LIFE IN THE SIXTIES --CONTD.

Ranchi  situated in the then state of Bihar and presently in the state of Jharkhand   with  its cool climate was a hill station in olden days .Later  due to population explosion   on industrialization it   lost  that  status now .In 1961  it had a pleasant climate and  particularly during  summer nights it used to be very cold..I liked  the  place immensely having come from a hot place like Kerala. with year round  sweating  The town was not that crowded  then and  if you walked a little distance away from the  town   you  could  enjoy the beauty of the country side with small villages of the tribal people

We  were six members in the mess occupying 3 rooms, 2 members in each room..There was a kitchen outside the rooms and a toilet  and a  bath .All members were malayalees then .,  one working in a bank, one working in a newspaper office,   three in a central government organisation and myself ..Our cook used to be a  boy Panna  by name , a bihari.  and all of us liked his food preparations particularly  his wheat roti and dal./subji .In fact he used to challenge each one of us about the maximum rotis that could be eaten at a stretch and he  used to prepare the rotis without any grudge or complaint. I remember I had once eaten  12 rotis at a stretch.and Panna congratulated me for the achievement.Subsequently we had more members in the mess for short periods  and we accommodated them by adding  more  cots made of wooden frame and  a sort of  interwoven ropes made of   bark of certain plant. We had one Rao from Andhra Pradesh, one  person from Karnataka and  another   of Tamil origin, thus making our mess  really a Madrassi mess  as was known locally.
Panna was very trustworthy, never cheated in money handling for local purchases of vegetables and provisions, (Later when Panna left us , we tried to  get a replacement and while interviewing one  candidate asked whether he was to buy vegetables and provisions for the mess and when we told that we would provide him whatever  required , he frankly told he was not interested in the job . .It appeared he wanted to make some money out of  the  purchases. Panna wanted leave to go to his native village and we gladly permitted  him.Unfortunately he did not return after the leave and we  did not have his address either. ..So we had no cook in the mess and had to resort to hotel food.Another interesting  person we came across during our stay in the mess  was  Abdul (?) by name.Whether sun or rain Abdul would come every Tuesdays with our dresses washed and pressed to  perfection . Without him we could not even imagine how we could go to office neatly dressed. Laundry shops were few and far between and shops where pressing of dress  alone was done were not there .

SEARCH FOR JOB
One day a letter was received  from my father stating  that I passed the degree examination with high second class. For Arts group students, getting a second class itself was  difficult in those days.       and getting first class,  extremely difficult..Valuation of answer papers was very strict then  unlike now  when  most   students get above 80 percent marks, .Brother got the marks sheet and provisional certificate etc. immediately(final certificate would be given only after the convocation) from the college .A discussion was held in the mess among the members about the possible places where I should try for job and the member working in the news paper office suggested that   I should meet the editor of his paper  and show the certificates and request for taking   as an apprentice.So I went to the news paper office the  next day , met the editor., a Bengali lawyer whom I admire even now for his vast knowledge and abilities. .He told that I could be taken as a proof reader(Sub Editorial Assistant). and asked me  how much salary I expected .  I replied that  it might be fixed after  seeing  my performance.   for  a month and the editor liked the reply...So I joined the office the next day and was posted under the  Sub-Editor. a grand old   Bengali gentleman who  was a freedom fighter once upon a time.. My duty was to collect the proof from the composers, read the proof and correct it ,and give  it to my boss and then give it to the foreman after it is cleared by the boss for printing..Important first page news and editorial pages  were to be  corrected by sub editor only..Since the paper was not daily but published on certain days of the week, I had to work throughout  the night prior to the publication days. After the month was over my salary was fixed at Rs 75/ per month .

 .The monthly contribution to the mess was only Rs 50  for lodging and boarding and I had  only Rs  25 left for small expenses like hair cut ...Meanwhile an  advertisement came out for jobs in the biggest central public sector  company in Ranchi  where my brother was working . I gave my application. immediately. Ranchi University also published the admission notification for admission   to the post graduate course in Economics( MA  in Economics)I went to the university and submitted the application form  and also met the Head of the Department of Economics.After seeing  that I got 58.5% in the main paper (Economics) in my degree exam he was very happy and told  that I would definitely get the admission.However when the final selection list came my name was not there .. I was devastated and immediately went to see the professor to seek clarification.He told that the matter was discussed in the syndicate meeting and it was the decision of the syndicate to give preference to students from universities located in  Bihar   and take students from other universities  only if any seat was left over. e. The professor suggested to wait for the next academic session which was obviously not acceptable to me. Thus  having lost all hopes of going for post graduate studies (the very purpose of my coming to Ranchi), I thought of returning to Kerala,Meanwhile I had joined for evening classes in German  language conducted by the local private college run by Jesuit priests from abroad..Anyway ,  I thought  ,  I should wait for the fate of my application for the  job already given before deciding to return to Kerala

