Kenyan Safari

By

Mr Valliyur Ramakrishnan

Retd GM
(1) 09 Mar 2016.

CHAPTER 1

PREAMBLE: Circa 1976. I had completed 8 years as Head of Community Banking

Department of South Zone at Chennai. Same seat. Same position. A record! Around
May 76, I was nominated for a training programme for about 10 days at Joint Staff
Training College at Walkeshwar, run jointly by Bank of India and Bank of Baroda.
You will be surprised to know that it was the first training programme I attended at a
BOI training college. I was quite happy to go to Bombay. (Now Mumbai).

One day when the classes were over a little early, I visited Head Office and called on
Mr. D.N. Shukla who was a General Manager at that time. I had worked with him
very closely when he was Regional Manager at Chennai. Mr. Shukla told me
Ramakrishnan. You have to now go out as a Manager of a Branch. You have
stayed too long in the Zonal Office. A few days back I proposed your name for New
York. It was turned down by the Chairman since he felt that you do not have Branch
Experience. You go back and tell Mr. Koppikar (who was the Zonal Manager at
Chennai) to post you to a branch. If he is not able to, then I will post you to M.P or
U.P as a Manager .

At this stage I have to mention about my mind-set in those days. I never dreamt
about foreign posting. Since I joined in 1966, I had seen only one officer getting a
foreign posting. That was M.S. Sowmyanarayanan who was posted to Hong Kong
sometime in 1974. Only two officers went for London Training. Majority of officers
went from Mumbai. Besides many who went also got continuous postings abroad
and used to come back after 10 or 12 years. I had a desire to go for a foreign
training. But I always thought there was no possibility of my getting the training since
I never worked in Foreign Exchange Department. But after listening to Mr. Shukla my
concern was totally different. I was due for promotion to B Grade in a couple of
years. Those days there were no interviews for promotion. You would just get a letter
informing about your promotion. If you do not get a letter, you would continue at the
top of the earlier grade. I was very particular about my promotion. I thought, I may
not get the promotion, if I did not have any Branch experience.

On returning to Chennai, I went to Mr. Koppikar and informed him about my

conversation with Mr. Shukla. Mr. Koppikar reacted positively. He told me that
Shuklas words cannot be ignored. (Incidentally Mr. Koppikar himself was under
orders of transfer. So he did not have any hesitation to relieve me!) After about a
week, he told me that there was only one vacancy arising at Vellore Branch and
asked me whether I was willing to go there. He asked that question because it was a
two year old semi-urban branch and I was a little senior for that branch. I readily
agreed. Mr. N.V. Subramanian, who was the Area Manager was very unhappy that I
was going to a small branch. Before I could be relieved, Mr. R. Parameswaran took
over as Zonal manager. He called me and asked me whether I was being
pressurised to go to Vellore. In fact he wanted to cancel the order and wanted me to
continue in Zonal Office. I explained the background and he finally agreed.

I moved to Vellore and relieved Mr. R. Natarajan who came to Chennai and took
charge of CBD. It was a swap. A few months later I received a message from Zonal
Office that I should appear for an interview for foreign posting at Chennai. It was to
be a group interview by the then Chairman Mr C.P. Shah. (He came from Bank of
Baroda). I am writing all these details for the readers to know how foreign postings
were made in those days. I discussed with my wife. We were not keen on a foreign
posting. To be very frank we had absolutely no idea that you could save some
money if you were posted abroad. We thought it was just like another transfer. More
dislocation. Besides I was the only son. I had no brothers or sisters. My wife was
also quite conservative and was not keen to go abroad. So we were in a dilemma.

The day of the interview came. I was told that the Chairman would see us all at
Guindy Branch on his way to the Airport. Two interesting things happened. Mr. M.
Venugopalan (who later became the CMD of BOI) was heading the forex department
of Madras Branch. His name was not there in the list. Mr. H.A. Mehta, (who was
known as American Mehta because of his accent) the Manager of Madras Branch
strongly protested to the Zonal Manger Mr. Parameswaran and ensured that
Venugopalans name was included. Mr. Venugopalan was not even wearing a tie on
that day. Either he rushed home or borrowed a tie I am not able to remember. We
had Mrs Nawaz Antony as PRO at that time. A dynamic lady. Looking at the crowd
which was appearing for the interview, she also went to the Zonal Manager and got
her name included in the last minute!

Around 3 pm, the chairman walked into the room. We were about 10 to 15 Officers
assembled in the Hall of the Branch. He asked us to do a brief self-introduction. I
introduced myself and told him that I was not keen on a regular posting but would
like to go for a training. After the introductions were over, he spoke to us for five
minutes or so and left for the Airport! That was the end of the interview! Two were
selected. One was Mr. Venugopalan and another was Mr. V.P.R. Rao who was
Manager of a Branch in Andhra.

By the end of 1977, the Zonal Office was shifted to Cathedral Road and a new
branch was to be opened. Mr. Parameswaran wanted me to head the Branch.
(There was a reason which I will cover while writing about my early days). The
branch was opened in Dec 1977. Foreign postings matter was completely out of my
mind. I was focusing on the growth of the Branch. We had many VIP clients from
Poes Garden Area including some film personalities, Corporate honchos etc. I was
kept busy. One day Mr. R.P. Vaidya (with whom also I worked very closely at Zonal
Office) visited Chennai and came to the Branch. He told me that he wanted to send
me abroad. I told him that I was not keen. He mumbled something like Dont be
stupid. and walked away. He came again after a few months and repeated the same
thing. I also repeated the same answer. He was unhappy and said Look! I am not
asking your opinion. I have decided to send you abroad! Be ready He did not wait
for my reply and walked out. I came home and told my wife that we should now be
mentally prepared to go abroad.

Nothing happened for a few months. Sometime in the beginning of 1979, Ramnath
Benegal who was in charge of Personnel Department at Zonal Office came to my
cabin. He told me that H.O had called for some names for foreign posting. He felt
sorry that as per the norms specified I was not eligible. In fact I was relieved. Then I
asked him whether his name was included. He replied in the affirmative.
A couple of months passed. It was a Saturday. Zonal Mnagers Sepoy came to my
Cabin. (The one who refused to bring the Ledger to my table when I joined the Bank!
He was now all obedient and nice towards me) There was a power cut at that time.
He told me that the Z.M had summoned me. I had butterflies in my stomach.
Whenever your boss calls you, you feel butterflies in your stomach. You always
assume that something had gone wrong and you are called to receive a firing. I
entered his cabin. Due to power cut it was dark. Mr. Parameswaran was sitting
suited and booted. He was like an English Banker. Even on Saturdays he used to
come in Suit. Suddenly I heard his voice. Congratulations Ramakrishnan! You are
selected for foreign posting I was dumbfound. Meanwhile I could see that Mr. S.
Ranganathan, Area Manager, was sitting by his side. He also extended his hands
and congratulated me. After thanking Mr Parameswaran, I asked him Since my
name was not recommended from Southern Zone, how come I have been
selected?. He replied Head Office has directly selected you. I asked him the next
natural question, Where am I posted. He said, that was not decided. He was only
told that I have been selected. When I came out, I met Benegal, who informed me
that he has also been selected. Both of us felt very happy. Later I came to know that
my name was sponsored by both Shukla and Vaidya.

Todays readers may think this as favouritism. Let me tell you that in the 70s we had
very few branches outside. If I remember right we had only 17 branches including 6
in U.K. So the selection was based on the personal knowledge about the officers. In
fact between Shukla, Vaidya, Parulekar and Rege, they knew all the senior officers
of the Bank.

TAIL PIECE: In the 70s we had one Mr X as the Manager of Hospet Branch. A
circular came from Head Office to all Regions and Branches to recommend names
for foreign postings. Mr. X is reported to have written, I recommend the undersigned
for foreign Posting!
(To be continued- Next chapter An Amazing Experience)
(2) 18 Mar 2016.

CHAPTER 2

The Guessing Game: Once the selection was over, the next thing was to guess
about the posting. One day I took courage and rang up Mr. Vaidya and requested
him whether he could send me to Singapore. I thought, of all the places Singapore
was like Madras. He gave me a curt reply in his own style. Look! You cant choose.
We will send you to a good place. I did not know anyone in the Personnel
Department to find out about the postings. Those days we were always hesitant to
talk to Head Office!

Meanwhile Benegal suggested that we should get our Pass Ports immediately. He
was nice enough to arrange with a well-known Travel Agency to get the Pass Ports.
Filled up the complicated applications and after about a month we got all the Pass
Ports.

Then Benegal received his orders. He was posted to Nairobi. So I ruled out Nairobi
from my list. My logic was, the Bank would not post two officers from Madras to
Nairobi. Then someone came from Mumbai and told me that I was being considered
for New York. I started making enquiries about New York. Meanwhile I came to know
that some other officer from another Zone was posted to New York. Another person
from H.O told me that I was likely to be posted to Indonesia as Rep. We had a
Representative Office in Jakarta. I had a customer in Cathedral Road Branch called
Vepa Ramesam who was doing lot of business with Indonesia and was also a
frequent visitor to that country. He took me for lunch and briefed me about Jakarta.
Thus I got transferred in my mind to all the Branches except Nairobi.

At long last the letter came. And it was Nairobi! I was happy since Benegal had
already landed there. He could help me in settling down.

On the job Training: When I finally received the orders Mr. B.G. Patel had taken over
as the Zonal manager and Mr Parameswaran had moved to Head Office. In the
middle of 1979, I was relieved and asked to go to Madras Main Branch for forex
training. Mr. M.R. Natarajan (who was one of those trained in London) was in
charge. I spent about a month at the Main Branch awaiting further instructions from
Head Office. A soft spoken T.R. Venkatesh Bhat tried his best to teach me forex
operations in his own leisurely style. He knew one Kenyan Student. Bhat was kind
enough to invite him and me for breakfast at his house. I will never forget such nice
gestures by my colleagues.

A DIVINE DIRECTION: I have been thinking a lot as to whether I should write this or
not. But finally I have decided to write this divine experience.

I had mentioned earlier while writing about 26/11 that we are staunch devotees
especially my wife side- of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. My wife and I decided that we
should go to HIS HOLINESS Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Swamigal and
take His Blessings before going to Nairobi. HIS HOLINESS was considered as a
Nadamadum Deivam (Walking God). Many of you might be reading the experience
of many devotees which keep on appearing in emails and Whats Up. My experience
was also unique.

His Holiness was camping at Dharwar. We went to Hubli from Chennai by train and
stayed in a Hotel. Hubli and Dharwar are twin cities. We reached his Camp (I think it
was a small school) in the evening. We had His Darshan. Unfortunately he was
observing silence. He looked at us and then made some signs. We blinked. His aide
Sri Sreekantan told us that he was checking up whether it was Kalyani (my wifes
name). The Paramacahrya has been seeing her since she was a child. Sreekantan
told us that His Holiness would break his silence next morning. He advised us to
come at 5 am when he would be breaking the silence. There would not be any crowd
at that time. We went back to the Hotel and got up early morning around 3 am. All of
us including our children had our bath and wore the traditional dresses and engaged
a Cycle Rickshaw and reached the Camp. His Holiness was listening to the reading
of Panchangam (Almanac) for the day by the Mutt Priest. Then he looked at us.

We did our Sashtanga Namaskarams to Him and then I told him that the Bank has
posted me to Kenya, an African Country and that we had come to get his Blessings.

The conversation went like this- I am reproducing in Tamil with translation H.H. :
Vendamnu Solla Mudiyuma (Can you say No?)

I : Sollalam. Aanal Career affect Aagum. (I can say no. But my career will be
affected.)

H.H. : Unakku Irukkarathu Porum. Dairiyam Irundal Vendamnu Sollu. (What you
have got is enough. If you have courage say no.)

The conversation ended there. I was shell shocked. What I thought was a routine
affair of seeking His Blessings turned into something else. We did not know what to
do. We came out and met Sreekantan who was a witness to our conversation. He
pacified us. He told us that His Holiness was always concerned that those who were
close to him, if they went abroad, may not follow the tradition and customs properly.
He told us not to worry and advised us to go ahead.

I realised that HIS holiness had given me an escape route. He had put a clause if
you have courage-. I told myself that I did not have the courage to say No to the
Bosses like Mr. Shukla and Vaidya when they had taken the initiative to send me
overseas.

We again went in the afternoon to have one more Darshan. The topic of my transfer
was not raised. My children chanted some slokas which he stood and listened with a
smile. Then one gentleman came. He was an officer of Reserve Bank of India. His
father was an industrialist turned film producer. He sang a Carnatic song in the
presence of His Holiness and then told him that he has been transferred to Calcutta
(now Kolkata). And that he was not happy. He sought the advice of His Holiness as
to whether he should resign. I am giving below the reply given By His Holiness.
H.H. Unakku ethu Uchitham enru thonrukiratho athai pannu. (Do what you feel is
correct.)
The above reply added to my agony. In my case I did not seek the opinion or advice
of His Holiness. But He voluntarily gave a clear advice. Here the RBI man wanted a
specific opinion which He did not give. Why I should land in this dilemma!

Events which unfolded during the next one year revealed the significance of His
Advice. I request the Readers to be patient and wait for me to write about those
events in due course.

We had Darshan of His Holiness during our visits to India from Kenya and Nigeria.
Also when I was in Delhi-until He attained Samadhi in 1995. He blessed us as usual
and the topic of my going abroad was never raised.

LESSONS I LEARNT: Never take the Great Saints for granted. Do not go with pre
conceived notions. Trust them. Believe that they have your welfare in mind.

TAIL PIECE: Once during 90s my father in law wanted me to give a donation to the
Mutt. I transferred the money to my father in law. Later we went to have Darshan of
His Holiness. At that time, my father in law gave a cheque to His Holiness and told
him that the money was given by Ramakrishnan. His Holiness looked closely at the
cheque for a minute and then asked my father in law. You said it is given by your
son in law. But the cheque is signed by you. Then I clarified to His Holiness about
transfer of money to my father in laws account. I was amazed at the keen
observation of His Holiness.

In the next chapter- Landed and Stranded!

(To be continued)
(3) 24 Mar 2016.

CHAPTER 3

The Journey Begins: August 1979. I was asked by Head Office to report to them and
then proceed to Nairobi. Meanwhile I got a letter from Benegal which was not that
encouraging. He indicated that it was difficult to meet both ends meet. Perhaps what
he meant was that initial settling down expenses were high. Those days there were
no reimbursement of school fees or taxes paid. So I was worried. I requested the
Bank to provide me foreign currency debiting my account. It was promptly refused.
But at my request they made a reference to H.O. It was approved by telex by H.O!

We boarded the Dadar Express from Chennai. My parents, In laws and cousins
came to the station. I do not remember any colleague coming to the Station to see
me off. There was no Home Travel facility during the overseas posting. We knew
that it may take four years for us to see them again. We had a compartment to
ourselves. Old First Class (No Air-conditioning) which we always liked. Next day we
landed in Bombay. We went to Chembur to stay with my sister in law.

My first Job was to book about 5/6 trunks/ Suitcases as unaccompanied baggage to
Nairobi through Air India. I do not know whether such system exists today. I was told
that the Bank does not provide a Pressure Cooker. So we had to take it from India. I
remember during one of my visits to London from Lagos,, the C.E complained to me
that one of the officers posted to London wrote to him a letter asking him what were
the cooking utensils provided by the Bank. He took offence to that. I now feel when
an officer is posted abroad, a welcome letter may be sent by the foreign branch
giving details of what are all provided at the house.

