Of Dogs And Men

Of dogs and men!

It looked new to me. It was not very difficult to make this deduction. A look at the tail tucked between its legs would tell you that it was a new addition to our street’s canine population. Let that word ‘population’ not give you any wrong idea. In terms of number there were just six of them and the new addition made it seven. The new one probably did not want to encroach into our street through any hostile manoeuvre. The new one had not only stuck its tail between its legs but made it curve inward to make its intention for a peaceful co-existence abundantly clear. Initially, the other six of them did not roll a red carpet for the new one and voiced their resentment at this intrusion into their privacy by subdued wailing. But after seeing that the new dog had not uttered a word nor had its eyes become red with anger, the six dogs looked at each other mighty confused. The new dog’s winning stroke was, of course, its tail tucked deeply between its legs.


There was another angle to this peaceful acceptance of the newcomer. The six original inhabitants were initially very hostile in their communications to each other but they turned absolutely peace loving and friendly due to regular feeding by an old Brahmin lady who fed them with anything and everything she consumed. I have seen the dogs eating idlis and dosas served by the old lady with great relish. When the new comer joined the feast with its tail still tucked between its legs, the lady diagnosed the reason instantly and declared to the other six that if the new one came next day too with its tail tucked in, there would be no food for anyone anymore. The warning worked like magic and god knows what reconciliation was arrived at in their nocturnal get-together, when they came to the old lady’s house the following day, the tail of the new dog was reasonably outside!


When I joined the Bank as a Probationary Officer in the mid 1960’s, I too was like that new dog. Everything scared me. Whenever the Agent (which was how the Managers were called those days) called me to his chamber, I would sweat profusely when I presented myself to him. He would just ask how was my training schedule going and asked a few questions to evaluate my progress. Five years later, I reached a seniority that merited my posting as Agent. Mind you it was my seniority and not competence that made me an Agent. When I reported at the Branch, no one took any notice of me. The Security guard asked me whether I needed any help to transact my business. I told him that I had come to take charge as the new Agent. The Security guy looked at me from head to foot and he seemed to think that I was playing some practical joke. He asked me to stay there and went inside to bring a dark and burly guy followed by another pale guy who looked like the assistant of the burly guy.


I told the burly guy that I had come to assume charge as the new Agent and shook hands with him while throwing a casual look at the meek guy. The burly man turned back and told the meek guy that his deliverance was at last in place as his successor had arrived. The meek chap shook my hands and extended a warm welcome to me. He then introduced the burly guy as the leader of the Staff Union and told me that he would guide me in the administration of the Branch. And so started our relationship and the burly guy was extremely hostile. He would walk into my room any time he liked and instruct me how to handle a customer or a situation. I felt totally out of place and it was clear to me that I had no say in the administration of the Branch. I tried my best to earn their good will but in vain.


It was at this stage that it happened. There was a hit and run accident in front of my office and the victim lay bleeding profusely. He was still alive but nobody came forward to do anything about it. I notified the police and with their help, moved the victim to a hospital some 5 kilometres away. The Union Leader warned me to stay away from it and let the police handle it. I ignored his advice and when the Police arrived, I accompanied them to the Hospital. But unfortunately, he was already dead by the time we reached the hospital. I felt sad for the young victim and after the post-mortem, I arranged for the transfer of the body with his relatives to his village. I agreed to foot the bill for the transport the body.


When I came back to the Branch, the Union Leader stood up and greeted me. There was a marked change in his haughty demeanour. From that day onwards, I was the real boss and the Union Leader ensured that every one extended maximum cooperation to me!

 

@satchitananda

Thank you for the first FB! With this question, you have elevated this ramble to the status of a case study. Now that you have asked it, I too have started thinking about it. I cannot ask him because he has already left the world! But he was so good to me even after I got transferred from the Branch and was in constant touch with me. He had even sent me an invitation for his daughter's wedding and he was mighty pleased to see me at the wedding. I was really sad to hear of his passing away.
Knowing how possessive you are about your towels, I really wonder if you would have thrown it at all!
Sri

 

@iyerviji
My dear Viji
You may be second in giving the FB here, but you are second to none in your popularity! I feel very happy even with your one line FB!
Sri