Friday, November 15, 2019

I WAS SHORT-TEMPERED.

In 1966 when I was 21, I was in Tiruchy with my parents.  I had finished my degree and I was applying and applying without a reply for a job. Then I got a job as Accounts Assistant in a leading civil contractor's firm of Small Arms Project. The office was located in Thillainagar, Tiruchy. They had another office at the site and the HO at Madras.

There were about 15 staff members. Since there was no direct bus, I was going to the office in my father's cycle. It was a second-hand black Hercules cycle which my father had bought for Rs.50 from a friend. It had Brooks make an airplane seat. I used to go via the overbridge near the Fort railway station and turned left.

One Mr.Sargunam was the attender in the office. He was a rogue. He was in good terms with the Resident Engineer who was the boss. He never used to attend office duties. Many times I had quarreled with him. I used to discipline him but he would not budge.

One day, when I was about to leave the office, I found my cycle tyre punctured. It had a new tube and tyre. I suspected someone had purposely done it. When I inquired no one knew anything about it. One friend told me that he saw Sargunam doing the mischief with a pin.

On the next day, I confronted Sargunam on the road when he was coming to the office. He did not accept that he did it. I warned him saying, if he touched my cycle again I would break his bones. I was very short-tempered in those days. If I got angry, I did not hesitate to hit anyone.

Sargunam being a fragile person, went and reported the matter to the boss, the Resident Engineer. The boss called me and inquired. I told him what had happened. Supporting Sargunam, he started advising me. I did not like the way he had handled the matter as a boss because he needed Sargunam. 

I got wild and I told him in no uncertain terms, "Sir, this is not concerned with office work. It is my personal matter and it occurred outside the office. You have no business to interfere in this matter. I will not be coming to the office tomorrow. Goodbye".

N.B. On the previous day, I had received an appointment order as Junior Inspector of Coop Societies at Pudukottai directing me to join duty immediately. Ha Ha Ha.

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