And every fortnight, she was demanding and taking Rupees Hundred for travel by auto.

 

During the period 1982-85 ( I can not recollect the exact year), my brother-in-law got a transfer to Hyderabad, citing the disability of his daughter as a reason. It was most shameful to resort to such tactics. And he continued in Hyderabad throughout his career with the same plea. That is their character. I am in no way concerned. But when he got transferred to Hyderabad, he asked his father to let out a portion of the house he owned. His father quoted a rental value. Our brother-in-law said that with his salary, he could not pay such a high rent. His father asked him to search for another accommodation. What did he do ? He brought his family of two elders and two children to our house. I was having three children by then. He stayed for two full months without paying a single rupee towards expenses. Very recently, one of my children said that I was feeding my sister’s children with whole milk and when their turn came I was asking my wife to add water. With one income, I managed two families. They forgot.

 

In 1995, when I lost my job without a penny (and being most dishonest) , I had to beg for alms. My younger brother and sister helped with little amounts, very less compared to what I contributed to see them settle in life. Those days my elder brother-in-law was regularly calling me to show his nnewly painted house, unconcerned about my plight. One day, I went. I did not enter their Bungalow. My sister who was sitting there said “Sorry! Chandra! We want to help you   ! But we are totally bankrupt>” , If I said the same words when they came to my house as they had no shelter, where would have they gone? All in the game!!!

 

From then on, the family moved away from me and started amusing the rich brothers. It is okay. These brothers who never bothered about their empty stomachs after my daughter’s death started gifting them liberally. It is okay. It is not my botheration.

 

During 2008-09 , my mother pleaded with my wife that she would stay with us only and die in our hands. I mentioned this in some other part. During her stay with us my daughter requested my mother to stay with them a week. She went. After four days, my mother called me and said she could not stay there and asked me to bring her back. What she told amaged me. During these four days, they did not buy vegetables. They did not make dal. She was fed pickles and buttermilk. Moreover, every day my brother-in-law was asking her for dowry dues. His grouse was that he was not given enough dowry at the time of marriage and as my brothers were all settled well, not me, he should be paid the balance with interest which ran into lakhs. Both my sister and her husband were fighting with her. She could not bear the torture.

 

My mother was attacked by paralysis , lost her right limbs and voice and the neurologist who treated her gave her a life of six months at the most. During this period, our brothers and sisters visited her rarely and none of them touched her with their fingers even. One afternoon, she reached her Heavenly Abode. I called everyone except my third brother, who went on a pleasure trip to China without informing us and without even seeing our mother’s condition. My eldest brother asked me to burn her body. He said, “What difference does it make that the younger son lights her pyre? You go ahead”. My second brother refused to come by flight, saying he is not a millionaire. The third one was beyond the oceans. So, the probability of the three elder sons of my mother for at least two days was remote.

 

 

As I was living in an apartment complex, there was constant pressure and nagging from the other apartments to take the body to the crematorium. I had no option. There is a reason why the others pressured me. Some ladies have a fear of dead bodies. If a dead body is kept in one of the flats, there is a possibility of these ladies turning mentally unstable. The other reason is that when a dead body is kept in the flats, occupants of other flats do not cook their food until the body is taken away. Already, I have spent more than a lakh and a half of my son’s money on the recuperation attempt of my sick mother. I was left with barely enough funds to cremate her as per Hindu rituals. So, the idea of keeping her body in a mortuary did not arise. The younger brother, two younger sisters, and their families came. The priest has been performing all rituals at our home for a long period. So, we decided to take the body to the crematorium.  

