Dresses through decades In school days, we did not have a uniform but normal half pant with dori, a string with no buttons and half shirt, no shoes or chappals. The school was 2 miles from home and we used to walk through paddy fields and roads. Timing was 10 to 4 with no lunch break. I shifted from Keonjhar to Cuttack, Now the half pant had buttons and shoes became the norm. Next was College, where we graduated to full pant, half shirt with proper shoes. In NCC we had olive green dress with a chapati topi. In Rovers Crew (senior boy scouts) it was khaki pant and white shirt tucked in. For college functions full shirt with a half sweater. No coat and tie yet. In Engineering College with money in hand I used to have variety of shirts stiched to order. We had a college crest put in the pocket of a blazer, ties, bow ties. I had cream for hair powder for face and once in a while perfume. NCC had changed to khaki¸with army belts, shoes socks with a beret with a plume on the head. For sports shorts and spikes carried over from inter science college. For college functions coat tie, for workshop pants and shirt, for classes mundu and shirt all white was the norm. To be continued

2015-20 cont

All my writings and blogs were in the PC,which was not in order nor edited properly.So i decided to have a publisher who can do the editing and publishing in a book form for posterity.No reputed publisher will touch my writings for a first time writer.Luckily i saw an ad, and gave the details and waited for them to respond.

The response came in jan 20 and the agreement was to be signed before 31st to avail a free digital sponsoring. The whole of February was to send the manuscript get the edited one, and cover page design the format etc. For every little thing they want my approval, so that i can not blame them later.What i thought their guidance on improvement was absent; It was mostly correction of spelling,syntax and the stipulation was very stringent on my role.If i want to add a chapter they asked me to resubmit the same again.Sometimes i thought of dropping the idea.

Then came Corona virus. All news channels were busy in one item, just like BBC in WW 2 .During this time i increased my activity in Facebook and my number of friends increased to 1000+.Towards the end of 2019, one friend got so annoyed with my views unfriended me. I in turn unfriended a couple of nauseating ones.This i learnt in us after Trump got elected. 13% unfriended themselves, and in some case mentors and long time ones too

2015-20

In order to enjoy post retirement days you need happiness. Happiness comes from financial security, good health and most important aspect is friendship with family and acquaintances.Most of the people working with you are also retired and are reclusive. The relations drift apart, and your children are busy with their growing children.

In this state many go to temples and do puja. Some do social service and others in yoga meditation etc. All these need special attributes, and can not applicable to all. Now I am going to tell you what I did.

News in TV and newspaper, a walk for 30 min, static bicycle, dumbbell, and little exercise every day. Reading of magazines and books along with movies in TV keeps me busy for a substantial time.Next is publishing a book of my life, going to New Delhi for medical treatment and to Mumbai for pleasure.

Memorable ones are in Mumbai stay
A resort on Arabian Sea beyond Alibag- Fantastic view excellent food and swimming in the sea.Travel was by road with very little traffic and stay of couple of days.Then there was a memorable trip to Sai baba and had a pleasant stay and darshan of the temple and my wife who is very religious enjoyed it most. Another was to Nashik, where we stayed in a hotel on the outskirts of the town. All food was buffet and a lot of choices with a diwali celebration on the premises.We went on a trip to a winery York with a guided tour and wine testing. One was so good and sweet we got several of them. The last one was to Panvel where my daughter has purchased a flat on the top floor 36 in Fortune city, on the outskirts of the town on old Pune Highway.

During stay at New Delhi there were trips in addition to the medical checks were:
Haridwar,Dehra dun and later Rishikesh. In Rishikesh we stayed in a friends guest house ate at different vegan hotels, the food cooked at the guest house was the best. We saw the whole town and the AIIMS where my grand daughter is studying.Going was okay but while coming back we came by the old route which took 12 hrs to reach Delhi.

And now 24 hrs shutdown then 1 week and now 3 weeks shutdown has given me all the time to devote on my book's publication and this blog 

PAY AND PERKS

Indian Civil Service was created by the crown and other services like Indian Police. Indian Forest Service etc were created. But ICS was the paramount service who belong to Provincial Cadres who start as Asst Collectors and end end up as Chief Secretaries of the state, or Secretaries at the center. The pay was from Rs 400 to Rs 4000(This was reduced to 350-3000 for IAS created in 1948)

A Dist Collector gets around Rs 600 and also works as District Magistrate. He has a big bungalow with servant quarters, owns his car and was paying for all services of Khansama Rs 5,servants, dhobi, barbaer etc at Re 1.Out of salary he used to send 50% back home in pound sterling.Because of high income corruption was unknown in ICS.

The interview was originally at London and later shifted to Calcutta. The school students from Eton, Harrow and others gave a petition to the King requesting 50% reservation for england, since Bengali babus will excel, which was granted 

ICS was having a judicial branch, who became judges in high courts. They can opt for posting at foreign embassies. In sort they were the backbones of british administration in India.They used to retire at the age of 60, which is astrologically a crucial year.(This was reduced to 55 of other services after 1947).Six months before 60 he can opt to tour whole of Europe other than England at the govt expense.

My Father 1947-57

India became independant on 15 Aug 1947, and on 1 Jan 1948 Keonjhar State, where he was serving was merged with Orissa Province, but new name was Orissa State. He used to say that Orissa Province merged with Keonjhar State.In the place of Dewan an Administrator was posted who was again replaced by District Magistrate. The English Forest Officer left leaving the department to a Dist Forest Officer. An Supdt of Police was posted. My Father was appointed as Civil Surgeon and transferred to the largest district Koraput.In Keonjhar State his salary was Rs 400 and jail allowance of Rs 50,in silver coins sent by treasury in a jali bag, and it became Rs 860 plus jail allowance of Rs 75.

