2172) Leisure Time - Experiences: "What's in a name"? wrote Shakespeare: This quote didn't seem to work for me:
When William Shakespeare wrote the following lines a few centuries ago in his play Romeo and Juliet:
“What's in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet.” This is Juliet's line when she is telling Romeo that a name is nothing but a name and it is hence a convention with no meaning behind it."
Little did the bard realise that "everything is in the name", when he wrote these lines, as I found out to my chagrin several times during my career with the State Bank of India.
The following two accounts would place my story in perspective.
If I remember correctly, my first experience is from 1992.
Sumita was posted as the Branch Manager, at State Bank of India (SBI) HAL, Korwa Branch, while I was posted at Pratapgarh, both branches in Lucknow Circle of SBI. On weekends, I used to travel to Korwa around forty kilometres from Pratapgarh.
Sometimes, I would travel by my two-wheeler, at other times, I would catch a Lucknow-bound train and get off at Amethi Railway Station, where HAL had made provision for buses to transport their officers and employees coming back from their hometowns to reach the HAL Campus, which was a short distance away.
On this occasion, I caught a Lucknow bound train, got off at Amethi Railway Station late at night, and climbed onto an HAL bus headed for the campus. Seated next to me on the bus was an HAL officer, whom I was meeting for the first time during one of several such trips.
Our conversation went something like this -
"Are you coming to HAL Korwa for the first time?" I replied in the negative and shared that I had come to the HAL Campus several times as my wife was posted at the SBI Branch.
He became very pensive and asked me my name. I replied that my name was "Rajeev Prasad". He digested this little bit of information, but seemed to grow restless. He countered with "But Madam's name is Sumita Chaudhry. So is your full name Rajeev Prasad Chaudhry?". I replied in the negative again. I could see that this was agitating him more and more.
Then, to cut a long story short, he accompanied me to Sumita's flat in the HAL Officer's Colony, just to make sure that everything was alright and that I was not an intruder.
He left only after ensuring that I was headed to the right place.
The second story relates to the period when we were posted in Lucknow in 1995 (Sumita was heading Indira Nagar, Lucknow Branch, while I was posted in the Vigilance Department, Lucknow Local Head Office).
On this occasion, we were staying in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow and were buying some provisions at a shop. One SBI officer who was also shopping recognised me and asked me if I was staying in Gomti Nagar. I replied in the affirmative. He enquired about my address. When I told him the Bungalow number, he became somewhat thoughtful.
He asked me, "But isn't it the house where Mrs. Chaudhry is staying?" I said "Yes". "You are also staying there?" I replied in the affirmative. He persisted "But your name is Rajeev Prasad". I replied in the affirmative.
By now all shoppers froze in their tracks and were glued to our conversation. This was becoming more and more interesting.
After he had asked me some more searching questions, I told him that Mrs Chaudhry was my wife. He apologised profusely and said as he was also staying in Gomti Nagar, and that, he would visit us sometime.
All shopping activity began again and everyone lost interest in my story.
If only I could travel back in time, I would tell the bard differently.
Links to some other short stories on this Blog by Rajeev Prasad:
1) Leisure Time Short Stories : Friends at the Crossroads
7) Leisure Time Short Stories : Connecting through several lifetimes: The Story of the "Panditji" (Priest) of the Hanuman Temple at Chandrasekhar Azad University, Kanpur
Vikram Bhatnagar has commented:
ReplyDelete"Just goes to also prove that Sumita was more popular and people more concerned about her welfare than a blighter going by the name of Rajeev Prasad ! π"
Looks like that, Vikram. Even our Car Servicing Group addresses me as Mr. Chaudhry. π
DeleteRattan Nath has commented:
ReplyDelete"We also keep our original last names."
Krishnayya Ramadana has commented:
ReplyDelete"Haha... that experience twice for you Rajeev.... but anyhow such incidents add more color to our lives... great to reminisce about them....."
Thanks, Krishnayya. There are many more such instances, but these were two which I remembered off the cuff. π
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