Mr Ghotaskar was the officer in Personnel Department, taking care of all the officers
posted abroad. He was doing this job for many years and was an expert in
completing all the formalities. A pleasant and helpful officer. Pity he never had a
foreign posting! He treated me with a lot of respect. I called on him immediately on
reaching Mumbai. He gave me a cyclostyled sheet listing Dos and Donts for officers
going abroad. I remember two rules.

1. Do not talk with food in your mouth.

2. Do not enter into long arguments with local people.

I wonder whether such guidelines are given now a days.

I sat in the International Department for a week and went through the major files. I
called on Mr. B.V. Sonalkar who was the executive director. He gave me a lot of tips.
He had worked in Kenya- was Manager of Mombasa Branch. He told me that it was
a small country. Even Ministers would come to your table. Then I called on Mr. H.C.
Sarkar, who was the Chairman. I knew that he was a Free Mason. So I informed him
that I was also a Free mason. He was very happy and spent another 15 minutes
telling me about Free Masonry and advised me strongly to join a Lodge in Nairobi
(which I did).
A Disappointment. The day of departure came. My flight was late in the night. I got
up in the morning rubbing my eyes. Looked into the mirror. They were red. I went to
the Head Office. One look at me- Ghotaskar told me You cannot go in this condition.
You would be kept in the quarantine in Nairobi. So he postponed the trip by about
four days and sent me home. What an anti-climax.

Another disappointment: I was in Mumbai, when T.R Madhavan got married. We had
worked very closely for five years and I felt very bad that I was forced to miss his
wedding. (I made it up by attending his daughters wedding recently!)

On Board: My eyes became alright. Luckily no one else in the family were affected.
Mr Ghotaskar told me that a message has been sent to Mr. G.M. Limdi, the Chief
Executive and that someone would receive me at the Airport. As a precautionary
measure, he gave the phone number of Mr. Limdi. My fried P.D.V.S. Mani (who did
CA with me in the same firm) was working as Manager of Tamarind Lane Branch of
Canara bank. He had a car. (Those days Canara bank was quite liberal in providing
cars to the Managers based on business figures). He offered to take us to the
Airport. He was staying nearby. That was the first Air trip for my children. My son
was 10 years old and my daughter was 5 years old. Both were quite excited. But
when we were about to Board, my daughter said she was scared. She had seen the
planes on the sky and never thought they would be so big. We pacified her and got
into the aircraft. Almost all the passengers were Indians. It was a five hour flight.
Nairobi was behind us by two and half hours. We were to land at about 3 am local
time. Certainly an odd hour.

Landed and Stranded! We landed on time. Immigration was quite fast. People
greeted us in a friendly manner saying Jambo! I was to use this word million times
during my stay. Jambo is a Swahili word equivalent to Hello. By 3.30 we were out. I
was eagerly looking for Mr Benegal. No. He was not there. We waited. Within 15
minutes all the passengers had left. Still no sight of any one from Bank of India. We
were the only passengers (read Indians) waiting there. I was feeling slightly uneasy. I
decided to phone Mr. Limdi. But I had no local coins. Luckily I found the counter of a
Bank open. I went and changed my dollars. I went to a Telephone Booth at the
Airport and rang up Mr. Limdi. The phone gave an engaged tone. I was about to
place the receiver back. Then the sleepy voice of Mr Limdi came on the line. (I learnt
later that the ringing tone in Kenya was not like in India. It gave long beeps.) I
introduced myself and told him that there was nobody at the Airport. He was
surprised. He said Mr. R.K. Maniar and Mr. Benegal were to come to the Airport to
receive me. He told me not to worry and that I should just wait. He would contact
them. With that assurance we sat down and waited for our reception team!

After about half an hour a smiling Maniar and Bengal walked towards us. I had never
met Maniar. But he came greeting my children by name as if he knew them for many
years! Maniar was a cheerful personality. More about him later when I introduce all
the expatriates.

Maniar explained as to why they were late. Since the flight was landing at about 3
am he and Benegal had decided not to sleep. So they went for a late night movie. It
was over by midnight. Then they thought they would take a small nap at Bengals
Place. They woke up only when Mr. Limdi rang them up!
Cosy Flat: They took us to the flat which we were to occupy. It was in Crescent Lane,
Parklands. It was an Indian dominated area. My flat was in the first floor. The
building had only four flats. Two in the Ground floor and two in the first floor. All were
occupied by Indians. The flat was earlier occupied by Mr. A.F. Doctor, a Gujarathi
Officer. I think I met him only once after I returned to India. I do not know whether he
got his promotions or whether he quit the Bank. It was a two bed room flat with a Hall
and Kitchen. The furniture were of a very high quality. The Frig was really big! Also
had a modern cooking range. I was told that the water was very pure and we can
drink the tap water. Benegal took me to his flat for Breakfast and Lunch. He said Mr
Limdi had told him to bring me to the Office only in the afternoon. That was the first
noble gesture of Mr. Limdi.

Tail Piece: A Chettiar (Trading community of Tamilnadu) went to the Bank with his
young son to draw cash. He withdrew Rs 10000 in Rs 100 denomination. He started
counting one by one with his right hand at the bottom right hand side of the bundle.
He turned the notes and counted up to 99 and then put the bundle in his bag. His
son who was keenly observing his father asked him Appa! (Daddy) why you
counted only up to 99. Why you did not count the 100 th note. His father replied.
You see my son! When I counted the 99 th note I could see that there was another
note below that. So I was sure that 100 notes are there. There is always a possibility
that there may be one more note below the 100th note. If I turn the 100th note and
see the 101 st note I have to return it to the Cashier. So I do not count beyond 99!
No offence meant to Chettiars. It is only to show how careful they are with money.

NEXT CHAPTER: Horror Stories!

(To be continued)

P.S. Readers may note unlike My Nigerian Experiences, here I am trying to go

chronologically. There is a reason behind it. It is to make readers understand the
settling down problems which I faced in Nairobi. So the story may not be moving now
at a fast pace. Bear with me.
(4) 01 Apr 2016.

CHAPTER 4

Noble Gestures of Mr Limdi : As mentioned in the last chapter, we spent the morning
at Benegals place. It is interesting to note that though Benegal and I were working in
the same building at Madras, for more than five years, our families had never met. It
was in Nairobi that we became family friends and we still continue to be. Benegals
were great hosts. Both husband and wife were very strong in spoken English and
were experts in solving Crossword puzzles. More about them later. After Lunch,
Benegal took me to the Branch, which was once the Government Assembly. The
Branch is still at the same place. A heritage building in prominent Kenyatta Avenue.
Mr. Limdi received me very well. He told me that for the next three / four days I
should only focus on settling down, get school admissions for the children and buy
all necessary household items. He advised me that I should take it easy and could
start working after I was fully settled. I wish all our Chief Executives overseas teat
the new comers in a similar manner.

Mr. Limdi also told Maniar to introduce me to all the staff members at the Branch. I
went around and shook hands with everyone. The way in which the staff greeted me
many saying Jambo- was really heartening. (I could not visualise at that time the
love and affection they were going to shower on me during my tenure).

The Set Up.: Those days the Bank normally used to post a Guajarati Officer as
Manager. This was because a majority of our customers were of Guajarati origin.
That was how Mr. Limdi was heading the Kenya Branches. At that time he was also
the Manager of Nairobi Branch. His next in command (Accountant) was Mr. V.D.
Majmundar who also hailed from Gujarat. A perfect gentleman Banker. He would
always remain calm with a smile under all circumstances. Very systematic in his
work. He was also a great singer. (He was quite senior to me. Unfortunately, he
missed his promotion and was D.G.M. Comptrollers Department and had to report to
me, when I was the General Manager. It was very embarrassing for me. But I treated
him with full respect.) Rohit Maniar was another Guajarati Officer. He had come to
Nairobi after a stint in U.P. Very jovial and great party man. Excellent PRO. From
Kenya, he managed to get a Green Card and moved over to U.S. He also became
the President of Indian Chamber of Commerce in Chicago. I am still in touch with
him. Mr. B.N. Saigal was in the office of Mr. Limdi taking care of the Mombasa
Branch matters. I had written about Saigal in my Delhi Chalo series. And of course
Benegal was the last arrival before me.

There were also two officers of Indian Origin. One was Mr Trivedi, an elderly
gentleman and Mr. Soni a young man. Trivedi was very well known to all the
Customers. Very honest and trust worthy. He had a window facing the road.
Sometimes customers would give him cash through the window for depositing in
their account!

First Impression of Nairobi: Benegal took me first to a super market called Ebrahims,
walking distance from the Branch. All odd items we needed was there. Then we went
to his house and with my family went to Westlands Super Market. I had never seen
such super markets in Chennai. Even Nilgiris Super market came up later. We
bought all urgent groceries. Benegal had a nice second hand car (I think it was a
Mazda). Car was a must for an expatriate officer. Another thing which amazed me
was the silent movement of cars. No one was using the horn. Beautiful, smooth
roads. Well-regulated traffic, drivers following the rules. All these things were new to
me. In Chennai, I had seen only Fiat and Ambassador Cars. Once in a while we
used to see Plymouth Cars of film Stars! It was fun to watch different makes of cars
mostly Japanese- on the roads. It looked as if they were sliding down the road! Our
Chief Executive had a BMW. Nairobi was a hill station - It was about 5800 feet above
sea level. I also noticed that there were no fans in the house. If you open the
window, you would feel as if you were in an air-conditioned room- even during
summer. More about Nairobi in due course. With bags full of goodies we returned to
Benegals house for dinner and reached home late in the evening.

School Admission: On the second day morning Benegal took me to Visa Oswal
Primary School for getting admission for my son. The academic year in Kenya was
from January to December. There will be about a months holiday after every three
months. In fact it was convenient for expatriates working in one office to plan and
take home leave. The Head Master was a Kenyan Mr Mwangi. Benegal told me that
he was a tough guy- a stickler to the rules. Mr. Mwangi told me that there was only
one vacancy in the fifth grade (We were in the middle of an academic year!) and that
he had another two candidates who had applied. He said my son should write a test
along with the other two candidates (one was a Guajarati boy) and that whoever got
the highest marks would be selected. He asked me to come next day morning with
my son. I told Benegal that I would come late to the office. But the problem was how
I would come to the office. I had no idea when the test would be over. Benegal
suggested the following course of action. I should stand on the foot path and show
my right hand thumb whenever a car was passing. He said there would be many
Indians passing through. Anyone would give a lift. I was not comfortable with the
suggestion. But I had no alternative. Anyway the test was over by about 10. The
Head master asked me to come after an hour. My house was only 15 minutes walk
from the school. I went to him after an hour. He told me that my son got the highest
marks and would be admitted. The father of the Guajarati boy was protesting. Mr.
Mwangi showed him the answer papers of all the three candidates and said he was
going by the rule book. With admission problem over, I came to the Road and with a
lot of hesitation showed the sign for a lift. I was feeling very shy. No one stopped the
car. I was about to give up. Then a big car came and the gentleman, an Indian
stopped the car. I told him that I wanted a lift to Bank of India. He said he was going
that side only and gave me a lift. He also happened to be a customer of our Bank.

Dinners and Horror Stories: For the first one week the expatriate officers invited us
one by one for dinner. All the expatriate officers were present every night. The idea
was that the wife of a new officer should not spend her time in cooking, but should
get time to settle down. Secondly these get together provided the families to get to
know each other. Two days before our arrival there was an unfortunate incident. Dr.
Mustafa was a doctor of Indian Origin. The entire family of about nine members were
shot at close range reportedly by robbers. Somehow the only survivor was Dr.
Mustafa. This was the headline news and talking point in all dinners. In each dinner
we had to listen to more and more such incidents of robbery, kidnapping and
murders which had happened in the past. My colleagues also listed all precautions
we had to take in our day to day life. A few were-
1. Do not go for a walk after sunset.
2. Even if you have to go to a neighbouring compound, go in a car.
3. Do not wear any jewels including Mangal sutra. The robbers know that the Indian
women wear Mangal Sutra in a gold chain. Snatching Chain is very common.
4. Never resist when a thief demands your watch or jewellery.

After listening to all the above. my spirits were down. I thought I had come to the
wrong place.

One morning I went to Mr. Saigal. His term was to expire in about 6 months. I told
him You are very lucky. You will be able to go back to India shortly. I do not know
how I am going to stay here for 4 years. I feel like going away now itself. Mr. Saigal
replied Are yar! It is not like that. You will love this place. It is a good country. You
will know how to get adjusted to this life. At the end of your term you would not feel
like going back. Later I realised how true his words were!

TAIL PIECE: One evening (before sunset) I was walking on the road where my
house was situated. A Kenyan was walking towards me from the opposite direction.
He looked at me and asked me something in Swahili. I did not understand. He then
showed his wrist. I thought he was a robber asking for my watch. I immediately
removed it. He laughed and told me Bana! I wanted to know the time. I smiled
sheepishly and told him the time.

Next Chapter: The first shock- back to India!

(5) 08 Apr 2016.

CHAPTER 5.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: I feel it is better to give a description of the work

environment at the Branch. Our working hours were from 8.30 to 4.30. Banking
hours were from 9 to 1. Later on the Banking hours of all the Banks were increased
on a direction from the President. We used to reach the office by about 8.15. I used
to find everyone in his/her seat reading the morning paper which used to be in a
tabloid form. They would greet you warmly and continue to read. At the stroke of
8.30 every one would close the paper and take out the files from the cupboard and
start working quietly. No chitchats. The whole office used to be like a school after the
second bell!

When I reported, I was asked to sit in Advances Department. What had happened
was Mr. Limdi was able to get an additional Work Permit. Benegals arrival coincided
with the departure of Mr Doctor who was in charge of Advances. So Mr. Limdi asked
Benegal to occupy Doctors seat. He told me also to sit in Advances Department and
to take care of some specified Accounts and review proposals. He indicated it may
be a temporary arrangement. The Advances department was in a separate hall. It
consisted of one supervisor, three clerks and one typist. I remember the names of
clerks- Mukiti, Bernard and Kammadi. The first two were very efficient. Kammadi
though not as brilliant as his colleagues was sincere and hardworking. Ms. Umi Noor
was the typist. In my entire tenure I had never seen her chitchatting during office
hours.

Within two weeks Mr. Limdi received a letter from Head Office asking him to confirm
that I have been put in charge of Advances Department. So Mr Limdi told me to take
charge of the Department from Benegal and asked him to occupy my seat. I felt a
little bad. Mr. Benegal did not show any emotions and took it as part of the game. I
knew how embarrassing it would have been for him. (However after a couple of
months he was given a different assignment.)

I noticed that the clerks used to keep diary notes and all proposals would be
reviewed exactly after one year. They would even write the Managers opinion and
keep the draft for your approval.

I observed during my first full day that exactly at 1 pm Benegal was putting all the
files inside his table drawer. Even all the clerks kept the files inside the Cupboards.
Main door was closed. Within minutes the bank was empty except for the expatriate
officers. We sat around one table and had our lunch which we had brought from
home. The cleaners moved in and started cleaning the Premises and table tops etc.
This was the second cleaning apart from the one they did around 7 am. By 1.15 we
moved out and went around as a group for a walk- You can call it window shopping.
By 2 pm we were back. The Office was very clean and tidy. Again we brought out
our papers and started our work. This was the routine every day.

Later on when we had to do banking till 3 pm or so we took our lunch hour by turn.
Benegal and Majmundar used to have their Lunch at 12 noon. Maniar and I at 1 pm.
We continued our post lunch walk. I really enjoyed my outings with Maniar. After
Maniar left this practice was discontinued.

