AR MENON'S "SELFISHNESS"!

My life, my struggles.

Early Eighties witnessed dawning of a new era  to LIC and its employees. These years surely promised a bright future to the institution and to all of us in the organisation.

But, of course, there were fears and prejudices.  Hot discussions.  Employees at all levels had fears.  And naturally they took part in heated 'debates'. It was all about OIC.  

We believed, OIC was another trap.  We believed there was a calculated attempt on the part of the management to entice employees.  Entice them by offering more promotions! 

But I got interested in the work reduction methods adopted by OIC.  I started working on those lines.  And introduction of these sets of forms was no problem at all for me.  That was the greatness of a person under whom I worked then. Yes he was Shri AR Menon, a direct recruit. He allowed me to work.  Permitted to introduce whatever I prepared.  He would come out of his cabin and sometimes tell me, he is changing a word in the letter put up for his signature.  I always wondered why he came out of his cabin to tell me about a small correction in a letter and  seek my 'permission' to correct the same.


When Shri AR Menon retired, one day I visited him at his residence. I asked him:"Sir, you used to come out of your cabin to say you were correcting a word in the letter put up for your signature.  I was an Assistant then and you were the Manager.  Still you wanted my permission to do a correction!"  

Shri Menon replied: "It was my selfishness!".  Yes, he explained. He thought, he could do "his work" through me. When he found me contributing my mite, he realised, he could accomplish the task of improving the functions of his department through me. That was "selfishness".  Yes, it was selfishness with a difference.  

I admit, without his presence, help and guidance (I won't say, "guidance"; he never guided me) in the crucial years of my work, I wouldn't have been born in LIC!

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I'm sorry, I started writing about OIC, N. Balakrishnan, Secretary (OIC) and an episode connected with him as Secretary (OIC).  But it has ended up in writing about Shri Menon.  I will write about the OIC episode later in another post.