 

Then, my first brother-in-law, who, a month back, fought with my mother demanding additional dowry with interest, objected. This was what he said. “I will not allow my mother-in-law, who lived like a queen, to be cremated like an orphan.” I asked him, “Then why did you not take her to your house when she was sick?  Even now, why don’t you shift her to your house, to my younger brother’s house or to my younger sister’s house? He said, as per the Hindu Shastras we should not shift the body from the place of death. I knew that none of them would be willing to keep the dead body of own mother in his/her house. Then I said the cremation process will proceed. I asked the priest if it is true that in case of mother’s passing away, the youngest of her children should perform all the funeral rites.  He clarified that the eldest of those present has a right as per Brahminical traditions and so, I should cremate her. My elder brother-in-law said he would not lift the body. My younger brother-in-law parroted his words. I understood they were living in fools’ hell. I called our building watchman and told him to call four of his friends to lift the body of my mother. My elder brother-in-law said people of other castes are not permitted to lift the cadaver of a Brahmin. I asked the priest what his opinion was. He clarified that if no one from Brahmin caste is available, anyone can lift the body and he had no objection from outsiders lifting the body. Then, my brothers-in-law realized their writ would not run with me. They accepted to lift the body. I performed the funeral rites and cremated my mother’s body. That way, I fulfilled her long-term wish that she would die in my hands. Her Soul must have been satisfied that the son who took over responsibility of the family after her husband’s death lighted her funeral pyre. And the satisfaction I received from the sacred act will remain with me till my mortal remains are consumed by the five elements.

 

 

The above narrative looks extraneous to the story of my life. As I said earlier, certain repeated allegations about our actions, if not answered, remain as truth. I replied to every point raised by my envious third brother in the following post.

 

Sudhakara Rao Neelamraju

May 18 ·

It is true that I did not come to Hyderabad asI was in Shaghai.Atleast whether you waited till your elders to come.Do you remember that the utterences you made in front of the public and Purohit. You already killed when she was alive. What makes you to burn the pyre when the younger brother was thre. Are you proud of the actions. "You don't havr thr patience to wait till the elder sister of your wife to get marry."You ruinrd her life also..For all five brothers and sisters there is only one mother. We can can not cut in to her pieces. It it is her wish to stay back with you for reasons well knowno you. (Verbatim. No corrections made. sic.)

 

 

This was written by a man who worked as a bank manager . You can judge him by the number of mistakes in his post, either grammatical or spelling. He failed to come and see his dying mother before leaving to China. He felt ashamed of himself. Then he asked me why I did not keep the body till the elders came. In another post, he charged me with murdering my mother. Here, he is indirectly saying, I disposed of the body to hide my crime. I answered his doubt, though he never answered why he left the country, knowing fully well his mother was on bed. Regarding what I said and why said anything with my priest , I explained in detail the background. Regarding my lighting the pyre when the younger brother was there , I already said it was done as per the directions of our priest. Regarding my marriage before her elder sister was married, it is none of his business but I already clarified the circumstances. One day he has to answer to his allegation how I spoiled anybody’s life. To hide his lies , inferiority complex and envy that had been eating his brain, he goes on talking nonsense. May God give him some sense. In the same manner, out of jealousy towards his son’s in-laws, he distanced his son for four years. Finally when the boy got a deputation to US, and the passport was with his father , he came home. And this idiotic person said he hid the passport of his son because he knows one day his son requires. His character is so amoral, shameless and moronic. Except that he is two year older than me, he deserves to be dumped as underving to be a member of the family of my parents.

 

 

 The daily survival for two and half years, in the 11th part.

 

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING.

I AM GOING ON WITH FULL FORCE EVEN NOW

 

 

 

 

THE CHURNING OF THE OF OCEAN OF LIFE - MY OWN STORY PART 11 - GAME OF https://library.iterable.com/3110/20487/e1906b9337a645468b9c46ba71f1ee5e-ipm2_india.jpgLADDERS AND SNAKES BEGINS IN RIGHT EARNEST- SNAKE II

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“A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”

 

ERNEST HEMINGWAY,

 

THE CHURNING OF THE OCEAN OF MY LIFE  PART 11

 

PROLOGUE to 11th part.

