It was a day that was packed with activities that had outrageously silly moments too. I shall, therefore, try to spin my way through to make it a coherent discourse.
I was getting ready in the morning and was toweling, standing under the fan, after coming out of the bath. The door was closed but not bolted from inside as I didn't anticipate anyone to come in at that point of time. But lo and behold, the maid was sweeping the adjacent room and opened the door in the course of her cleaning. I heard a shriek and the door being slam shut. It was when I tried to open the door, after getting ready, that I realised that the door was locked from outside. Why was the maid's reaction so? Out of embarrassment, perhaps!
* * *
The institution that was to be audited was towards the south of the city. We reached there on the dot and had begun our work without much ado. All through, we could sense a palpable apprehension among the members of the staff as they went about displaying the facilities for training and showed us the functional properties of each of the associated equipment.
It was at the time of debrief at the 'closing meeting' that the Principal, finally, came out with the truth. Usually, the auditors are a despised lot, in that, most of them behave grumpily all through trying to find faults in everything they see. We seemed to be different because we're pleasant, it seems. We'd made it very clear that there were no frills required.
At the end of it all when we're taking leave, the director and the principal of the organisation were insistent that they did something(?) for us as they said and I quote, "We'd done nothing for you". We smiled and simply made a quick retreat as I was to make it in time for the evening train!
* * *
In the meanwhile, I'd firmed up my return trip and requested my previous organisation to have my reservation confirmed by the evening express that would reach me at Guruvayur, a trifle past midnight. As I stepped on to the platform of the Thiruvananthapuram Railway station, Sepoy Joachim Topo gave me a smart salute, handed over my ticket, slipped my overnighter onto his shoulder and escorted me into the train.
It was like old times.........the frills and the trappings of office. Was I wistful? Nyet, for sure!
Tailpiece.
The journey was comfortable and uneventful. My immediate neighbour was a young gentleman who was continuously calling up people to talk something or the other.........most of them being irrelevant. Sorry, couldn't help it because I simply couldn't shut off my ears!
I was getting ready in the morning and was toweling, standing under the fan, after coming out of the bath. The door was closed but not bolted from inside as I didn't anticipate anyone to come in at that point of time. But lo and behold, the maid was sweeping the adjacent room and opened the door in the course of her cleaning. I heard a shriek and the door being slam shut. It was when I tried to open the door, after getting ready, that I realised that the door was locked from outside. Why was the maid's reaction so? Out of embarrassment, perhaps!
* * *
The institution that was to be audited was towards the south of the city. We reached there on the dot and had begun our work without much ado. All through, we could sense a palpable apprehension among the members of the staff as they went about displaying the facilities for training and showed us the functional properties of each of the associated equipment.
It was at the time of debrief at the 'closing meeting' that the Principal, finally, came out with the truth. Usually, the auditors are a despised lot, in that, most of them behave grumpily all through trying to find faults in everything they see. We seemed to be different because we're pleasant, it seems. We'd made it very clear that there were no frills required.
At the end of it all when we're taking leave, the director and the principal of the organisation were insistent that they did something(?) for us as they said and I quote, "We'd done nothing for you". We smiled and simply made a quick retreat as I was to make it in time for the evening train!
* * *
In the meanwhile, I'd firmed up my return trip and requested my previous organisation to have my reservation confirmed by the evening express that would reach me at Guruvayur, a trifle past midnight. As I stepped on to the platform of the Thiruvananthapuram Railway station, Sepoy Joachim Topo gave me a smart salute, handed over my ticket, slipped my overnighter onto his shoulder and escorted me into the train.
It was like old times.........the frills and the trappings of office. Was I wistful? Nyet, for sure!
Tailpiece.
The journey was comfortable and uneventful. My immediate neighbour was a young gentleman who was continuously calling up people to talk something or the other.........most of them being irrelevant. Sorry, couldn't help it because I simply couldn't shut off my ears!
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