Remniscenses

 My first day travel to St Albert's College from Vypeen to Ernakulam was a celebration at home. I was escorted by my father upto the bus terminus; on the way granny Anathasia grinned exhibiting her beetle stained teeth. I was not much amused, because she was one of the leading volunteer of local moral police. Immediately I looked and felt my right foot where I got the whacking from my parents six to seven years back on a serious complaint raised by her for playing football at the church yard after the school.

That evening the moral police made a special appearance in the late hours of the day and made a request to see me.  She asked my mother to make a special concoction of raw egg and pepper to be administered to your son who had a mighty fall in the church compound.  My God, it was the boy who made the twirling round of few metres after kicking the ball on the ground.

This statement was sufficient for inflicting injuries on my feet as a warning.  I felt the pain again on that day and without a word I walked past her towards my destination.

In the college P DC class I thought I was the only person in short trousers.  But was relieved to see another boy like me, a little shorter than me.  Only the English tutor Augustine sir made comments about our short trousers, but I had to wait for the completion of the year to change my dress to veshti.  

After the pre degree my admission for B Com course was not a problem.  My close friends in pre degree Joseph and Krishna Kumar opted for B A Economics. But our friendship continued during intervels and after college hours.  After the degree I failed to get a placement in any banks or public or private companies in the state. After waiting for nine months and trying for odd jobs at a commercial tax consultant service company for three months I started to Madras. My uncle was the source of my  strength who helped me mentally financially through out my studies.

On his weekly off days and other holidays he took me to his various contacts.  One such contact was an attendant in Tarapore and Co who had borrowed money from him promising lucrative jobs. At last a neighbour offered a job with a CA firm for an article clerk offering ₹120/- per month.  My job was filling IT assessment forms of his clients in the morning session and filing their returns in the Income tax office in the afternoon.  This job gave me satisfaction of mobility and meeting people outside.

After an year the hotel food became a cause of concern. I was down with high fever and had to be admitted in Stanley hospital for few days.  Poor uncle, he had to shuttle between his office, hospital and home. Only a letter was posted home to intimate my parents about my condition.  Next day packing their things all three of them, father, mother and little sister reached Madras.  The advantage, hotel food changed to home made food.  Disadvantage never bothered to return back to hometown,  rather surrendered the right to a small house owned by us given away to the uncle and his family.  We become a transplanted tree which had be watered and nourished at the new location.

The CA boss asked me to continue in his firm after one year with an increment of ₹10/-asked me whether I am willing to register as an article clerk to pursue CA. It was then a friend a workshop owner supplying machined pipefittings to a construction company introduced to Aban Constructions piping contractor to big turnkey projects.  I was offered ₹300/ per month and within three months I was asked to go to Mangalore Fertilizer site as site accountant.

Here I had the privilege to interact with different levels of people.  Engineers, welders, fitters, khalasis and manual labourers. Living in a commune after the office hours social interaction, preparation of food, sharing and caring entertainment during holidays made the life rich in experience. Really it was during these period I have learnt many important facets of life. 

A welder fresh from ITI extended his friendship as a brother, invited to his house on holidays offered food and caring.  His name is Viswambaran.

My share of salary was sent to my parents by money order every month without fail. My little contribution to my family helped to ease the burden of uncle who was shouldering  full responsibility of day today affairs of family.  At the project site entire workforce from different companies used to interact freely after office hours.  This contributed immensely for the skill development and communication.  A genuine person who shared our residence was Retd. Cap Nair who always mimiced late Bhutto's words 'Islam pura quatre mein hein'. The construction work  in Mangalore lasted one year,  rich with experience returned back to Chennai office.

Next project site was  Cochin Refinery phase 2 at Ambalamugal.  Here I got introduced to a lasting friendship with Er R Ramakrishnan a voracious eater and reader of books.  I owe to him for showing me the world of English literature.  Paperback edition of latest fictions he used to buy from bookstores every week,  after reading would be handover to me for reading and possession.  I still hold many of his autographed paperback editions of Forsith and PG Woodhouse.

Cochin Refinery site was a notorious one where the local leaders demanded employment in the construction site.  Whereas the principal contractor did not want the local to be employed. The struggle resulted in group clashes, many were injured hospitalised.  That was the first phase,  I joined the site in the second phase.  The Project chief's full support helped me keeping the morale high, but there were some spies in the group who used to spread ill will reported to company boss.

Before the close of project I was called back to HO, reprimanded by the boss.  For some time I was confined to HO as punishment.

After three months again posted to National Fertilizer project site at Panipat.  Model Town in Panipat where we were staying bring home many interesting memories.  Tall and mighty engineer Vaidyanathan was a multi linguist.  Well versed in Hindi and Urdu. Recall his Cinema dialogues and old songs full of shayaris.  