 

A BRIEF PEEP INTO THE FUTURE EVENTS BEFORE I GO INTO THE STORY AGAIN

 

I saw a news item in a local newspaper, when I was in the process of writing my memoirs that Senior officers of ten or more banks held a silent protest against non-repayment of about Rs.1000 crores, by M/S Progressive Constructions Private Limited, owned by ex-Congress Minister KS Rao. My tussle with top management of our Bank started with this account only. I refused to recommend renewal of credit limits of this account. I quoted at least ten defaults in the account and recommended, "If the higher authorities feel, they can renew the limits. Personally, I feel the limits must be suspended" Soon, I got a call from Chairman's Secretariat but I did not budge." My Manager suggested that I go on leave and he got it recommended by the next officer. That was the start of my end. My career ended but today, I am a happy man that officers of ten banks are on streets unable to recover the amounts. My premonition proved right. And from then on, I had a running feud with the Company Officials and a direct threat was issued by one Sri BK Rao, brain behind Sri KS Rao, that he would see how I would continue in the Bank. And I did not. More on this in the coming parts. I told him that I was already out of the Bank the day I entered it and I told him what more he could do, hang me? I am ready” Message reached the Regional Manager and through him to the highest authority. I was threatened I did not budge. More about my tussle with politician their deeds and misdeeds will come in the following chapters.

 

 

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This is part 11 of my own story. I already explained why I preferred to write my own story. I am not that great. But there is something that tells you a story in my life, the story of great success and great failure, all at a time. Those who see this first time may refer to the earlier parts.

Life is a mix of ups and downs for many. I am not an exception. But my psychology did not fit in   the world and its ways. Still, I continue in the same mindset.  Hence, my rosy life still has many thorns, unseen by many. Hopefully, I will live like this and leave the world like this, unsung.

 

Let me go back to life in Corporation Bank, where I started a stuttering new career. I just turned twenty-five. I had earned the experience of a lifetime by then. The sudden demise of my father, the shunning of responsibility of family by my three elder brothers, my sisters and mother depending on me, my wife who was carrying by then, forced change of job and the snakes ready to bite at every opportune moment in the new job, all made me tougher by the day. I heard about the Bank’s working style, the antipathy of executives and staff towards outsiders and many bad things after I resigned from LIC. All was lost by that time. The outsiders were treated as aliens and eased out on one pretext or the other." And I had another heavy burden on my head that I was a candidate selected out of the way on the recommendation of an outsider, that too from Andhra Pradesh. But "Buddhi Karmanusarena". My decision was made. And at that time, I was not fearing anybody. But fate had it otherwise. 

After the training in Mangalore I was posted to Bellary, considered as punishment posting, in the Bank. In the Bank this belt, Bellary, Anantapur, Chitradurga etc., were hot beds of Trade Unionism where Officers were sweating it out to get the routine work done, leave alone, development of branch deposits and advances that formed the core of a Branch profile. Managers in these Branches were always on their toes, fighting it out with the Union leaders. I reported for duty in Bellary under Mr. U. Vikramaditya Nayak, considered in the Bank as one of the most dynamic Managers. Reception was contemptuous, as expected. I was asked to learn basics sitting in clerical counters. It took me hardly a week. The Manager, initially, was very hostile. He was continuously complaining to the Regional Manager that he asked for a regular officer and not one who had to be trained in basics. His grouse was understandable. He was short of officers, who could look after the Branch work, in his absence. I understood the dynamics very quickly. Managers were unwilling to stay in the Branch and face the staff. They used to go out in the early hours, for the sake of deposit mobilization and come back only after the staff left. But as I was only a trainee, it was not possible to hand over the keys of the cash chest to me. The Manager had little confidence in the other officer, Mr.Raghupathi, a very senior officer stagnated in his scale for several years. 

