With Sebastian, my saarthi, at the wheel our Maruti Gypsy had come out of the gate of the residential enclave and was negotiating to enter the main road, perpendicular to our exit. For doing so, Sebastian had headed for the break in the central median towards our right - a short cut of sorts, instead of the rightful turn to the left for the break, prior - as was being done as a matter of routine till yesterday.
An elderly gentleman, in a red Tavera, had come by at that moment and stopped his vehicle, blocking our passage. He then pointed out that we're in the wrong. And went on to say that while he respected the man in uniform very much, he expected him to do the correct thing always and every time, so as to set an example to the common man!
My instinctive reaction was to tell him to go take a walk and to write to my superior about my misdemeanour, as he'd threatened at the start. But, I suppose, better sense had prevailed and I meekly accepted the faux pas on my part and we'd pressed on for the morning engagements after hearing him out.
But the incident did get me thinking. I'd earlier admitted to the fact that I'm a confused bundle of thoughts! My thoughts went on these lines:-
(a) Was my saarthi disillusioned with me, in that, I'd taken it lying down? Wasn't my meekness
tantamount to accepting the fact that he was in the wrong? The 'men' expect their Commander to
win in every situation and never be projected in a losing situation which is, in essence, the 'sine qua
non' of the officer-man relationship in the services!
Should I, then, have howled at and brow beaten the gentleman and bulldozed my way through to
attain 'izzat' in the eyes of my Man Friday?
(b) Wasn't the gentleman's reaction so because it was a 'man-in-uniform' at the receiving end? Would
he have checked a civilian in a similar situation?
I wonder! And no, it doesn't mitigate my wrong in any which way!!
Tailpiece.
Having said all that, the mistake was on my part, in that, I should have ensured that my 'saarthi' followed the right path from the very beginning itself! Perhaps, such a situation would have never risen!!
An elderly gentleman, in a red Tavera, had come by at that moment and stopped his vehicle, blocking our passage. He then pointed out that we're in the wrong. And went on to say that while he respected the man in uniform very much, he expected him to do the correct thing always and every time, so as to set an example to the common man!
My instinctive reaction was to tell him to go take a walk and to write to my superior about my misdemeanour, as he'd threatened at the start. But, I suppose, better sense had prevailed and I meekly accepted the faux pas on my part and we'd pressed on for the morning engagements after hearing him out.
But the incident did get me thinking. I'd earlier admitted to the fact that I'm a confused bundle of thoughts! My thoughts went on these lines:-
(a) Was my saarthi disillusioned with me, in that, I'd taken it lying down? Wasn't my meekness
tantamount to accepting the fact that he was in the wrong? The 'men' expect their Commander to
win in every situation and never be projected in a losing situation which is, in essence, the 'sine qua
non' of the officer-man relationship in the services!
Should I, then, have howled at and brow beaten the gentleman and bulldozed my way through to
attain 'izzat' in the eyes of my Man Friday?
(b) Wasn't the gentleman's reaction so because it was a 'man-in-uniform' at the receiving end? Would
he have checked a civilian in a similar situation?
I wonder! And no, it doesn't mitigate my wrong in any which way!!
Tailpiece.
Having said all that, the mistake was on my part, in that, I should have ensured that my 'saarthi' followed the right path from the very beginning itself! Perhaps, such a situation would have never risen!!
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