Page 26 - Seniors Today - April Issue
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forgot the absence of the gap and fell down reasons for the delay for which his top
on the coach coupling. Luckily his head management was unlikely to be soft on him.
was not hurt and nothing much happened. I presumed that he had to be happy for the
It was a narrow escape. The staff knew the quick OHE work. The annexure to, prelude
bad luck associated with this tunnel, I too to my over the moon talk, about a staff
was shaken for a moment and got comforted falling down from the top of a coach, made
when I remembered that the worst place to him talk, a bitter after a long pause.
be feared is inside the mind. The chief responded, “Ok, I am hereby
giving a group award to the staff and charge
sheet to you for the mishap.” Uncouth
speech of an Indian boss. Brickbats for
moving a mountain.
The charge sheet was never issued but the
de-motivational words caused hurt.
Long after when I rose to senior level,
I realised that, in my happiness I had
forgotten that for the chief OHE was a part of
OHE work is challenging at night the whole and the time for the restoration by
The OHE work became challenging all department was more and he could not be
because of night, smoke affecting breathing expected to be happy for a part. The reasons
and visibility, making the staff tired. The for the delay included a death, for which his
single line tunnel in curvature and a wiring top management was unlikely to be soft on
train occupying the track, made the walking him.
for the ground staff difficult. The catering The work got over by the morning of
staff had left and even tea was not available the fourth day, A train going to Mumbai
to refresh us. In spite of this, the work was was stopped it at the site for boarding the
completed earlier than the forecast. staff. At Karjat, the station master brought
The doctor had proverbially stepped on my in a message that RRI at Dombivli had
toe. The normalisation of traffic had taken caught fire, a domain of the Signalling
about four days but the time for the OHE and Telecommunication department. I
restoration was record low. For the staff it therefore did not worry about it and went
was something like an achievement fit for to sleep. At Kalyan, while still dozing, I
Guinness record. The happiness around, heard a signalling department staff talking
lifted me to cloud nine. I told to the chief to someone that traction voltage had got
that the work was completed and that the impressed on the low voltage cables and
staff had worked very hard under difficult made them to catch fire. I dismissed the talk
conditions. I did not hear any response as the signalling and traction circuits are
from him, I wondered whether I had put totally separate. I thought that the signalling
my foot in my mouth and wondered still if department was trying to divert attention.
his telephone was without a mouthpiece. This self-convincing argument suited me
In my happiness I forgot that for the chief since I was tired beyond limit and needed a
OHE was a part of the whole and the time night in bed to get fully energised. I therefore
for restoration was more. There were many went straight to my home at Dadar. The
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