 

 

 

 

After about a fortnight of my joining, the then Regional Manager, Mr.Aiyar paid a visit to the Branch. His first target was me. He called me inside and asked the same question that Mr. Subbarao asked me in the Training College in the Head Office. "With whose recommendation did you get the job?" I gave the same reply, "God's recommendation". He was furious and started dancing like a hurt tiger. My manager was trying to explain that I was very sharp and picked up work very fast. No! He said he would see me out of the bank soon. He resigned within a month from then as he was facing serious corruption charges. His place was filled by another hostile Regional Manager, Sri K.R. Mallya, with whom I had a running feud for almost four years. Finally, he, a General Manager, haunted me throughout and spied on every transaction I carried out and booked me for small indiscretions, branded me dishonest and punished me with capital punishment. Many in the Bank know the truth, though my own brothers, sisters and their spouses never agreed to accept it. Here, I should mention my elder brother-in-law, who enjoys the illegitimate earnings of his father and talks about honesty. Hypocrisy at its peak defines his personality.

The less I mention of my third brother the less it will be disgusting. He earned his job with the recommendation of his friend, never showed any brilliance as a clerk or officer and he was fighting pitched oral battles with all colleagues and customers (as told by his colleagues), worked as a rural bank Manager and failed in his duty, took his own time to get promoted to his next scale. He tries to talk about events that never happened and goes on parroting “I was dismissed as the most dishonest officer”, a hearsay that spread like wildfire, because I never discussed about my Bank career with anyone. Even my wife, who lived with me every second of my life since I joined the bank, might be surprised to know the facts from this memoir of mine.

                                                                                        

 

Three to four months on, my manager developed a special affection for me. He was awe- struck. He told anyone who visited the Branch that in his service, he never witnessed a sharper brain. I almost became the second man in the Branch within four months, having effective control on the whole staff including my Senior Officer, who never grudged my taking over the Branch. He was thanking me for helping him out of tricky issues. We were a team along with few youngsters who joined as clerks.   I started controlling the whole branch operations effectively by then. He started handing over the keys of Cash-Chest to me. But, one guy from North Canara District, Monja Ganiga, an attendant promoted as a clerk, was the most unhappy of all. Thitherto, he was the most trusted assistant of the Manager, carrying canards from here to there and back, thus keeping the gulf between the Manager and staff. He was so close to the Manager that he paid a visit to his house at least once a day, "carrying news". This was, is and will be a bad habit with many senior officers. As I slowly took over, I rubbished his claims. I was ensuring that the Manager spent more time with the staff. This, naturally, incensed Ganiga. But he was helpless. Though a trainee, I was the most loved one in the Branch. I was having a very good time climbing the ladder. But a snake bit me in the form of the Regional Manager.

 

Around October 1978, eight months after joining the Branch, our manager showed me a confidential letter from RM. Usually, these letters were addressed personally to the Manager and were not shared with anyone. But by that time, our Manager had developed so much affection for me (he could improve the business by 250% since he had a good officer to look after branch work), that he shared the contents with me. The gist was that one Mr. Prabhakar Sheth, (related to the RM closely, it was said) , working in Mandipet, Davangere was facing a lot of problems with the union leaders there and requested a transfer. The RM proposed to post him to Bellary and post me in his place. Naturally, our manager was furious. He showed me his reply, saying that he could not spare my services. There was continuous correspondence and phone conversations between the two. Finally, our manager had to consent to relieve me only after the year-end, 31st December. Orders came. Sheth, who was waiting in the wings, joined immediately. My relieving was set for the Second of January, 1979. Seeing my personality, the heavy-weight body builder Mr.Sheth commented, "There are lots of snakes in Davangere. I applied for two months' leave unable to bear the torture. I suffered from depression and loose motions. I was afraid to go to the Branch to get relieved also. I think you may not survive there for even fifteen days. He courteously advised me to search for another job and resign from the Bank. Being a relation of the Regional Manager, he confessed to me that the RM intentionally posted me there so that I resign on my own and he need not take blame of dismissing me for non-performance. There are two powerful forces in Davangere, by names Mr. Shivayogappa and Mr.Maheswarappa. The first was a Lingayat and the second one a Vokkaliga, the two most powerful and inimical communities in Karnataka. They will suck your blood no sooner you join there." I just smiled away. Even my Manager told me, while relieving me, that he was feeling like his son was being sent to the war front. He called my wife and me for lunch, the first in his service that he called any staff member to his house for iunch, his wife told us. Ganiga was happy, he could get back to his old ways.

