Hyderabad to London

SBI Hyderabad LHO (Local Head Office)

I joined the Advances Department in Region I and Mr. B. Ramachandra Rao was the AO and he was quite the gentleman and a very patient boss. Mr. Denzil Bob was AO-General and he was a very well-read gentleman from Tamil Nadu with an M.A. in English and he was good company. He was later transferred to Chennai Head Office. I specialized in Credit Guarantee schemes and nursing programs to rehabilitate sick industries. I found that within a few months, I was invited to give a lecture on Credit Guarantee schemes at the Staff Training Centre to a batch of Probationary Officers. This was a first for me and facing well educated POs is not an easy task as they ask very tough but relevant questions. I was paid an honorarium of Rs 500 for the lecture.

I had very good company of Ahmed Bhai, Altaf, Mohan Ram, Chandra Mouli, Habeeb Ahmed, Ganapathy, Sundar Shyam, Vikram, V. Ramanarayan, Capt. Manohar Sharma and many others. Our interaction was very friendly and intellectual. Ahmed bhai later became my relative but many others became close family friends. I realized that everyone at Head Office and even at many branches across the state knew me by name due to my suspension during the strike and I didn’t know if this was good kind of repute but it was. Officer’s Association had a separate office to handle all affairs and I visited them once or twice. The President was Mr. P. Kotaiah and General Secretary Mr. Madhava Rao, both of them showed me lot of respect and concern about my welfare.

Shakir, Ahmed bhai, me and Aleem 1976

I worked under two Regional Managers- Mr. P.V. Subba Rao and Mr. R. Ganesan. Mr. Subba Rao was a handsome person and very dynamic. His desk was always full of files and papers. He was very polite and calm under stress. Mr. Ganesan was earlier my Chief Manager at Vizag when the suspension happened. He was very fond of me even in those days. Here in the Regional Office, he was very polite and kind towards me. I saw that the Messenger used to take a trunk full of files and papers every day for a few weeks when he took over. On my enquiry, I was told that the files related to some tough cases like nursing programs, disciplinary cases etc., which were awaiting decisions for months and years. He used to return the files next day, either approved or with quick pointed questions. Matters were resolved over a two-month period and he was free. Whenever I had the occasion to see him in his cabin, he was sitting leaning forward with hands on desk, as if waiting for issues to be brought to him. The desk used to be totally clean. I liked this aspect of his work and in my later assignments, I adopted this practice and achieved clean desk policy. Mr. Ganesan had a kind of dynamism which was based on practical achievements and never on bluster and sound and fury. People used to be scared of going to him without being fully informed and prepared. His dissatisfaction was expressed with just a look and not in so many words. I was told that he died in harness of a stroke while he was GM in Guwahati, Assam  addressing RMs. He was 55, I think.

Ahmed bhai was my constant companion for lunches at Taj Hotel, Kamat’s, Berry’s, and Grant Hotel. We both liked Biryanis and we tried at several places and Ahmed Bhai was knowledgeable as he was in and around Kothi for some years.  He also introduced me to Friend’s Opticals on Troop Bazaar where I bought spectacles several times. Ahmed bhai was my de facto pillion rider. After leaving our homes on the scooter, our routine was to stop at Rashid bhai's Pan shop where Ahmed bhai used to buy a pack of Four Square and I, a Red Wills pack. Ahmed bhai also ordered two pans. We then headed towards Abids and Kothi and got to the office, chatting quite a lot en route.

Ahmed bhai was an ardent fan of good cinema. His favorite Indian film maker was Satyajit Ray. We attended a Film festival which was showing all the films directed by Satyajit Ray. We saw three films together. He also took me to register as a member of the Film Club run by Max Muller Bhavan. We attended a few French and German movies with English sub-titles. Mujeeb bhabhi also used to accompany us whenever it was possible for her. 

I resigned from SBI in November 1977 after I was selected by a foreign bank in U.K. More on this in a separate blog. 

My resignation came as a surprise in the bank and my close friends asked me why I was leaving a bright future. I was told later that I was to be called in for an out-of-turn promotion as Staff Officer-Grade III and I had good chances. Being called for an interview itself, especially after a suspension in my record, was unique. It showed that the Management did not attach any negativity to the suspension and recognized my hard work and achievements. My resignation pre-empted the final selection here. It is also possible I would have missed selection in the normal process. Those days one had to complete CAIIB (a banking Diploma) before being eligible for promotion. I had one subject to complete which I did in 1984 when I was auditing Bombay branch of BCCI from Muscat.

Selection for BCCI:
In June 1977, one fine morning at 8 am, I was reading "The Hindu" (in the toilet). I saw an advertisement for a foreign bank for experienced bankers. As soon as I came out, I called Ahmed bhai from the window of our dining room of my first floor flat in Vijayanagar Colony which looks onto the kitchen of his ground floor flat and told him to look at his newspaper. When we got ready for the office, our ride on the scooter, it was all about this advertisement. Over the next two days, we worked together and mailed our applications and waited rather expectantly. Not knowing the name of the bank was not a big concern as we expected a foreign bank to be strong and stable.

I got an interview call from BCCI (that's when we actually knew the name of the bank which was not mentioned in the advertisement). I was quite happy and excited but Ahmed bhai waited for some time more but was rather mystified how he was not called for the interview though we both had similar backgrounds. The interview was in August 1977 at Taj Hotel, Bombay and I was asked to fly in. Ahmed bhai helped me in mentally preparing for the interview.

