My First Appoinment Letter

Retirement usually calls for an indolent lifestyle with a lot of room for reminiscence; mental impression of the days when life used to be vital keeps running through the idle mind, occasionally leaving an unwitting smile on an old man’s face. As a 66 years old man living with his choleric daughter, amongst the daunting buildings of Bangalore, half the time I fight with my prolonged diabetes. However, sometimes I pleasantly loose myself to the echoing memories of the days when I basked in the lustrous sunshine of youth. Most of these indulgences are related to my 40 year long service period or “career” (as my kids call it today) in Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC).

The memory of my first and only appointment is still afresh and it seems just like a few days ago. It was the 10th of December, 1970, and I had gone to Shillong, to pay a visit to my Late father, Govind Chandra Borah . My father was an MLA of undivided Assam, a time when the seven sisters were one and Shillong was the capital of Assam. The very next year Assam was split into many parts and it capital was shifted to Guwahati. Anyway, it was a chilly winter evening when I happened to meet two of my father’s friends ex Finance Minister Mahendra Mohan Choudary and ex Transport Minister Prabin Chaodhary. Little did I know that the encounter that evening would shape the rest of my life!

A casual conversation with the two gentlemen led to the rousing of their interest in my job, to which I reluctantly replied that I was rather a student pursuing law. They both were unimpressed, “upset” to be precise. I tried to fix things by adding that I had passed out of my ACS examination and was looking for a job. They took my words more seriously than I did and immediately asked me to join ASTC. I was not sure if they were joking or rebuking me, but soon realized that they were serious. They asked me to come back to Shillong in January 1971 and collect the appointment.

Back then ASTC was a flourishing department under the Government of Assam and I did not waste any time in making use of an opportunity like that. I returned the following year and went straight to the GM who was based out of the ASTC office in Lachumiere, (a commercial hub in Shillong). Neither did I request for an appointment nor did I carry any documents with me. The only thing I remember telling him was that “I am here for a job”. The GM was stunned for a while; I am not sure if it was for my audacity or my ridiculous ignorance.

Nevertheless he was kind enough to explain to me there are certain procedure and protocols that needs to be followed while applying for a job. But, my young blood told me that the moron was just trying my patience and I hastily provided him my references. Initially the General Manager locked at me with a mocking gesture, but much to my delight, just like a movie scene where a cop gets a call from the minister, the Telephone bell intruded into our connversation with a loud shrill.

I sat there amused as the GM kept saying “yes sir”, “alright sir” “no problem sir”. When the call was over, the General Manager gave me an embarrassed look and spoke to me in a subdued tone saying I should have told him my father’s name. Well, although the MP’s and MLA’s weren’t that corrupted or rich back then, their connections sure paid off. I am a living testimony to that.

The GM hastily ordered his PA to get all the paper work done and in a matter of no time, I was handed a crisp white paper with words typed in Black ink. It was my First Appointment Letter. I was given a three months probation period as an Assistant Superintendent of ASTC, ASTC- a word that became a part and parcel for the next forty years of my life.