 

So, on 2nd January 1979, I set out to Davangere with my wife, a six- month- old girl child, a mat, two pillows, bed sheets, a kerosene stove, a few utensils all packed and carried on top of the bus. I was not owning a chair or even a transistor radio at that time. I set foot in Mandipet, Davangere Branch. The same evening, I was relieved to report in the other branch in the town, PB Road, Davangere Branch, as there were no officers there, and the Manager of Mandipet Branch, anyhow, did not want a trainee officer. His name was M.S.Adiga, one of the most controversial officers in the Bank. He too was compulsorily retired from the Bank on serious charges of corruption. You can imagine the ways of management, one rule to locals and another for outsiders.

 

The next morning, I reported to the PB Road Branch. This Branch was a hotbed of Union Politics. In this Branch, the National Secretary of the Union, Mr. Joshi was a senior clerk. A soft-spoken but hard nut, this man read the rule book from the first letter to the last one and the last to the first. It was becoming difficult for Managers and officers to argue with him. He was not a bad man. I observed this within a week. He was branded bad by managers and officers who were ineffective in tackling him. As a matter of routine, I was introduced to the staff by the Manager. The Branch had a peculiar situation. Besides the manager, there was no other officer in the Branch. In such circumstances, the most senior clerk officiated as officer and performed daily routine work. He also holds the keys to the Cash Chest.  After I was deputed to the P.B. Road, Davangere Branch, a dispute arose between the clerical union led by Joshi and supported by strong unionists and the manager if I could replace him as a regular officer, since I was only a trainee, not considered a regular officer. The clerk officiating in the place of an officer received a special allowance called the “officiating allowance,” with no responsibilities attached to the officer's post. The manager, Mr. C.K. Kamath, a very Senior officer, worked in the Administration wing in the Head Office. I told both the manager and Mr. Joshi that I handled the Cash Chest in Bellary for nine months. Somehow, after some discussion, we decided there was no need for the clerk to handle the keys. That settled the issue.

Our manager was Mr. C.K. Kamath. His weakness was that his entire service was in the Head Office. His knowledge of the Branch operations was very poor. The second officer in line was on long leave, so effectively I was second in line. He was not happy. A trainee and a manager were all, that were available to run branch operations. I made friends with Joshi first and sought his guidance on the Branch operations there. He was helping me my work. This surprised the Manager. Other clerks followed Joshi. Within a fortnight, I started clearing the pending work in the branch. Mr. Joshi and other clerks completed their daily routine and sat after banking hours to help me to clear the pending work. The message spread fast and reached to Mandipet. Shivayogappa, who was on leave the day I joined, came particularly to see me. He wanted to see how I looked and what was so special in me that made Mr. Joshi, one of my best guides. He was poor in speaking English and my knowledge of Kannada was good. But it was not fluent. Soon after I was introduced to him, I folded both hands and said "Namaskara". His reaction was surprising. "Did nobody tell you who I am?" he asked. I said I heard a lot about him. But I heard lot about Mr. Joshi also. He made a funny comment. “Any officer who knows about him would have avoided him but instead I greeted him with folded hands. It seems I was exorcizing him. I replied that he might be a clerk and I might be an officer, but there was a wide gap in our ages.  “What is wrong in a young man greeting an elderly and respected clerk with folded hands?” I asked.  He said I was too clever. It would not help me in Mandipet branch. I knew I was in a tiger’s den.  Mr. Joshi diverted the subject. That was my first encounter with a man who was branded as a demon in the region, but who became my best friend in three years. I knew that minute that the act which I thought of worked well with Shivayogappa. He was not a highly educated man but was very fast in the performance of his duties. As it was with the local landlord boys, he was haughty. I made a plan for him that day itself. He was a paper tiger whom the officers made a man-eating tiger. I understood he suffers from the weakness that many of us suffer from, namely, personal ego. It it is satisfied, I could tackle him, I decided. But there were other related issues. I thought I would think about them when I am faced with them.