Khamar and I booked our flights to Bombay by Indian Airlines and that was our first flight. I informed Shakir who was working in Bombay of my program.

We checked into Hotel Sea Rock which was in Colaba, very close to Taj Hotel with the help of Shakir and Rabbani. I attended the interview next morning while Khamar spent time shopping in Colaba and looking around the Gateway of India. 

Taj Hotel, Mumbai 1977

When I entered the conference and meeting rooms in the Old Taj (on the left in the picture above) allocated to BCCI,  I found quite a big group and BCCI support staff was busy. They were being assisted by some staff from Syndicate Bank, one of their correspondent banks. After a short wait, I was called in for the interview. I saw three senior executives sitting. Mr. Swaleh Naqvi, CEO and Mr. Alauddin Sheikh and one other.

I was naturally nervous but they put me at ease by offering tea which I accepted. While their questions were not tough, they were probing me on my family background, my confidence in Banking Operations and my key achievements. I felt they were checking out my body language. Most of the interaction was with Mr. Naqvi who lit up a cigarette. I asked him if I too may smoke. He gladly said there is no problem. That really put me at ease though I was not smoking rather politely. The actual interview lasted 20-25 minutes. Midway, I got the feeling that the result will be positive. 

Mr. Naqvi indicated that I am on the selected list and handed me over to Mr. Alauddin Sheikh. I did not expect such a quick decision. Mr. Sheikh told me that I will be fixed at US $ 700 as basic salary and I will be an International officer with attractive perks including a Country Allowance which is equal to the Basic salary. Later on, I came to know in London that US $ 800 was the highest for bankers with double the experience and there were quite a few with equal experience with 500-600 as basic salary. He said I can come back after an hour and receive the appointment letter. He also gave a simple form to fill in for claiming all the expenses viz., Airfare, taxis, hotel, food allowance. There was no requirement of receipts. It was nice show of trust and confidence on the candidates who were experienced bankers. I was on cloud nine!

After two hours, when I came out with the good news of my selection, Khamar was supremely happy but the excitement and joy on the faces of Shakir and Rabbani was something to see. They were hugging me and each other and jumping around!

I went back after an hour to collect the appointment letter which was ready signed by Mr. Naqvi and receive reimbursement of my expenses in crisp new notes. I was told I will be informed on Visa formalities in due course.

I met with Khamar and the group and we went to Ambernath to see Mukhtiar bhai where he was GM, Ordnance Factory. We travelled by local suburban train and it was our first such experience in Mumbai. The crowds were so thick and it would have been impossible to enter the compartment but for the physical assistance of Rabbani and Shakir. We came back to the hotel late night and left for Hyderabad next morning.

Preparations for London trip:
My arrival in Hyderabad kicked of a period of congratulations from relatives and friends, anxious wait for UK Visa, meeting others in Hyderabad who were selected and the process of resignation. 

Ahmed bhai was my strong supporter throughout this period. Though our routine of going to Head Office together on the scooter continued uninterrupted, we had quite a few meetings at his home about the various bothersome issues. I met up with Mazharuddin, Syed Noor, S.M. Haque and Amarnath from various local banks in Hyderabad who were selected along with me. Our main topic of discussions was centred around UK Visa. We exchanged notes several times and visited each other's offices and homes. We received a few detailed communications from BCCI, London advising us how to approach UK Consulate in Chennai. 

The five of us booked train tickets to visit Chennai and submitted our Visa application. We returned to Hyderabad back the next day. We got a communication from Consulate that our applications are on hold and they await decision from Home Office in London. We came to know that the reason for the hold was that a large number of Visa applications were received from India to join this bank and the Bank was not known as it was hardly 3 years old. The group selected in 1977 was around 45.

We received a confirmation from BCCI, London that they had a meeting with Home Office and we can expect a positive result when we go back to Chennai. We received a letter from UK Consulate to come and meet them. The five of us again travelled together and with throbbing hearts met the Consular Officer. By Allah's grace, our Visas were stamped. We were much relieved. This was end of October, more than two months after the interview. These two months were quite tense as it was not very clear if we will get the visas and our enquiries about BCCI did not elicit much information. It was somewhat of a leap in the dark.

We gained confidence at this time to put in our resignation papers and start thinking of farewells and travel arrangements. I resigned from SBI giving them one month's notice effective 1st November 1977. I was relieved on 1st Dec and left for London on 27th Dec 1977. We vacated the Bank's flat and moved into a smaller flat closeby. We visited Kurnool to say goodbye to my in laws.

This was the period when our group of five (Amarnath, Haque, Noor, Mazharuddin and I) became good friends.

A week after my resignation, colleagues came to know that I am going abroad though I had not told anyone besides Ahmed bhai. I believe many SBI people had applied and did not receive interview calls. Finally after my arrival in London, we came to know that tens of thousands of resumes were received in mail bags and were sorted out without any standard screening mechanism. There was no way of tracing anyone's application. I saw that there were only five officers from different banks in AP who joined BCCI. The others were from other states. While bidding farewell to some of my colleagues, I felt that many were envious that I am getting out of India.

Those days, it was necessary to obtain Income Tax clearance before employees travel abroad. Ahmed bhai took me to Nazir Ahmed saheb who was Income Tax Officer in Ramakrishna Theatre complex in Abids. He was very helpful in getting this certificate in a day instead of a week or more. Thank you Nazir bhai.

