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Team discipline is a must

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N J Ravi Chander

It was the bard who said that “parting is such sweet sorrow”. I superannuated on January 31 last year after clocking 39 years of service in a state-run bank, and it was unbelievable how the years had rolled by. To me, the bank was like an extended family where I had spent the better part of my waking hours. Besides, the institution had given me a sense of identity and status in society. On my journey, I bumped into some wonderful people, visited some of the remotest places, and made new friends and acquaintances.

As my friends and colleagues bid me a grand adieu and one speaker after another extolled my virtues, two incidents sprung to mind. I recount them here.

Day on -2 June 1980- was eventful. As my colleagues and I trooped into the main branch of the SBI armed with our appointment orders, the Agent (Branch head) and his assistant accorded us a warm welcome. The appointments were typically set in stone. The officials directed me to cough up Rs.500 -a princely sum those days- as “security deposit”.

This amazed me as it did not find a mention in the appointment letter. My first emolument was Rs.475. With no one to bail me out, I quickly sought permission to wheel back home on my bicycle and plan to raise the amount sought. On hearing about my predicament, my mother, Padma Kumari, pledged her gold ornaments with a pawnbroker, gave me the required amount and I made my debut with SBI.

Back then, I was a movie lover and rarely missed the release of a new English movie. One particular day I was itching to see a movie first day, first show. After the cash tallied, I handed over the note bundles to the head cashier and surreptitiously slipped out. In the rush and excitement, I was guilty of not tendering the hand balance (loose notes and coins) housed in the drawer.

The goof-up meant the entire team had to work overtime to locate the difference and set the house in order. The branch officials issued a look-out instruction to trace me, but having decamped to the movies, I remained elusive.

When I reported for duty the following morning, the Chief Cashier looked daggers at me and gave me a thorough dressing down. He even warned me of dire consequences and extension of the mandatory probation period, if I dared to leave the office without seeking permission.

The other employees appeared gleeful as my folly helped them earn some extra overtime wages. But the stern reprimand by the Chief Cashier scared the living daylights out of me and turned me into a responsible and committed team player.

(The author is a former banker who has taken up writing as a pastime. He writes for the Deccan Herald, The New Indian Express, The Tribune, The Hitavada, The City Tab, Bangalore Mirror, The Hans India and Kashmir Vision)

 

 


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