Commuting to Office: I was indeed lucky to have friendly and helpful colleagues, who
helped me in settling down comfortably. I could not go in for a car immediately since
I did not have enough margin money. I calculated that it would take at least two or
three months to buy a car. Saigal was staying close to me. Just 2 km away. We
worked out an arrangement. I would walk to the school to drop my son and then wait
on the road side. Saigal would come to pick me up. This worked out very well.

Servant Problem: We were hesitant to employ an African servant. Initially we thought

we would manage ourselves. But a new problem cropped up. My first floor neighbour
told us that the landing on the first floor and the staircase should be cleaned daily,
alternatively by the two tenants. We tried for a couple of days. But gave it up and
decided to employ a servant. Benegal told me that the servants were good. He
jovially told me that they clean and wipe so well that all his spoons were bent within a
week! In India a servant would do work in two or three houses. But in Kenya, one
servant will not do work in more than one house. They would do all the work except
cooking. (In Nigeria they used to cook also). So finally we employed a servant. That
day the house looked spick and span. We were very happy.

FIRST SHOCK: I had just completed three weeks. One fine morning around 11am,
Jackson, the Head Peon, came to me and told me that I have a call from India at the
Chief Executives room. I rushed there. My brother in law (wifes brother) was on the
line. He informed me that my father has to undergo a major surgery urgently and that
my presence was a must. There was absolutely no indication of this when I left India.
This unfortunate development took place subsequently.

I told my brother in law that I would catch the earliest flight to Chennai. Now I had
two problems, besides the worry about my fathers health. One- I had no money to
buy a ticket. Second I had to leave my wife and children in a new country for two or
three weeks. I informed Mr. Limdi, who was listening to my conversation about my
going to India. He readily permitted me to go. He told me that he would talk to Air
India to get me the ticket. He immediately called the Regional Director of Air India for
Africa, Mr. Ramachandran, who had his headquarters in Nairobi. and spoke to him.
The Regional Director said he would release a seat from his quota and also
extended a Credit Facility for 60 days for me to pay. Little did I know that I would be
helping Air India in a big way from Lagos and thus reciprocate the gesture shown by
them.

I came home and broke the news to my family. Then Benegals came home and
assured me that I should not worry about my family and that they would take care of
them. I later learnt that in my absence, not only Benegals but all the other colleagues
were making offers of help to my family.

Mr. Limdi asked Mr. Benegal to once again take charge of Advances Department.
That seat became like a musical chair!

Next morning Mr. Saigal dropped me at the Airport. It was not a direct flight. So I
reached Mumbai in the evening. Stayed overnight and took the morning flight to
Chennai. Met my parents. The operation was fixed for the next day. It was a major
surgery. The surgery was successful. My father had to be in the hospital for about 10
days. I was with him 24/7. He recovered. I had a meeting with the famous surgeon
Dr. Sundararaman who performed the surgery. He was a jovial type. I asked him
about the survival chances of my father and told him about my posting abroad. He
told me that he would guarantee minimum 10 more years of life for my father. (In fact
he lived for about 18 years after the surgery.) He said I should proceed to Nairobi
without any anxiety. My parents also assured me that they would manage on their
own and told me to get back to my work. So after about 20 days I returned back to
Nairobi.

On my return journey I was brooding over things. Suddenly I started wondering

whether this was the reason the Paramacharya tried to advise me to stay in India!

Back in Nairobi: Once again I relieved Mr. Benegal. Our routine life started. I decided
that my purchase of a car had to be postponed as I should first clear the dues to Air
India. In those days our salaries were not that high. There were no High Power
committee to decide the salary scales of officers working abroad. The back of the
envelope working was like this. One third you spend, One third you pay as taxes and
remaining one third you save and remit to India. (The ceiling on home remittance
was fixed by the Government as one third of the salary). The one third which I could
remit worked out to Rs. 2800/-. This was better than what you could save in India.
But I did not remit any money due to the liability. In about 2 months I cleared the Air
India dues. Then I started building up my margin money for the car.

Lesson I learnt: Be ready to face the Twists and Turns in life.

Tail Piece: After a month I realised that I needed a haircut. My friend told me that it is
expensive to go for a hair cut in a saloon run by Gujaratis. He suggested that I
should buy a trimmer. If you use the trimmer like a comb it would remove the hair. I
also overheard in a dinner at a South Indian gathering two persons discussing about
having a haircut. I asked them where they would be going. They said we do it for
each other with trimmer. Encouraged by all this I bought a trimmer and tried. I was
not at all happy. It was almost a disaster. I decided to go the Barber Shop and had a
good haircut-at a high cost. It was worth it. (In Nigeria there were no Indian barbers. I
used to go to five star hotels for a hair cut by a Nigerian!) That reminds me an
incident. Late Mr. Narsibhai Shah (N.D. Shah) was one of our old and valuable
customers in Kenya. He was a very generous person. He had a barber (Gujarati)
who regularly serviced him for more than 30 years. One day Narsibhai called him,
gave him a return ticket to go to London and enough dollars for a holiday in London
for a week! (More about Mr Shah later).

Next Chapter: Coffee and the Surgeon!

(To be continued)
(6) 15 Apr 2016.

CHAPTER 6.

KENYAN ECONOMY A brief introduction about Kenyan Economy may help you to
appreciate the narration. Kenya depended on two sources of Export Earnings.
Coffee and Tourism. I was told that a few years before I landed there was a boom in
Coffee Exports which made many very rich. The disparity between rich and poor
grew wider. When I landed, the exports were down due to good crops in Brazil-
largest exporter of coffee. The Economy was not in good shape. Any one whom I
met during my first few weeks used to look at me, up and down, and then say You
have come at a wrong time. When I left after 4 years all of them said You are
leaving at the right time. Things have become very bad here!

I loved Kenyan coffee. As long as I was in International Department I made it

mandatory for my colleagues to bring me coffee when they come on home leave
from Kenya!

Tourism was of two types. One, the famous Safaris and second Beaches. Safari
normally means a trip to the jungle (which were also called Parks) to see the wild
animals in their natural habitat. However, the word became so common that it was
used for even ordinary travels. Once a customer came after a few days to the Bank. I
asked him why he was not seen for many days. He said he was on a Safari. I asked
him which Park he went. He said he had gone to London! Some of the most famous
parks were Masai Mara, Amboseli, Nairobi National park, Tree tops etc. I will write
about them in due course. Kenya was also blessed with a coast line. Many
neighbouring countries were land locked and had to depend upon Kenya. Mombasa
was the Port City. Many beach resorts were set up on the Coast. Europeans fond of
Sunshine, found coming to Kenya very cheap.

Indian Origin people had played a good role in developing the country. Gujaratis
(mainly) and Punjabis (read Sardarjis) moved to East Africa when the Railway lines
were built at the beginning of the 20th century. Thereafter they entered into business
mainly on the retail side. Later on thy also started Industries, Hospitality Business
etc. Even among Gujaratis, Shah and Patels were prominent. Chandarias were one
such family who entered into manufacturing mainly in Steel and Aluminium. When I
landed in Kenya they had presence in 26 countries. They were, all over Africa and
had many units in Nigeria. Mehta Group were in Sugar. Madhwanis were another
well-known group. The Gujarati community used to support each other. Besides
there were quite a few joint ventures. Birlas, Sarabhais and Singhanias were there in
a big way. I may have omitted a few names. Shall try to mention when occasion
arises.

Walk the Shop!: Even though Benegal gave me an open offer of taking me for
shopping whenever I wanted, I found it a bit delicate to ask for favour every now and
then. As the climate was very pleasant, we decided to walk and shop. The nearest
shopping area of Westlands was about 20 minutes walk. We would go there on a
Sunday morning and carry bags of goodies. Once we decided to go the Nagara
Market which was about 2 kms away. This market had a very good vegetable
section. There used to be different types of Potatoes- one for chips, another for curry
etc. They also used to come in different sizes. Nagara market also had a main street
where Indian style grocery shops, cloth shops and sweet shops owned by Gujaratis
were there. We used to buy everything and walk back with one full loaf of bread. By
the time we reached home we would have finished the bread. It used to be so tasty
and fresh that there was no need for jam or butter.

COFFEE TIME: There was a stationary room adjacent to the Advances Department.
The entry was through Advances Department. Around 10 am all expatriates (except
the C.E) used to meet at the Stationary room. There was no canteen inside the
Bank. No coffee / Tea boy like India to bring coffee to your table. I think they now
have a canteen. Any way we all used to enjoy those 15 minutes.

Benegal and I found one peculiar problem. Manaiar and Majmundar used to switch
over to Gujarati and we used to wonder what they were talking about. Saigal used to
be generally a silent participant unless the discussion was about cricket. One day
Benegal and I decided on a strategy. Both of us started talking in Tamil during the
coffee session. Immediately Maniar asked us Hey! What are you talking? We told
him that was what we were wondering every day when they spoke in Gujarati!

Benegal and I used to bring coffee in flasks. Others used to bring tea. My problem
was that I was used to having coffee at about 2.30 pm after lunch. The flask which
was filled at 8 am would not retain the heat till 2 pm. I used to have a lukewarm
coffee. No coffee meeting in the afternoon. I found a way out on some of the days.
Ms. Monica, Secretary to the Chief Executive used to prepare excellent Tea for the
boss in the morning and sharp at 3 pm in the afternoon. Whoever was in the CEs
room would also be served with Tea. I used to carry the papers for discussion with
C.E around 2 .50 Pm. I used to give a meaningful look at Ms. Monica. So sharp at 3
pm she would enter with two cups of hot tea!

A regular visitor to our Coffee session in the morning was Dr. Harshad Patel. Dr.
Patel was a surgeon. He was a contemporary of Stanley Jones (of Christian Mission
Hospital, Vellore) a well-known heart surgeon. Dr. Patels Consultancy Office was
walking distance from the Bank. He would come every morning to do his banking
and would walk into our coffee room. He knew he could get the latest news / gossip
about India. Sometimes he would come before us and would hurry us to come to the
coffee room. Then with equal haste he would open one of the flasks and spill some
coffee on the floor while pouring into the cup! I once asked Maniar how this person,
who appeared a little clumsy, would do surgeries. Maniar told me that he was a
different person as a surgeon. A great surgeon. In fact when he does a surgery he
would be so meticulous and perfect that even the scar would not be visible. He was
also a great host and would call all the officers home for a dinner every now and
then! I was glad to meet him again during my visit to Kenya as G.M International. An
unforgettable character!

Starting of Kenyan Operations: Within 24 hours of your reporting one customer

would call on you. That was Mr Rajni Bhai of Maganlal Stores. He would inform you
that the Bank of India started its operations in Nairobi from his shop. (Hinting that he
was a special customer) Maganlal Stores was an old Gujarati Shop. He had a
brother Ramanik Bhai. While Rajni was a dashing go getter, Ramanik Bhai was mild
mannered but used to manage the Bank matters very well.
No Newspaper! One thing I missed very much was the Indian newspapers. Please
remember that in those days there were no internet connections. No link to TV
channels in India. Kenyan papers would rarely publish news about India. One copy
of Times of India was subscribed by Bank of India which would come on the days of
flights from India. That set would go to the Chief Executive and after a couple of days
he may send it to the Accountant. By the time we could have a look, the news would
have become very stale. I was again addicted to the Hindu. I found a way out. I
learnt that Indian High commission used to get The Hindu. On every Wednesday
they would put up the papers of the past one week on a big Newspaper Stand. You
have to stand and read the papers. So every Wednesday, I used to skip my window
shopping, literally run to the High Commission which was about 20 minutes walk
from Our Branch. I would stand and finish reading the papers. (I used to pray that no
one else should be there before me). I would return by about 2.30. Frankly on
Wednesdays I used to take extra lunch time of about 15/30 minutes!

Now about the Indian Magazine shop. It was owned by a Gujarati. He was physically
disabled. Very frail and could not walk. I had seen the Kenyan assistant carrying him
to his seat from the Car. But he had a good business acumen. I was an avid reader
of a Tamil Weekly Kumudam in those days. Every week during lunch time, I would
go and collect it. Once he told me that he could get me any magazine. I told him to
get me a literary magazine called Kalaimagal. He told me to write the name in a
piece of paper. Believe it or not, from next month onwards till I left Nairobi, I could
get that magazine. Only one copy was sent from India! He was also a great cricket
fan! In those days there used to be only Radio Commentary during test matches. We
could never get an Indian Station on our radios. This man used to have a big radio
and used to attach some wires and used to get the live commentary. We used to
stand there and listen during lunch time. If India wins, he would distribute sweets.
During the match, if any one disturbs him, he would get wild. You should deal only
with the servant. Hats off to his entrepreneurship!

Tail piece: Post office without a Postman! Kenya had an excellent Postal Service.
But there was no door delivery of letters. No post men. Perhaps one of the reasons
was that the houses did not have numbers. Even to visit someone, you have to go by
various landmarks. Each one should take a Post Box on rent at the Post Office and
collect the letters. We used to give the Banks Post Box as our address. Every
afternoon when our sub staff brought the mail from Post office, we used to look for
mail from India like college boys in the Hostel! If my memory is right Post office
Savings bank used to function independently like a bank. The Postal Department
used to bring put beautiful stamps. I used to collect every new stamp and send
letters to friends and relatives.

NEXT CHAPTER: SECOND SHOCK AND SWAHILI AT GUNPOINT!

(To be continued)
(7) 22 Apr 2016.

CHAPTER 7.

SWAHILI AT GUN POINT: SECOND SHOCK: Still early days in Nairobi. One
afternoon I was standing outside our Advances Department Room and talking to a
local officer called Johnson. It was around 3.30 Pm. Main door was closed. We had
a big gate on the backside through which the cars can come to the Parking lot for
Bank Officials. One Security Guard would be there manning the big gate. The
Security Guard was called Askari in Swahili. After the Parking lot there was a door to
the building- a small door like in our houses-which also was guarded by another
Askari. Once you enter through this door, on the left side wash rooms were there. On
the right side there was another open door through which you can enter the Banking
Hall. From outside my room I could see this entrance to the Banking hall.

While talking to Mr Johnson, I had a glimpse of one of our good customers Mr Bhat
(Head master of a Government School and a rich person) entering the Banking hall
with both hands raised,. Before that was registered in my mind, we heard a shot (I
thought fire cracker!) and a big shout LALA CHEENI. I asked Johnson what was
happening. Dragging me inside the room, he said they were armed robbers. He
bolted the door from inside and said Lala Cheeni meant Lie down.

What had happened was this. Mr. Bhat came through the back door. Since he was a
regular customer known to everyone, the Askari allowed him. When he was about to
enter, three or four local people also joined him with a gun at his back! The Askaris
were not armed. So they could enter the Banking Hall. After they shouted Lala
Cheeni, the entire staff put their head down on the tables in front of them. I was in a
closed room. There also the local staff had put their head down on the table. There
was a window behind my seat opening into the road. Johnson and I drew the
attention of the passers-by and requested them to call the owner of next door curios
shop. The curios shop was owned by Mrs Jai, wife of Mr. S.L. Jai, who was an ex-
officer of Bank of India. He was a contemporary of Mr. Vaidya and Shukla. After his
tenure he resigned and the next day he was given Kenyan Citizenship by the then
President Mr Jomo Kenyatta. He was reported to be quite close to Kenyatta. Mr. Jai
had his own industry and was loved by the Bank of India local staff. He was a daily
visitor to the Bank. His wife was running this shop next door. We requested her
through the window to inform the police about the robbery.

In the meanwhile the robbers reached the Cash Counter which was at the end of the
Banking Hall. Mr. Majmundar and Mr. Maniar were sitting in the Banking hall. The
cashier had just then put all the money- I think about 5 million shillings- in the box, to
be taken to the Safe Deposit Vault. They snatched this Box and on the way back
they also took away the jacket and watch of Mr. Majmundar!

