Page 27 - Microsoft Word - Moons copy-latest
P. 27
my court. I had maintained excellent rapport with
Sri.P.P.Prabhu,IAS, Municipal Commissioner who also looked
after Mysore City Improvement Trust Board was liberal
towards my request for allotment of sites for constructing post
office buildings. He also allotted some developed land for our
co-operative housing society and out of his discretionary quota
allotted me a housing site in the posh locality of Saraswati pura.
Around that time circle athletic event was to be inaugurated by
a V.I.P . My PMG chose to send me to Coorg to meet
Gen.Cariappa and invite him on PMG’s behalf and escort him
to the venue of the event in Bangalore. My meeting
Gen.Cariappa at his sprawling estate in Coorg lined with silver
oak was a memorable experience. When I met him on the
previous evening to fix up our program for the next day the
General enquired with me what breakfast would I partake, It left
me completely spellbound at the courtesy shown by some one
of the stature of the General who was our first commander in
chief and later who served as ambassador to Australia! He
offered me idlis and coffee while he himself took some eggs
and coffee. Throughout our travel by car from the General’s
bungalow to Bangalore he kept up a lively conversation
enquiring about my studies, job, etc. As it was the day of
Bakrid he was quick to observe how orderly were the Muslim
brethern while offering namas.The sight of our brethern in
orderly lines in mosque after mosque all along the route was
inspiring.
My colleagues in the circle got it wrong attributing some bias
towards me as reason for my prolonged posting in Mysore
division. And this grew deeply to such an extent that some of
the senior colleagues when they occupied position of power in
the Directorate later they showed the fangs.
My father passes away and my transfer to Madras:
When my father passed away in 1970 my request for shift to
Madras to take care of my mother and other members of the
family was conceded and I was ordered to join as Senior
27