An interesting incident in Panipat.  Me and Vaidyanathan started from home to see the movie 'Baiju bavra' at the National theatre.  The roads and residence in Model Town is planned in circular types.  We started on the way came across Dyal Singh piyav, and then Arya Mandir then comes the SBI branch... We are walking straight road to reach the theatre as fast as we can to book the tickets before displaying housefull board.  We came across the second Dyal Singh piyav, and was surprised to see the second Arya Mandir...to realise our foolishness took some time.  Some passersby told us to avoid the straight road, but to take adjustant bylanes instead. We had a heartful laugh.

Our next project was Bongaigaon refinery, Assam.  Here my friend in Mangalore, Viswambaran came in search of a welder job asked my help for an introduction. Attended the test and was appointed.  It was then the ghosts of Cochin Refinery site started reappearing.  All of a sudden the boss arrived unnoticed and asked me to come for a one to one meeting. Bad reports from the same earlier Stooges, I was asked to quit the job immediately.  My friend Viswambaran was waiting outside with his first month pay packet, when I was facing the firing squad.  With swollen face I came out of the Boss room.  He enquired , I explained the situation.  He gave me the pay packet which had ₹3000/ and asked me to take the full amount.

I took only ₹400/- for my return ticket to Chennai.  That was the end of my association with Aban.

My association from 1973 lasted upto end 1977.

Back home without a job.  I approached my CA boss for a stop gap arrangement.  You are welcome to my office from tomorrow.  When I went to join the next  day he asked me the last drawn salary which was ₹150/- four years back.  He asked me to have the same monthly salary which was accepted.  The cabin of the Boss was modernised with AC and wood panels.  When I came out of the room the door closer banged which made the boss excited.  He mildly scolded me not to repeat the banging as the refurbishing was an expensive one.  

I searched for other jobs in the daily papers and found a job in an office in Egmore.  From morning to noon in the residence  cum office writing accounts cum baby sitting and afternoon in the workshop at Saidapet where job work of machine parts of cars of Hindustan motors. First month was incident free, in the second month real face of the owner was revealed.  The raw materials for high quality steel piping was procured for the machine parts.

This parts was hypothicated to a nationalised bank and kept under the safe custody of the factory premises itself. The key of the hypothicated goods were deposited with the bank, but unscrupulously with a duplicate key the materials used for supply also.  

On a fine morning when I visited the workshop the office was ransacked and the safe of the hypothicated goods broken and the office clock was lying down shattered.  When I started to lift the wall clock the owner shouted 'don't touch, your fingerprint will be taken as evidence by the police '.  The drama enacted was evident; after looting the booty the outsider theft was enacted.

What a dreadful criminal he is, without even waiting for the salary for two months work in the office cum workshop I had to say goodbye.  Second jolt within six months.

Next day onwards I began to go round the construction sites in Chennai, and one of the place I visited and wanted to be a part was Pharmaceutical unit of ICI under construction at Ennore. I set my heart for this site over a period of time the events turned out in my favour.  My daddy joined the site as a casual labourer for heavy machinery transportation under a sub contractor. 

He was a jovial go getter having a military background who has fluency in Hindi and English.  A comeraderie with an officer of main consultant Humphrey and Glasgow's stores manager

Mr Ramani from Palakkad was developed.  A vacancy in the construction office for a draughtsman cum office assistant was informed to my daddy.

Next day I presented myself to the Asst construction Manager Mr KV Chary.   My construction background helped me to impress the interviewer.  On a purely temperory basis I was given the job under a sub contractor Architect C R Narayana Rao & Co.  

I gave my full dedication to my work and the earlier setbacks was an impetus to give 100 plus contribution.  The construction office received hundreds of Engineering drawings from the Project offices in Calcutta and Bombay.  Record the receipts, store and issue to Engineers whenever asked for and deposit them back in the evening to be given again was a daunting task.  The swiftness in issues and storing to the team of engineers pleased everyone.  Mr K V Chary was transferred to Nairobi on a different assignment before the close of project.  While leaving he gave a confidential letter to the Project Manager to consider me for the permanent post that may arise for the unit.

In the month of May 1979 the health of my mother turned very bad due to many complications and was admitted in General hospital.  A call was received in construction office that she passed away.  Mr Sengupta a project engineer called me informing that my mother is serious and he escorted me in car to drop me at the hospital. This was a setback in my life.

But next month papers were moved from the personal department for making me permanent and was asked to go for a medical checkup.  The procedure was done in Vijaya Hospital and I patiently waited for the result,  unaware of the Nexus working to fail me in the medical checkup.  The team in the Nexus consisted of Personnel Manager and the GM as they had some other candidate instead of me.  On the D day Dr K P Mishra, Medical Director of the company carried my medical report to have a discussion with the Personnel Manager.  Act of Providence,  Sengupta went inside the PM's room for getting some travel arrangements and saw the envelope containing the report. He asked Dr Mishra whether the report was that of Xavier and if it is OK.  He asked whether he is really interested in this candidate.  His reply made the difference and my fate. 

I got my appointment in November 1979 and worked in that company until my VRS in 2002.  In between I got happily married to a teacher inherited three children educated them employed and now enjoying the retired life.