This is another bank story. If the earlier one was as a boy of St John's High School Mattom, at the SBT, Kayamkulam, this one was as a PG student of St John's college Agra at the SBI, branch there.
Many of my friends wonder how I remember all those small incidents of 40 or 50 years back. The fact is that I remember only small things ! The greater fact is that I don't have big things to remember !! The Khandelwal story is one such small thing.
After joining the MSc course at the St John's college, Agra, I opened an SB account at the SBI branch near the college. The bank was on the right side of the road to Raja-KI-Mandi from the college. I do not know whether the bank is still there near the Fine Arts Studio. Those days somebody told me that the proprietor of the studio had 4 or 5 PG degrees.
Now comes the problem. Those days my signature was not very consistent. During the four seasons it looked in at least four different ways. And the intra-seasonal variations weren't any small either. Every time I went to the SBI to draw money, I was sent back empty handed. No two of my Fermionic signatures bore any similarity. Each time the HOD of Physics Dr J.K Ghosh Sir issued me a certificate stating that "I am me" and that the cheque may be honoured. And the bank started giving me money honouring Ghosh Sir's certificate and not my cheque. This procedure continued for a year. At the start of the second year I found a new person at the counter. He might have been 20 or less then. After 2 or 3 months he told me that I need not disturb Gosh Sir. Instead I may put some signature on the dotted line in whatever form it came out and he shall honour it. I had a sigh of relief. At the end of my course I went to the bank to thank him. And he told me that it was his duty to help the customers and that he has not done any big thing. His name was Kunj Bihari Khandelwal. Then he was so young that he might still be in service.
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The story might not be very exciting. But if I remember that person by his name even after 35 years, it is because his kindness had touched my heart. I remember all those seemingly small incidents and small people. But then, these are too big for me to forget.
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DeleteSir, myself Babu, husband of Sunitha, one of your students.I am a doctor, work at Aswini Hospital, Thrissur. Sunitha often reads your blog and sometimes shows them to me. I like your posts for the hearty humour, and the lighthearted view of life that comes out.
ReplyDeleteThank you doctor.
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