Atithidevo Bhav
Vasant Hattangadi , Virar.
"Goddam these Indians !"screamed Jim Lockner in sheer disgust. "Cool down, Jim. Just what's the matter? " I inquired nonchalantly. "Cool Down?" replied Jim, almost fuming. "First, my bag goes missing at the airport, then you put me in that God-forsaken hotel and now, what the hell, my wrist watch's GONE! And you're telling me to remain cool!!".
Jim Lockner was an engineer working with
Electrostatics International InC, the manufacturers
of 14UD Pelletron accelerator and he had come down to help us set up the most
modern particle accelerator which we were buying from his firm. Our Project
Manager, Mr. Swami had struck a barter deal with the Americans that they would
look after our people sent for training to
their factory in US and we would provide their engineers free, fully furnished accommodation
here in India .
The dollars which they would have otherwise spent on their five star hotel bills in India could now be spent on training in their factory double the number of our boys, that they had originally promised. While our trainees had a wonderful time in Wisconsin staying in posh apartments, free lunches and so on, Mr. Swami had failed miserably to keep his part of the bargain: instead of the fully furnished flat promised by him, he had arranged for their engineer to stay with a local Goan family in Colaba Causeway! Jim Lockner obviously had not appreciated the idea of having to walk through Mr. Coehlo's kitchen to get into his bedroom which faced a shanty place, aptly called "Shanti Nagar"!!. So, when he found that on his very first day in our lab his wrist watch had mysteriously vanished from his desk, he was naturally very much upset and angry. "It was a gift from my girl friend" he had said. It was not so much the money it had cost that mattered, but it was the sentimental value he attached to it.
The dollars which they would have otherwise spent on their five star hotel bills in India could now be spent on training in their factory double the number of our boys, that they had originally promised. While our trainees had a wonderful time in Wisconsin staying in posh apartments, free lunches and so on, Mr. Swami had failed miserably to keep his part of the bargain: instead of the fully furnished flat promised by him, he had arranged for their engineer to stay with a local Goan family in Colaba Causeway! Jim Lockner obviously had not appreciated the idea of having to walk through Mr. Coehlo's kitchen to get into his bedroom which faced a shanty place, aptly called "Shanti Nagar"!!. So, when he found that on his very first day in our lab his wrist watch had mysteriously vanished from his desk, he was naturally very much upset and angry. "It was a gift from my girl friend" he had said. It was not so much the money it had cost that mattered, but it was the sentimental value he attached to it.
Now, I had a real big problem on my hands!
Knowing well our Project Director, Dr. Cooper,
I knew that he would get very much worried about this unfortunate event and
slowly he would work himself up into a nervous frenzy. According to him, this
'calamity', happening as it did at the very start of our project
was going to be a bad omen and I was going to be the sacrificial
goat who was responsible for not keeping the Americans happy. Although I had told Jim Lockner not to worry and we would
somehow get back his watch, I must confess, I was inwardly very much worried myself. For, I had no inkling of an idea
as to how I was going to find the
stolen watch. I knew I had to do something before Dr.Coover blew his top!
I was pretty sure the wrist watch could not
have gone very far from the Lab. It was probably just misplaced somewehere in
the Lab itself and so, we thoroughly scoured through and ransacked the entire place, but, to no avail. The
only other possibility was that the watch had indeed been stolen in broad
daylight and more likely than not, by one of our own helper boys. We had recently engaged some forty odd menial
workers on daily wages as temporary staff and it was most
likely that one of them was the culprit.. These helpers were strewn all over the place and seen everywhere helping in
shifting materials, unpacking parcels or doing some such odd jobs. "I
always leave my watch by the side on my desk while I'm working and it's never
been lost before" Jim had said. In the milieu of confusion and disarray
that prevailed in those early days of our project, it was not very difficult to
pick a small wrist watch lying so unobtrusively "inviting to be
picked-up" on the desk. But, how was I going to catch the thief? Call the police ? No, that would give us
unnecessary bad publicity and Dr. Cooper wouldn't approve of it. There was just
one thing I could do. Yes, appeal to the finer sentiments of the potential thief! I instructed my PA to call
immediately a staff meeting and not to forget inviting, especially, the recently recruited helpers.
“ Friends, we are meeting here, because I want to inform you
all that a very serious thing that shouldn't have happened has taken
place. Without further ado, let me come straight to
the point. You see, our American friend, Mr. Jim Lockener has been robbed of
his wrist watch in broad daylight right here in our own
lab. He had left the watch on his desk and in just a jiffy, it was gone! We have searched for it everywhere,
scoured the whole place, but we could
not find it. That leaves only one other possibility and that is, I am sorry to
say, surely one of us has fallen prey to the temptation of
stealthily slipping it into his own pocket. This is not very good at all for
our reputation.
You see, all the Americans feel very proud of their great
country as George Washington's country. We have all read his
story in our schooldays - about his love for truth and honesty; so, I will not repeat it here. All Americans
also have a high regard for our great country
because of its heritage, history and ancient culture as also for its great men
like Swami Vivekanand and Mahatma Gandhi. We ourselves
proudly show off '"Mera Bharat Mahan" signs
on our trucks and cars.
Jim Lockner is a guest of this country and you
all know how we Indians treat our guests
like God. ''Atithi Deobhav". Imagine what impressions Jim will take back
home if, on his very first day in this country, his wrist
watch gets stolen! That watch was for him a symbol
of love and affection, because it was a gift from his beloved. What will you
like him to tell her, his family and his friends when he
goes back? That India is a country of rogues and petty thieves or that it is a
country of honest though very poor people? Think about it.
It's lunch time now. When I return from lunch,
I expect to see Jim's wrist watch on my table. Everyone makes mistakes in one's
life. Whosoever has taken the watch, here's a chance for you to redeem your mistake. There will be no police
and no questions asked, I promise you.
Remember now your country's reputation is in your hands. Jai Hind"
When I came back from lunch, I found a nice,
little Seiko Digital Chrona watch sitting prettily on my desk. I immediately
dived into my intercom and called Jim. He came running beaming a big smile and saying, "Hey! This can happen
only in great India !!"
***** XXXXXX
******
( Published in KS, Vol 93,No.3,(p13)
March 2012 )
