Office Office

Yesterday I physically visited an old generation bank after a long time. Come to think of it - my first visit to a bank in ages since I transact mostly online or through ATMs.

It was quite an interesting experience. I expected no rush since public transportation was off the roads due to a strike. As expected, there were only a handful of customers.

The lady at the counter was quite co-operative and helpful. She took down the details of my request and disappeared to act on it. Feeling bored, I got around to observing the rest of the staff and the customers.

One thing has not changed over the past two decades. The pecking order is very much evident. The front-line are the lowly clerks / officers. After a gap of a couple of feet we have the managers / senior managers seated at larger tables. The sanctum sanctorum is the largest cabin (the only one that is enclosed) which seats the senior most manager.

The front-line staff looked the busiest - the change from the past being that now they were busy typing away at the terminals. The managers looked less busy but no less important. One chap had a couple of customers (who seemed quite nervous) at his desk. Yet, he was on his cell phone talking to someone loudly about the lack of traffic on his way to work and about the number of autos on the road. The customers patiently waited for the 'babu' to finish his important call.

The senior most manager was sitting in his glass enclosure picking his nose frantically. He had no one waiting at his desk. After satisfactorily completing his job (picking his nose that is), the manager came out of his cabin. Immediately the 'lesser' manager completed his call and attended to his boss.

By then the lady at the counter was back after completing my request. She inquired as to whether I was bored, I said it was interesting experience. Interesting it indeed was.

Palakkad blues

Long before ‘Dhoni’ became a household name thanks to MS Dhoni, some of us had a Dhoni in our lives. The Dhoni I am referring to is the name of a farm on the outskirts of Palakkad. Enroute to this place in the middle of scenic paddy fields, we had a small private hostel which took the name of the place the road in front of it led to.

‘Dhoni hostel’ was my ‘home’ for the better part of two years. This refuge for first and second year students of Palakkad engineering college could house up to 40 students at a time. We used to spend more time at the hostel than at the college. Besides the paddy fields, we also had a little Government LP school adjacent to the hostel building. From the hostel it was a 2 km walk to the college. It was a barely motorable road with very few houses on either side.

More often than not the ‘mess’ used to be a ‘messy’ affair (one time it was closed for a couple of months because the cook ran away with the money given to him to buy provisions in bulk! The princely sum in question was two hundred rupees!) Our savior on such occasions was one Azi-ettan (a young chap who ran a tea shop opposite the hostel). We used to have breakfast at his place almost daily (probably more due to lack of choice).

After schooling in what I thought then was a big city (Trivandrum), college life at Dhoni was peaceful and slow.

Why this flashback (you may ask) now after 20 years of leaving Dhoni?

Well, earlier this week, thanks my nephew’s wedding, I got a chance to visit Dhoni. I drove to the place and as expected the paddy fields have gone (most of them) – giving way to small houses. The hostel building is still there but instead of students, the owner has rented out the rooms out to families. The ‘mess’ has made way for a small ‘office’ space. I parked near the building and looked around but could not locate Azi-ettan’s tea shop – I guessed it must have also made way for progress. Seeing a stranger, a gentleman with graying hair came and asked me what I was looking for. I told him I was looking for one Azi-ettan who used to run a tea shop. Imagine my surprise when he said that he was the same ‘Aziz’. His make shift restaurant / tea shop is now a provision shop. He was very happy to see me (though he remembered neither me nor any of my friends – only natural since hundreds of students would have had ‘appams’ at his place). Before leaving, I also drove to the college. The road is very motorable now and both sides are lined with houses. At one point during the 2 km drive I thought I had lost my way!

Visiting Dhoni after two decades was an exhilarating experience. I was flooded with nostalgic memories of college life and carefree time then. As far as Dhoni hostel and the surroundings are concerned, progress has dampened the beauty of the place but one thing though - the place still has not lost its rustic charm.

I took leave of the place by driving a bit further down the road towards Dhoni farm. I was happy to see that ‘our’ paddy fields still exist and are still in the same pristine condition!