On the 3rd day of December 2010, my transition from a Visual Merchandiser into a Banker was initiated as I entered through the door of the designated branch of the Bank in a village called BURASS. I am saying so because the first thing that I noticed about this branch was its Header which was a Backlit Board of size 24x3 ft (approx.). The VM in me was still at work I guess. However, for all the readers and especially those people who might someday find themselves in this part of the world, let me straightway highlight the most important thing about this village and that is its name. Yeah it’s spelt as B-U-R-A-S-S but pronounced as B-R-A-S-S. Not pronouncing it as it is supposed to be could mean another 25 odd Kms extra and of course your wallet would be lighter by a Rs.500 note as I experienced. I am proud of our Banking sector that it has reached remotest of places which are beyond even Google Search Engine (forget GOD). Anyways, I managed to reach the place safe and in good shape.
I was wearing formals after a year thanks to a strange unwritten mandate whereby every employee is supposed to wear only Levi’s. I always believe actual confidence in stead of just show of confidence in the brand is the key to the success. For a Brand as great as Levi’s, there should not be any forced ideologies. Tolerance should be the way forward. If the employees don’t experience competing products, how would they value their own product? People would anyways wear Levi’s as it is the best in the business. I really enjoyed putting on a pair of Levi’s and going to work. “Enjoying the product” is crucial and that happens when you choose the product with absolute freedom. I know I am deviating from the subject but kya karein “Gyaan baatne ki aadat jo hain!!!”.
Well coming back to the dress code in the bank, I was a bit apprehensive as to whether I would be looking fine in formals (that included a borrowed belt as well…thanks Adi) or not. But when I entered the premises, I found myself overdressed. Every employee present there was least bothered about what they were wearing (perhaps ignorant of the fact that I am a NIFTian..hehe!!!) and more interested in getting the task at hand completed. I have not yet taken out the two trousers and a shirt that I had purchased for this new job.
Another thing going through my mind was the “Sir” culture prevalent in Sarkari Jobs and which is not that close to my heart as I always found “the first name culture” helps in building better relationships. However, the moment I entered, I was greeted by an elderly Gentleman who addressed me as “Beta”. The least one can do then is address the person as “Sir” as ‘Uncle” would be too un-professional. He is the Manager of the Branch. A very soft spoken and jovial person as I could understand from the interaction. He assured me that he would teach me every trick of the trade before my next posting and then introduced me to the rest of the employees. All in all, we are seven people manning the Branch.
My first task was to fill up the withdrawl forms and pay-in-slips as customers here are mostly illiterate. Customers would come and say “Katwaana hain” and that meant he/she wanted to withdraw some amount. (“Jamaa karwana hain” means “To Deposit”). One customer came and told me “Pachaas katwaana hain”. I was surprised and confirmed with him again and then proceeded to fill up the form thinking that may be he needs only fifty bucks and anyways there is no ATM anywhere close by. He took the form and presented it to cash till, the Cashier was surprised but still honoured the document by handing over a Rs.50 note to the customer. The customer was shocked and kept looking at us for a minute or so and then told us in a desperate tone that he needed Rs.50000 urgently for personal need. Before any one could raise a finger at me, other customers sprang to my defence saying that I had duly confirmed it with the customer. All of us (including the concerned customer) had a good laugh when we realized that “Pachaas katwaane ka matlab tha Pachaas hazaar katwaana”. I filled up another form for Rs.49,950 and then the customer went back home once he was satisfied with the amount. I am still struggling to get a grip over the language except the B***C*** part which has gained universal popularity.
Next I was helping people open new Accounts with the Bank and in the enthusiasm of helping people save their hard earned money, I had allowed an illiterate to be a witness to another illiterate’s Account. Luckily, I was corrected by the Deputy Manager in time. It is also funny to note that the people are more concerned about their photo on the Passbook than the Passbook or the account statement. They literally plead for their photo to be pasted on the Passbook.
Banking processes are slow in nature due to the hell lot of paperwork involved but somewhere it is impossible to cut down on the paperwork as documentary evidence is absolutely required to fight any unwanted financial or legal hassles. That is why, one has to be very alert while doing the work and hence a cup of tea is a must every hour.
My real mentor here is the Deputy Manager who is taking me through all the day to day tasks. He is ready to explain things over and over again and incase of mistakes, he points out the implications and the correct way of doing things in a very structured yet simple manner. He took me through the End of Day procedure where all the Data is transferred to a secure location. This reminded me of my days at Pantaloons where the Closing duty was loathed by everyone. Thankfully, End of Day here happens at 5 PM and not 12 AM.
I have not been able to do much on the system as yet as there is no additional one available and others can’t let me work on theirs due to the long queue of customers. But still I have learnt a few common day-to-day operations on my own.
My first Sunday here was a working day for us. Strangely, work increases automatically whenever I am around. Looking forward to this Sunday which hopefully would be in Ludhiana.
The first week was easy but things will be different next week onwards as I start assuming more responsibilities. The best part about this week was that my father sounded very happy for he can easily explain my job to friends and relatives now. He did ask me if there are any terrorists around. I told him terrorists also won’t risk coming here. There is a great chance that they might fall asleep due to boredom and get caught. My mother is more concerned about rice being absent from the diet. I told her that I am not bothered about rice at the moment. At least, Pappu has agreed to make rotis for this poor soul. Long Live Pappu….
However, it feels nice when almost every passer-by greets you as “Manager Saab”. It makes you feel that you are very important to these people. Because of limited education, they often put full faith in the decision-making of the bankers. It is a great motivation to become a Good Banker.
Note: Please read the previous post to somewhat acquaint yourself with the village where I am currently posted at.