The work in the newspaper office was continued and  with  the total income of Rs 75 per month  which was just sufficient to meet both ends.. I  thought why  should I  not start taking tuition classes for children  as I was doing in my home town before coming over to Ranchi .Fortunately one family who was  known to us  told that they would like to engage a tuition master . .Happily I accepted the offer 'The additional income helped me to meet some more personal expenditure like going for movies and  for eating south Indian dishes' in the madrassi hotel  once in a while 

Everybody  in the news paper office  openly appreciated my work and I  decided not to return to Kerala but continue in Ranchi itself  ..As things were moving according to my  liking in the job front, a new  person was recruited  in the advertisement department and I  came to know that he was  given an initial salary of Rs 150/ p.m  i .e double the amount of my salary ...He was only an ordinary graduate like me with no previous experience and I   could not reconcile with  the new situation..The sub editor consoled me  telling that he was given a higher start because he was in the advertisement field and his job required aggressive canvassing for advertisements..Whatever might have been the justification for giving him a higher start, I felt completely upset over the action of the management and decided to quit the job as early as possible.My  immediate boss understood my feelings and though he was sorry to loose me  he could not take up my case of fixing my salary also at Rs 150/ with the editor as he himself was worried over the security of his job.

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I could not find any job suitable to my qualification  as the job market in Ranchi was too tight then.,One day one of the mess  mates told me that his friend had resigned from the company he was working  and probably  the company might take a new person in that vacancy..,So the very next day I went to the office of that company  situated about 10 kms away from Ranchi, a place called Dhruva..That was a design office of a  multinational company entrusted with the designing of  factory buildings for heavy engineering corporation , a huge public sector factory complex being established by govt, of India.The chief accountant , perused through my  certificates and told that I was the right man  having first class in school final  and high second class in the degree exam..I was  taken to the Chief of the office , an  European by name E. Kempf. I was given the appointment letter across the table  with a  salary at Rs 200/ p.m, a salary beyond my  expectations..  I was on cloud 9  and promised to join as soon as I  was  relieved by my present employer.

I met  the Editor the next day and told about joining the new company as the salary offered was very good and I  was finding it  difficult to meet both ends with the present salary..The Editor gave a long lecture how I   could shine in the field of journalism.and suggested to continue but without mentioning about the salary increase.I told him that  I  would like to go for career  in accounting profession and I had  already applied for a  job in  X company and expected to get it.,.My resignation was accepted and I was relieved . The Editor gave a very good service certificate to the effect that I am" a conscientious young man with a  high sense of responsibility"

I joined  my new office  the next day and the Chief Accountant    told me that I should not only keep books of accounts and do other related jobs, but also manage cash office also, a work I did not like because of fear of loosing money while handling. The work load was very heavy, the work itself was quite new as I had not studied accountancy at all..But my boss, the Chief Accountant, took great pains to make me understand the basic principles of accountancy like a teacher and .I am ever  grateful to him for the training he gave me in accounting matters and also for  the great lessons he taught me  to face various problems in life.He was only a matriculate by qualification, but because of his hard work, he was promoted  from the lowest position to the highest post by his European bosses.

. He used to  advice me  on every aspect of life and I have no words to express my gratitude to him  .

I  used to stay in the hostel provided by the company. According to the rules of the company we should report at 8 am  sharp  and any late attendance was severely viewed .I being a late riser found it difficult to keep the punctuality and my boss used to scold me for that. ....The work load was so heavy that I could not get time  even to stretch my back. during office time. .Then I understood that for every increase in salary there was  increase in workload and responsibilities and there was no job  in this world with less responsibilities and more salary.

While I was struggling thus, . I got selected( after the interview) as an upper division clerk in the  accounts department in the central public sector company. where I  had applied earlier. I was in a dilemma whether I should accept the new offer     with the  salary of around Rs 150/,pm, a reduction of Rs 50 / per month..My boss assured me that  once  the project was completed he would take me to Bombay(now Mumbai)  head office and I should not resign.That was a nice offer  .Having experienced the heavy work in the private sector , there was a charm for joining public sector company where workload would be much less though money also would be much less.
I tendered my resignation and told my boss that I would like to join Law Classes and that  could be possible if I work at Ranchi .only So  the boss  he reluctantly relieved  me of my duties enabling me to join the new office   immediately.

I joined in  my new assignment on 2 - 2 -1962 and was posted to Accounts department . .The work was  not at all heavy compared to my previous private sector  job and after office hours I could go to British Council Library or State Central Library  regularly' for reading.

When the new academic year started I joined for Law classes in the Government Law College. .My classes used to be from 5.30 pm to 9 pm and I had to travel  after the classes a distance of about 3 - 4 kms in the night, to reach my quarters...I bought one  new cycle by taking a cycle advance from my new employer and used it  for going to office, college and back to quarters.In winter months  it used to be very cold in Ranchi  and found it difficult to cycle in the night with no street lights on the roads, shivering( though wearing sweater, muffler  etc.) .  We used to have breakfast and lunch in a nearby(to the office) madrassi  hotel. In the evenings  myself and brother used to cook our food in the  quarters  as madrassi hotel used to be closed  after the office hours and it was also faraway .