One of the lady clerks was in the ladies wash room. It had a ventilator through which
she shouted to the passers-by about the robbery. The robbers did not hurt anybody.
They went through the back door and got into their car and were leaving. Just then
the Police Jeep came and started chasing them. The chase continued until they
were out of the town. Nairobi is a small city. Within minutes you might be out of the
town!
Our C.E was not in the office when all this commotion took place.

Now the interesting twist to the story (which we learned from the newspapers the
next day). After the chase continued even after crossing the city, the Police finally
cornered the robbers at an isolated place. Now the Robbers overpowered the Police
and escaped in the Police Jeep! The rumour was, at this point the loot was shared
between the Robbers and the Police! We do not know what happened except for the
screaming headlines in the newspapers Robbers escape in Police Vehicle.

Back to the office! All of us were shaken and had worried look in our face! The only
person who was laughing and smiling was Mr. Majmundar. He was calm and
composed. The famous Tamil Poet Tiruvalluvar (who lived more than 2000 years
ago) had said in one of his famous couplets Idukkan Varungal naguga-meaning
when you face difficulties you should laugh it away! I think Majmundar was just doing
that. Mr. Limdi came with a serious and worried face and listened to the narration.
Then he requested Majmundar to report to Head Office- first over phone. Mr
Majmundar called an executive at Head office and was narrating the whole episode
in his own style laughing and smiling throughout!

Within a week the robbers were caught and brought to court. The trial started
immediately and within two or three weeks punishment (I think five years rigorous
imprisonment) was awarded. But no money was recovered! Of course the Bank
claimed the money from the Insurance Company, which was very fast in settling the
amount.

After the above Robbery attempt we tightened the Security. While customers could
reach the counters without difficulty. No one was allowed to enter the other side of
the counter. Mr. Majmundar was sitting in the banking hall. Behind him a grill door
was fixed and an Askari was placed there. If anyone wanted to meet the Accountant
or other officers they were asked to fill in a small slip and permission would be
obtained for them to enter.

Proud Owner of a Car: In about 6 months I had built up enough funds to meet the
margin money for taking a loan for buying a car. I started looking at the
advertisements in the newspapers. Nothing was suitable. Finally I came across an
advertisement by a Japanese expatriate for selling his car. We had one good
customer and friend called Jayanthi Bhai. He was a dealer in tyres and was always
helpful to the expatriates. People like Jayanthi Bhai never expected anything in
return. I took him to see the car. It was a white Toyota corolla 1300cc. I remember
the number KRF 505. Within five minutes Jayanthi Bhai told me that it was a good
car and I should clinch the deal. I did that. Luckily I had a driving licence. Even
though I did not own any car, I took a driving licence in India. In fact this was the first
car bought by me. I used to ride a bicycle in my college days. I never went for a
Scooter or Motor Bike. For a few years my father had an old Austin A40. I learnt my
driving in that car. First thing I did after buying the car was to go to the Nagara
market to buy all the vegetables and other items. My whole family loved the car. We
bought a lot of items and then drove the car through the same road by which we
used to walk to the market. It is very difficult to describe the happy feeling at that
time. When we were returning I noticed that the car was going slowly. Did not pick up
speed. Got worried. Then I realised that in my anxiety I had not released the hand
brake!

No TV: We did not have a TV in India. We decided not to buy a TV in Kenya. Colour
TV was available in Kenya whereas In India it was introduced only in 1982 coinciding
with Asian Games! We thought it would affect the studies of my son who had to
appear for a national examination at the end of Primary School. At that time the local
stations used to broadcast some popular English and American Serials. One of them
was Dallas made in U.S. Almost every day Maniar used to discuss about the
developments in this serial. It was the story of a Texas Business family. The most
interesting character was JR the ruthless eldest son. I was very keen to see this
serial. Ultimately I saw all the episodes when I was in Nigeria. One of my good friend
and Customer Mr. Lakhotia had recorded all the episodes in Video. (No DVD in
those days). When I was staying alone in Lagos for about a year I watched the
episodes @ three per day! Very absorbing story. To cut it short till we left Nairobi we
never had a TV.

Even VCDs were rare in those days. Once Mr. Trivedi a local officer invited us to his
house for lunch followed by a movie in English shown through a Video Player.

Tail Piece: I had written earlier that Birla Group had a good presence in Kenya. Once
the Birla family travelled for a Board meeting and booked all the First Class Seats in
an Air India flight. When Air India knew this, they prepared as a special case, only
Vegetarian Meals for First class. When they were about to serve, the Birla family told
them We have brought our own food and opened various containers with typical
Marwadi Food! Needless to say Air India was disappointed.

P.S: There was another daring robbery during the tenure of P. Sanyal who was the
Chief Executive of Kenya Branches.

Next Chapter: All about Eating!

(To be continued)

04 Jun 2016

KENYAN SAFARI

You may recollect about the Robbery episode. I had sent my postings to Mr.
Majmundar. He has written what exactly happened to him.

Quote

1.Doctor's initials are R.B.-Ramakant B. Doctor.

2.The sequence of event of robbery was as follows. I also saw NC Bhatt entering
with his hands raised. Before I could guess anything, the seven feeter fired a shot
into the ceiling with his AK47 and jumped over our big counter and came over to me
and held me by the neck. Then he asked me 'Wapi paisa?' Then I extended my left
hand and showed him the cash cages. Then he saw my watch and snatched it. Then
he told me 'Lala Chini'. By the gesture of his hand I understood that he was asking
me to lie down. I did. Then he went to the counters. Paperreport said they were six.
The one with me was dead drunk. My jacket was not taken. Actually, in the left inside
pocket, I had vault keys and that day we had almost 40 m.K.shs!!! That was saved.
What they took was less than 1m, out of which almost half was in coins. You know
how heavy and big are the Kenyan coins! It was roumoured that they could not carry
that box and abandoned on the way. By the way, Maniar was not there. He was out
on a stroll.

Unquote

What a frightening experience

(8) 02 May 2016.

KENYAN SAFARI, CHAPTER 8 (PART I)

LUNCHES AND DINNERS GALORE!

Readers may be feeling that I am writing too much about Dinners and Lunches. But
eating good food is a way of enjoying life! You would have read about the peculiar
features of Sindhi Lunches and Dinners in my Nigerian Experiences. The experience
I had in Kenya with Gujaratis and Punjabis was quite different.

Many of the customers used to invite the officers for dinner at home. There was only
one typical Gujarati Restaurant in the City called Supreme in those days. But no one
used to invite you to a restaurant for dinner (except for official Lunches and Dinners
at Top Restaurants). I am told now a days there are more than 20 Indian
Restaurants and the practice of calling home for dinner has almost vanished. What a
pity! Invitations from customers for dinner was something new to me as such a
practice was not prevalent in South in those days. Besides even if you are seen with
a customer in a Hotel, rumours will start that you are corrupt. So I felt hesitant initially
to accept the invitations. But all my colleagues told me that this was the local
practice and no obligations were involved. Later on this was also confirmed by Mr.
D.N. Shukla (ex E.D). He had spent many years in Kenya before 1970. Once when
he visited Nairobi during my time a customer hosted a dinner for Mr. Shukla and
invited all the expatriates. At that time we had one officer who was earlier in H.O- a
brilliant officer but too rigid with his own strong standards of ethics. Shukla told him in
a loud voice Come on X enjoy your dinner. No obligations involved. You can say
No to Patel tomorrow!

I also noticed an interesting behaviour amongst expatriates. If someone invites an

officer he would not reveal to others that he would be going to a particular
customers place. He would only say Someone has called me for dinner Ultimately
we would all find ourselves at the same place in the night.

It was also a practice not to invite the Chief Executive along with other officers. This
was done mainly to make the officers at ease during the dinner. But I heard later
about one incident which happened much later after I left. It appears one of the
customers invited the Chief Executive and other officers together. After the dinner
the wife of the Chief Executive called the hostess aside and told her that in future
they should not invite them along with other officers who are all junior to them. This
was told to me by the customer when he called on me in India. I am writing this to
show how power works on people!

There was a Bankers Club in Nairobi. They used to have a quarterly dinner at
Muthaiga Club- a highly sophisticated place. Mr. Limdi used to take one local officer
and one expatriate officer with him by turn. Benegal went there before I landed. He
gave such a graphic description of the club, gathering and dinner that I was looking
forward for my turn. You cannot enter the club unless you are in full suit. The food
was reported to be of very high quality. In due course my turn came. Sony, a local
officer was with me. Benegal was quite right. The club, was originally set up for
Englishmen to spend their time. You could see the traces of colonial practices. For
those who drink, it was an ideal place. Mr. Limdi knew I was a teetotaller. Still he
almost trapped me. He gave me Campari and said there was no alcohol in it. I had
half a mind to take it. Then Sony came to me and whispered in my ears that it had
Alcohol. I quietly kept it down and took Ginger Ale. There was good vegetarian
spread. In view of the Gujarati population, Vegetarian food was not a problem in
Nairobi. Somehow, later on, the practice of officers accompanying the Chief
Executive to the club was discontinued.

Gujarati dinners used to finish early. They would start around 8 pm and by 10 pm
you could leave. The elderly ladies in the house used to take pride in cooking typical
Gujarati food. There is one major difference between the Nigerian Dinners and
Kenyan Dinners. In Nigeria, Sindhis will always talk of only business and market
conditions. Gujaratis used to talk about various subjects including Indian Politics,
Movies, cricket etc.

Most interesting experience was during weekends. Soon after I joined, I got an
invitation from a Gujarati customer for his nephews wedding. I consulted Maniar as
to whether I should attend. Maniar was an expert in these things. He told me that it
was customary for the customers to invite us for weddings in their families. We
should attend such weddings. Shah community weddings were held in their marriage
hall called Mahajanwadi. Maniar also told me that there was no need to carry any
gifts. Further no need to go and greet the couple. You need not worry about
Muhurat. You were expected to go only at lunch time around noon- have your food
and come back. No need even to meet the person who invited you. They would get
the message. I had tested this also. Once I did not go for a wedding. On Monday
morning, the customer asked me as to why I did not turn up. This system saved a lot
of time! Two interesting things I noticed in the Sha community Weddings. They
would keep on serving Sweets and Vegetables. No sign of Rotis. If someone asked
for Roti, they would comment Are you an old man? Second the serving would be by
the members of the community. I once saw Manu Chandaria (of Chandaria Group-
big multinational and also our Advisory Committee member) serving Jilebis!

Patels used to invite you for their weddings- invariably during Saturday evenings.
They were held at Patels club. Again same procedure. Straight to the Buffet for
dinner. At Mahajanwadi, it was a sit-down lunch. At Patels it was a Buffet. Almost
75% of the week ends we would be having these lunch and dinner invitations! So no
cooking at home!

On Sunday mornings, I used to go to Nagara Market around 8 am. There was a

Gujarati shop where freshly made Jilebi and Ghatia would be sold. There would be a
queue there. I used to order take away and bring them home. We all used to sit and
enjoy the breakfast.

Those in London staying in Wembley would have heard about Marus Bajjias. An
enterprising Gujarati gentlemen called Maru started a small restaurant making only
Bajjias- mainly Alu bajjias in Nairobi. Later he sold his business to a Kenyan and
moved out to London. The outfit continued in the same name. On Sunday evenings
there used to be a big queue in front of the shop for the Bajjias!
GODOWN PARTIES: One day Mr. Manjit Singh Oberoi, soft spoken Sardarji from
Delhi and also the brother in law of Mr. Mohindar Singh Vohra (More about Vohra
later), was telling us that it was high time we had a Godown Party. He had settled
down in Nairobi and had a manufacturing unit in the Industrial Area. Maniar
explained to me that it was a Stag party organised at the factory. I was quite curious.
So the invitation came to us to come to the factory on a Saturday evening. Mr.
Oberoi had a Kenyan partner called Mr Joe, a very jovial person who used to greet
us cheerfully in Hindi! At 8 pm we reached the factory. The cooking was done by the
males only. It was like a barbeque. In one Pot some Non Veg items were made.
There was another Oven on which some Kichadi was made to take care of
Vegetarians. This party lasted till almost midnight! It was a different type of
experience!

BEER DRINKING ON SUNDAYS: Kenya is famous for Beer. Kenyans used to drink
warm beer. Beer price was regulated by the Government. Even Five Star Hotels,
could not charge more than the stipulated price. No special service charges. So quite
a few of the members of the Indians, Local and Expatriates- would start from their
house on Sundays to a Five Star Hotel and order Beer. They would move from one
Five Star Hotel to another Five Star Hotel till about 2 pm. Then they would go to a
restaurant or home for lunch.

UNLIMITED COFFE: Hilton used to offer unlimited refill of coffee. Unfortunately this
practice was stopped very soon after I landed there. (I was not responsible for that!)
New Stanley Hotel was a five star hotel belonging to the Vohra Family referred
above. It was in a prime location opposite to our Bank. They had a Coffee Shop
called Thorn Tree. It was on the corner o Kenyatta Avenue and another major road.
To sit there and sip coffee in a Cold morning was a heavenly experience!

For Coffee Lovers there was one more place. People in India are familiar with Indian
Coffee House where you get good filter coffee. In Nairobi there was a Coffee House
run by the Kenyan Coffee Board. Excellent coffee with pleasant aroma. I used to
quietly sneak out once in a while around 11. 30, rush there (10 minutes brisk walk)
and enjoy the rich coffee in the pleasant weather and rush back to the office. I knew
one of our old customers who was going there every working day for more than 30
years and used to have coffee with a couple of friends.

If my memory is right there were five Indian Restaurants by the time I left in 1984.
Besides the Supreme, There was Satkar offering South Indian Items, an Indian
Restaurant inside Ambassador Hotel (Vohras), Minar next to our Bank- but on the
backside and one in Westlands.

(To be continued)
(9) 06 May 2016.

KENYAN SAFARI, CHAPTER 8 (PART II)

NO DRINKS AT HOME: Many of the Gujarati Housewives were very orthodox. One
of our good customers had the habit of drinking at least two pegs of whiskey every
evening. His wife had put a ban on drinking at home. So he would go to a Club every
evening for having his quota of drinks. Since he could not sit alone and drink, he
would always take a friend or two to give him company. This he did for over 35
years!

Local Food Habits: Kenyans staple food was Corn Flour. The Government always
ensured that there was adequate supply of Corn Flour. Next was bread. I had seen
Askaris (Security Guards) having lunch consisting of a full loaf of bread and a Coke.
Many of our clerks would go for fish and chips. The officers would go to small
Cafeterias where you can fill your plates with items selected from the food counter
and pay the bill.

Pub Culture: One day Peter the Chief Cashier asked me as to which Pub I would go
after my work in the office. He was surprised to learn that I never went to a Pub. He
said, for a Kenyan he must go to pub and have beer before going home. I saw in one
of the primary school text books which described the life pattern of Kenyans. It was
mentioned Men go to the Bar after a days work.

Expatriates and Drinking: Many of the expatriates who were teetotallers started
drinking in Kenya. They always started with beer and then graduated to Whiskey. A
few in the Bank also started drinking after coming to Nairobi. Mr. N.D. Shah, as a
host, would persuade everyone to drink with such love and affection that many found
it difficult to resist him. One day he admitted to me that only in my case he had failed.
I took it as a complement.