Ahmed bhai requested me to follow up on his application in London. I did so with some senior people who advised that I could submit a fresh application which I did after a few weeks. Before my departure and later in our correspondence, Ahmed bhai expressed a strong desire to get out of SBI. I tried again by submitting his application to Regional Office at Abu Dhabi. It seemed as if this first batch of Indian officers numbering 45 was enough for them to handle for a while. Recruitment of Pakistani officers continued unabated.

Soon after my transfer to Abu Dhabi and later to Al Ain, Ahmed bhai passed away in 1979 to my utter shock and grief. He was closer than a brother and my soulmate. More about his departure in a separate blog.

Departure for London:
On 26th Dec 1977, I left Hyderabad with Khamar and Anwer Hussain Khasab. Mukhtiar bhai met us at Bombay airport. It was an emotional farewell and I had mixed feeling of going abroad for the first time, joining an exciting job and leaving the family.

In the Air India flight on 27th Dec 1977, I met Mazharuddin who introduced me to Abid Ali, a test cricketer from Hyderabad. Abid Ali was going to London to play county cricket and do part time work between matches. 

We also had in a neighbouring seat, Mr. I.S. Johar, the famous comedian of Bollywood and had roles in many Hollywood movies, perhaps due to his command on English. He had M.A. and LL.B. degrees. He used to write popular articles in Illustrated Weekly of India. Even within the short time of our acquaintance, he was joking with Mazharuddin and Abid Ali. He was drinking happily and cracking jokes. He came out of the toilet during the flight and Mazharuddin pointed out that his belt missed one of the loops of his trousers. Johar said he never looked before he looped!! He gave us a tip when we told him that we are visiting London for the first time. He said we must remember two things always, saying "Thank you" and "Please" at every turn. It was an useful tip. He said he was going to London for the shooting of "Death on the Nile".

Four days after our flight, a similar flight of Air India Emperor Ashoka crashed into sea off Mumbai and all 210 people on board lost their lives. Our flight was named Emperor Akbar.

Arrival in Heathrow to be covered in the next blog.

Kakinada to Hyderabad 1973-1977

Manager- Personal Banking Division- Kakinada

When I joined at Kakinada as Manager-PBD, the bank had been reorganized into different segments- Personal, Corporate, Accounts, Small Scale Industry, and Agriculture and depending on the size of the branch, each Division was headed by a Manager and the Branch Manager/Chief Manager was the overall head. Divisional Managers had reasonable freedom to act and take decisions.

I had a good team with me. The staff I remember who gave me total support were Rasool Khan who had excellent handwriting and pleasant manners; and Shankar, a very hard working Messenger who was devoted to me and Rafique Pasha. My top priority was to set high standards of customer service and in a period of 15 months the results showed that I had achieved this. The deposits of the Division doubled in this period and we received high praise from customers and Head Office. Mr. Khizerzai Nazeer Mahmood Khan was a Trainee Officer at this Branch. He hailed from Kurnool and met me again in Hyderabad in 1976-77. He was very customer-focused and gelled with my way of working.

I had the pleasure of meeting Janab Nasrullah Durrani who was 70 years old. He retired as Chief Engineer and held several important positions at State and Central Governments. He used to come after business hours for his banking. One day he came in his usual Tennis dress at 4 pm and said he was going to his Club next. After preliminaries, I asked him what his transaction was. He surprised me by saying he just came to see me as he felt relaxed after a chat with me. Thank Allah, he didn't make it a regular habit!

SBI had a pension scheme for retired employees and during the first week, I had these elderly gentlemen coming to draw their pensions. They used to look forlorn and lost in old memories, perhaps. I used to call them over to my table, whether they were Messengers or Clerks or Officers to enquire about their health and get their transaction completed as fast as possible. Shankar was ever ready to bring them a cup of tea without my asking as he knew my style of customer service. The retirees felt extremely happy to receive special attention and recognition. Sometimes my customers got caught up in my insistence on quick service. They felt they should be allowed to hang around and enjoy the general positive ambience.

We were provided with Bank’s accommodation which was fully furnished. Dad, Ammi and all the children stayed together. The first one was in SBI Colony, a little away from the Town center. One example of our good times here were the chess games we played against each other. The games against dad were interesting. We were asked to take back a move if we were attacking his queen or checkmating his King. We were not able to deny him this request.  He used to have a satisfied smile when we obliged. The next house was near a park and the landlady was Dr. (Mrs) Mary Chacko and it was close to dad’s office. We had a very good family time here too. It ended with the tragic and premature demise of Dad in Oct 1973. More about this later in a separate blog "Departures"

Ammi, Ejaz Khalajan in Dr. Mary Chacko's house 1973

Branch Manager- Amalapuram

When I reported at Amalapuram, I was 27 years old. The previous Managers were in their mid-40s or 50's. Some customers who came to see me thought I was the Manager's son and they asked for the Manager. I had to explain to them that I am the new Manager.

One of my regular practices was to spend quite some time walking about on the counters during business hours, greeting customers and checking if the queues were too long and if more counters needed to be opened. I used to give special attention to old men and women. I used to make them sit and take their cheques personally to the counter and get them priority attention. An old lady was a regular visitor every month, on Thursdays, to draw her family pension. One day, she stepped into my cabin and I asked her if there is any problem. She just approached me and came around the table to lay a coconut at my feet. I was surprised and asked my Dufedar what she is doing. He said she likes you and so she is offering a gift!! She had another coconut in her hand and Dufedar says she will now go to the temple to offer the second coconut to the deity there. I thanked her while returning the coconut and requested her not to bring coconuts and that I am just doing my duty. She once again went to my residence which was right over the Branch and gave the coconut to my mom who accepted it. I had to get Dufedar to convey to her to stop this practice.

