Family Re-union, Kichedi, Life & Bottliwala

Thyagarajan · Dec 13, 2017

Thanks for compliments adduced with added comments evidences your enjoying the anecdote indeed.
Regards.
God Bless Us All.

Thyagarajan · Dec 13, 2017

HariLakhera said: ↑

Reminds me of a LIC agent. He was pastering a client regularly for taking a life cover and every time the client declined. He started visiting his residence also. The client lived in a first floor flat. The agent would knock at the door and the client would say no. One day totally annoyed, the client pushed him down and the agent tumbled down the stairs to reach the ground level. He got up dusted his back and said - Sir, when should I come next? The client took the policy.

As for Khichchdi and the cross in it, you might have heard this. A man complained of a fly in the tea cup. The waiter relied - what do you expect an elephant in a tea cup?
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LOL. thanks for reading the anecdote. Regards.
God Bless.

Thyagarajan · Dec 13, 2017

HazelPup said: ↑

Wow ... That was an interesting read and well narrated. Wonder how many life saving incidents you have up your sleeve. Bottliwalas perseverance is commendable
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Thanks for the compliments. You guessed right- I have few more. But I had also posted stories about saving wedding , saving thirumangalyam in Train Journey, ATM chess with pin, saffron wonder, etc., I trust you had read them all. In a lighter vein, posted
http://indusladies.com/community/threads/pregnant-facts-preponderance-

Behind Every Successful Man ….. Every Sunset Follows A Sunrise.
3m – Me, Mom & Milk
God Bless Us All.
Regards.

Thyagarajan · Dec 22, 2017

Thyagarajan said: ↑

Family Re-union, Kichedi, Life & Bottliwala

On day one, that I had assumed charges as a young probationary Officer in shipping department of Government of India, repeated gentle knocks on glassed door of my chamber distracted me. As I lifted my head gently from the day’s The Economic Times, I saw a short bespectacled stranger with a receding hairline in a Laurel-like frame clutching a wallet, attired in immaculate white full sleeves shirt tucked in gray trousers standing behind the glass-door.

I gestured him in. With his palms glued, uttering in heavily accented Hindi “Namasakaram”. He introduced himself- as Bottliwala and a go-getter for my predecessors and many others now in office. He placed on glass topped large wooden table his visiting card facing me. A glance at it revealed he is Bottliwala - agent for insurance company.

From his wallet he removed and offered a frustum shaped paper cup of ladu, mentioning it was part of offerings to the Lord at Thirupathi where his family had been recently. I received it with hesitation and wonderment. He perhaps read my mind. Smilingly he said he had married an Iyengar as an example for national integration.

He further added that a decade ago, superannuated from the chair I was sitting. He wished me God-speed to face 360° challenges that the chair would throw at me. While leaving my chamber, he casually remarked that I should forget academic achievements and post graduation in automobile.

In a way he was right. Though I was recruited against a special vacancy for an automobile engineer for London office, yet after imparting a year-long training in materials management except shipping for some queer reasons and despite protest, the man at the top posted me to oversee shipping department in Mumbai.

During the course of next month, I gathered more of office from Superintendent Kousalya Bottliwala. It was then clear to me how almost half of the office personnel had taken life insurance cover through Mr. Bottliwala and the latter’s love marriage.

Depending upon exigencies, he would frequent my office and during each visit he would offer something like trinkets, fountain-pen etc. Though I declined to accept, yet he would insist in a congenial manner that it would be difficult to refuse. Successive meetings of him always concluded talking about life cover policy followed by my emphatic no to him. He would go with a cordial smile.

When my spouse returned after her maiden confinement with two months old son on a Sunday, he surprised me by appearing at the railway platform where Dadar Express was scheduled to arrive at right time and was the first person to bless my kid with a baba-suit and satin ribbon tied sweet box.

Next working day he called on me at my chamber. After greeting me, he told as a matter of celebration of re-union with family, I should consider taking a life cover policy. He held me in awe by his enormous patience and finally securing my ‘yes’ to his proposal which I was deferring since several months.

He then insisted that I should join him for lunch. We went to a hotel in a yellow cab in Horniman circle near Flora Fountain in erstwhile Bombay. His enthusiasm to have an elaborate lunch with me evaporated when I said I would be satisfied with a cup of coffee.

He insisted that I should take atleast kichedi the popular dish (it was not yet declared National Dish) for which the Udipi hotel was famous. While reluctantly I gave the nod, I discussed the dangers inherent during monsoon when it is conducive for growth of bacteria especially in hotel kitchens. He cut me off in midsentence, telling that the hotel was established decades ago.

The kichedi arrived in a small cup placed on a large platter and we both started tasting it. Bottliwala gulped it fast. I suggested that he should always suspect every mouthful of hotel food and grind and swallow slowly. I took my second spoonful and as I sucked it into mouth, I felt something impacting against the grinding tooth and immediately I spat it out on the plate. A miniature cross made of silver-like metal with a small round hook attached to it fell on the plate. With its clinking on the metal plate, Bottliwala and I with knitted eye-brow were shell-shocked.

A supervisor in safari, happen to see it from a distance rushed to our table, attempted removing the plate with the “cross” uttering soft apologies. Tad enraged, I sternly told the supervisor to leave the plate and fetch the master who had prepared the dish. Mr Bottliwala desired that I should forget and forgive.

Two men and a boy including the bearer rushed to our table apologised profusely attempting explanation. It came to light that the young boy was entrusted with task of transferring the material into giant sized hot-pan over the flames while the other was spreading and swirling it with a ladle in the simmering water in the pan. With widened eyes looking at the cross in my plate, his right palm touched his Adam’s apple and realised that was the missing sacred talisman from his chain.

It was the moment, I realised the need to cover my life.
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@Sunburst Thank you from the bottom of my heart for clicking the like button; shall be grateful for your comments.
Regards.
God Bless Us All.

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Family Re-union, Kichedi, Life & Bottliwala

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