INDIA BASED OFFICERS AND DINNERS: Each officer had his own circle of friends.
Initially we had a practice of having dinner at each ones house by rotation. It went
on for a year. Then someone broke the chain! We always enjoyed such meeting with
families. It made the families closer to each other. Children used to have a gala time!
I also had a group of friends from our community and we used to meet often over
dinner at someones house. Once one Mr. Chandramouli invited me and a few
friends for dinner. He informed me that he had also invited his boss who was a
Pakistani. As you know, we cannot identify a Pakistani by looks. I had a friend who
used to express his opinions openly. Suddenly he started saying something about
Pakistan. I had to pinch him hard and then whisper to him that we had a Pakistani in
our midst!

UNFORGETTABLE SEVEN COURSE LUNCH! You do not forget some lunches or

dinners. Once Mr. N.P Thakkar (who was the Chief Executive in 1983) and I went for
a visit to a factory manufacturing some heavy Items. (Pre sanction inspection) It was
owned by an Israeli. He had invited us for lunch and after the lunch we were to go
around the unit. His secretary was also from Israel. He had an ante room next to his
cabin where the lunch table was set. They started serving course after course. We
were wondering whether we were sitting in a five star hotel. Each course was served
under the close watch of the Secretary. Once the main course was over, imported
cheese were served. That was followed by Ice Creams. We thought that would be
the last item. No. Hot coffee was poured in beautiful imported cups. We were about
to get up, but high quality imported chocolates were placed on the table. Well that
was the last course! Needless to say we moved around the factory with great
difficulty.

The above incident also brings to my mind the contrast between two lunches I had in
different airlines. I was travelling from Lagos to New York by Lufthansa by First
Class. In the Frankfurt New York Sector, we were served with Lunch. The German
flight attendants started serving at about 1.30 pm. The serving was very leisurely
with long gaps between each course. In fact I started dozing off in between courses.
Finally when coffee was served it was 3.30. I also had a lunch in Air India flight in
First Class. The flight attendants were in such a hurry as if they were going to catch
another flight. Before I could finish the main course desserts were brought. The
lunch was over in half an hour. (In both cases I have excluded the time taken for
serving the drinks before lunch) I am sure things might have improved now a days!
With all that I would say that I enjoyed and continue to enjoy the food in Air India!

TAIL PIECE: 1. Mr Pyarelal (name changed) was one of our solid customers. He
could talk Swahili, Guajarati and Hindi but very little English. He was reported to be a
multi-millionaire in dollars. But he was very miserly. The story goes that once his son
had two helpings of Pickles. Immediately he told his son Beta! This is not
Vegetables. Take only a small quantity He once formed a limited company. We
approved some facilities for the Company. The documents were to be executed. I
told him he has to make a Common Seal. He said; No! No! Rubber stamp chalega!
I explained to him patiently the difference between Common Seal and Rubber
Stamp. I had roughly drawn a picture of Common Seal. Still half convinced he said
he agreed to make a Seal. He went up to the door and came back and asked me.
Should it be big or can I make a small one and showed me his ring for size. I
laughed and told him it could be small. After the loan was sanctioned and all
formalities were completed he was very happy. He then told me You should come
home for Tea one day! I could not believe my ears! As confirmed by Maniar later,
Pyarelal had never invited any one for lunch or dinner or Tea in the history of Bank of
India. I told him that I would definitely come. He went to the door and came back and
clarified Sirf Chai! Aur kuch nahi! (Only Tea! Nothing else!) It was a clear indication I
should not expect Samosa or Biscuits with Tea. Controlling my laughter I told him
That is perfectly ok with me! He walked away. But alas! The actual invitation
mentioning a date never came!

2. Host missing: Krishnan (name changed) was the number two in Air India. He was
a Palghat Brahmin with good Malayalam accent. He once invited me and my wife for
dinner at the Indian Restaurant in the Hotel Ambassador. We reached at 8 pm.
There was no sign of the host. The restaurant manager said no table was booked by
Krishnan. Anyway we waited. We had some soft drinks. It was 9 pm. Still no sign of
the host. I telephoned his house. To my surprise he himself answered the call. I told
him we were waiting for him. He said casually that he had a guest at home and
would not be able to make it. He made a formal apology. My guess was, he totally
forgot that he had invited us. Anyway we had a dinner at my cost! I did not take it
seriously, out of my respect for Air India!
Next Chapter: Spiritual Activity.

(To be continued)
(10) 13 May 2016.

KENYAN SAFARI, CHAPTER 9.

SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES: Having written so much about food and eating habits, I
should also mention about our religious activities in Kenya. During my time, there
was a Jain Temple. Siva Temple and Swaminarayan Temple. There was also a
small but beautiful Hare Krishna Temple.

During 1980, one Mr. A.R. Rajagopalan arrived in Kenya as the Accounts Manager
of Air India. He met me at the office, as Air India had an account with us. While
talking to him I found out that both of us had common links like Kanchi Mutt. He had
received a proper training in Vedas. One day he offered to teach us Rudram,
Chamakam etc. I had a good friend in Bank of Baroda called Santhanam (He retired
as G.M.). He and three other friends decided to learn the Vedic hymns from Mr.
Rajagopalan. One advantage in a foreign country is that you have less social
commitments. So you could spare more time for other activities. We decided to have
classes thrice a week. Initially we had these classes in each house by turn. But a
new problem cropped up. Our class was for a duration of an hour. In each house
some snacks were prepared to be served at the end of the class. While learning the
hymns, the pleasant smell of something being fried would fill our nostrils! So after a
couple of weeks, we decided that we should avoid socialisation with classes. Mr.
Rajagopalan and his wife were the only members at their house. He said we could
meet at his house. We told him that, he should keep only one Jar of water and a cup.
No coffee or tea or snacks. He agreed. This worked very well. I think for almost three
years we learnt many Vedic hymns and the attendance was very regular.

Mr. Rajagopalan took another great initiative. He said we should assemble at a

common place on all Saturdays around 6.30 to chant Vishnu Sahasranamam. Now
where to meet? We zeroed in on Hare Krishna Temple which was in Parklands and
was easily accessible to all. Parking was also not a problem. We approached the
Temple Management and they readily permitted us to sit in their main Hall and chant
Sahasranamam. We invited all our friends. This recital became quite popular and
about 20 families participated in them. Along with Sahasranamam we also chanted
Purushasuktham or Durgasuktham. We marked the completion of one year by a
special session. But we faced a new problem. The temple authorities stipulated a
new condition that all of us should become members of the Hare Krishna
Organisation. Otherwise we would not be allowed to have our sessions there. The
membership fees were quite high. How could we force all the devotees who were
attending to become members? So we decided to shift our venue. We approached
the Siva temple which was in the City Centre. They wholeheartedly welcomed us. So
we shifted the venue. Surprisingly the attendance did not come down despite the
parking problems. We continued even after Mr Rajagopalan left. When I visited
Nairobi in 1997, S.S. Rao who was the chief Executive told me that the chanting
continues and after 13 years I once again participated in the chanting. Many faces
were new. It was being held at the new Temple Complex in Westlands, which was
quite big and impressive. I understand the practice of Saturday chanting still
continues. I am proud as one of the initiators of this programme.
Yajur Upakarma is an important religious festival for Brahmins- especially in
Tamilnadu. Mr. Rajagopalan agreed to conduct the same. We had one Mr
Lakshminarayanan, who was the Finance Secretary in Gujarat belonging to Gujarat
IAS cadre. He had come to Nairobi on an assignment to UNESCO. He had a very
big bungalow. He offered to conduct the function at his house. Nearly 70 families
participated. Mr. Rajagopalan was our Chief Priest!

Incidentally Mr Rajagopalan told me one day that his nephew was with Bank of India.
His name was M.R. Ramani. I knew him from Chennai and he also worked in New
Delhi, when I was the Zonal Manager. Unfortunately shortly after retirement he
passed away.

THE SOUTH INDIAN COMMUNITY: It is natural that once you go out you also get
interested in people coming from your place. So when I reported at BOI the news
spread that another person from Madras (now Chennai) has landed in Nairobi.
Naturally the Tamilians working with the customers called on me. One of the first to
meet me was Mr. S.V Raman from Mumbai. He was a senior gentleman. Had been
in Kenya for over 10 years. Good PRO and was well respected amongst the South
Indians. He knew who was who in the expatriate community hailing from south. A
jovial person.

I knew that Mrs Geetha Umesh daughter of Mr. R. Parameswaran (Our General
Manager at that time) was in Nairobi. I also knew that she was an acclaimed dancer.
In fact there was a cultural programme organised by the South Indian Association
which I attended and saw the performance of Geetha. Later on we became good
friends with her and Umesh. They are still in Nairobi. Geetha is running a big
Bharatha Natyam School in Nairobi!

Another person who called on me he was not with our customers- was one Mr.
Gopalan (name changed). Gopalan was a very helpful person. He was not in a very
high position. Within a month after meeting him, I got a letter from our Thousand
Lights Branch that Mr. Gopalan had taken a loan for running an SSI but the unit had
failed and that he had moved out to Nairobi. The letter was addressed to me by the
Manager (whom I knew very well) who requested my help in recovering the money. I
called Gopalan to my office and he confirmed that he owed money to the Branch. He
said that he wanted to repay but he had problems in settling down. We discussed
and agreed on a particular amount to be remitted every month. Thereafter he would
come on the 1st or 2nd of every month and would give a cheque for the agreed
amount. Immediately we would remit the amount to the Branch. I think over a period
of two years he repaid the loan fully. No compromise. After full repayment I wrote to
the Manager to grant some concession by waiving part of the penal interest. It was
done and he got a small refund. Now for the twist in the story. There was a change
of guard at Nairobi. Mr. M.K. Shroff was the C.E, when the dues were fully repaid.
The entire recovery was done by me and the C.E was not even aware of it. After the
full recovery, the Manager wrote a very nice D.O letter to Mr. Shroff thanking him
and appreciating him for his personal attention in recovering the NPA. Mr Shroff was
wondering what it was all about. He called me and I explained the matter. There was
no mention of my name in the letter even though the Branch knew very well that I
was the one collecting and remitting the money. It showed me another aspect of
human behaviour. At that moment I felt bad that the Manager who knew me very well
did not bother to thank me or mention my name.

25 KMS FOR MILK: I had a good use for the car soon after I bought it. 1980 saw
Kenya reeling under drought. Milk was in short supply. There was no system of
home delivery of Milk. Every Sunday we used to go to Westlands and stand in queue
at one supermarket after another to get milk. Only half litre per head. Luckily the milk
used to come in tetra packs with long life. We had to buy as much as possible and
keep it in fridge till the next week end. On one Sunday morning Mr. S.V. Raman
phoned me and told me that he would be going to Limuru, a town 25 Kilometres
away and that good quantity of fresh milk was available. I said I would join. I took my
car and followed him. We managed to get a few containers and the whole family
went on this Milk Hunt! After about 45 minutes-partly through a Kuccha road we
reached the farm! To my surprise there were about 50 cars already there. Again a
queue. We got 20 litres. Drove carefully. Raman made fun of me for driving slowly.
Anyway that evening for hours my wife was boiling the milk and then cooling it and
keeping it in Fridge.

Masonic Lodge: One day one of our customers mentioned that he was a Freemason.
Then I remembered the advice of the Chairman Mr Sarkar and told him that I would
like to attend the Lodge. He took me as a Guest. The Lodge Buildings was situate on
top of a Hill. It was a magnificent structure. I belonged to the Grand Lodge of India.
This Lodge belonged to the Grand Lodge of England and followed the English
constitution. The discipline I saw was amazing. The Lodge consisted of people of
Indian Origin and also a Pakistani retired army man. It had high attendance. I was
immediately taken as a joining member. I was very good in rituals inside the Temple
(Place where meetings were held was called Temple) There was one ritual in India
which used to run to about 3 pages which I had to memorise and perform. I found
this was not done during the meeting. I offered to do that in the ensuing meeting.
They were very happy. Then they gave me the ritual book. I had a shock. Under
English Constitution it was about 8 pages. Very elaborate. Having offered to perform,
there was no way of quitting. My prestige was at stake. Next one month I practiced.
While performing, you were not supposed to refer to the book. Only the Director of
Ceremonies was allowed to prompt you. Well! I did perform without any prompting.
The Brethren were quite impressed. It gave me recognition in the elite circle. I was
very regular in attending the meetings which were held once in a month. After dinner
when we used to come out, we would be welcomed by the fragrance of the flowers.
The whole place would be filled with beautiful Jacaranda flowers. Oh! What a
wonderful time I had!

TAIL PIECE: There was one flour mill of a customer. It had a Kenyan lady who was
looking after the shop. The owner was a Gujarati. Once an Indian asked the owner in
Gujarati as to how he was trusting a local person to run the shop. The reply came in
chase Gujarati- not from the owner, but from the Kenyan lady who told the Indian
customer that she was with the shop for 20 years. Moral of the Story: never assume
others cannot understand your language.

Next Chapter: Third shock- Another trip to India!

(To be continued)
(11) 20 May 2016.

KENYAN SAFARI

CHAPTER 10.

JOB FOR WIFE: One good thing my wife did after getting the car was to learn
driving. There was a driving tutor of Indian Origin available nearby. He agreed to
train my wife. She was very patient and took almost 30 lessons before gaining
confidence for going for a test. She came out successful. But she also had to follow
the usual routine. The Instructor told her to put some money in an envelope and
keep it inside the Dash Board. After the test was over (A real test including three
point turning) she found that the cover was missing. She never knew when the
Inspector who was sitting in the front seat took the cover!

Next thing she decided was to take up a job. This was partly due to our financial
position. No substantial savings except for the Margin for the car. Wives of
Expatriates were issued Work Permits for either a teacher job or for working in the
Indian High Commission. She could get a job only in a private primary school since
she had not done Teachers Training. (Her qualification as University Rank Holder in
M.Sc. Maths did not count!). She became a teacher in a school where my daughter
was also able to get admission.

THIRD SHOCK-BACK TO INDIA: Things were going smoothly. Having a car made
all the difference. We could move around and visit places. Then one night everything
changed. It was September 1980. I had completed one year and a few days. We
were all deep asleep. The phone at home started ringing. The operator said I was
getting a call from India. (Again I have to remind the readers that that there was no
STD facility in India). I looked at the clock. It was 3 am. That meant it was 5.30 am in
India. My first fear was about my father who had undergone a major surgery one
year ago. Within a few seconds my brother in law came on the line. He told me that
my mother was not well. She had been admitted in the hospital and her condition
was serious. He advised me to immediately start by the next available flight. I asked
him only one question what are her chances of survival. He said it was fifty: fifty.
Then I felt that perhaps he was not telling the whole truth. Anyway I told him that I
would call him up with my travel plans. I knew there was a flight to Mumbai in the
morning around 9 am or so. I started packing. In fact except for a few essentials
there was nothing to pack. Around 5.30 am I rang up my brother in law. My sister in
law answered. I requested her to tell me the correct situation. She informed me that
my mother was no more and that even the cremation was over. I had no time to
break down. I rang up Mr. Limdi and informed him. As usual he was very
sympathetic. Next I rang up Mr Ramachandran of Air India and informed him that I
have to fly to India immediately. He assured me that he would help and told me to
just proceed to the Air India counter at the Airport. I requested one of my colleagues
to drop me at the airport. When I reached the counter I was surprised to find Mr
Limdi and Mr. Ramachandran there. The latter had come to ensure that I had no
difficulty with Air India people. I was very much touched by the love and affection
shown by these two fine gentlemen.
Once again I reached Mumbai in the night and took the morning flight to Chennai.
Initially I felt sad that I could not even see the dead body. But I consoled myself that
it would be better to remember my mother as a hale and healthy person.

