At the end of the day when the cash vaults are closed and the clerical staff has left, we verify and cross out all vouchers/cheques passed by them and they are wrapped in a slip bearing debit-credit details, the checking officer’s name, ID and signature. Since the big SBI merger, we are being very particular about this little thing these days.
Our peon, Pappu Ram, has found a new joy. Everyday, I deliberately leave out my ID no. and signature on the voucher bundle. The next morning, he fetches it to me and impatiently waits. Immediately after my signature in red ink, his eyes sparkle as he borrows my blue pen. He pulls out a chair and settles down.
Somewhere at the bottom right corner of the brown khaki page he spots a tiny “Prepared by” and places his signature in English with panache. He compares his signature with mine, extends a line here and there and places a couple of dots like I do. He exhales with glee as he returns my pen to me.
By now, someone has yelled his name or is frantically demanding him by ringing a bell. As he gets up, I look away on my computer. He pretends to arrange various seals on my desk. Confident that I am not aware, he steals the branch seal and hurriedly stamps it over his signature. He turns and leaves, beaming and grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
His moment is over till the next morning.
Does he dream of a world where manual labour is not inferior to sedentary paper work? Or does he dream of a world where everyone took out their own garbage and fetched their own stuff? No. He dreams that his twins would have their own peons one day. What do I do about it? I post it here and put my empathy to sleep, prodding my practicality awake.
Written in May 2017.
Anhad/अनहद 