Excepi for a brief period he was staying in his own house. Now he stayed on a hill top town and moved with the entire brood. His name was entered in the Civil List and transfer and postings published in the State gazette.He was doing exactly the same as he was before. After a year or so he was posted as Addl Civil Surgeon of Cuttack the capital of the state, where he had no hospital, but was Supdt of Central Jail, Lecturer of Jurisprudence of Orissa Medical College. The pay remained the same as it was the top of the scale 300-860.plus jail all of Rs 100 being the central jail and Rs 200 as lecturer. For the first time the prisoners were not available for domestic work, except an warder working as a attendant.

During this time he mostly busy in the jail with a lot of communist prisoners, post mortems of the dead and teaching.Again after a year his post was abolished and he became Civil Surgeon with a hospital to look after and tour of the sub divisional hospitals and jails.The demand for posting at Cuttack was high and he was transferred to Baripada the headquarters of Mayurbhanj, the former largest state.Here he devoted far larger time in a full fledged hospital treating patients and performing surgeries. He had the job of decease prevention of Yaws, with staff and an American Pick up.

Due to seniority he was again posted as Civil Surgeon of Cuttack, and his post was upgraded to Professor of Jurisprudence and Forensic Medicine. He also became external examiners in Calcutta and Madras Medical Colleges and once in Patna Medical College his alma mater.This continued even after his retirement in 1957 at a a age of 55. 

2010-15 Continued

Exactly after Two years, when i left teaching and went to Alexandria, an offer came from Arkitechno Consultant as Project Manager, and i joined on 31 May 2013. Somebody had suggested that after 50 plus professional work, i should do some social work. This was an opportunity and Melinda & Bill Gates foundation was partially funding through J-PAL-Jameel Poverty Action Lab South Asiaat Institute of Financial Management an Research(IFMR) Chennai.

Quicksand Design Studio was retained by JPAL to design and execute the Project Sammaan, with a MoU signed with Bhubaneswar and Cuttack Municipalities. Their local rep was Feedback foundation for 11 months, from whom i took over. The work was of interaction with several partners of Quicksand namely Anagram the designers and CDD for advance septic tanks and submitting the same to BMC and CMC for tendering. Later i was asked to review the drawings, conduct survey redesign the structures. This arrangement ended on 31 Jan 2014.From 1 Feb 14, i am again engaged by Quicksand as Project Technical Lead.

This is a quiet novel experience of dealing everything by internet- almost daily communication weekly tele conference, getting drawings by mail, printing and submitting to BMC/CMC.I had two engineers  to assist and a monthly visit from Quicksand people and meeting with all levels of the state government.

Except when i was with State Govt and Govt of India, i had no direct contact with government while in Public or Private sector jobs, and this is the smallest Project i had handled which is around 23 crores.The work consists of construction of 27 Public Toilets and 90 Community Toilets, with modern design- about 10 typologies and advance type of septic tanks known as Advance Settlers, DEWATS etc, This is nothing compared to the modern sewerage treatment plant i had constructed for large Petrochemical plants and Oil refineries. This has a basic difference of not using motors or any moving equipment,

My father 1940-47

After he became Chief Medical Officer, the first thing he did was to expand the hospital with a new block. The contract was awarded to One Bhagabat Mohanty of Cuttack, who was the only contractor with a engineering degree. He had another work at Akhuapaqda, where cement was issued by Orissa PWD. For the hospital it was inclusive of cost of cement. Therefore some sort of diversion took place, but the work was completed with good quality, which is still standing.

Next was having a ambulance for patient care and transportation of medicine and medical equipment. These type of acquisition in a state like Keonjhar had several steps, like proposal, approval by dewan, provision in the budget calling for quotes and buying proper. If it is a large amount it needs the approval of Resident, an englishman posted at Sambalpur.Them came a new hospital in Anandpur sub division, but on the only highway, known as Cuttack Ranchi Road (Now known as NH 215).There was a dispute between two villages, what my father did was to called village elders and took a map. He then drew a line connecting the two and took the mid point as the location. There no village but the hospital ran smoothly. Now a village has grown around it.

As was the practice of Bengal Presidency, he was the superintendent of the jail. Theory told to me was: Police arrest a culprit the Judge prosecutes, and a doctor takes care of him. This was a fantastic piece of insight of British Administration. Now after so many years this is given back to Police, against all norms of civilised society.The convicts were with small wages used to cultivate vegetables, produce carpets, stitch uniforms and many sundry works for the jail. They used to work in our house also.To maintain law and order, without the help of police was also his job.As such the police force was small headed by an inspector for the whole state, which probable got its first SP after the war.His job was hospital and jail plus inspection,supply of medicine to other smaller hospitals and subjails, where the Asst Surgeon was superintended.

Throughout the WW II nothing changed, except petrol and spares for his favorite car. He used to make spares at jail workshop, fit larger tyres, used jeep shock absolver all by himself, since there were no mechanics.His adventure in car were many but one was: The small rivers had flash floods and his car was stalled on the fair weather crossing. He pushed the car by hand and shoulder to higher ground, and in the process broke his collar bone. Once he operated a patient by the headlight of the car.