a few good men

The title of this blog & its characters has got no resemblance to the Jack Nicholson & Tom Cruise starrerHollywood classic bearing the same title.

Four men takes up this entire blog space; about whom I carry memories fond & fun.

Your guess is wrong if you think its about my crushes, ex-boyfriends, my dad, uncles, brothers or my husband. These men are the indispensable lots in any Office. Well you guessed it wrong again if you thought its the Big Boss! These men are a kind of monarchs in their own right- the Office Peon!

My first job in Guwahati was in a local Graphics company. I took up the job because nothing better was on offer , was near my home, just opposite my gym & I would be engaged in something 'positive' rather than surfing the www day in & day out.

Barman was the guy who opened the Office right on dot At nine. I was always the first one to reach as all I had to do was cross the road. By the time the offuce would fill up, Barman & I exchanged small conversations for the very few minutes we got to ourselves. A tall, dark, lean fellow with cropped hair, Barman's cuppa tea was the most refreshing thing At ten in the morning. I noticed he was apt in management - be it time, people, relations, saving office stationaries & even packing parcels meticulously. I had learnt more than a thing or two from him.

He often smuggled a few bites of my lunch and later besides the Thank Yous he'd treat me to the lip smacking veggie chops available near our office.

I was the first person he confided in when his wedding got fixed. And he blushed when he said it! I disappointed him by quitting my job during the same time. Couldn't attend his wedding either as I had another job in hand & I had to join immediately.

Quite opposite to Barman was Rupan. He was shor, thin, with ioiled hair & as sly as a fox! And I must mention here that he too knew his management skills well. As a Peon of a tea company he did make good tea but then it also depended on his mood! If he had a bad hair day it reflected in the cuppa tea. So every time he entered the kitchen to brew some I would follow him, give a light pat on his shoulders and tell him to think about all the pleasant things while on the job!!!

His conveyance bills at times would sky rocket; and I would pass these as justified because many a times he has saved my **s when I reached office late and when boss called up & asked for me he covered up by saying i'm in the washroom or am filing papers or my extension is busy. Having said that he'd immediately buzz me on my cell & relay the SOS!!!
Boss knew about his exhorbitant vouchers & ased me once if he siphoned money. I didn't say yes nor did I lie. All I said was 'Maybe his salary wasn't enoughto support him & his family. In the next appraisal Rupan's salary doubled and he also enjoyed the benefits of a tea company employee on a permanent roll.

But his conveyance vouchers never receded!

And then I chanced upon to come across Mahanta. He was a very quite fellow. He did his job deligently & in his free time read newspapers thoroughly. When he didn't understood a word or a sentence he would come to me & clarify his doubts.

I couldn't hold my curiosity any longer and one day I asked him why he remaied so lost all the time. Mahanta said someone duped him promising a career in the Army and also robbed fifteen thousand. He had argued with his parents, pressurised his father to mortgage their land for the money and once he handed the money to the fellow, that was the last he saw or heard from him! I felt sorry for Mahanta. I decided to use my networking skills; got in touch with a Captain from the Army & Mahanta was soon absorbed in.

Finally its Arun. He was not a Peon but a warehouse in charge & he literally gave me a complex for he was well versed with all the lip & nail colours; compacts; foundations, eye shadows; shampoos etc! Being the oldest employee in our branch he had all the data stored in his brain like a comp!

Arun was of average height, heavily oiled hair, bulging eyes, dark complexioned ( he tried all the fairness creams & sunscreens which were either damaged or unsold in the warehouse!) & tobacco chewing.

Basically a nice guy he got into ugly brawls on his way home - well just a shot of extra whiskey more than he could handle. every morning his first half would be spent trying to recover the hangover & nursing the bruises and the second half swearing never to touch the booze again... only to go back to where it all started. Many a times his condition would be so bad that he'd call up office and inform about the expiry of his grandmother. God knows how many times he has killed her!! And when his grandmother actually hit the grave, Arun called up boss directly on his mobile and said, 'Sir, my grandmother expired and this time its for real!'

And well, Arun was not a tea guy but brewed some amazing hot, creamy & frothy coffee.