I was very much devoted to work and rarely participated in the discussions(unofficial ) held by my colleagues(about 12 or so) who were mostly Bengalees..However I could learn their language a little and I used to go to see Bengali movies along with my  friends..My liking for Bengali movies started then.

I passed the departmental examination conducted by the company for the purpose of confirmation of  appointment and  and was declared first among the candidates appeared from Calcutta and Ranchi centres.I was congratulated   in my achievement by my South  Indian friends as South Indians rarely got the first rank in the past. .I was also appreciated once by my Departmental Head for completing the assigned work (preparation of salary bills for the staff numbering over 250)  manually  within   record time without any mistakes, at any stage whatsoever.My work was to prepare salary bill for over 250 staff members and the bill had to be prepared manually ..writing down the names, designations, scale of pay , basic pay, allowances, deductions to be made for provident fund,  recovery of advances taken like cycle advance, festival advance etc,increase in pay due to annual increments, promotion and decrease in pay due to leave taken without pay etc ...There were no calculators available then   for the staff  doing work in the accounts department  and so we had to do all calculations  manually only .When all the works  were completed    the salary bills, statements of accounts would be checked  by  a machine called Comptometer which is only a  big calculator  to be operated  manually .Usually during the final checking  the statements would not tally due to mistakes and it was in  my second or third month of joining the company  that I completed the assigned work without any mistakes and hence the appreciation  of the boss.

  Days passed and the date for the  final Bachelor of Laws examination  was announced ..It was difficult to get leave from office as the works relating to annual closing of accounts were going on.However with the available time I prepared for the exam very hard, studying  day and night and  passed the final  obtaining 60.9% marks and was placed second in the university in 1964
After passing  the Law Examination   the thought came what next. Employment opportunities were much less those days.To practice law one has to take up another examination .I was not inclined to pursue the legal profession after seeing some practicing junior lawyers getting very meager remuneration in Kerala then...Joining  in a company in the legal department was another option but that required good connection as companies rarely notified such  vacancies..Then I thought of going for company secretaryship course , the examinations for which were conducted by govt. of India.( as suggested by my ex boss of the multinational company.) I registered for the course and    despite having no  guidance from anybody(as the course was quite new and Govt, itself took initiative to promote the  profession of company secretaries in the country) I decided to appear for    group 1  of the intermediate exam . I found it easier to take up the examinations group by group. in view of lack of time to study .

I passed in the examination held at Patna, the capital city of Bihar and I still feel that I passed not due to my efforts but due to the blessings  received from Sri Viswanath, the lord  of Kasi, on   account of my visit to Kasi  made immediately after the exam..Benares (Kasi)  is near Patna  , a few hours by train .Later  I made it a practice to visit some holy place near the examination centers  after every examination..

Now came a  bigger problem in professional life.The company decided to decentralize its accounting  operations and  accordingly started sending the employees to different zones and  collieries located mostly in  northern  eastern  and central India.If the   transferred place is good there was no problem but  most of the places of collieries  were very backward and remote from civilized world  with no facilities for education, entertainment ,  eating places etc..

As feared  I was transferred to a  remote colliery office.Now  came  a new development .The day the transfer order was issued I was bedridden with high fever and could not go to the office .I was down with chicken pox .It took nearly 25 days  for me to recover from  the disease .As I was not available, the office sent somebody else in my place  and  my transfer order was cancelled 

 On my joining back after the medical leave , though very weak  I was asked to go with the truck carrying important records to   a distant colliery office in Orissa (Talcher)and I   went  there due to fear of loosing the job ,if refused.It was an experience to travel in a truck hundreds of kilometres during day and night .

On my return I  was told that  a new section of the department was started a few days back  for  investigating all cases of over payments made in different collieries to contractors for overburden removal . and by sheer blessing of God  I was posted  to that department..I worked in the new department for a few months   and could   could find several cases of over payments.The Financial Controller was very happy with my performance and when the department was closed down on completion of the work  I was posted in the accounts department  of the headquarters  region as a special case.The threat of  transfer to collieries  was  thus over for the time being.

On decentralization of the  Headquarters offices, the scope for promotion  for the employees remaining in the Headquarters  became bleak and many of us started applying for jobs elsewhere   I saw an advertisement for the post of senior clerk in a  Defence  organisation situated in Orissa.I Immediately applied and got interview call which  was held at Visakhapatnam, a town in Andhra  Pradesh .The interview went very well and as     decided  after the interview I went to the famous Simhachalam temple  of Narasimhaswamy situated in the town .,On return to Ranchi, after a few days I got the appointment letter.