On arrival I learnt that my mother had some infection and the medicine which was
given by the doctor proved allergic to her. Then she was admitted to a hospital and
the allergy spread to the heart. But no one informed me that she was admitted to the
hospital. There were two reasons. One- the Communication facility in those days
were very poor. No ISD. Overseas calls were booked only in emergency. Second
there was a mind-set that one should not unnecessarily create panic in the mind of a
person living abroad. Death snatched otherwise a healthy person at the age of just
56.

I stayed in India for about 15 days to complete the ceremonies and then once again
boarded the flight to Nairobi. During my stay, many colleagues and relatives called
on me. Just to highlight a practical aspect of the situation, only one person asked me
the question on meeting me. Do you have cash? Do you need any money? That
was my father in law. He was a man of the world. I think everyone else thought I had
a lot of money since I was coming from abroad! On return I paid the bill of Air India
and then realised that I was back to square one. That is nil savings from overseas
posting! The only savings was the value of the car minus the loan amount!

Now I fully realised the significance of the conversation between me and the sage of
Kanchi before I left for Nairobi. I was convinced that he could foresee the calamities
ahead and tried to advise me to stay back in India.

After my return for nearly two months I did not attend any dinner or wedding. I
started the process of applying for a resident permit for my father so that he could
come and stay with me. After a couple of months he landed in Nairobi. (After about a
year he preferred to go back to India. Lack of company of people of his age was the
main reason. He also missed the early morning edition of The Hindu! Independent
movement was also a problem.)

Let me move on from depressing thoughts to something interesting:

THE FIRST SAFARI: Saigals and we decided to go for a Safari to the famous Masai
Mara National Reserve. It was almost six hour journey, of which last four hours were
on a really rough road. Now a days I understand there are flights from Nairobi and
one can reach within an hour. We had to pass through the forests, almost
uninhabited areas and were damn tired when we reached the Hotel- which was
called a Lodge. Most of the hotels in National Parks were known as Lodges. Once
we entered the Lodge we felt as if we were in heaven. It was so cool and all the
luxuries of a five star hotel were there. Good vegetarian food was also available.
Comfortable rooms and nice dining halls. Within seconds we forgot all the strain of
reaching that place.

We had been told that one should go early morning to see the animals. We were not
aware how early we should go. We decided to go after breakfast. Breakfast took its
own time. Finally we left after 8.30. That was very late. It appears we should have
left around 5 am. Then we could have seen the lioness chasing the animals. (The
kill) Besides in the early morning, the animals are very brisk and active. We had a
glimpse of few animals and returned.

Later in the afternoon we had a magnificent sight. It was the season of migration.
Being hot the animals move to other forests for water and food. We saw thousands
of wild buffaloes marching like an army towards Serengeti, the national Park in
Tanzania. There was a leader and they were marching in an orderly manner. An
unforgettable sight. I am told now days you can get into a balloon and see the
migration of animals.

We also saw a family of lions sitting by the side of the road. They were accustomed
to the people going around in Jeeps. We were strictly warned that we should not to
get down from the Jeep. We also saw a river with hundreds of Crocodiles.

I learned an interesting fact. It is the lioness which hunts. After killing an animal it
would bring the carcass to the Lion and wait for the Lion to finish. Then only the
mother and cubs would eat whatever was left over.

TAIL PIECE: During our breakfast Saigal called the waiter and asked him whether
beef was served. (Though Saigal used to eat Non Veg, like many Hindus he would
not eat beef). The English knowledge of the waiter was limited. Prompt came the
reply with a big grin. Sir. We do not serve beef. We only serve cows meat!

Next Chapter: Jinxed Report and Change of Guard

(To be continued)
(12) 28 May 2016.

KENYAN SAFARI

CHAPTER 11

JINXED REPORT: Mr. Limdi was one of the fine executives with whom I was lucky
to work. I had mentioned in some other context about his remarks on my first telex
Excellent Drafting. He continued writing such encouraging comments on the letters
written by officers. He was also very fast in disposing papers. Any paper sent to him
would come back within 30 minutes.

While sitting with Mr. Limdi I had noticed that he would be getting continuous
invitations for lunches and dinners. He would open his diary and look for vacant
dates. There was a joke doing rounds about the Chief Executive (not only Mr. Limdi
but in general). After attending lunches and dinners for about 2 to 3 weeks, the C.E.
would host a dinner at home to return the hospitality accepted earlier. He would then
claim reimbursement at the rate of x shillings per couple. This would be charged to
the Entertainment Expenses. (It was the banks practice to reimburse for dinners
hosted at home). With the money claimed, his household needs would be taken care
of until the next dinner hosted by him. In other words, the CE need not spend any
money for Groceries and Vegetables from his salary!

There are two incidents I remember about Mr Limdi. We had a customer who was
basically very rich but every now and then he would issue cheques without funds in
his account. They would be passed and next day his Secretary would come and
regularise the account. One day he had invited Mr. Limdi for lunch at a five star
hotel. After the lunch Mr. Limdi came back and the TOD book was sent to him for
passing a cheque of this customer. The amount was not big. Mr. Limdi gave
directions to return the cheque. The next day the customer came to the Bank, highly
agitated. He shouted at Mr Limdi as to how he could return the cheque. Mr. Limdi
quietly told him. Look! I had lunch with you and might have exchanged pleasantries
with you. That chair was different. But when I sit in the Managers chair, I have to do
my duty The Customer literally threw a cheque of 1.8 million shillings for depositing
and shouted in the open Hall Do not think I will close my account with you. I am a
b.y Indian and I will deal with only a b.y Indian bank! Then he just walked out!
Mr. Limdi was asked by Head office to survey Zambia for opening a branch. He went
and surveyed. But did not submit his report. Reminders after reminders were coming
from H.O. I went to him once- (Even though it was not within my purview) and asked
him why he was not sending the report. He said something unbelievable. He said
whenever he started writing the report, something happens to him and he was
unable to proceed further. It was as if someone was holding his hand, not allowing
him to write further. (Voodoo magic) I told him he could dictate the report and I would
write down. He said he would try to finalise by himself somehow or other. Finally he
did send the report. But H.O felt his report was out dated. But till today it is a mystery
to me as to why such an efficient officer Like Limdi (I used to think of him as a
person who had imbibed the best qualities of Mr Shukla and Mr. Vaidya) could not
send his report in time!
Incidentally I learnt recently from Mr. Sanyal that Mr. Limdi had earlier worked as an
officer of Nairobi Branch. He came back to India and was the Manager of Varanasi
Branch. Later he was posted as Chief Executive of Kenya Branches.

CHANGE OF GUARD: A few days after the Zambian Report episode, Mr. Limdi was
transferred back to India. (However, he resigned and joined a local Bank) We were
wondering who would be coming in his place. We were hoping that Mr. Majmundar
might be elevated. But that did not happen. Mr. M.K. Shroff was posted. (I had
written about Mr. Shroff in my Time Management Series) Shroff was very well known
to me and Benegal. All of us had worked in Chennai. Very efficient executive. Highly
sophisticated, articulate and of impeccable integrity. We could not have hoped for a
better person. He was one of the young senior executives of the Bank. London
trained. He was an AGM at the age of 41 or 42. Later on he became a DGM at the
age of 44 or so. Had he continued in the Bank, I am sure he would have become a
Chairman and even beyond that. He resigned from the Bank when he was the Zonal
Manager of Gujarat. Anyway that is a different story.

While Mr. Limdi ensured steady growth of business, (being a little conservative) Mr
Shroff was quite opposite. He was dynamic and was interested in increasing the
business by leaps and bounds. Mr. Shroff became very friendly with customers. His
way of listening and reacting would tempt one to pour all his grievances to him. That
happened with quite a few customers who used to discuss their family problems with
him. Mr. Shroff and his wife Visakhaben were also very good hosts. My friendship
with Mr Shroff continued even after he left the Bank.

Mr. Shroff had a great quality. He would always remain cool and calm even in crisis.
Would never shout at anyone. He used to keep in his wallet a list of his seniors and
their date of retirement. He was very conscious of his career path.

DRIVE IN CINEMA: One of the immediate things which we did after getting the car
was to go to the Drive in Cinema! There were two Drive in cinemas in Nairobi. One
was Bellevue and another Fox Drive In. Of these Fox was nearer to us. We always
used to take a snap decision for going for a movie- even on week days! I normally
used to reach home by 4.30. There was no need to dress elaborately for going to the
movie as all of us would be sitting in the car. Drive in Cinema was totally a new
experience for us. There were no Drive in Cinemas in Chennai. May be there was
one in Mumbai. If children had no homework and if the movie was a childrens movie
we would leave by 6 pm and reach well before 6.30. They used to fix a speaker in
the car through which you can hear the dialogues. There was a very good cafeteria
and I used to go there and buy freshly made finger chips with Tomato Ketch up. It
was a great pleasure to watch the movies with something to munch!

NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK: This was just outside Nairobi. Vast Park. A bigger
version of our Zoos. The advantage was that you could drive throughout the park in
your own car. You could spot wild animals in natural surroundings. We used to go
early morning and drive around the Park till noon and then come home. You got a
feeling of visiting a Jungle!

MY FIRST VAN HEUSON SHIRT: D. Krshnamurthy (who retired as GM in our

Bank)) was selected for London training in 1980. I had occasions to talk to London
often for official matters. DK was known to me from the day he joined the Bank.
Once I spoke to him (Or wrote to him- I do not remember now) and made a request
to buy and send me a Van Heuson Shirt. I gave him the size also. I promised to pay
him. I was always wanting to buy that brand. He promptly bought the shirt and sent it
to me. It was a lovely blue shirt. In fact it was the first imported shirt that I got. DK
refused to take the money. Recently I checked up about this. He maintains I had
paid him the amount. I doubt. The shirt lasted many years and whenever I used to
wear it, I used to think of DK! Later in life I visited London often from Nigeria. Every
time I used to visit Marks and Spencer and would buy a Suit or Shirt! But still the love
for the first shirt never diminished.

TAIL PIECE: Once the Government of India decided to hold a Trade and Industrial
Fair in Kenya. We had an office of HMT in Nairobi. The Manager of HMT wanted to
have some technical clarification regarding Power (Voltage) requirements. He wrote
to the High Commissioner. The High commissioner wrote to the External affairs
Ministry. They in turn wrote to the Heavy Industries Ministry who wrote to HMT
Bangalore. HMT Bangalore, in turn wrote to its Manager in Nairobi! The circle was
complete!

Next Chapter: Visit of Mr. Vaghul! (CMD)

(13) 03 Jun 2016.

KENYAN SAFARI

CHAPTER 12

VISIT OF THE CHAIRMAN MR. VAGHUL: A few months after Mr. Shroff took over
Mr. Vaghul visited us. That was my first experience of receiving a Chairman in a
foreign land. We had all heard a lot about Mr. Vaghul and the reforms he was
introducing in Bank of India. Mr. Vaghul was on his way to Nigeria and stopped over
at Nairobi. We were all wondering how he could become a Chairman at such a
young age.

We took Mr. Vaghul to a nearby National Park called Amboseli. Mr. Shroff asked me
to join them for this Safari. We could spot a few elephants. Amboseli is famous for its
elephant population. We did not stay overnight and returned the same evening.
While travelling, I had an opportunity to listen to Mr. Vaghul. He told us about how he
conceptualised the idea of opening Industrial Finance Branch, the discussions he
had with Senior Executives, different viewpoints which emerged and how he got the
approval of RBI. Those who joined the Bank in this century may not be aware that
Bank of India was the first Bank to open a specialised Branch for Industrial
Financing. All the other Banks copied this concept later. The first IFB was opened in
Chennai with Mr. N.V. Subramanian as the Manager.

In those days we had to submit every half year detailed Statements called Second
lot. It was a laborious work for a Branch. Mr. Vaghul explained how he had made the
H.O to send pre prepared forms from Head Office with Branches to fill in only the
outstandings. It was a big time saving reform.

In the evening we had arranged for the Arya Samaj to invite Mr. Vaghul for delivering
a talk. That was the first time I heard him as Public Speaker. There were no
dramatics. It was extempore. Seemed to come from his heart. It captivated the
audience. He told us a small anecdote. I will try to tell in his own words. I was
watching a quiz Programme on the TV. The students who were participating were
quite brilliant. They answered all questions pertaining to Science, Politics, Economy
etc. with ease. I was admiring their knowledge. Then the Quiz Master asked one
question. What was the duration of the Kurukshetra War between Pandavas and
Gauravas? There was a deadly silence. Then the students started making wild
guesses. Some said years, some said... months. No one could come anywhere
near the correct answer of 18 days! Then I realised that we have failed to teach our
children about our ancient epics and the values which they teach His speech
revealed his communication skill. Kept the audience spellbound.

Another interesting incident. Mr. Shroff was to come with Mr. Vaghul to the Bank
after lunch. But he came alone. I went and asked him about the Chairman. He just
said the CMD would be coming a little late. There was a mischievous smile on his
face. Later on Mr Shroff told me that Mr. Vaghul had been to a special screening of
the movie The Rise and Fall of Idi Amin. Now a little background. Sharad Patel was
one of our customers. He was a film producer. He produced the box office hit The
Rise and Fall of Idi Amin. The shootings took place in Nairobi. There is a scene in
the movie where Idi Amin visits the Central Bank of Uganda Cash vault and orders
release of the cash. This scene was shot in our Bank premises. Our staff played the
role of Bank Staff in the shooting. (The staff insisted on an extra payment for acting
in the movie!) Sharad Patel met Mr. Vaghul. The latter told him that he had not seen
the movie. Immediately Patel arranged for the movie to be exclusively screened in a
local theatre for Mr Vaghul. Later on I came to know that Mr Vaghul was a movie
buff!

AIRPORT DRAMA! The story about Mr. Vaghuls visit will not be complete, if I do not
mention about the Airport Drama! On the day of Mr. Vaghuls departure, all the
expatriates went to the Airport to see him off. His flight to Lagos was in the evening.
Mr. Vaghul checked out from New Staley Hotel in the afternoon and handed over his
suitcase to the reception for safe custody. He and Mr. Shroff then went to meet
someone and were to come to the Airport directly. The luggage was to be collected
by one of the officers and was to be brought to the Airport. Mr. Vaghul and Mr. Shroff
reached the Airport. We received them and were chatting with them, awaiting the
officer to come with the luggage. Mr. Shroff received a call at the Air India counter
from the officer who was to take care of the luggage. He informed that the suitcase
could not be located at the Hotel. There was about 70 minutes for the flight to take
off. Mr. Shroff said he would go the hotel and check. Mr. Vaghul said he would also
accompany so that he could identify the suitcase. It would take about 40 minutes to
reach the Hotel and another 40minutes to get back. We thought it would be difficult
to catch the flight. Mr. Shroff told the driver to step out and drove the car with Mr
Vaghul by his side. He went at such a speed that he took just 20 minutes to reach
the Hotel. Located the suitcase in five minutes, and took another 20 minutes to reach
the airport. We were tense throughout this period but Mr. Vaghul and Mr Shroff
entered laughing. Both were very cool and calm. Just in time to check in and board
the aircraft.

When I was in Lagos, Mr Shroff wrote to me that he would be coming there to meet
the dealer of JB Chemicals. Mr. Shroff had quit the Bank and joined JB Chemicals. I
invited him to stay at Allied Bank Guest House. I received him at the Airport. After 45
minutes of drive we reached the Guest House. Mr. Shroff said he had brought
something for me and tried to open the suitcase, but could not! Then he realised that
he had picked up a wrong suitcase at the conveyor belt. We again went back to the
Airport. Shroff was not tense at all. He went on chatting about BOI and common
friends! We reached the Airport and went inside. We found a Nigerian sitting with a
hand on his head with a suitcase by his side! That was Mr. Shroffs suitcase. We
exchanged the luggage. The Nigerian did not even blame us. He thanked us
profusely and went away!

