Taklech,
as I have already said, was a small village with some 20 odd houses, a
solitary grocery shop, and a Middle school. On days when I was not on
tour, I would go down to the village and play volleyball with the two
teachers and a few village boys. One day I invited the two teachers and
the Principal of the school, one Mr. Pathania, to share a meal with me
the coming Sunday, at the Forest Rest House. On the appointed day, I
asked the FRH chowkidar, who was also the cook, to prepare a meal for
four and sat in the verandah, waiting for my guests to turn up. When
they did not turn up till 4 pm, I went down to their lodgings to see
what was wrong. I found them preparing their evening meal, with Mr.
Pathania stoking the fire, and one of the others kneading the dough.
When I asked why they had not turned up for lunch, they confessed that
they thought I had been having fun at their expense. They really did not
believe that a senior officer, even one under training, would invite
‘lowly’ village teachers to share his meal! To make amends, I stayed on
at their home and shared their frugal dinner that night. They were
overjoyed, and agreed to have dinner with me the next Sunday. Such
simplicity and innocence among the villagers and ordinary folk in the
village never ceased to impress me.
Once, news came that the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Mr. T S Patyal, would be coming on tour to my jurisdiction, and would camp at Taklech for a night. The entire staff was on tenterhooks. The FRH compound was swept, the flower beds were weeded, and the rooms were tidied up for the impending visit. The day before the visit, Shiv Ram procured a rooster from the village, to be cooked the next evening. When I learnt of it, I made it clear that I would pay for the dinner, and the DFO would be my guest that day.
On the appointed day, the Forester and the Forest Guards lined up at the gate of the FRH to receive the DFO – the first time I had seen them in full uniform! Mr. Patyal, accompanied by the Range Officer, Mr. Machhan, arrived in his jeep and, after acknowledging the salutes of the staff, took me on a short tour of inspection. I could see the awe and respect in the eyes of the field staff, as they looked at the DFO. He was, as they said in those days, the “Mai Baap”, or the Mother and Father for the subordinate staff. I was impressed, and scared, that I would be assuming that status and responsibility soon!
Evening came, and we sat down at the dining table. Every one waited hand and foot on the DFO, who took the first helping of rice, vegetables, chapatis and chicken curry. Then it was my turn. I had observed one chicken drumstick on the DFO’s plate. I dug into the curry, fishing for the other drumstick, but without success. After a couple of tries, I gave up and settled for a smaller piece instead. The next morning, after the DFO and his entourage had left, I summoned the chowkidar and asked him about the missing chicken leg. The worthy explained that the peon accompanying the DFO was in the kitchen while the food was being plated. He insisted on checking the quality of each item of food before it was served to his boss. It was while he was checking the chicken curry that one leg of the bird vanished.
I learned a valuable lesson that day. An officer might think that he was the boss but ….. on tour, the real boss was the peon accompanying the officer. The Peon and the Driver were always more important, and better looked after, than the DFO !
Once, news came that the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Mr. T S Patyal, would be coming on tour to my jurisdiction, and would camp at Taklech for a night. The entire staff was on tenterhooks. The FRH compound was swept, the flower beds were weeded, and the rooms were tidied up for the impending visit. The day before the visit, Shiv Ram procured a rooster from the village, to be cooked the next evening. When I learnt of it, I made it clear that I would pay for the dinner, and the DFO would be my guest that day.
On the appointed day, the Forester and the Forest Guards lined up at the gate of the FRH to receive the DFO – the first time I had seen them in full uniform! Mr. Patyal, accompanied by the Range Officer, Mr. Machhan, arrived in his jeep and, after acknowledging the salutes of the staff, took me on a short tour of inspection. I could see the awe and respect in the eyes of the field staff, as they looked at the DFO. He was, as they said in those days, the “Mai Baap”, or the Mother and Father for the subordinate staff. I was impressed, and scared, that I would be assuming that status and responsibility soon!
Evening came, and we sat down at the dining table. Every one waited hand and foot on the DFO, who took the first helping of rice, vegetables, chapatis and chicken curry. Then it was my turn. I had observed one chicken drumstick on the DFO’s plate. I dug into the curry, fishing for the other drumstick, but without success. After a couple of tries, I gave up and settled for a smaller piece instead. The next morning, after the DFO and his entourage had left, I summoned the chowkidar and asked him about the missing chicken leg. The worthy explained that the peon accompanying the DFO was in the kitchen while the food was being plated. He insisted on checking the quality of each item of food before it was served to his boss. It was while he was checking the chicken curry that one leg of the bird vanished.
I learned a valuable lesson that day. An officer might think that he was the boss but ….. on tour, the real boss was the peon accompanying the officer. The Peon and the Driver were always more important, and better looked after, than the DFO !
Comments
Post a Comment