The Suppandi in My Life

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The name 'Suppandi' may remind you of the famous Tinkle comic character, but he was actually looking like one! That's why I remember him as that comic character by Uncle Anant Pai. Any professional may employ such office boys hard to find in modern times, and I also did.

Early 2004, Suresh, a cousin of my short term profit sharing partner Dileep in my office in Bejai, working for a private Computer company asked me one day, if I want to employ a youngster who was smart looking, honest and faithful. As Dileep wanted to manage his sister's new BPO coming up in Mangalore, I too needed someone to manage my office during my absence. Those days I had just invested in a new professional video equipment and wanted to go full swing with video documentaries and ad films, I had also called for a technical hand, in a local daily. Another lad from a nearby small town by name Steven who had experience working for a TV channel came to me and I found him good enough for the videographer cum editor. Along with him, I employed Rakesh the man recommended by Suresh, as office boy.

Rakesh was working for a courier company earlier. His job was to sort mail, seal them in covers, affix tags and prepare them for delivery/dispatch. His personality was slim lean fair, wearing specs, rather he had a charm on his face. He smiled like a gentleman and was right on time before I opened office every morning at 10:00. So far everything seemed so good.

Then I started observing a strange behaviour in him. He would nod to anything I said, tried to do the jobs well before I explained him the nature of work, but he did that all wrong! I tried to teach him audio and video editing but he was stuck at ABCD! Steven on the other hand, was too quick and smart, he knew some shortcut methods that I even hadn't mastered during my initial years in office! Only drawback with him was, he being from a small town and not educated well, had difficulty with English. Most of my clients those days were students from KMC who were North Indians or NRIs, who didn't speak or understand local dialects. So, communicating with my clients was difficult for Steven, but Rakesh with a good command over English could communicate well. However, since his brain was programmed in a reverse order like I explained earlier, nothing would register in his mind!

So, I had to do half of the work Rakesh and Steven were allotted! Steven even used to use wild animal pics for wedding video titles as background, which I had to change and redo. During the rush season when KMC had inter-class cultural competitions, I left half of the students to Steven and half I managed, doing their audio mixing work for dance, drama and fashion show sequences. Steven picked up audio editing amazingly fast and he worked with the students according to my need. He also learned fast to copy paste text from photo captions as titles, which I taught him.

Now Rakesh was sitting idle most of the times and dozing off in his chair outside or inside the office. I asked him why he feels so sleepy and he said he's bored without work. He also added that he was under some medication for health issues. I advised him to consult a good physician but he nodded and sadly confessed that their family had the curse of 'Brahma Rakshasa', a demon who caused ill will!

Brahma Rakshasa!

I had read about such fictitious character only in Chandamama and Balamithra, kids' illustrated books. I had read stories that Brahma Rakshasa lived in a big Banyan Tree and he scared and attacked people. Someone in real life believing in such stupid things made me sympathise with him. I told him such things don't exist and he must be having some pathological problem associated with brain and other vital organs. I also tried to draw his attention towards the silly mistakes he does in his daily work. However, I still didn't get upset or lose my temper. His looks made any one's rock solid heart melt and feel a sense of respect for him. My childhood friends Mahaveer and Vinaya Kumar who visited me were so impressed by his personality, they got up from their seats when Rakesh entered the office suddenly, assuming that he was some college professor, a famous doctor or someone of high status!

Suresh, the one who recommended him asked me after a month, whether I am happy with Rakesh. I told him that the man is very good natured and honest, but he's very bad in grasping what I tried to convey! Suresh was to get married soon and he requested me to cover the video of his wedding and reception. Thus, I sent Steven with the camera to cover the event at Derebail Church and Rakesh was sent along with him as lamp boy. They completed the work and returned in the afternoon. When I viewed the video coverage, I could see the shadow of the mic moving up and down, side to side on the face of the priest as well as the MC! Steven said, Rakesh was dozing off while holding the lamp and he was very jumpy! Twice he almost sat on the hot halogen lamp, but was cautioned well on time by Steven.