While residing at the old SBI building, I was preparing to go to the office at 9 am when suddenly I felt a severe stomach ache. Within minutes it became so severe that I could not sit or stand and had to lie down in a fetal position with folded knees close to my chest. Dr. Raju was called in and he immediately diagnosed it as Appendicitis and recommended that we go to Kakinada for an urgent operation within 24 hours. I left for Kakinada along with Shakir and Ammi in a cab. Kamal mama was there working as Lecturer and Mehdi chacha came from Rajahmundry. We went to the private surgical clinic of Dr. William Prasad Rao, who was married to Dr. Swarajya Lakshmi, daughter of our landlord in Rajahmundry in 1960-62. Doctor said the appendix is ripe and we have to do surgery urgently as any delay may lead to rupture of appendix leading to Peritonitis. Next day, surgery was conducted. Mehdi chacha and Kamal mama were also allowed to witness the operation and I was given local anesthesia. I was able to see and hear everything going on and of course did not feel any pain. Doctor, before closing up my stomach, asked if I wanted to see my intestines.  I said in fun " Yes, please check for any cigarette butts". He showed the intestines and also the index finger length of removed appendix which was red and close to bursting. Dr. Swarajya Lakshmi showed this appendix to Shakir waiting outside.Thank Allah for the successful surgery.

Shakir, Ammi and Dadijan were with me before Khamar joined us after the wedding. Khamar recalls gentle reminders of Ammi that Khamar, coming from forest Officer’s family, should start eating non-vegetarian food. She was 100% vegetarian then. Shakir after bringing nice chicken, meat or fish, used to go after Khamar saying “ Bhabhi, Aap yeh sab khana dekho. Naito baad mein Bhai ku kaisa pakako khilatey”.  Khamar says she was getting used to being bugged everyday but all this persuasion seemed to have worked. Not only she eats most non-vegetarian stuff, she prepares very tasty dishes including prawns.

Ammi was head of the household. Dadijan was also with us. She was mostly with Dad at various places but spent a few months with Mehdi chacha, Masood chacha, Ruhani phuphu and Majima phuphu at various places. Dadijan was a pleasant personality, always very cool. She was very fair and people used to compare her to Queen Victoria for her physical appearance and her fair complexion. Only Dad and Ruhani phuphu inherited her complexion. Here is her picture along with me and siblings in 1961. She had jet black hair and all her teeth even at the age of 80 when she passed away in Akividu. Like old ladies of that time, she was habituated to Opium (Afeem) which she kept in a small 1/2" tin and took a small pill before bedtime. We were told that it gave them dreamless sleep. Opium those days was available in grocery stores like a medicine. I have seen old ladies in Akividu borrowing a pill of opium from other old ladies if their stock was depleted. 

Shakir was already working and used to visit often. Babu was with me intermittently while pursuing his studies. Shammi after her marriage in Kakinada in 1974, came to Amalapuram in 1975 for her first delivery (Seema).

Dadijan (Queen Victoria) with me and siblings 1960

Amalapuram was in the Godavari Delta area where huge amounts of gold jewelry are held by ladies. It was a common practice to borrow against gold from banks for short term loans which sometimes turned into long term loans. I found at this branch that there were many Gold Loan accounts marked “Deceased” and the Loan had been cleared. The Jewelry was to be delivered to the legal heirs only after proper legal documentation was submitted. Previous Managers were very strict about this legal process and though there was discretion for the Branch Manager to accept affidavits and personal guarantees instead of Succession Certificates from the Courts, they hardly exercised this power. I exercised my discretion freely and cleared many such cases.

Two instances come to mind. Once a family of 21 people, who were second generation relatives, came to sign for the delivery of the ornaments and two elderly ladies started crying when they saw the ornaments which were of large size, one waistband (cummerbund) which would easily weigh 25 tolas. They said they belonged to their grandmother and they are seeing these after 30 years. The second case was also a very old case and they had lost hope of ever getting the jewellery back due to lack of legal documentation. When they got back the jewellery after my intervention, they went out happily. I was entering my residence via the staircase for lunch, I saw a few of this group waiting for me and one gent was trying to offer me some money for clearing the case. I told him that I cannot accept any such thing. He was under the impression that no one clears such old cases without expecting some benefit.

We had business targets and this area was known for huge deposits from the rich residents. I had good business based on the great reputation we built up as a team and the excellent customer service. So my targets were really high. A few months, I could see that we may fall short by a few lakhs and my back-up customer was Minor Garu who was a wealthy merchant and I had great respect for him. I used to telephone him and he used to come personally to give me a fresh deposit to achieve the target. My stay here was for 18 months and the branch was nearly 50 years old, having started as a branch of Imperial Bank of India. When I took over, the deposits were about 60 lakhs after 50 years of existence. When I handed over the branch after 18 months, the deposits were nearly 1.2 crores. Loans and Profits also rose accordingly.

SBI started an initiative called “Innovative Banking” and the target customers were those who could not bring any assets to mortgage to the bank, too small to have accounts and balance sheets, entrepreneurs who did not know how to prepare business plans etc., I extended loans which were very small those days of Rs. 5,000 to Rs 10,000 with easy repayment plans. One strange case was the Imam of a local masjid. He came and reported that his salary was very low and he is not able to meet his family expenses. I asked him to think of any small business which can help him. He came back after a week and said that he can sell Hawai chappals outside the masjid. I loaned him Rs 5,000 under Innovative Banking and told him to repay in small monthly installments. After six months, I saw that there were no repayments coming in. During one of my visits to the masjid, I took him aside and asked him the reason for default. I also did not see any chappals being sold outside the masjid. He said he sold all the stocks, spent the money on the family and he does not have any money left. That was capital doing the vanishing act. I mentioned this to some of the well-to-do Muslims and they all collected funds for the Imam and paid off the Loan.

