Being a daughter of a banker,i have always been associated to a huge business family of my dad's office..I have not only got extreme good friends through it..but also a great support through it whenever I needed it. I have been to variety of places where my dad worked and met different kind of people.But there are some people i never really can forget. Among them is undoubtedly that one person who taught me what working loyally actually means.
The first time I met him was a bright sunny morning. I had been to my dad's office for some paperwork.And there he was.With sandy white hair. Sheer innocence on his strained and wrinkled face that showed he was no less than 60's. It was the first month that my dad was transferred to this office and obviously I didn't know him. "who's this old man ?" i enquired. And then my dad told me his story.
He joined the bank when he was pretty young as a peon..worked really hard..made a family and settled down..but never became anything except a peon throughout his job. But he was extremely hard working and helpful employee. No one ever complained about him. And he too was always satisfied with his job.Never had any extra ambitions and taught his children and helped them to be well-off..And then came the time of his retirement..he was respectfully and timely granted a retirement with some pension according to the policies..it was the time when he needed to relax..and do all that he had missed when he was working..
But a day went or two..he couldn't accept the idea of staying at home..away from the office he had given himself to..He came back to the office one fine morning and started working..Like any employee on duty..he cleaned the floors..made the tea..opened the cabin door every time an officer went in..arranged the files..looked for the demand drafts..got them posted..everything he used to do when he was on the job.Earlier, everyone thought it's just the matter of time...but later on..things remained the same..he would be there everyday..practically..even on Sunday's..he would clean and help..and do anything that was to be done..without expecting anything from anyone..without having the thought of payments or so..and not for a day or a month..but for 10 long years...!! His children,now settled were tired of telling him to stay home and rest..and so was his wife..but he didn't listen to them at all..he had this thought of loyalty and that got him to the office everyday..
While i listened to this..he got me a cup of tea..introduced himself and enquired me about what i was studying and what college i went..He was very humble while I answered and referred to me as boss's daughter. And then it became an habit for me to visit him every time i passed by my dad's office..I called him Anna..everyone in the office did..he was there to help everyone out..He'd be the one who would delightedly distribute sweets when any of the employee's had a promotion and would boast about it so proudly as if it were his own son's achievement..
At some Sunday's..i would accompany my dad to his office..dad would work and i would study in that calm atmosphere...and there he would be..standing near my table..giving me tea now-and-then so that i could study with a good tempo..He wouldn't benefit anything from me studying and scoring good..but he took pleasure in it. One day..when I visited him,he showed me a bright red coloured invitation card..it was a wedding invitation of a senior officer's daughter..he was delighted to find out he was invited and told me he'd be wearing new clothes on the day of the wedding..and i actually found him..wearing new clothes and coming to that wedding..he was very happy..( off course he had been to office earlier that morning and done all the chores..! ). He had a hearing problem..(he was 72 ) and my dad got a hearing aid for him..He was happy and proudly showed it off to everyone..telling that 'boss had got it for him'...
Days went by and my dad again got a transfer..I couldn't see him that often..but i remembered him now n then..and one morning suddenly..we got a phone call saying he was no more..he had met with an accident..and was dead on the spot..My dad was disturbed the moment he heard it and I could see that from his face..and guess what..I couldn't help crying..We didn't have any blood relation..neither did i know him for long..but he had touched my life...and i miss him..!!
This article may not interest many.nor will it touch most of the people..but this was the only thing i could do to repay the love he gave me..today,when everyone around switches job's all the time can never know how it is to stay loyal to an organisation and its people all your life this selflessly..even i don't..but i just admire and wish I could get a bit of his loyalty to whatever I do in my life..and pray..that we all do....!!
