Page 62 - #letter to son

#SangamNiti AFTERNOON MUSINGS
With my brother, I always felt a connection rooted in his sense of
managing time and being available for anyone who wanted his assistance
or counsel.

In my youth, I was deeply inspired by our chief at the home décor
manufacturing company for his unparalleled domain knowledge and
thoroughness. I recall once he called me to visit our office in London
for resolving a business issue and though I managed to organise my
passport within a short time, my UK visa was rejected on the grounds
that my visit did not call for any specialised application. I was also to be
partly blamed because I told only half-truth to the visa officer that I had
to visit to sort out a product issue. Towards the evening, I got a call from
the chief and he excoriated me, saying I should have spoken the truth.
Nonetheless, he said that he would come to the visa office with me the
next time. So when the officer re-raised the concern to reject my visa,
the chief said that he was the head of the organsiation and he knew fully
well which resource had to be deputed where and for what purpose. He
even mentioned to the officer that his government encouraged cross-
border movement of skilled people and yet here he was denying visa
to them. The gentleman got the point and granted my visa. Going to
London was the first flight I ever took in my life.

In yet another instance, I remember we had to export a container that
was ready for its seaborne journey, only awaiting custom inspection
before sailing-off. The officer did not come at the appointed time and so
our chief instructed that we write a letter to the authorities mentioning
that because of the delay, the demurrage costs will have to be borne by
them. The officer promptly came the next day.

With our chief, I always felt a connection anchored in knowledge, fair-
play and his no-nonsense attitude.

The head of the ceramics company in which I later worked showed me
what it took to build a business and the kind of impact business has
on the socio-economic fabric of a society and the wider community.
He specially underscored the importance of business in providing
meaningful employment in a developing country like Bangladesh.

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