Visibly, he was nervous and he spoiled the show. Since Suresh was close to him and he was easy going, he didn't blame us for the bad coverage!

Then on, I stopped taking up private videos, except a few of my own relatives' functions. Rakesh was however, meticulous in cleaning VHS tapes to remove fungus, and I used to receive heaps of them from my clients then. I also gave a few tapes to him and asked him to clean them at home at his free time, so that he can earn some extra income. At least that, he did perfectly well. Steven on the other hand, was more interested in video coverage as I paid him extra for that job, and he was discouraged by my stand not to take up video coverage like before. He slowly started being irregular and was not available when I needed him for audio/video editing work.

Some other day, a client whose photo editing was done by me, wanted prints. I told Rakesh that I will be transferring a few photo files on a rewritable CD and he's supposed to go to Prakash Offset Printers to get the digital printing done. I also handed him a list of file names, the address and contact numbers of Prakash Offset and told him to wait, till I prepared the CD. I was talking to a friend and preparing the CD, when the friend told me that my office boy had left already!

I was shocked! He had left the office with the list of file names but without the CD! That would definitely make the Prakash Offset guys laugh their heads off and think that Kudpiraj Multimedia Professionals have zero professionalism!

I hurriedly dialled Prakash Offset number and waited. There was no reply. I tried 2-3 times but same story. Rakesh didn't have a mobile phone with him and I was worried about how to contact him and ask him to come back without attempting to give that list to the Prakash Offset guys! Steven was on leave that day, otherwise he had a bike and I'd have sent him to Prakash Offset to stop Rakesh.

Then the phone rang and I was relieved to hear Rakesh's voice. He was cool as usual and he informed me that Prakash Offset was closed!

Yes! That day was Ugadi and they had holiday! I asked him whether he has taken the CD with him. He said no, and added that he has the list given by me! This time I was a bit upset and I raised my voice, scolding him for his silly mistake. I told him to catch the next bus and come back to office.

After he came back, I gave him a long sermon, explained him that so far touchwood, I had no hypertension whatsoever, I have been very patient and tolerant all those years after starting my profession, but suddenly I suspect a drastic variation in my BP, all because of his stupidity! He bowed his head and listened to me without saying anything, showing apologetic look and also scratching the floor tile with his toe! After I completed my sermon, he took the wiping cloth, went out and started wiping the glass panel of the aluminium partition. I felt very depressed, almost cried, but there was no one to console me!

The whole episode reminded me of the famous 'Venku Panambur' story that I had heard when I was young.

Next morning, I called Rakesh, asked him to sit in front of me, looked at him, then outside, looked at him, then at the ceiling fan, looked at him, then at the computer monitor. With blood rushing to my brain, my mouth foaming with fury, I let out a big cry hearing which, the neighbouring spectacles shop salesgirl Shobha came running, peeped through the 'Footwear Out Please' sticker on the door glass panel, and she smiled a grin of relief to see that I was still alive!

Still trembling, I said "Look Rakesh. You are a very good man. Very good means, the best guy in the entire world. You have very pleasant manners, good smile, personality and heaps of charisma! You never commit any mistake. All the mistake is committed by me because I employed you and in turn, I have to withstand your good nature, turning myself into an evil of unspeakable horrors like 'Mr Hyde' from 'Dr Jekyll' almost ten times a day! I am by nature not a bad man. I would never even step on an ant while it crosses my path. I'd stand still like a traffic policeman, wait till it moves carrying something in its mouth, disappear in its hole and then I cross its path. Such a peace loving and nonviolent man like me is getting wild ideas like squeezing necks of unassuming people! If I tell you to do any job my way, you nod your head as if you understood everything, but the fact of the matter is, nothing enters your brain. It is not your fault. Your near sighted creators have filled in a duplicate brain in your skull. What can you and me do if your creators failed to see an optometrist on time? Still, I'd beg to confess that I've never had hypertension, but now after you joined here, I not only have that, but I may soon be a paralytic, a vegetable almost resembling a rotten cabbage, that has no other use but to lie down, watching the ceiling fan 24x7x365. Now please listen to me carefully."

