Sinner has a future

Let me introduce Mr. Neil Johnson; a staff clerk attached to a big branch in Mumbai. When I was posted there a decade back, I could find only diagonal red marks in the muster roll against his name. It was very difficult to see him in the bank like elected representatives in the parliament. He was running on loss of pay due to the continuous absenteeism. When he lost money in stock market he became an alcoholic addict. When he became an addict, he became a stranger to the branch and ultimately to his family also. Debts mounted and he wanted to run away from life. The staff members tried to put him back to the track, but failed. I got a couple of calls from his wife and she unfolded the miseries, the financial hardship, strained family bondage, insecurity at all levels etc. I decided to interfere earnestly.

Somehow I succeeded finally in grabbing Mr. Neil before me. I asked him why he failed to call upon me in spite of repeated requests. He told that he had wanted to come in a sober condition, but unfortunately he was not able to skip liquor. I talked about his wife, the children: a girl and a boy in high school, his profession facing departmental action, indebtedness, his wife struggling hard to make both ends meet and all, but he was not hearing anything and continued to gaze aimlessly. I did not give up my efforts. I went to him over and over again and he also came to me sometimes. Finally he wanted himself to be changed. A good start I thought. His friends helped him and got him admitted in a de addiction centre run by the Christian Missionary. After a long gap of 45 days he reported for duty. He started working hard and was getting all support from all corners. He cleared the Banking examinations (CAIIB Part II). I advised him to appear for the Officers’ written examinations which he cleared and fared well in the interview also. He got promoted. I assisted him in getting a good department in the Head Office. The reports about him continued to be encouraging. He got metamorphosed into a hardworking and trustworthy officer. Gradually all his problems subsided. His wife remained more engaged domestically. His children scored good marks. Their financial position was also gradually stabilized.

On the Christmas day I received a cake with macerated nuts from Neil’s family with a card along with which read ‘You are one among our family. You brought peace and happiness back to our home. The lady of the house got her husband back and the children their father’. For a while I thought. “Every saint has a past and sinner a future”.

The Missing Bond and the Baba

The Bank’s Stock Exchange branch. This happened some 7 years back. The Stock Brokers used to get finance from the branch by pledging various valuable documents. A major share broker had pledged R B I Bonds valued at Rs 5 crores and he wanted to take back the bond by paying off the loan. The officer concerned Mr. Nirmal Jain closed the loan account and then searched for the bond to be returned. Surprisingly to him and later to other staff members of the branch the bond was missing from the vault. The vaults were searched again and again. The customer became restless and was about to collapse. As per the records of the bank the bond was there some 4 months ago while the branch got audited by the statutory auditors during the annual closing. The broker customer got wild and was showering all kind of abuses. I assured him the value of the bond since the fault was on the part of the bank. I requested him a week’s time to settle the matter. He cautioned me with his contemptuous look which I was not prepared to explore further.

The whole branch situated in three floors was again subjected to a total scan, but not a trace of the miraculously vanished bond. I was sure that none of the staff member can afford to steal it and that was my belief. Then the question is whether the outsiders played a role and got it encashed? Because it was a bearer bond just like Indira Vikas Patra anybody could attempt for a quick treasure. The matter was informed to the RBI and the procedures usually take a couple of days or weeks to publish caution. In the meantime if some miscreants encashed the bond then the exercise would be futile. The officer responsible for the loss was tremendously under pressure from all sides and I was informed that he thought of ending the life even. I advised him that nothing would happen to him and the bond will be recovered. (I don’t know what prompted me to tell like that. From where the Bond will reappear? From Heaven? Who will recover the bond? James Bond?).

Mr Rane, a staff member and a devotee of Lord Ganesha told me that he had been to a Baba, a divine person who advised him that the Missing Bond is inside the building only. The Baba had given a sketch of the place where the subject was still lying. I went through the piece of paper and as per the drawing the location marked is the place where one of the Chief Manager’s cabin was housed and we have not left out that place also. I told Mr Rane that the place was also searched including the chest of drawers, cupboard, table etc but nothing emerged. On the next day also Mr Rane came to me and said that again he had been to the Holy person who reiterated the advice. We searched again leaving no space with any result. Mr. Rane repeated on the next day and further said that the Baba cannot go wrong as he himself had some experience. He insisted me to meet him and I did. The Baba was telling me the location of the branch, and the lay out etc and finally he assured me that the missing subject is intact and I have to search it in the area he had specified earlier.

Next day I intensified the search in the cabin specified. Again the chest of drawers, table, cupboard and so on. Another sub staff member Mr. Pandit opened the drawers from the chest one by one. The contents therein did not contain the required stuff. For an hour the exercise continued. I told Mr.Pandit to pull out the drawer and separate from the chest. The contents were again verified. The third drawer was not coming out from the runner after unlocking. After removing the last drawer the inner space of the table was again searched. Mr Pandit put his whole body inside the steel cavity and found an envelope sticking or entangled on the slotted angle behind. From the envelope came the Bond. The Bond that was awarding sleepless nights to the branch staff was smiling at us from the envelope. I searched my purse and took an Rs 500 currency note and instantly rewarded to Mr. Pandit. The tension was relieved. All the staff had a sigh of relief. The earlier Supervisory Officer would have called for the bond or would have tendered to the auditors and subsequently kept in the drawer. This Bond might have spilled out from the drawer falling to its inner back. I decided to meet the Baba on the day itself.