Keep Your Shirt On Branch Manager!

After the sunset

Job profile of a branch manager involves several features which are not listed in the rule book. In between customers, clerical staff, officers & controlling bosses there are moments of pleasure & pain for the branch manager. Some of the odd jobs I did as BM may not qualify for inclusion in the  duty sheet. Have a look on this one.

Months of May & June in Silchar, Assam have awful weather – hot, humid & air less. Sweat flows on face & from whole body. Keep wiping or washing or bathing but it comes up again. Outside in the sun the skin just burns & inside the branch lazy fans don’t provide any comfort and they won’t work without electricity which was erratic in supply.

It was a small branch having staff of 12 & was on first floor of a shop-cum-house in main bazaar area which remained crowded during the day. Road remained full of cycles, rickshaws, two wheeler's  one or two lazily moving cows & occasional cars & army vehicles. As elsewhere in other towns of India, honking of horns, ringing of rickshaw bells never stops & the sounds reach even first floor cabin also.

For last several days three of clerical staff & one officer had not turned up & work was piling up. On top of that I had to attend a week’s training on Branch Management. I wanted to finish off loan statements to avoid displeasure of Regional Manager & decided to sit late all alone in the evening. The heat inside the cabin was oppressive & the fan refused to accelerate. After about an hour the shirt was wet with sweat & it became unbearable & out of desperation I took off my shirt & hanged it on back of the chair.

That I was visible to an onlooker from first floor of a house across the road was not known to me. Whosoever saw me immediately reported to our landlord. He along with landlady rushed upstairs & started banging the channel gate.

Well thereafter I have kept my shirt on in office. Always.

Keep Your Shirt On!