I folded my hands, stood up and humbly said "Rakesh, I don't go to temple, I don't pray, I don't perform any pooja or such ritual but I feel like worshipping you. Don't know why, but this strange instinct has suddenly made me superstitious. By the way, do you know Dr Madhav Rao or Dr Ravish Tunga's contact numbers?"

Rakesh hurriedly got up from the seat, reached out to the telephone book and started searching for those psychiatrists' contact numbers!

I silently cried inside myself, as my office was in a strategic and busy Bejai area where Ashok Rai's Cigarette distribution boys were moving briskly. I was also afraid that my childhood friend Seetharam may hear me crying and may come running to see the spectacular scene he had missed since 1966! The premises owner, my classmate Durgadas Baliga may feel sad to see an adult like me cry like a school boy. He had never seen a happy go lucky me crying even in school when I was scolded by Gonda master in his Geography class using unparliamentary words and sent me out of class for giggling in 9th standard! The thought of Durgadas losing all hopes for me made me behave properly and I wore an artificial grin.

Luckily Rakesh couldn't find both the psychiatrists' numbers in yellow pages, as he was searching in Veterinary Doctors' section!

I grabbed the telephone book from his hands and slammed it on the table. Then I stared at him for 5 minutes. He as usual got demoralised, bowed his head down, started scratching the floor tile with his toe, slowly moved over to the wiping cloth and started wiping the glass panel on the aluminium partition! I felt very bad for scolding him, and I thought of giving one more chance to him. I called him in, and told him to continue working for me for another 15 days, during which if he repeats mistakes, he may leave the job. He looked happy and he smiled and replied "It is not your mistake. You never found fault with me. It was the Brahma Rakshasa in me who is causing all the problems. I know!"

This Brahma Rakshasa business was getting on my nerves, but I stayed calm and acted as if he didn't say anything.

Steven announced after 3 days, that he had to take care of many fixed expenses like his mobile bill and also house hold expenses. What he's been earning in my office was not sufficient. So, he had decided to leave the job and be a freelancer in his home town. I gave him green signal, as I was not earning much by employing him anyway. I never wanted him to suffer at the same time. I paid his dues and wished him luck.

Days went by without much excitement. The 15 day observation was almost coming to an end and I was more or less determined to relieve Rakesh from his duty. I asked him if he has any alternative job in mind. He said he's looking for one, but no one seems to be convinced by his skills! I really felt pity for him and told him, as long as he is able to clean VHS tapes at home, I shall pass them over to him and pay him 75% of what I charge the clients. I also assured him that whenever he needs my assistance, I will help him financially to take good medical treatment for his ailment. The man was so good, he never bugged me for any extra money! He was also decently relieved from his duties at the end of the 15 day observation period, and I regained my peace of mind.

I never employed anyone after he left.

Yet, I kept calling him and giving him outsourcing job like VHS tapes for cleaning. He did that promptly. In the meanwhile, he joined back the same courier company doing the same job. Once or twice while I passed by his office, I halted and enquired about his health. He also became father a baby boy after many years of marriage, and I congratulated him and also gave him some cash as gift for the new born. That happiness didn't last for long. After a few months, he stopped accepting the VHS tapes and he also didn't answer the phone. His father told me that he was very ill and he can't walk to the phone and receive calls.

Almost two years after he left my job, he passed away due to the chronic illness he had, maybe malignancy of some sort. My eyes became moist when I heard the news. I had never cried when my own father passed away, but for Rakesh I felt very emotional. He was more than a good human being. He had innocence, goodness and whole lot of honesty written all over him!

There will never be another Rakesh in my life.

PS: The names Rakesh, Steven, Dileep and Suresh have been changed from their original names to protect privacy.