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Thus started my banking career!

Discussion in 'Cheeniya's Senile Ramblings' started by Cheeniya, Oct 7, 2015.

  1. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear jayasala
    I can easily relate to the incident that you have quoted. It is not as if honesty is not appreciated in Banks but I have always noticed a reluctance on the part of Senior Officers to commend any laudable act that they come across. By saying that 'returning the money cannot be considered anything extraordinary, they simply try to establish their own sense of integrity! So often we come across people travelling in autos rewarding the drivers for restoring to them valuables left behind. It is a pity Senior Officers of Banks do not have such magnanimity.

    The benevolence of the Indian Institute of Bankers is only too well known. It is sad that Banks continue to attach any importance to the exams conducted by them!
    Sri
     
  2. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    My dear Srama
    Ranipal was initially Tinopal. But our generation is earlier to all the 'pals'. Robin blue was our trusted whitener that gave the stuff that we wore a distinctive look. It came in small blue boxes carrying the picture of a Robin. The huge ledgers that we had to keep moving around in the Bank made our shirts change their colour like a chameleon but they were again back to spotless white thanks to the little Robin.

    You seem to have done a lot of research on last benches!Once my lecturer told me that he was extremely weary of the last but one benches because the trouble makers invariably occupied them knowing that the attention of the authorities would be focussed on the last bench! All the cat calls and the weird noise that they made would appear to be emanating from the last bench. Possibly the trouble makers knew a bit of ventriloquism.

    There is no dearth of happiness in working for the Banks. All those bundles of currency strewn around made us feel like Ambanis! Further the level of camaraderie was always quite high in Banks. As no one got promoted out of turn, there was no rat race or heartburn. Most of them did not want promotion either having developed strong roots in their favourite places. They hated promotion for fear of getting 'disturbed', a word used to denote transfers! 'I have been disturbed' meant that 'I have been transferred'!

    I am glad that my banking reminiscences have reminded you of your dear dad. Keep that smile well plastered!
    Sri
     
  3. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear PS
    It is nice to interact with you after a long time. Your brother's career in Indian Bank sounds more or less like my own in SBI except that my stint with the Bank lasted exactly 25 years. I could not have lasted 40 years in the Bank. I would have reached my level of inefficiency well before that time span! It is difficult for straight forward people to carry on anywhere these days! Making compromises is the name of the game now. It is required in all spheres of life!

    Literary aspirations? I have none!
    Sri
     
  4. Akanksha1982

    Akanksha1982 IL Hall of Fame

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    Cheeniya sir, thanks for sharing your story about your banking career. My brother retired recently from Bank. He was a PA for GM. Many GMs came and went, he stayed there as he was loved by all GMs. So the outgoing ones recommended him to the next one. We used to get all the information about the politics and what's going on the top floor. Recently, one of his GMs, who later became a Chairman of a different bank stayed a few days at our house here and it was interesting to learn about the Chairman's interaction with the Finance Ministers.
     
  5. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Akanksha
    So your dear brother was like Tennyson's Brook declaring that 'men may come and men may go but I go on forever'? In fact, we had one like him in Madras Head Office. His name was Swaminthan but we called him as Sam. No General Manager could effectively function without him. He had all the circular references in his finger tips and whenever the GMs felt pushed up the walls, Sam was their saviour. He would never share administrative secrets even with his best friends and that quality of his literally kept him on par with the GMs. Many junior officers were as afraid of him as they were of the GM!
    Sri
     
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  6. rgsrinivasan

    rgsrinivasan IL Hall of Fame

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    Just to add my little part in this Sir - I cleared BSRB exam for probationary officers way back in late nineties. Just out of college with a master's diploma from a reputed computer firm [then], my joy was unmatched. Till date I don't know how I cleared the written exam, but the interview was a different story altogether.

    There were about 5 people in the room, one very sympathetic female and 4 other men, one very old, who seemed to have lost the art of smiling then. Soon, questions started and my nervousness was replaced by a childish enthusiasm about how I can help with what qualifications I have [I even came up with an idea to reduce processing time!]. The lion [old man] started after all others finished. "Now tell me Mr... You have a master's diploma in computer science from a private firm and by your certificates, you seem to be in the top 5 of the class. Right?" I nodded as a kid. "Today there are so many computer illiterates [then] who would benefit from your knowledge. Right? You see, what if a bank funds you say, a lakh rupees so you can start a training centre? Don't you think thats a good suggestion friends?", he asked the others. I too nodded, not knowing that my interview was over at that moment straight. Thus ended my association with a bank job as one of my prospective employment. -rgs
     
  7. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    My dear RGS
    This is a typical Bank interview. I too have sat on the Interview Board for clerical cadre and we were told in strong terms that we must avoid recruiting over-qualified guys who may be seeking a Bank job as a temporary parking slot. They would have known that you would not stick on to a dull job that is not half as exciting as a software job. I remember that when computers first made their appearance in the Bank, we used to stand around the software guys with open mouth and watch reams and reams of paper rolling out of the printers. They would be conversing among themselves in a language that was alien to us. We always held them in great awe and considered them as God's gift to mankind. So whenever a software guy sought a Bank job, we became very weary. Keeping this background in mind, I am not all surprised at the kind of interview you had. Such cases are always left to be dealt with by the Chief of the Interview Board.

    Honestly I am glad that fate kept you away from a Bank job. jayasala probably won't agree with me but this is one of those rare instances when I'll hold on to my views!
    Sri
     
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  8. rgsrinivasan

    rgsrinivasan IL Hall of Fame

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    Thanks Cheeniya Sir for your response. I actually laughed at the whole episode where I was beautifully carried away and am still learning to understand the flow of communication and whats intended between the lines.

    Besides, I never thought of that job as a temporary hop and go, as some of my relatives were in banks as well. I never informed them about the interview itself and paid heavy for the simple mistake of mine - going unprepared for an interview. If I were to see and recognize that old man today, I will smile and ask him for a coffee too. Am interested in numbers and do have a strong memory [which takes a hit these days], so naturally inclined to any numerical aptitude related tests.

    Now when I look back, I have much less regret - about an innocent being steered the way he was not aware of. But it was primarily my mistake in the first place. -rgs
     
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  9. vaidehi71

    vaidehi71 IL Hall of Fame

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    Mama,

    Nice thread and the replies from so many ILites are very nice as well.
    My father also retired from Bank, but since he did not discuss much and I was young I did not know much details. He too had to go around visiting places, that is all I knew. Infact my mother wanted me to take up commerce and go that pathway, but I was not interested and decided to take first group and my father did not say anything, left that to my choice.

    Now after reading your post it seems like that I made the right decision. I could never have survived in banks I think.

    Thanks for sharing,
    Regards,
    Vaidehi
     
  10. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    My dear Vaidehi
    Thank you for your visit to this thread! Modern Banking is vastly different from what it used to be during my days. I took my retirement 25 years back and my early banking days go back to almost 50 years. Those days everything was being done manually and computers entered the bank towards the fag end of my career. It has made a lot of difference to the present day banking. Further in our days, banking was very elementary of accepting deposits and giving loans. But today so many new areas of banking are making banking job as exciting as any other job. At least that is what the young bankers of today want me to believe!
    Sri
     
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