HOUSING LOANS: As In- Charge of Credit Department, I noticed something

peculiar. Even though there was a special scheme for providing Housing Loans at
concessional rates to Staff Members, there were hardly any takers. I discussed with
my senior clerk Mukiti about this. He told me that our scheme was restricted to
financing construction of houses or buying of flats only in Nairobi. It was very
expensive to go for a house or flat in Nairobi. He also added that many staff
members had their own land at their native places. If the Bank could consider
financing them to construct houses in their native place it would be a great help. I
found merit in his argument. I told him to prepare a memorandum (Mukiti was good
in drafting) and I sent it for consideration by Head Office. To my pleasant surprise, it
was approved by Head Office without any hitch. Then the flow of requests for
housing loans started. Needless to say the staff were very happy.

When my term was to end, the Union Leader came to me and told me that the staff
wanted to give me a farewell party. I was surprised. The staff had never given a
farewell party for any expatriate including the Chief Executive. The practice, was,
whenever an expatriate was leaving, he would order crates of Soft drinks which
would be distributed to all staff members. But they never gave any party. The Union
Leader told me quote Our staff members feel that they own houses, only because of
you. They are therefore particular to show their gratitude by organising a party for
you At the farewell party also he mentioned that it was after 20 years they were
giving a party to an expatriate. The last party was given for Mr. S.L. Jai when he was
transferred. (I have mentioned about Jai earlier). I was very much touched by the
love and affection shown by the staff. I am writing this not to boast of my popularity.
It is only to draw a lesson. When posted abroad many of us behave like transit
passengers. Beyond our routine work, we should try to do something for the local
staff.

Let me clarify. My story is not coming to an end. I wrote about the farewell party
since it was connected to the Housing Loan!

TAIL PIECE: It was generally believed that the Gujarati Retailers had three prices for
the same item. The cheapest was for fellow Gujaratis. Slightly higher price for other
Indians. Highest price was for the local people. Normally a Kenyan will not bargain at
the shop. He would ask only one question. Can I pay the money in instalments?.
So the traders would jack up the price and allow him to pay in instalments.
Kenyan retailer had a problem. He used to think that the cash collected (sales) was
the profit. Within no time he would be out of business.

Next Chapter: Working Holiday in Mombasa!

(14) 09 Jun 2016.

KENYAN SAFARI, CHAPTER 13

MOMBASA: Our second branch was in Mombasa, which was on the Coast and was
a port catering to the East African Countries. It was also an old branch. We had one
more branch in Kisumu, which was closed down long before I went to Nairobi.

During 79-81 Mr Gopinath Bhat was the Manager of the Branch. A very pleasant
person. Excellent in Public Relations. (After his Mombasa tenure, Mr Bhat was
heading the Loans Department of the Bombay Office. Thereafter he resigned and
returned to Kenya and took up the job of a Chief Executive of a Private bank) I had
mentioned about the jinxed report on Zambia. Now Head Office asked Mr. Bhat to go
to Zambia and submit a fresh report. I was deputed to Mombasa to take charge of
the Branch for about 2/3 weeks.

I landed in Mombasa. I was put up at Manor Hotels. It was only a walking distance
from the Branch. I was quite happy about this assignment for three reasons. One it
was an opportunity to visit a new city in Kenya. Second my good friend Mr. N.S.
Srinivasan was the Manager of Bank of Baroda Branch. (He was earlier in Nairobi).
Third an opportunity to meet that famous actress Mumtaz and her husband Mayur
Madhwani. Madhwanis had a Sugar Mill near Mombasa and we were the Bankers.

The Branch was in a rented building. Ground and first floor. Mangers cabin was in
the first floor along with Advances Department. If my memory is correct there were
three local Gujarati officers. One was Mr. Ved. He was a very timid person. Another
was Mr. Kamdar with a frightening Moustache- looked just the opposite of Ved. I am
unable to remember the name of the third officer. There was also an experienced
Kenyan Muslim officer called Nasser. The Branch had very good accounts mostly of
ethnic businessmen. There was no rush at the Branch. For the first time after I joined
BOI, I found that there was not much work for me to do. Literally I had to kill my time.
Everything was up-to-date. Mr. Nasser used to put up the Review Proposals exactly
on the due date. Once in a while a customer may drop in to my cabin- only for chit
chat.

Mombasa was a leisurely city. Humid and sultry weather. People were used to take
an afternoon siesta. All shops would be closed between 1 and 4 pm. Even our
branch was closed for 2 hours during lunch time. I used to go to the Hotel, have my
lunch and take a power nap! What a luxury!

My desire to meet Mumtaz did not materialise as she and Mayur were out of the
country. I could only meet their cook. I had lunch with one Patel at his house. He
served nice Jilebis. He said Mumtaz was his neighbour and he had called their cook
to make the Jilebis!

Srinivasan of Bank of Baroda used to come to pick me up every day at about 6.30.
He insisted on our having dinner together. Invariably at his house. He and his wife
were excellent hosts. Our friendship did not end with Kenya. Even now we are in
touch with each other. Mr. Srinivasan rose to become the General Manager of Bank
of Baroda. He was in charge of the merger of Benares State bank Ltd with BOB. Did
a wonderful Job. He should have become ED and CMD. Another unsung Hero.

Khataus had a textile Mill near Mombasa. One Mr. Seshan was their General
Manager. As they were dealing with us, he invited me to see the factory. I went to
the unit and he took me home for lunch. I found him as a very religious person. He
was sporting even a small tuft. Little did I know that we were going to cross each
other in the future. In 1989, when I returned from Lagos and was posted in Mumbai, I
went to Matunga Sankara Mutt for a function. There I met Mr. Seshan, in his
traditional dress. We were happy to meet again and I came to know that he was the
President of the Sankara Mutt at Matunga. After another year I learned that my
cousin had married Seshans niece in 1987. The coincidences did not end there.
After my retirement I had settled down in Bangalore. I had bought a flat in a complex
called White House. One day I suddenly bumped into him. He told me that his
daughter was also living in White House! I had seen her as a little girl in Mombasa!
Life was thus full of surprises.

Mr. Ved invited me to his house for a dinner. His wife was an expert in making Ice
Creams. She gave me a file which contained recipes for making exotic types of Ice
Creams. I was amazed at the talent of our ladies.

Mombasa had a number of Beach Resorts. Each Resort had a direct access to the
sea. White Sands was one of the popular resorts owned by Vohras of Nairobi.
Srinivasan took me to a few resorts in the evenings. All these resorts were full of
European Tourists. The sea used to be shallow. You could walk almost 200 metres
in the water.

The story about Mombasa would not be complete if I do not mention about the plans
to construct our own premises. When I was there work was at the planning stage. I
went and saw the site. When I was in Nairobi Mr. R.P. Vaidya (General Manager)
visited Nairobi. He met the Architects appointed for constructing the Mombasa
Premises. They explained to him about a novel concept in their design. Mr Vaidya
was not convinced. In his own inimitable style, he told the Architects You cannot
experiment your architectural dreams at Bank of Indias cost! This is one of the
memorable quotes I always remember.

When I returned to Nairobi, I felt as if I was returning from a holiday!

INTERNAL AUDIT OR INCOME GENERATION? During my tenure at Nairobi, the

Internal Auditors landed led by one Marathe (name changed). I think there were two
officers to help him (I am not sure whether it was one or two) Mr. Marathe had just
then returned from a deputation to CBI. So we had to listen to his exploits in the CBI
and the way in which he cracked cases. He seemed to get a sadistic pleasure in
punishing people.

They took accommodation at a cheap hotel. That was understandable since one
would like to save as much as possible in such foreign assignments.

The audit went on at a very slow pace. Can you believe it? They took full 3 months to
complete the audit of both Nairobi and Mombasa Branches.
In between Marathe tried to find (like a CBI man) whether anything wrong was going
on. He started talking to customers without our knowledge. Of all people he spoke to
Mr. S.V. Raman. The latter wrote down all the questions asked by Marathe and the
replies given. He showed it to me and said he was willing to confirm this openly.

Marathe and his men left after 3 months. We roughly calculated and found out that
the money saved by each officer was equivalent to two years remittance of an officer
working at Nairobi! I understood later that Marathe was pulled up by Head Office for
taking so much time. Thereafter the H.O started prescribing the number of days
which an audit team can take at a foreign centre. This is an example of how when a
facility is misused it results in restriction for everybody!

On the Treetop! Treetop was a famous jungle resort. It was built on top of a tree. It
became world famous. Prince Elizabeth stayed there one night. Next day morning
she woke up as the Queen because her father King George VI died the previous
night in London. Messrs Majmundar, Maniar and I visited a lodge similar to Tree top
with our families. It was on an elevated structure. We reached in the evening. We
had booked for an overnight stay. The rooms looked like railway compartments. No
attached bathrooms. There was an alarm in each room. From the Balcony at the
back of the Lodge, you could see the jungle. There was a big Water Tub on the
grounds where water mixed with salt would be kept in the night. The wild animals
would come to drink the water. Whenever an animal came, the alarm would be
activated and you would be woken up. Immediately you should run to the Balcony to
see the animals. There were powerful lights focusing on the jungle. This was a new
experience. Adjoining the Balcony there was an ante room where hot coffee, tea and
biscuits were kept throughout the night. We had a sumptuous dinner and retired to
our rooms. Around 11 pm there was an alarm. We all rushed to the view point and
saw one Wild Buffalo drinking the water. We were a bit disappointed. But the
foreigners from Europe were highly excited and went on clicking their Cameras and
Videos. I took a cup of coffee and sat for a while in the cosy chair. Back to the room.
Another half an hour. Alarm again. Rushed. This time it was a Hyena making funny
noises and drinking water! Next alarm came after an hour. A group of five elephants
with a couple of Calves were there. That was worth it. The calves were playing
around. This type of waking up, went on till 4 am. Practically no sleep with all that
coffee consumption. We saw some more animals but did not see Lions or Cheetah.
Overall it was a different experience.

TAIL PIECE: On the first day of my arrival in Mombasa, Mr. Kamdar asked me as to
whether he should arrange for any Hot Drinks for me in the Hotel. I told him that I
was a teetotaller. Kamdar replied No problem! I will arrange for excellent Tea for
you! I did not have the heart to embarrass him by correcting him.

Next Chapter: The Fourth shock.

(To be continued)
(15) 17 Jun 2016.

KENYAN SAFARI, CHAPTER 14,

ANOTHER TRIP TO INDIA: I had written earlier that I had to go to India in

September 1980 when my mother passed away. It was our custom to perform
monthly ceremonies for the departed soul for one year. Unfortunately, in those days,
there were no Pandits in Nairobi who could perform these ceremonies. I was forced
to skip those ceremonies. I used to observe fast on those days and avoided eating
outside. Hindu Religion has a provision to take care of such omissions. I was told
that I could perform the ceremonies together with a penalty at the time of the first
death anniversary. Since I was feeling a little guilty of not performing them every
month I decided to perform the annual ceremony at Varanasi in September 1981.

This time I decided to go there with entire family. My wife and children went to
Chennai about a couple of weeks earlier. I took a flight to Mumbai and from there by
an overnight train to Varanasi. (Once again I have to remind you that there was no
Home Travel Entitlement during the tenure).

We had arranged to perform the ceremonies (it lasted 4 days) at the house of one
very learned Pandit called Agnihotri Subrhamanya Ganapatigal. He had a big house
at Hanuman Ghat. His main income was from tourists who visit Varanasi to perform
religious ceremonies. There was a provision to stay in his house also. However we
stayed at the Sankara Matam which had independent small houses just opposite to
the Pandits house. Ganges was in full flow. It was a pleasure to take bath in the river
every morning. But it was an effort to go to the river through narrow lanes with huge
Buffalos coming in the opposite direction.

Subrahmanya Ganapdigal was an old person. When I entered his house I felt, I was
in the year 1940! Very old fashioned. He had only a radio on which only Carnatic
music should be heard. He had four sons. All very well trained in Vedas and all
married at a very young age. He claimed that many crisis could be overcome by
chanting the right Vedic hymns and performing the right Havans. He told me an
incident where an Indian was arrested in a foreign country. His parents approached
him to do something. He organised immediately a Havan to be performed, in which
11 Pandits participated and were chanting a particular sloka from early morning till
evening. By the time they finished, the Indian was released. He claimed it was the
effect of powerful prayers. (A disclaimer: I am just writing what he told me. It might
have been a coincidence also. I do not know.)

The ceremonies were performed very well and I had a great satisfaction. I also called
on the Manager of Bank of India, Varanasi Branch, one Mr. P.V. Raman whom I
knew from Chennai.

Incidentally the second son of Subrahmanya Ganapadigal, Narasimhan moved to

Mumbai and is a leading Pandit there. He is the family priest for many corporate
honchos. He has a big team of Pandits working with him. There is a proverb in Tamil
Katravnukku Sendra Idamellam Sirappu. (A learned man gets fame wherever he
goes).
On my return, I stopped at Mumbai. I called on the executives at Head Office. When
I went to Mr R. Parameswarans room, it was around 1 pm. He was very happy to
see me. He said Ramakrishnan, you have come all the way to India to perform the
annual ceremony of your mother. I am very proud of you. Then he insisted that I
should have lunch with him. I think there were no executive lunches in those days.
He was going home (Diamond Court) for lunch. I went with him in his car. I had Hot
Dosas with him. As a typical South Indian Brahmin he was having meals in the
morning at 9 am and tiffin in the afternoon. (I was also like that till I left India. In
Nairobi since I had to leave for Office at 8 am it was not possible to have full meals. I
started taking Bread in the morning and carried a packed lunch.) That day I saw the
other side of Mr Parameswaran. I had always found him very formal and serious. I
never thought he would exhibit such love and affection towards me.

When I met Mr. A.D. Rege, he gave a shocking news (Can I call it a pleasant
shocking news?). He told me that the bank was considering opening a branch at
Monrovia, Capital of Liberia. He added that if finalised I would be posted there as
Manager to open the Branch! On one hand I was happy that I was being considered
for a higher assignment. On the other hand I thought when I had settled down in
Nairobi, another dislocation would pose a lot of problems. Already I had no savings.
With the trip to India with family, I had exhausted all my savings. Two years abroad
and nil savings. My only asset was the car against which there was a loan. I could
not say No to Mr Rege. I thanked him for considering my name. I thought my
foreign posting was jinxed. I felt I would be returning to India without any savings as I
had no idea whether I would be able to save anything in Monrovia. I looked up about
Liberia in a library (no google those days) and found that it was founded and
colonised by U.S.A. All the American slaves were settled there. Not so encouraging.
I prayed to God to save me from this posting. Well God listened to me. Bank
dropped the idea of opening a branch there.

FOURTH SHOCK: PILLAI COMMITTEE REPORT: The most awaited Pillai

committee Report was released. When I joined the Bank in 1966 there were two
Grades namely I and II. Normally those promoted from clerical cadre would go to
grade II. Direct Recruits who were graduates would be taken as Grade II officers.
Those with Post graduate or Professional qualifications would be placed in Grade I.
The starting basic salary for a Grade II Officer was Rs 250 and for a Grade I Officer
Rs 450. I was taken in Grade I since I was a Chartered Accountant. There was also
a peculiar rule. Grade I officer was always considered senior to Grade I. For instance
a Grade I Officer drawing a basic pay of say Rs 500 was considered senior to a
Grade II Officer drawing a basic pay of Rs 600. There were also promotions from
Grade II to Grade I. Grade I Officers were considered as the future leaders.
Sometime during 70s, on a representation by Officers Association both Grades were
merged. Thereafter the scales were known as D, C, B, A and A special and
executive scales. It was a sort of running grade. Moving from one grade to another-
say from D to C was a promotion. No automatic movement. Seniority was decided
purely by basic salary.

