In the 1980s in public sector banks, officers were paid an allowance during the time of the half-yearly closing of accounts. Normally a dinner would be arranged for all the staff of the branch with each officer parting with his closing allowance. After submitting the closing figures to the controlling office, it would be party time for all.
On one such occasion, we had a new branch manager, who always wanted to have things his way. He called for a meeting of all the officers on how to go about the half-yearly ritual, and after hearing all of us, chose to make clear his stand. Being a non-vegetarian, he decided to order all non-vegetarian dishes from soup to dessert. We were a little taken aback as in the past we had never ordered or even thought of ordering non-vegetarian stuff as some of us were staunch vegetarians. For the sake of good order, we proposed to follow the precedent but the manager remained adamant.
On the closing day, the usual revelry was missing. Many had a morose look on their face. Some of the militant officers in the group suggested boycotting the dinner itself while some others did not want to part with their closing allowance if the traditional scheme of things was not being followed. But none could openly revolt against the branch manager because among other things, the performance appraisal of each one of us was in his hands and he could harm our career prospects with that weapon. Our boss was really happy and in high spirits when the food arrived and he was raring to have a go.
It was an occasion of double delight for him for he not only had his way but also managed to create a wedge between the staff members. Those who supported him joined him, while the others had to satiate their hunger with just fruits.
It was at that point that we had an unexpected visitor in our Regional Manager: he had made an unscheduled stop at our branch on his way to the corporate office. He looked around, sensed something was amiss. While the branch manager was about to introduce the staff, he chose to ignore him and asked one of my colleagues who sat with just a banana in his hand whether he was on fast. My colleague chose to maintain a stoic silence and only looked towards the branch manager. Perplexed at the reaction and sensing something wrong, he looked around for an answer. He was visibly upset on finally learning what had transpired. After giving the branch manager a piece of his mind on the traits of a team leader, he treated us to a sumptuous buffet lunch at a five-star hotel nearby and dropped us back in the office.
It was indeed a memorable day.
maharajapuram.s.vaidyanathan@gmail.com