I had an excellent team to work with. Y. Srirama Murty was the Field Officer in-charge of all Advances and it was a busy desk. He had a Standard Herald and took me around the official visits to Industries and clients.  V.V.V.Satyanarayana was a handsome and tall officer performing the duties of Accountant. This seat was a busy one handling many duties and without an able Accountant, Branch Manager would be in trouble. VVV was a very cooperative officer who took responsibility without any complaint and I could depend on him to perform the tasks. P.D.V.Ramachandrudu and Raju, were senior staff and also active in Union matters. I used to anticipate their demands and used to call them over regularly to ask them if there is anything I can do for the staff welfare. I provided them a lunch room, Table Tennis and a separate toilet for ladies and such facilities. They were quite happy with the support I gave them. They knew that I had an understanding of unions and supported them in principle. P.D.V.Ramachandrudu was also an experienced officer and he helped me with many banking rules and procedures.

The Union held a demonstration on the instruction of their Headquarters and informed me out of courtesy and our good relations that they would resort to sloganeering in front of the main gate for 15 minutes before they start their work a little late. I said I am sympathetic to their cause. Just before they started the sloganeering, I stepped out of my cabin and joined them at the Main gate while they were shouting “Management down down” etc., The Union Secretary said I was the Management and I should not be with them while they are shouting. I said while I was among them, I was just a supporter of Union activity.

Satyanarayana (Dufedar) was a great support. He was attached to the Branch Manager and managed the team of Messengers.  To start with he used to sit on a stool right outside Manager’s cabin and close the door filtering the flow of visitors. Without his say so and my permission, no one was supposed to come inside. One of the first things I did was to ask him to move the stool elsewhere and keep my door open. Any customer could come in any time and meet me unless I asked for a closed door meeting with an important customer or a Head Office official or an Auditor. Though initially Satyanarayana felt disturbed and disempowered but in a short while, he understood my approach and cooperated very enthusiastically.

I was invited to join Rotary Club of Amalapuram. I attended their meetings and spoke a few times. The Officer’s Club was a well-organised club for all the Government Officials, Bankers and such. They had nice Tennis courts, Badminton and indoor games like Billiards. Shakir and Diwakar used to accompany me sometimes. Diwakar was Procurement Manager for ILTD, a leading Tobacco company and he was a regular visitor as a customer first and became a close friend. He later joined SBI and was Manager - Old MLA Quarters and other assignments. He was an active sportsman specializing in Cricket. He got married in 1974 and brought his bride to Amalapuram and we were the first friends he and Aruna visited after their wedding. Diwakar visited me at Vanasthalipuram in Feb 2014 with his family and this time with his grandchildren.

Amalapuram has a big population of Christians and a number of churches to service the community. Many domestic helpers and Ayahs come from this area to work in Gulf countries and send regular monthly remittances by Draft to their family members. The usual practice was to send these drafts for collection to Hyderabad or Mumbai which would take two or more weeks to realize. I changed the system as I knew that the demand drafts would never be returned for lack of funds as they are issued by big banks from Gulf. I instructed that these drafts should be immediately encashed as long the customers hold an account with us and send the drafts for collection subsequently. This was a great convenience for the dependent families and the word spread and I got a big chunk of such business and most of these clients were Christians.

My empathy with clients of different communities reached the Pastors and Church officials. When Missionary officials from USA and Europe came for visits, the local church official used to bring them to meet me and they used to thank me for the service. I was invited once to a big meeting of Christian Missionaries and when I arrived at the venue to show Bank’s support to the community, I was invited to the Dais and asked to speak. I spoke on the bank’s services for five minutes.

One of my regular customers was an old pensioner and I used to give special attention to old people. Sometimes I used to bring them to my cabin and offer them a cup of tea and get their cash or any work done fast. This used to make them happy. One month I noticed that this old gent hadn't come for his usual monthly visit. I enquired from my Dufedar (Head Messenger) and he brought me news that he was not well. I went to his house to call on him and ask him if he needs any help in the bank. He was very happy to see me.

An annual event in Amalapuram was the Puranas Recitation Competition for Brahmin pundits from all over India. Literally thousands of senior and junior pundits wearing gold armlets denoting their scholarship of vedas, stay for a week and participate in the event. The Department of Endowments and Charitable Institutions used to give them cheques drawn on SBI ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 25,000 or more for the top placed winners. The top winners were also presented with Gold armlets which they wore proudly. One day I saw a large group of these pundits waiting at the counters. When I enquired from the staff, they said they come every year and this rush to clear cheques lasts a few days. I saw an opportunity to help them by opening special counters with instructions that no one should wait for more than 5-10 minutes. At the end of the event, Satyanarayana, Dufedar came and told me that a group of senior pundits wanted to see me. I thought there must be a problem looming. I asked him to bring them in. The group of ten scholars came in and while standing in my cabin with the door open, they started reciting shlokas in a loud but musical tone for five minutes and all the staff and some customers came to stand outside my door and listen to this strange event unfold. When they stopped reciting which was echoing through the building, I asked them if they had any problem. The senior-most pundit told me that they never had such fast service and respect shown by the staff and specially coming from a Muslim Manager like me, they wanted to praise and offer thanks and bless me and reciting shlokas was their way of doing it. I felt honored. Staff were more thrilled as it was for them too.

