Lion, Friend and Hanuman

While working in the Head Office, I came across a General Manager, Mr Gandgule, who was very strict and always used harsh language while talking to his subordinates. Nobody wanted to go to him, unless called by him. He was dubbed as “Lion”.

But there was a Chief Manager, Mr Sharma, who was not a union leader, but no less. He was soft spoken and gregarious in nature. He used to take up the individual cases of employees to solve them in his own ways. He was available every time and was fondly known as “Friend”.

There was one peon, Ramcharan, who used to collect two rupees from all of us every Saturday for offering to Lord Hanuman and in the afternoon, he would distribute the prasad (offering) in the form of puffed rice, roasted gram and jaggery. He was a jolly person and never refused any work entrusted by us. We called him “Hanuman”.

After a few years, I was posted again in the same office. By that time, all the three, i.e. Lion, Friend and Hanuman had retired from the service. But whenever they came for any work to the office, I had seen how people would hide or turn their faces and change the way seeing the Lion approaching.

On the other hand, the old colleagues used to hug Friend and Hanuman affectionately. After retirement, it doesn’t matter which post one held. What matters is how you treated people when you were in the seat of power.

The problem of persons like Lion don’t end with retirement. In fact in some cases, the problem gets aggravated, particularly when they don’t get post-retirement rehabilitation.

We must have come across one or two elderly high ranking officers in our own neighborhood, who simply get disturbed when they don’t get the same treatment. They terribly miss the battery of yes-men.

Such a person will look at others with contempt and whenever he gets an opportunity to speak, he will eulogise himself and go on bragging how important he was and what was his big achievements, without any curiosity to know about the person he is talking to.

But those who understand the fused bulbs concept, they live peacefully. After retirement, all become fused (blown or burnt out) bulbs💡; the wattage, hallogen or floodlight don’t matter thereafter. When the chess game is over, king, queen and pawns go back in the same box.

We also see persons who had been in the highest positions getting quickly reconciled to new situations and remain content and happy. They become ideal grandparents and advise when solicited.

Yes, a fused bulb💡can also be painted artfully for getting decorated in home and society. Nothing loses values that simply undergo changes in form and content from time to time.

–Kaushal Kishore