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HAPPY BIRTHDAY BANK OF BARODA

 

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"V. Kannan, Bank of Baroda, Surat" was the address with which I received a letter soon on joining the Bank and was proud of being so famous to receive the letter with such a brief address while my good sense remembered the joke of Amitabh Bachhan in his early days receiving a letter with the address Amitabh Bachhan Bombay and the famous comedian Mahmud told him he received in his hey days as Mahmud India. 
 
I soon realized that all the orphaned letters from about 25 of the branches of Surat land in Surat main Branch and in the branch all the letters disowned by others land in Personnel department. That is how I received my letter and I did receive many disowned letters subsequently also and was searching the owners.

On receiving first salary I chose to buy a tape recorder and offered to pay by cheque as that was a status symbol when credit cards were unknown. But on insistence from my friend the shop keeper shouted in chaste Gujarati "If every Tom, Dick and Harry issue a cheque and they bounce am I to run round to catch the man"? With equal anger he demanded from me what are you doing?
"Working in Bank of Baroda" I said. Oh! Bank of Baroda was his toned down voice as he asked which branch?
" Rasikbhai saheb nu PA " I said and he was flat out as he repeated mildly  Rasikbhai saheb nu PA. Then our further conversations centered around Rasikbhai whom he regarded highly and I got the tape recorder on a discount of twenty rupees on cheque payment. 

 With more salary as I stitched more pants and shirts the tailor turned out to be the Bank's tailor and gave a discount of two rupees on stitching charges.

As I looked back and pondered over many more such incidents, I was wonder struck as to how Rasikbhai only a Senior Manager then though also Officer Director in the Board was so famous with all small people in the city and is respectfully linked to the Bank and its reputation. Though I could not get an answer to that I could realize that it is not a one man achievement and also the result of years of goodwill built assiduously.   

If you are an integral part of an icon, the benefit of limelight of the iconic status brightens you enough to keep you going with a broad grin. That exactly is what I felt in a decade with the bank with major portion in Gujarat as many doors opened easily for us and many privileges walked into us that we almost presumed it to be our right. 

The bank is behind all my smile was emphatically manifested after another decade when I sent routine seasonal greetings.  It was addressed as " Abraham Varghese, Chief Manager, Ernakulam Main Branch, Pallimukku, M.G. Road, Ernakulam - 682016" .

The cover was promptly returned to me and as I read the address again and again I realized that I had mentioned the address correctly but left out to mention "Bank of Baroda". It was a telling confirmation that however much an individual is renowned unless he has the backing/support of a much bigger and enormously renowned institution, oblivion is not far away in fact awaiting next door.

The great institution of BANK OF BARODA is now over a century old and with a century of branches in overseas and being part of it for a paltry 22 years in not so high position in the hierarchy has given me adequate survival power so far to walk around with a broad and proud grin though with a designation that is independent in nature as " Management Consultant" but quoted without fail as "ex- Bank of Baroda".

VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BANK OF BARODA ON THIS FOUNDATION DAY AND WISH YOU MANY MORE UNPARALLELED LAURELS IN THE YEARS TO COME    


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