Late in 1975, we moved out to a brand new customized building with a nice Branch Manager’s residence on the first floor and a terrace which was good for relaxing in the evening. The old building housed the bank for about 50 years and was old fashioned and had maintenance problems. The new building was completed and the shifting went on smoothly. I had to coordinate with Police, District Administration and Head Office etc. We held the inauguration function on the terrace and here is a picture. It was a spectacle for the town folk as all the branch staff walked a kilometer with trucks loaded with boxes of cash and gold and escorted by a big contingent of Police.

SBI Amalapuram New building inauguration. Minor garu sitting on left, Mr.Raju, Landlord on extreme right and PDV Ramachandrudu standing on left.

I was transferred to Head Office in Hyderabad in February 1976. The fond farewell by staff was memorable. But the enduring image I have in my memory is the actual departure from Amalapuram Bus stand. I booked tickets for all the family by deluxe bus to Hyderabad. There is no train service here as it is the middle of a delta region surrounded by rivers. Srirama Murthy picked me up in his car and we left the residence and he was driving slowly as many of the staff were following the car by scooters and bicycles. When we reached the bus stand, I saw some customers and friends waiting for me to bid farewell. Among them was a Pastor in a white gown who stood out. I was moved by this sight. As the bus moved away, the Pastor was blessing me by signing a cross behind the bus as I looked back. I thank Allah for all the love and affection shown by people and staff at Amalapuram. Wish I had a photo or a video of this.

While visiting Kamal mama at Kakinada in Oct 2013 and travelling to see Sultan khalsab at Akividu, we stopped over at SBI, Amalapuram on a Sunday. The security guard allowed me to enter after I introduced myself. The office has changed a lot, an AGM is in charge and the Manager's residence and the spacious terrace are now converted to office space.

Revisiting Amalapuram branch Oct 2013 (after 37 years)

I got married to Khamar in 1975 while I was in Amalapuram. More on this with some pictures in a separate blog.

State Bank of India 1968-1972

I joined SBI after a tough selection process in Oct 1968 at Kakinada. Everyone was happy in the family, especially Dad and there was no hesitation in joining a bank as the position of Probationary Officer in the top Bank of India was prestigious and almost on par with Central Services like IAS. Some of my batch mates of 1968 joined as early as July as their Police clearances were received quickly. They had stayed at one place for past five years while I moved around two or three places.

I travelled to Kakinada on 17th Oct after meeting Ahmed bhai who was getting married to Mujeeb Bhabi on 18th Oct 1968.  I could not attend the wedding as my joining date at Kakinada was 19th Oct 1968. I met him in Goshamahal house and gifted him a book, I think it was Anna Karenina by Tolstoy. I also met Maqbool bhai for the first time on 17th Oct 1968 and also saw Fahmida and Mona as small kids. Ahmed bhai introduced me to Mujeeb bhabhi, the bride-to-be as she was also living in the same compound. She was his first cousin.

I stayed with Vali Amoji  ( M.A.Khan, brother of Janab Hyder Ali Khan, so Amoji to everyone in the family) in Kakinada till I found lodgings close to the Bank on the Main Road. The family of Vali Amoji were very hospitable and kind. Chachi was feeding me well. Imtiyaz was of my age and he was very friendly. Munni was a toddler aged four and she used to practise her ABCs and rhymes with me. After a few weeks, I got a room at walking distance from the bank. I met up with Munni recently in 2014 at a wedding in Hyderabad and she says she is a grandma!!! How time flies!!

Ahmed Bhai 1970

The training for POs in SBI was very structured. The Probation was for 18 months. There were two training courses- Induction course for six weeks at one of many Training Centres and Intermediate course for five weeks at Staff College, Hyderabad. Besides these courses, one had to work at three branches for three to four months each with rotation in all departments and with increasing powers of approval and responsibility.  My first week was spent in the Mailing Department which meant entering inward and outward mail in registers and getting them checked by the Branch Manager. The other duties were handling the Franking Machines, tallying the stock of postage stamps. Branch Manager explained the importance of this duty saying one would get an idea of what passes through the bank and the risks of mishandling mail. He also brought our attention to the risks such as junior staff hiding complaints, delaying presentation of checks received in Registered Post to favour clients and pilferage of Postage stamps. My first Branch Manager was Padmanabha Rao and after two months Mr. R. Narasimhan took over. I came to know from Mr. M.P. Radhakrishnan, a senior colleague of SBI when he was visiting from SBI Off-shore Unit in Bahrain, while I was with BOBK in Muscat, about a confidential report written by Padmanabha Rao. He, it seems, commented that if I continue in SBI, I had a good chance of rising to MD level!! This was a pleasant thing to know from such a reliable source but I told him that he must be joking after 23 years. He said he was not!

One of the batch mates of SBI Mr. Thampi turned up in London as a fellow BCCI Officer in 1978. So was Mr. T.M.Nagarajan who was also my batchmate from Bombay circle whose career path seems to closely resemble mine. He was a dear colleague in BCCI & BOBK. We keep in touch even now. He attended the weddings of Sameera and Badar.

Among my colleagues were T. Sreerama Murty and Satya Prasad who had extraordinary qualities. They could do any job in the bank with efficiency including balancing ledgers which could not be done by others. If they were asked to do something in 10 minutes, they would complete the task in two minutes with confidence. Once you hand over a  customer to them, you know they will make them happy. It was a pleasure working with them.

