PROLOGUE
Sometimes I feel it’s worthless to do internship in big organizations like Mahindra, because everyone seems busy in their own work here, and no one takes you seriously. No one is here to supervise you properly. All they say is, ‘just watch and learn’.
So I got bored with this ‘watch-and-learn’ type of internship in the very first month of my six months internship. So, to get rid of this boredom in company I developed a habit of talking with old workers (because they are the only people who’ll talk to you here). Company assigns less hectic work to them here, because most of them are going to retire very soon.
Chacha, is one of them, working in a sub-assembly shop of brake-pedals. Though in the beginning I used to dislike Chacha, because he is strict and dominating, always trying to prove you wrong with his arguments and that is why most of his fellow workers keep a distance from him. We didn’t know his name in our starting days, so we gave him a pet-name ‘Chacha’ (Though his real name is Avtar Chand), for our gossips with fellow interns.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1
On a same boring day in Mahindra Tractors, when there was nothing left to amuse us and rescue us from the daily routine, we friends went to Chacha’s shop to help him with his work, to be true we went there to have a talk session,and started assembling the brakepedals with him.
‘What's the target today, uncle?’ I asked, just to start the talk, though I knew it’s seventy three.
‘It’s seventy three’ he replied, adjusting his rectangular-framed glasses.
‘Don’t worry, we’ll complete it before time’ Amitabh(friend, classmate, roommate and fellow-intern) said, trying to re-grip his nut-runner.
‘Hmm, one more week….’ Chacha muttered, scratching his half bald head.
‘One week? For what?’ i said,having no idea of what he said.
‘For my retirement, just one more week and I will be retiring.’ Chacha said, in a heavy tone with his eyes focused on his work table.
‘So, for how many years have you been working here?’ I asked, finding it a good topic for a long talk.
‘Grip it hard, and place the washers before nuts’ Chacha replied, staring at my hands on the nut-runner.
‘What?’ I was not expecting such an answer. Anyhow it was not related to my question.
‘It’s hazardous to lose your grip, on Iron and Woman’ Chacha again, it was a typical Chacha style and it was irritating.
‘Hmm... .’ i muttered, while pretending to hold my nut-runner more tightly.
‘So, for how many years…. ‘ Amitabh tried to bring the topic back.
‘Thirty nine years, since 1973’ Chacha interrupted, with raised eye-brows.
‘You must be feeling bad, uncle! Thirty nine years! It’s really a very long time’ I knew it was a little obvious question.
‘Hmm.. Not that much, why should I feel bad? My age is old enough to sit at home and take rest now’ Chacha replied, this time after taking a long pause.
‘They should gift you a tractor.... after all, you made thousands of them’ I tried to tease Chacha, with this tricky statement...
‘You people are going to become engineers soon, but you are not serious for work, you are not professional, it’s not going to work if you will continue like this…’ Chacha replied, this time in a little irritated tone, with mixed Punjabi and Hindi...
I felt it’s better to tight the nut-bolts, then mocking Chacha. And kept silent for a while.
‘Hmm… They sell a plastic model of these tractors as a gift item , earlier it was of Rs.50, then it became of Rs. 100 and now it’s of Rs. 150, but the company never gifts us that small model, So how could you expect them to gift us a real tractor ?’ Chacha said breaking the silence,he picked some bolts in his hands and while showing them to us, continued, ‘Even if today, someone will put these small bolts in my lunchbox and if security guards catch me with these bolts, they will call police… no matter for how long I have been working here...'
And I was clueless... Why the management is so harsh? So, after a pause I asked again,
‘Uncle! Why are they so unkind? Why don’t they trust anyone here?’
‘That’s called "professionalism" boy’ Chacha replied quickly, with a feel of victory in his eyes...
‘Hmm…’, maybe it was one of the best lessons I learnt in these days of my internship.. or maybe it was the first one.. PROFESSIONALISM!!!
‘May be that’s the reason why you are not attached with the company’ I said, and I felt that it was inappropriate for me to have said that.
‘It’s not like I am not attached with company or people here, but I am satisfied with my journey in this company, so I am happy to retire’ Chacha made his point.
‘hmm.. that’s right..’ I nodded.
‘I had twenty rupees and a Charpai(bed) with me, when I came here from my village, and today I own a property of more than a crore rupees here.. So why should I not be happy?’ Chacha said again.
‘That’s a big achievement uncle, you must be proud of this’ I replied, ‘So,how do u feel about your journey till now in the company?’
‘Hmm.. Now I feel it nostalgic when you call it an achievement’, Chacha sighrd proudly.
We were all set, to listen the story of Chacha “from a twenty rupees man to a crorepati”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
