WORK-LIFE BALANCE-3

Back to 1966 again. This time, the "Farakka Barrage" project was underway in the North of West Bengal across the River Ganges very close to the border of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) to divert water to the Hooghly River to prevent siltation at Kolkata Port. The barrage was almost 2.3km long and 30+ M wide, built with pre-cooled concrete. The project was started in 1961, and I landed there in March 1966 to join a team of technicians to support 62 earthmoving machines, including eight numbers of Mack 6X4 trucks mounted with "Transcrete Mixers". I was assigned to make sure these trucks were available 24X7.

Pre-cooled concrete from the batching plant to the site needs to be uninterrupted.

One evening I received a letter from my mother that my only elder sister's wedding has been fixed on 16th June and my presence is a must. So I applied for 10 days' leave to go to my home town which was refused by my Regional Service Manager. The travel takes four days and three changes namely Calcutta, Madras Central, and Egmore one way. During an official visit to the Calcutta office, I pleaded but no avail. Though I belonged to the All India Service team the Regional Manager was the boss to whom I was reporting.

My next move was to write to the All India Service Manager in Bombay for special consideration. On the seventh day, I received a telegram that said "RETURN TO BOMBAY BY THE FIRST AVAILABLE TRAIN AND REPORT TO AISM"

On the fourth day afternoon, I was at the Service Department H.O. I knocked on the door of the Boss's cabin and heard a curt "come in". He asked me about my assignment and asked me to write a detailed report on the problems if any. Then it was a 15-minute dressing down explaining why personal life should/not also be part of the career. Then he asked me to meet his Secretary and take the order for the next assignment.

With sweat under my collar, I took the envelope and opened it to find a return air ticket to the closest Airport to my hometown and a "Tour Instruction" asking me to report to an Executive Engineer of the State Electricity Board to assess the condition of a Mack B813SX pulling unit with a U bed trailer before hauling a 45 ton Transformer from seaport to their switch yard. She said to go to the Accounts Department to collect the tour advance. While I turned around she said "Convey our congratulations and best wishes to your sister"

I stood there for a few minutes wondering if it was a dream. Coming down to the Workshop my mentor told me that he was assigned that job and, for some reason changed the plan. I spent two days servicing the truck which included re-adjusting the clutch and trying out the quadruplex 24 speed transmission.

Work and Life can be well-balanced if there is an understanding of "Men at Work".