Knowing that I am a Civil Engineer, he asked me to draw pie-charts and graphs for display in the Manager’s chambers showing the growth of business and profits etc.,  He also used to call us for coffee once a month for a general chat and interacting with us. He was a keen photographer and he showed me his camera. Mr. Narasimhan later became CMD at Central Office.

Every Friday was “Balancing day” when all the ledgers had to be balanced and sometimes we had to stay late. Another day when we spent late hours was the Annual closing day which is 31st Dec for SBI. I had got home at midnight a few times. Anyway, the only machine available with the Head Clerk was a FACIT adding machine and one had to reserve his turn to use it. As I look back to banking in 60’s to present times, I seem to have seen the evolution of manual ledgers to automation to computers. The gamut of machines included the first adding machine, calculator, NCR Posting machine, low-memory stand-alone computers, and net-based on-line systems. Mr. Somayajulu, Accountant used to amaze us by his numeric skills by adding two columns of figures at a time with good speed and accuracy. New staff used to come to see him in action.

I moved to Eluru for my second branch training under Mr. B. Achyuta Kumar. Mr. Kumar later was PA to Mr. R.K. Talwar, famous banker and later rose to become CEO of ANZ Bank in Australia. He is settled in Melbourne these days after retirement. Mr. Diwakar, an ex-colleague, a close friend and a master of networking put me in touch with Achyuta Kumar when he was visiting Hyderabad in 2013. We had a good time reminiscing about our old days and he shared some events relating to Mr. Talwar. Mr. Achyuta Kumar used to spend extra time with me after all the staff left to discuss the use of statistical reports to SBI-Head Office/ Central Office and RBI.

My third branch was Guntur where I had the best time. Ahmed Bhai was already at this branch and we roomed together for three months and attended the same office, sitting across two tables. It was a busy branch with heavy volumes and we both got our signing powers here.  At the branch, Janab Abdulla and Mr. Kareemuddin were very helpful in getting to grips with Government business, ledger balancing etc.

Our evenings were nice as we used to go to watch films, mostly English movies and have nice non-veg food at Muslim hotels. Imagine Parothas with brain fry, kheema, paya etc., After coming back home, we used to be in two rooms with the door open. When one of us laughed at some passage while reading, he had to explain what made him laugh. I met Aleem here when he was about to join Syndicate Bank.

In Feb 1969, I attended the Induction course at Training Centre, Nagapattinam about 50 kms from Chennai. Nagapattinam was a small town and the Training Centre was away from whatever little hustle bustle was found in the town. So we were kept busy with lectures, group discussions and quizzes etc., Evenings were spent in indoor games as well as volley ball outside. The staff of waiters and cooks knew only Tamil and most of the Trainees were from other states who didn’t know Tamil. So we had to learn survival Tamil like Tanni, More, Morukulundu, Tair, etc.

Weekends were well planned by the training centre who booked buses for us to visit Pondicherry, Tiruchirapalli. Madurai, Nagore, Kanyakumari. We got to see the most important tourist places in the South. The trip through the state of Kerala was very enjoyable.We were passing through an unending canals, rivers and rivulets and greenery all around.

The Intermediate Course held in Feb 1970 at the Staff College, Begumpet was very fruitful. We learnt Banking in depth. The hostel with multi-cuisine food was excellent. The batch mates were from so many different states and evenings spent in exchanging thoughts were interesting.

On completion of training and confirmation in April 1970, I was posted as a Team Member under Mr. Y.Radhakrishnan who later became MD at Central Office. SBI was allocated several districts to open a large number of branches, both in urban and rural areas as per new policies of Government and under the support of RBI. All team members were provided with a Jeep, a Driver, a Census handbook and an authority letter to the Branch Manager of the allocated district. My area was Anantapur District. I travelled about 2,000 kms in the district in three weeks and met local officials, prominent citizens and held street corner meetings at more than 40 locations. I recommended 30 branches of which 21 were opened within a year and most of them are now very big branches. When the Bank's jeep stopped at a village official's office, people used to surround me in a group of 30-40 and ask me how much loan the Bank plans to give while I was trying to get some idea of their deposit-giving potential. Some places I recommended include Gorantla and Uravakonda. I met Mr. Y.Radhakrishnan in Mumbai in 1983 where he was CMD to discuss remittance business while I was with an Exchange Company in Abu Dhabi. He was very cooperative and helpful and called in two other MDs to help me.

I was posted as Second Accountant at Vizag Main Branch in June 1970 where Dad was also posted at Caltex Oil Refinery and he was provided with quarters by Caltex at Yarada Park. Later we all moved to SBI quarters closer to town in Dwaraka Nagar. I purchased my first scooter, a Vespa made in Italy here.  Mr. Vepa Kamesam was my neighbour in SBI quarters and his son Arvind, now in UK, was 3-4 years old and used to enjoy a quick ride on my scooter. More about Mr. Kamesam’s role in my marriage to Khamar later. Mr. Kamesam became CMD of SBI and then Deputy Governor of RBI and has continued to keep in touch with us over the years.

