Thursday, March 6, 2014

Selvam's largesse and another story.

I'm back to panning the hospital environment that I've been in for the past fortnight. It has been a quiet but educative stay and I've yet again observed as to how simple things elicit overwhelming responses from the others. I must, but, hasten to add that it does not mean that there's a complete absence of spoilsports because they too are part of the melee and need to be accepted as a matter of course! So, without much ado let me get on with my stories:-

 (a) Selvam's largesse.

 Selvam is one of the boys who's part of the canteen team and as per my observation, the most
 energetic among the lot. And there's an earnestness of purpose that's reflected in everything that
 he does. Always cheerful, he makes it a point to converse with everyone that he comes across.
 This evening, around 8, he was on his usual round of collecting the day's owing from his customers
 and had knocked on our door. Since I'd done a mental calculation, I knew what I'd to give but was
 surprised with the figures that he was quoting.

 And when I'd pointed out the anomaly, he cutely said, "I cannot do anything to the figures that the
 guys at the counter write but I can always reduce the price of a couple of cups of tea or coffee or a
 snack that I've served for the people whom I like!"

 What about the losses that his canteen might incur? What happens to his job if his contractor were
 to come to know about his largesse? His answer was a shrug with the words, "I can assure you that
 there will be no loss" and walked away.

 I only hope that Selvam doesn't lose out for being nice to his customers!

 (b) An arrogance out of ignorance or lack of application?

 I'm touching yet another episode on the security issue. While I was waiting for a visitor at the
 reception counter, loud voices were heard. A gentleman, with an artificial limb, was trying to
 convince the young lady at the counter that his assistant should also be let in as he needed him
 but the person on duty just kept parroting the rule, "Sir, only one person is allowed to enter".

I'd to finally take the gentleman to the higher authority for succour. The personnel manning the front desks of any institution must be patient, possess empathy and be customer friendly, must be able to interpret rules correctly to take practical decisions, be pleasant always and must have punctilious manners. Are we asking for too much?


Tailpiece.

From today's news grab. A few Kashmiri students of the Subhasri University in Meerut who celebrated the Pakistani team's win over the Indian team in the recent Asia Cup cricket match were initially charged for sedition which were dropped later, when a controversy had erupted.

Another example of how narrow minded people can make a mountain out of a molehill! Sad!!   
    
     

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