Page 59 - A Banker Down the Rabbit Hole

15. Being Tea Virgin at the age of 32

I got transferred to this large branch with over 60 employees. It was

considered a tough branch due to staff aligned to multiple worker
unions and pendency of Day Book and arrears in balancing of books
and account ledgers. Quite often, the employees would agitate and
impact the smooth functioning of the branch. But some change in the
outlook of employees was noticeable due to positive and no-nonsense
approach of the newly installed Chief Manager at the branch who was a
seasoned person. I was in-charge of Day Book and HR-Administration,
both being toughest areas so far there.

I had my department on the mezzanine floor that housed two more
departments - Foreign Exchange Dept. and Loans Department near me.
On a table on right hand side of my table, I had one assistant (whom the
entire staff considered the most beautiful woman of the city). On the
other side, I had one more assistant (considered as one of the very good
looking females of the branch). Everyone would call me lucky to have
such ladies on both my sides. This did not amuse me as the job involved
a deep focus and hard work for long hours so much so that such thoughts
did not occur in my mind at all. More so, when I myself had a pretty wife.
People would say so many things, but we have to retain our scruples.

I observed that they had a tea club. The tea was served twice a day, first
time at 11 am and second time at 3 p.m. They used to offer a cup of tea
to me when tea was served to them but I used to decline saying, "I do
not want to start taking tea and do not want to make it a habit later".
But most often, left or right side staff or sometimes Loan Department
Head or some other time the Foreign Exchange Department Head would

56 | A Banker down the Rabbit Hole