I had my first scooter accident here. On 1st January 1971, Bank staff had a luncheon party and I was riding back home. I was passing by in a narrow street with huts on my right and on the left a Central Government Office. Suddenly a three year old kid ran across the street and hit my scooter handle and I fell headlong. A few scooter parts flew around and in a few seconds, a crowd formed with village women wailing and blaming me. The kid was lying prone on the ground and I did not know if the kid was just stunned or dead. A police constable came from the office across and told me to get going to avoid trouble and they will take care of things here. I saw the kid moving a bit and after gathering what can be gathered, I started the scooter and went home. After 5 pm, Dad came home and told Ammi that there was an accident in front of his office and his constable went and helped a young driver. Ammi told him that the young man was me!!! Dad said the kid was perfectly OK. I just had a few scratches but my trousers and shirt were torn.

The job was a very responsible one, holding joint custody of the Currency Chest of a few Billion rupees or more due to the big Government establishments like Railways, Navy, Shipyard, etc., I was also in-charge of auto-cypher which involves coded telegrams transmitting huge amounts. The volumes were heavy and I had to put in long hours and used to come back home by 7-8 pm.

A serious kind of incident occurred here in late 1970. The Officer’s Association had some issues linked to service conditions, transfer of officers across regions etc., and a call for “work to rule” was given. The Officer’s association n Vizag was very aggressive. I and Mr. Abraham, Chief Cashier closed the safes at 5 pm promptly leaving some cashiers with Rs 50 crores in cash in the counting room. Of course there was a contingent of Police who guard RBI remittances which was a daily affair at this huge branch. We refused to stay late and secure all the cash.

Next day, both of us as well as three other cash-custodians at other branches were suspended. After negotiations by the Association Officials at Head Office who gave the call, the suspensions were withdrawn after two weeks and we were transferred to different branches as punishment. I was the only direct recruit holding cash who participated in the strike. 

I was transferred to Srikakulam, luckily Iqbal mama was there and I stayed with him. Javed was five and Saeed was two years old then. Iqbal mama and Zakiya mami were very kind to me. I stayed with them and played with the kids. Iqbal mama's office was close by and we used to spend some time in the evening when his staff had gone home. Iqbal mama's hobby was assembling Radios or repairing them. These Radios were of the old type with diodes and tubes (radio valves) which you don't see now. I can remember him soldering these valves with lot of concentration and in between speak to me. He was very close to me.

At Srikakulam. Mr. Govindarajulu was the Accountant. SBI was undergoing a massive country-wide reorganization and it was more customer focused and new divisions (Personal Banking, Corporate Banking, SSI, and Agriculture) came into being.  Everyone was busy and the big circulars received from Head Office were only studied by me alone as I had free time with no specific duties and I was in transition. The Manager asked me to conduct a workshop for all the staff including himself to explain in plain language. It was very successful and the staff got quite familiar with the things to come.

After three months, I was transferred to Kakinada as Manager- Personal Banking Division in June 1971 signifying that I was fully rehabilitated with five months from the strike..

Radio Valves

During this period of a few months, dad was a worried man that I got caught up in trade union activities and was misguided. He wrote to Mr. S.A.M. Satyanarayana Rao, (called SAM by us all) who was my senior and well-wisher, asking him why I was made a scapegoat.  For these two weeks, I was busy attending Association meetings and used to go home late at night to avoid facing dad. I had a few lunches at the house of Mr. R. Vaidyanathan. Association arranged a meeting at Andhra University auditorium and I was asked to speak as an old AU student. I spoke on “sons of soil” policy of encouraging local talent instead of importing people from other states which was the theme of the strike. I got a good response from the audience who were students, more so because I was an Alumnus of the university.

I had officiated as Manager for a few weeks at the University Campus branch of SBI as the Manager went on leave. It was a good occasion to meet some Professors and young people. One such visitor was a Professor of Mathematics who came in furiously complaining that the half-yearly interest credited to his Savings account was short by 25 paise. I made him sit and without any argument, got the difference credited. Those were the days when all calculations were manual and FACIT adding machines were yet to come into regular use. The Professor went back happy that he was right in principle. No point in taking panga with a Mathematics Professor of all the people.

Mr. Govindarajulu had a special practice of ensuring that no single working day passes without a Fixed Deposit entry in the General Ledger. In case no customer comes in to give a fresh deposit, he used to go round the branch asking for a staff member to deposit even if it is Rs 100/-. In my stay of three months, I had five Deposits of Rs 100/- or 500/- or 1,000/-.

I used to commute to Vizag on weekends to visit family by scooter. The highway was reasonably good but the road shoulders were rough with stones scattered. A lorry overtook me suddenly and I had to go close to the edge of the road and I hit a larger stone and toppled and skidded a good 10 meters. Luckily, I was wearing a helmet. I hit my head on the side of the road full of stones and the lorry went merrily away. Another passer-by helped and I gathered wind and took off. Thank Allah and the helmet!

Paranormal story:

One of our cousins Muneer bhai (Ameen Khalsab's nephew) told us this story. He was resident of Vijayawada and stayed near Labbipet Masjid. He was a regular at the Labbipet masjid and as he was a bachelor, he had no compulsive necessity to go home. So he used to sleep over at the masjid sometimes. One night he slept between the main door and the mimbar (pulpit). When he woke up for Fajr prayers, he was in a corner of the masjid. He asked the Muazzin how that could happen. The Muazzin told him the Jinns came to pray at odd times after midnight and their path was directly from the main door toward the pulpit and one of them must have moved him aside. Muneer bhai avoided this passage and he had no further incidents. Muneer bhai narrated this to me directly and I know and trust him and believe it to be true.

Jinns are an accepted species of Allah's creations and mentioned in Quran at many places. As among people, there are mischievous Jinn and good Jinns who pray and do good deeds. There is also an advice to avoid passing urine near trees as Jinns are said to recite Quran while sitting under trees.