0002

First or best?

Mr. Gopal Rao was an employee in the State secretariat. His tenant was a businessman. As their only sons were studying in a same school, the two kids used to do their home work together in either of their houses in evenings. One day the both kids did their home together as usual.

Later the two went to Mr. Gopal Rao. The son of his tenant told him with glee “See uncle, Bunty (nick name of Gopal Rao’s son) took an hour time to do a single page home work. But I finished it in twenty minutes. So I, myself is the first.”

Bunty denied his victory. “No Dad, Mom had given only snacks before doing home work. She replied she would give me Horlicks when doing my home work. But I stopped my home work as Mom had not fulfilled her word. Else I am too first.”

On hearing the both arguments, Mr. Gopal Rao sent them outside for play saying “Bunty, you are the best and your friend is the first. Because we often take at least one month time to draft the same length of matter in our office correspondence. Go outside and play for some time.”

The tenant’s son could not understand why the first can’t be the best. Bunty was satisfied with comment of his father even he did not understand the difference between the first and the best.

Being ahead is always the best in business. That is the business rule. Dawdling all issues like chewing gum is the best in government work. That is the tact rule. The businessman gets opulent profit when his stock is sold out like hot cakes ever before than any other’s.  Most of the government employees fix in their mind that lingering only can offer the guaranteed advantage in sucking high quantum profit.

Despite my ambition to do engineering graduation, I reluctantly joined at the age of 19 in the revenue department though direct recruitment in Group IV services as many known elders forced me not to quit the job opportunity.

Every known and unknown person used to eulogize me “would be rich man” and “would be fortune man” since I got a permanent job in revenue department. I still remembered that no one advised or cautioned me to keep aloof from corruption and to do my best for the public in discharging my legitimate duties.

There was an office attendee, named Mr.Venkaiah, in my first positing in a Taluq office. He was also the in-charge of office old record. As per office procedure many a time old record reference was an essential to issue different certificates to applicants. Often he used to tell applicants “Wow! You issue is related to very long back record and it would take long time to trace it out in the record room. Please come here after a week or ten days.”

Having noticed it more than four times, I poked my nose “Oh! Mr. Venkaiah! Are you fine?... The required old record is surely available in the third rack of right side as every file of the particular year is kept there in chronological order. In such case, why are you asking a week time? You haven’t given false information, have you?” There was very much curiosity in my tone to probe the reason behind his misleading.

He couldn’t escape from my eagerness and finally revealed what the face was. “Sir, if I complete my job without any delay, the party will give me one or two rupees. Had I wantonly pretended in finding the old record days together, they would give at least five rupees duly believing my hard work. I request you not to mind all such trivial issues.”

That was the first time to me to understand the first is not the best.

It is one more experience at par. My friend could not get his second annual increment in his job because he was a direct recruited employee and completion of probation was essential to draw further annual increments after the first. Thus he awaited more than a month after applying request for his probation declaration. No response was received from his head of the department. He tried several times over phone to contact the case worker in his HoD for his file put up. The woman case worker always replied him that she was busy with other correspondence related to law courts and his file will be put up after a week. Such so many weeks lapsed without any progress in probation declaration. Wife of my friend requested her brother who was living in the same place where his HoD office located to enquire her husband’s problem in the HoD office. Thus her brother met the woman case worker in the HoD office. The result was despatch of declaration of probation orders from the HoD office.

It is very difficult to assess when the business rule and the tact rule are united and filling up of the trench between the first and the best is completed.

Yes, it is right to say “Be Roman in Rome.” My question is how far is it correct to ignore that we are human first despite Roman, Indian, American or African.

(Note: I appeal to them, who did not notice the difference between the first and the best earlier, not to put it in practise here onwards)