 

 

During my deputation period, I cleared the pending work in the Branch. The Manager was so impressed with my capacity at work and my management skills. He refused to relieve me after my deputation period.  There was a tussle between him, the other manager and the Regional Manager. The Regional Manager got wind of my capacity and thought that if I continued in that Branch, I would be a tough nut to crack. So, the RM forced the manager to relieve me forthwith. Of the two branches in Davangere, Mandipet Branch was tougher to manage. In the P.B. Road Branch, Joshi was the authority and Regional Manager himself was hesitant to oppose him. He understood that Joshi appreciated me. (Irony was that the Manager was later reverted and posted to the Branch and was taking instructions from me, as I was de facto number two there. He was almost fifty-five years old ). A week before, the manager called me into his cabin after office hours and requested me to teach the branch work. He wanted to know how I could manage one of the most unruly staff so effectively at such a young age. I gave him some tips about branch work and management tactics. Surprisingly, he requested me to guide him to tackle any issue in future. He said he would call me in case of any problem and that I should take some time off to go to his branch to settle the issue. In the next six months thereafter, I went at least half a dozen times to solve issues concerning his customers  and staff.

Back in my parent branch, I was greeted with enthusiasm this time around. The manager was skeptic, though. He already earned a very bad reputation as ineffective and corrupt to the core. Most of the time, he was sleeping in his quarters.  The Branch was being managed by one Mr. Ramnath Nayak, who was the blue-eyed boy of the Regional Manager.  He was very efficient, though cranky. My role was limited to playing second fiddle to this Senior Officer. He guided me in the Branch profile and, soon I learned the intricacies of the branch.  I studied each officer and clerk and listed their weaknesses and strengths in my own mind.  As Nayak’s promotion and transfer were in the offing soon, he slowly delegated the work to me. Soon, he left on a promotion. 

Trade Unionism in the Banking and Insurance sectors could not be called "militant", but the very nature of operations made it a pain in the neck for officers on the job. Both sectors were directly dealing with customers, who expected better service . In the Banking sector, it was more so, as the customer is to be served within a time frame, say from 10.30 AM to 2.30 PM and the day's account had to be tallied and closed by 5.30 PM. It was all manual. There was no permission to use even a pocket calculator. Only in the middle parts of the eighties we were permitted to use calculators. But these too were supplied to only the bigger branches. 

To add to the pain, there were two strong unions in these parts of Karnataka. One was the NOBW, affiliated to the BMS, the minority union and the majority union, Communist-leaning AIBEA. There was a constant tussle between these two unions, thus making the lives of officers miserable. Working hours used to stretch to midnight some days. In Mandipet, there were two AIBEA stalwarts Shivayogappa and Maheswarappa, each controlling his own group and at loggerheads all the time, sometimes, it used to deteriorate to a physical brawl. NOBW was represented by Ramesh Prabhu, who was equally vociferous like the other two. Whenever a new recruit joined, the tussle used to multiply in order to enrol him in the respective unions. I observed officers were indirectly promoting the interests of one group or the other in a "divide and rule" policy. This boomeranged usually. Unless the leader takes all with him, the going will be tough for all.

Thus, life at Davangere left an indelible mark on my life. My family life suffered. My prolonged working hours troubled my wife, who was struggling with two children and carrying again. It went to such an extent that she was picking quarrels with the manager's wife, in broken Kannada. Once, she told her that she needed family life and "leave my husband to me and to my children
“. It was amusing, though I took it lightly.  Even now, it looks funny to me. (Me and my Manager used to stay in the same building, attached to the Bank).


It is boring to read minute details of one's family and working life. But in each step, I faced challenges. If I look back, I feel that all my decisions were wrong, prima facie, but a deep introspection convinces me that I was right at every step, uncompromising and stubborn. Or, would I have been in a position to recollect each incident and write this? I kept my mind clean and my brain sharp.  That was and is my singular achievement. As I go further, you will understand.

 

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