Experiments with Truth
It was my first duty as a Telephone operator on 4th July 1974. It was a night shift. I was told to answer the callers throughout the night. But I did not have the habit of remaining awake all night. By the time it was 11 pm, my eyes started closing and I was feeling sleepy. I wanted to relax for a few minutes and slept temporarily besides my board on duty. My eyes closed and I was in deep sleep till the early morning hours. When I woke up, I saw that some other staff members were attending to public calls. The next day the engineering supervisor called from Bidar and warned me to do the correct duty. Over the days I was habituated to respond instantaneously just by the sound of lamp lighting on the board.
At the end of the month when I received my first salary, I was very excited and after duty hours, went to native village by bus, with money in my pocket. When I reached Mangalgi, on NH-9, it was 630pm. I needed to walk another seven kilometres to reach my home in Hochaknalli. I started alone by foot and took a narrow path along the fields and started walking quickly. my heart was beating vigorously in fear of someone knowing that I had hard earned money in my pocket. By 830pm I entered my home. In those days there was no power supply in my village and people used to light kerosene lamps. Seeing me at night, elders warned me not to make night adventures.
The next morning I gave the sum of my first wages to grandmother, Narasamma. The hand loans taken from others were paid back and I returned to Bhalki by next day evening. I took a room on rent and established my family. By the third month Veerappa Srimandal arrived to fetch the money he had paid while I was a final year student. I could return half the amount, as the first installment.
By next month, my sister and mother visited Bhalki to see me. 8 hours of duty, 8 hours sleep and rest of the time for other activities was my daily routine. The next month grandmother visited Bhalki and she brought a hen with her. After my duty hours, she took me to a relative's home in the old area of Bhalki. I was not aware of my relatives in that place. She handed over that hen to the relatives and asked them to rear it on mutual share of profit. By this time I had completed half a year service as a Telephone operator. Bagewdi, Ramulu, were my senior operators. Channapnoor was my batch mate and colleague at Bhalki. He was from Dadgi village. Dattatraya naidu was technician, Nagayya was LMT and Shanti was LMP Bhalki town. D. S. Ugarkar was EST [Engineering Supervisor Telegraphs] Bidar who was boss for Bhalki system. There were 70 working DELs and Aurad and Kamalnagar auto exchanges were terminated at Bhali for trunk working. There were five PCOs [Public Call Office Sites] connected to the Bhalki manual board.
I was getting a small amount of Rs 317 per month and trying to manage all expenditures and repayment of hand loans taken for the household. so savings was almost nil. mother was in native village and she was brought to Bhalki by brother in law Balappa, as her health was very critical. I took her to TB Center at Ambajogai. my sister accompanied me to the hospital. mother was admitted at Ambajogai and we returned back leaving mother alone, without any cash and only God could save her. i worked for one more month and as soon as i got the salary , i rushed to see her. On my arrival she was extremely happy and on our request she was released and we moved to Bidar by train and took the required medicine at Bidar store. I sent her to native village and went back to Bhalki to work and earn. Within the next couple of months, my sister was unconscious on delivery of a male child. She was hospitalized at Mission hospital Bidar. again i was the source of money to serve her in distress.she was saved and the baby too.
I was ambitious and not satisfied with present duty. applied for union public service for the post of Assistants grade. I appeared for the exam in Hyderabad. but my performance was not up the mark. I was shocked by my inability to face the exam. i became restless and absconded from Bhalki and disappeared to Bangalore and then to Pune. I was caught by Pune police as I was wandering in night hours here and there and was sent to Yerwada jail, as it was an emergency period imposed in 1975 by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.
I spent more than 45 days in the Jail. i was released after Deepavali, in November 1975. my mother was in full stress and worried about me as she was not knowing my whereabouts. I spent 1976 summer in Sitalgeri where my maternal grandpa lived. In the month of July 1976, I went to Bidar with my friend Ambruth Dakulgi and in Bidar I met another friend who took me to his home and advised me to go back to Bhalki and report for duty. Unwillingly I went there and started working. But my health did not permit me to sit for long hours. Again I deserted and returned to my native village Hochaknalli.
During November 76, a memorandum was received from head office Gulbarga, asking me to report back, failing which departmental disciplinary action would be initiated against me as per rules. I read the letter to my mother and she insisted that I go back. I refused to go, as I did not like that post. The days passed and in the middle of December, she started abusing me in an angry mood. I had no choice but to go back to Bhalki. I again reported in the last week of December for duty as Telephone operator.
Because I was absent for many days, my leave case could not be settled early and I did not receive my pay and allowances for a couple of months. In this period I lost my mother. She left this world and I could not save her. During this period my wife was with her parents and she delivered a female baby. By this time the baby was more than one year old. Seeing my unusual behavior, the in-laws did not dare to send her to me.
On the settlement of the leave case I received pay arrears and regular salary. I took a small corner room on rent in Gunj area Bhalki and lived alone. I used to eat in hotels on a monthly basis of payment. A few more months passed and in the rainy season my family joined me. It was like a rebirth to me also. Then life settled and by 1978, my son Ravindra was born.
By this time I was senior operator and was working as head operator. The advantage was that I need not go for night duty. My ago was satisfied to some extent, on being called as Head Operator. In 1979 summer I appeared for departmental competitive examination for the post of Pone Inspector and was selected. My worry of underemployed vanished on being promoted to Phone inspector.
But my parents were not living to see this blessed time of my promotion to a higher level in the telecom department.
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