The carefree days of college were over. But I was all agog to begin an independent life. I felt, it held many exciting adventures and trials and tests which would make life interesting.
I began as a Junior Engineer in the Irrigation department. I stayed with Apa, who was then the State School Medical Officer. Soon I was transferred to Keonjhar. It felt good to work in my favourite place- I did the survey on the same mountain that I used to climb as a child. I felt as if I was paying back some of my dues!
But the honeymoon period was over! I appeared for the interview for the post of an Assistant Engineer and was posted in South Orissa in Berhampur. Away from home and its comforts, I worked with one overseer; ate only rice and one curry; slept on Charpoys (a rustic bed with ropes woven through a frame as support) and generally had a hard life. Every phase has a reason in the universe- this prepared me for the hard life of Civil Engineers!
This period paid off- I was soon posted to Akhuapada close to home. I had a staff of twenty seven. I now official had a jeep and an outboard motor for tours. (was on tour for fifteen days a month!) During this nine months posting I was the first and maybe the last SDO who visited all the areas under my jurisdiction! I do remember clearly the Dak bungalow I visited in the coast canal. It had a huge banyan tree growing in the center of the drawing room! The last anyone had visited this place was the Collector in 1942! I recommended that it should be dismantled.
Some interesting facts that I garnered during this time are - The coast canals were built before the railways, and was used for traveling by boat up to Calcutta. The Dak bungalows were built between the canal and the sea. It was difficult to reach these places as the roads were bad and slushy. So the jeep was used to reach the canals- boat to cross it and then by foot to the resting place! In one such trip I found that the chowkidar (watchman cum caretaker) was a young girl of hardly sixteen- she had taken over her father’s job after his death! Her name was Rama which could also be a boy’s name so she continued this work!
To get my first increment I had to pass a Law examination. This was so because in the olden days the SDO was also a third class magistrate and used to try cases under the Bengal irrigation Act.
After my new posting I discovered a diary written by an English ISE officer. He had written elaborately about the operation of the gates of the Anicut and the canals. This diary was written in old yellowish ink made out of a fruit known as harida. I also found a note book on the history of wells written by an Asst. Engineer S.K. Palit, who was now my boss, who had been by now been promoted to the post of Chief Engineer!
All young men of my time had a very romantic view of the Army. Having failed to get the regular commission in the Army, I went to the interview for regular reserve in the Army (this allowed you to remain in the civil job and would be called only in case of emergency).
I went for this and turned it into a kind of holiday cum sightseeing trip. The Army had given me a ticket up till Meerut. From here I went to Srinagar (I had an uncle who was posted as DSP there but unfortunately he was transferred by the time I reached there!) I stayed in a boathouse on Jhelum. The tariff was Rs 10 a day inclusive of food! I went for an all-round trip of the river and Dal Lake for Rs.5. The serenity and beauty of this place is still fresh in my mind. In my subsequent trips to Srinagar I did notice that the purity and freshness reduced and now we cannot been think of visiting there! The bus trip took four days because of one lane traffic and landslides. An awesome experience nevertheless! The whole adventure cost me Rs.500.
I was never bored though my postings were in remote places. I recall using leather belts and high jump shoes to climb the eucalyptus trees in Akhuapada. I built myself a pair of water skis and used the motor boat to ski on the river. I had a huge bungalow to myself (four bedrooms!) with five acres of land around it filled with trees. For the first time I started eating fish as this was available in plenty. My salary was Rs. 300 and this was a lot of money for me.
In Dec 1959 I was transferred to a project known as Delta Irrigation Scheme. This was in Mundali close to Cuttack. I was assigned one jeep and a motorboat. The change was that the accounting system here was resident audit, whereas in the regular sub division it was post audit.
I learned the details of how large construction projects run. I did small design jobs like circular beams and slabs, complete electrical design for township, operating bulldozers to make roads, and operation of compressors, drilling and blasting stone quarries. After college this was a practical learning period for me.
Almost every Sundays I used to go to Cuttack for watching English cinemas (the only form of entertainment then!) and several times to Bhubaneswar on official duties.
Another exam to pass for the second increment! I passed the professional exam- this consisted of a design and drawing paper and also Oriya in high standard. I was not required to appear for this as I had already done it in school but I wanted to help few Telugu/Karnataka friends.
I got the commission as second lieutenant in corps of Engineers (Bengal group) and was attached to Sub Area at Lucknow and later changed to Danapur. But I never got the retention fee of Rs 200 till today. This was due to the inefficiency of the defense accounting system.
These years were a period of learning, examinations and going forward in life in a different level than those of a student. It was more practical than theory. Learning about real life is more satisfying than the pictures that we weave when we are students. My life was on an exponential growth and I wondered than where I would end up in!
No comments:
Post a Comment