My last post about attending a marriage reception in India, reminds me of such a dinner, some time in 1980s. Those were the pre-Buffet days, when the guests were served dinner on KHALI (leave made) plates by folks standing straight holding steaming hot food on buckets. Each of them would serve one items, followed by another in sequence, which can put Toyota's assembly line to shame.
It happened so, inadvertently I was sitting next to a high level official of that time. Among the servers were a few of his office staff. As soon as they stood to serve the SIR (depicting our big boss), their jaws widened, protruding the entire phalanx of 32 of teeth out for a forced smile. The SIR was frantically swiping his hand on the KHALI plate resembling car wipers, saying no more, to which the server's responce was to put 10 additional pieces of choice fish slices on former's plate. It's perhaps inadvertently misconstrued as a desire to get the same number of fish slices, hinted with fingers.
Post dinner, the inquisitive in me, asked the server - Why you served your beloved SIR, not one or two, but 10 additional pieces, when we presume, he did not want more? The server reply "I am a NMR ( a class IV employee) in SIR's office. Even if SIR wants more, he would be too shy to ask me in public. In addition, he will be pleased at my pouring devotion as I pour those 10 fish slices on his plate, equivalent to his 10 visible fingers when he was swiping them. Either way it is a win-win situation for me, because before SIR retires. I need to make my NMR (a temporary post) permanent". Can't blame him for trying. With a stroke of his pen,his Sir can assure his social security for 5 rest of his life.
(The concluding part of this blog will be continued tomorrow)
It happened so, inadvertently I was sitting next to a high level official of that time. Among the servers were a few of his office staff. As soon as they stood to serve the SIR (depicting our big boss), their jaws widened, protruding the entire phalanx of 32 of teeth out for a forced smile. The SIR was frantically swiping his hand on the KHALI plate resembling car wipers, saying no more, to which the server's responce was to put 10 additional pieces of choice fish slices on former's plate. It's perhaps inadvertently misconstrued as a desire to get the same number of fish slices, hinted with fingers.
Post dinner, the inquisitive in me, asked the server - Why you served your beloved SIR, not one or two, but 10 additional pieces, when we presume, he did not want more? The server reply "I am a NMR ( a class IV employee) in SIR's office. Even if SIR wants more, he would be too shy to ask me in public. In addition, he will be pleased at my pouring devotion as I pour those 10 fish slices on his plate, equivalent to his 10 visible fingers when he was swiping them. Either way it is a win-win situation for me, because before SIR retires. I need to make my NMR (a temporary post) permanent". Can't blame him for trying. With a stroke of his pen,his Sir can assure his social security for 5 rest of his life.
(The concluding part of this blog will be continued tomorrow)
No comments:
Post a Comment