Pillai Committee was formed by the Government to ensure that all PSBs have the
same salary and promotion opportunities. This committee suggested the system of
Scale I to VII which is continuing today. It also prescribed minimum services in each
scale. 7 years in Scale I, 5 years in Scale II, 5 years in Scale III, and so on so forth.
Now the transition from present Grades D TO A to Pillai committee was done by our
Bank purely on the basis of number of years of service and not on existing seniority.
Thus to give an example Mr. Benegal who joined as a Grade II officer had completed
17 years of service and was eligible for promotion to Scale IV. He was always junior
to me. However in spite of a higher basic pay, I had completed only 14 years of
physical service. So I was not eligible for promotion to Scale IV.

I represented to the President of the Association, Mr. Kathrani and reminded him.
There was no response. When Mr. Vaghul visited Nairobi I pleaded my case with
him. He gave a shocking reply Your Association is not agreeable. What can I do? I
never expected such a response from him. Most ridiculous thing happened later.
When Benegal was called for the interview in 1982, I was working as the Manager of
Nairobi Branch (not C.E). I got a call from Head Office Personnel Department that I
should send the APR of Benegal with my comments on his performance as I was the
Reporting Authority for him. I asked H.O. What about me? They said I was not
eligible for promotion to Scale IV, even if I have to assess the performance of an
officer appearing for Scale IV interview! (I am quoting the case of Benegal as an
example. He was a very good officer. I recommended him strongly. He also got
promoted to Scale IV and posted to India. He later resigned.)

It was not my case alone. Most of the Grade I officers who joined the Bank in 1966 to
68 were affected. Quite a few quit the Bank. We lost a few brilliant officers. Bank of
Baroda adopted a sensible formula. They protected the seniority and took it as
deemed service. Neither our Association nor the Management cared to look into our
grievances. I was depressed. I would not have minded if I had appeared for the
interview and not selected. But to ignore my seniority and sticking to mere number of
years of service was something difficult to digest. My wife told me that there was no
need to feel depressed. She said You are in a foreign country, which opportunity,
many of your colleagues do not get. Second you are not working under any one who
was junior to you. So why should you worry I saw the force in her argument. I
calmed myself.

Later on when the selection for Scale IV took place between 1982 and 84, 27 officers
who were junior to me got promoted. I decided that I would try to overtake every one
of them. Ultimately when in 1996, I was promoted as DGM I had overtaken them all.

TAIL PIECE: Keshu Patel (name changed) was one of our good customers. One day
he came and met me. He was quite irritated over something. I had never seen him
like that. I asked Trivedi, our local officer, why Keshu bhai was very irritated. He
laughed and said Today he is sober. He normally starts drinking right from morning
and is in a good mood. If he is not drunk, he is in a bad mood.

NEXT CHAPTER: The last shock!

(To be continued)
(16) 27 Jun 2016.

KENYAN SAFARI, CHAPTER 15

STRUCTURAL CHANGES: Life went on as usual. I think it was 1982 beginning. The
Chief Executive was not only the Manager of Kenya Branches, but was also the
Manager of Nairobi Branch. The next in line was Mr. Majmundar, designated as
Accountant. One day we received a communication from Head Office stating that it
had been decided to designate the Accountant as Manager, Nairobi Branch. With the
change in designation Mr. Majmundar was also entitled for a chauffeur driven car.
We were all delighted at this development. There was also a change of incumbent at
Mombasa. Mr J.Y. Diwanji, was posted as Manager. Bank was particular to post
Gujaratis as Managers in those days. Diwanji was my batch mate. A very practical
Banker and a tough task master.

Before Mr Majmundar could enjoy the benefits for some time he was transferred
back to Indian establishment. Mr. N.P. Thakkar was posted to relieve him. Mr
Thakkar was in the first batch of officers who were promoted to Scale IV. (I was not
called for the interview since my actual service was less than 17 years) However
since Mr. Thakkar was in any way senior to me in Scale III, I did not feel
uncomfortable.

COUP ATTEMPT: THE LAST SHOCK! 1st August 1982.Sunday. An unforgettable

day. Got up as usual around 6.30. There was an unusual silence. I went to the
Balcony of my flat and looked outside. Absolutely no activity. Somewhere I heard
faint gunshots. I quickly went inside and switched on the radio known as Voice of
Kenya. There was an announcement. The tyrannical rule of Daniel Arap Moi has
ended. The army had taken over the Government. There is a curfew. All are
requested to stay at home and not move out until further orders. We were
frightened. I recorded the announcement in a cassette. We kept quiet. After some
time the radio also became quiet. We could hear the gunshots on the radio. (Later I
learnt fighting was going on at the Radio Station.)

What had happened was that a group of Air Force Officers planned a coup and took
over the Voice of Kenya. They asked a few pilots of the Air Force to bomb the
Presidential Palace. But the pilots acted as if they were obeying the rule, but flew
away and dropped the bombs in the forest. Meanwhile the army moved in and
surrounded the Voice of Kenya and killed / arrested the rebel officers. It took about 6
hours for the army loyal to the President, to take control of the situation.

Luckily we had enough food at home. What happened after a few hours was
unbelievable. The mob moved in and looted the stores. They broke open the doors,
shutters and entered the shops. From our Balcony, we could see, people carrying
Music systems, TV sets, Furniture etc. on their heads, all looted from shops.

Next day morning we went to the office as usual. The curfew was still on. All those
walking on the road, walked with both hands raised over their heads. We went to the
road near the office. We had heard that Maganlal stores (I had mentioned about
Rajni Bhai earlier) was ransacked. What we saw was something amazing. There
were 34 bullet shots on the Cash Safe. Many retail shops belonged to the Indian
Origin Businessmen were all looted. All their shelves were looking empty. Textile
shops had no clothes left. Even furniture were taken away or broken. But there was
no sympathetic reports in the Newspapers about Indian Origin Business men. Hats
off to their entrepreneur ship-within a month all the shops were back to normal
business!

Bank had no problem. The accounts never became NPAs.

We sent messages through our Head Office to our relatives in India that we were ok.
The funny thing was many in India were not even aware that there was a coup
attempt! They responded asking why did you send a We are safe message! Indian
newspapers published the news on 7th or 8th page that too only a small para.

An elevation-Not Promotion: A few months after Mr. Thakkar came, Mr. Shroff was
transferred to India as Zonal Manager of Gujarat. The Bank elevated Mr. Thakkar as
the Chief Executive of Kenya Branches and I was posted as the Manger of Nairobi
Branch. This was an unexpected positive development. I was quite happy. But the
car was not given to me immediately. Mr. Thakkar gave the BMW of the Chief
Executive for extensive repairs and continued to use the car allotted to the Manager
Nairobi Branch. I was using my personal car. After about three weeks, I politely
asked him as to when I could get the Car. He smiled and told me that it would be
ready within a week. Meanwhile, he told me he would pass my petrol bills! Finally I
got the car after about a month. A Toyota Corolla with a High Power Engine.
Immediately I sold my personal car. (We all felt very sad when saying bye to our
beloved Car!) Due to inflation, I almost got the same price which I paid for buying it.
So after clearing the car loan, I had a reasonable surplus! Finally after two and half
years I had my first real savings! I think that was the turning point.

I knew that Mombasa Manager was entitled for Club Membership, Newspapers and
Entertainment allowance. Nothing was available to me. I waited for a couple of
months. Nothing happened. So after a lot of hesitation, I went to Mr. Thakkar, and
asked him, whether we can refer to Head Office about my perks. He laughed and
said that he was expecting this question. He said he would allocate Shillings 5000 for
entertainment. He asked me whether it was ok. I told him that was perfectly fine. He
also allowed buying local papers. I myself opted out of club membership. This
enabled me to claim reimbursement for the dinners hosted by me. In fact Mr.
Thakkar was a fine gentleman. While Shroff was very dynamic and dashing, Thakkar
looked a bit lazy and leisurely. The appearance was deceptive. He was more
focussed in the House Keeping.

SHIFTING THE RESIDENCE:

With my elevation as Manager, I was asked to move into a bigger residence ear
marked for the Accountant. The house was located in Parklands Second Avenue,
three buildings away from the Bungalow of the Chief Executive. There were two
buildings in the Compound. The first one, an independent house was the Managers
residence. Behind, there was a building with Ground Floor and First Floor. In the
Ground Floor one Mr. Shah was staying. In the first Floor Mr. Panachand Dedia the
Land Lord was staying. Mr. Dedia was an important figure in the community. While
writing about dress code earlier, I had mentioned about him. I am going to repeat for
the sake of new readers. Mr. Dedia will always appear in full suit (Mark & Spencer)
without any crease. Even when he was at home, he would be in full suit. I had never
seen him in a night dress! We used to call him as Zodiac man. (Those days in India,
Zodiac Ties used to advertise in the papers with a male model wearing a full suit.) I
once asked him: Do you also sleep in full suit? He laughed and replied that he
would wear a night dress for sleeping but would switch over to full suit immediately
after his bath in the morning.

The house was very convenient. It was a luxury to stay in an independent house with
a separate study room for the children.

`BACK TO OFFICE: Reconciliation was a problem area. Mr. Thakkar would take
some five old entries at a time and would personally try and follow up until they were
reconciled.

One of the best contributions of Mr. Thakkar was in clearing the old records. We had
a big room behind the Cash Counters where all the old records were stored. The
Branch was opened in 1953. After that for 29 years no one had cleared the old
records. Mr. Thakkar told me that we should destroy all unwanted records and would
keep only what was legally required. He said we would come on a few Saturdays
(We had a five day week) and do this job. All the expatriates joined in this massive
job helped by an excellent sub staff (Ismail?). When we were clearing the records,
we discovered that there was another room inside, the existence of which none of us
were aware of. It was completely hidden by the old records! We completed the
process in about 8 weeks. Hats off to Thakkar! It also taught us one lesson. Every
one posted abroad was behaving like a transit passenger. Doing the routine, passing
their time. It needed a Thakkar to do a Clean Up.

TAIL PIECE:

1. When I landed in Nairobi Mr. Daniel Arap Moi was the President. He was earlier
Vice President under Jomo Kenyatta. After Jomo Kenyattas death, he became the
President. Kenya was a Capitalist Country. Mr. Moi once declared If anyone in
Kenya wants to be a communist, he can go to China. He has no place here

2. Once in a while Anti-Asian (read Anti- Indian) sentiments will be expressed by the
local politicians. Charles Njonjo was a powerful minister in Mois Government. He
had married an English lady. He made a statement in Parliament. If Mr. Patel is
driven out of this country, to whom will I go for my E&T problem? He rubbished all
the anti-Indian talk.

(to be continued)
(17) 01 Jul 2016.

KENYAN SAFARI, CHAPTER 16.

EXPATRIATE OFFICERS: Maniar and Saigal had left. We had Mr. B.T. Anchan, Mr
Malkan and Mr. D.B. Mehta. Anchan had a training in London and was an expert in
Credit. In the 70s he was in H.O. His circulars AFD: BTA or C&IC: BTA were very
famous. No ambiguity. Crystal clear. One of the best officers of the Bank. He was
also a staunch disciplinarian. Malkan was a good PRO. More comfortable in Gujarati.
D.B. Mehta was a bachelor and came from M.P. He took over Advances Department
but his papers would go through me. Earlier, when I was in Credit, my papers would
directly go to the C.E. With the Accountant being designed as Manager, Nairobi
Branch, Credit papers were routed through the Manager so that whatever was within
his authority, he could sanction.

Readers might have noticed that I normally do not write anything adverse about an
officer. But my story will not be complete if I do not write about the peculiar behaviour
of some officers. I will not mention any names.

It was closing time. Mr. Thakkar told one of the officers to phone the customers
whose accounts were overdrawn to regularise them. In those days we did not have
any direct line on our tables. Only the CE had that luxury. We had to always go
through the Operator. Do you know the reply given by this officer? Sir. I do not have
a direct line. I will give you the list with phone numbers. You have a direct line. Pl ask
your Secretary to connect you to the customers, one by one and you can talk to
them We were shocked when the officer proudly told us about this conversation. I
do not know how Mr. Thakkar tolerated such behaviour. I thought this was perhaps
symbolic of the next generation! The same officer also once gave me a rude reply. It
was the first time, I had such an experience! On completion of the term, this officer
resigned and took up a local job. He called on me when I visited Nairobi in the 90s
and was all polite and well behaved!

It was customary in Kenya for the Indian Origin customers to give gifts (not very
expensive- mostly plastic materials) at the time of Deepavali. Some would come
home and some would give it in the office itself. One of our officers who had a high
code of ethics would tell the customer to wait and then he would open the wrapper
and look at the contents. If it was a pen he would accept. Otherwise he would return
it. The customers felt offended at this strange behaviour and stopped offering gifts
from the second year to this officer.

More about these officers later.

STAFF AND DISCRETION: I had mentioned that the staff would work as if they were
in a factory. What amazed me was their quick adaptability to the work. Once we
transferred an intelligent lady clerk from Current Accounts to Foreign Exchange. She
moved to her new seat without a murmur and started working as if she was in that
seat for many years. All the clerks would follow the laid down rules but would never
use their discretion. Any deviation, they would refer to higher authorities. I think in
India, many use discretion.
When I was working as Manager, I was in the Banking hall. No separate cabin. Now
I understand, there is a cabin for the Manager. Behind me was the grill door with an
Askari in attendance. It was customary for the VIP customers to come inside and sit
before me for their Banking needs. Once Christine Kenyatta daughter of Jomo
Kenyatta, the Freedom fighter and the first President) came to see me. She was also
the Mayor of Nairobi in the past. The Askari, who knew her very well asked her to
wait outside the grill door and came to me and whispered. Sir, Can I allow Christine
Kenyatta to come inside I literally ran to receive her and apologised profusely. She
laughed and said No problem. He was only doing his duty.

But, every now and then some fraud committed by staff would come to light. For the
first time we recruited a local Kenyan as a Direct Recruit Officer. He had passed
his B.Com in Baroda. He used to even greet us in Hindi. Very smart. We were
impressed. Just three months. Did a forgery and stole money from a Savings
Account to buy a two wheeler. We had to sack him. Of course we recovered the
money from him.

AN UNFORGETTABLE NOTE: One day Mr. Thakkar was not in the office. It was
around 12 noon. Jackson, the Head Sepoy came and told me that there was a call
from Mr. .a person holding a very high position in the Government. It will not be
proper for me to reveal the position held by the VIP. I attended the call. The
conversation went like this,

VIP How are you Bana Ramakrishnan?

I: I am fine sir. What can I do for you?
VIP: What time do you close the Cash?
I: We close at 1 Pm normally. But that should not be an issue in your case. Pl let me
know how we can help you.
VIP: I want to deposit some cash in my account. My Secretary will come to you. But
he may not reach before 1 pm. Can you accept the cash?
I: Sir! Absolutely no problem. We will take care.
VIP: Thank you very much Bana Ramakrishnan.
I : You are welcome Sir!

Just before 1 pm, the secretary came, He gave me a letter. The letter was
handwritten. It read like this.
Dear Mr. Ramakrishnan
I spoke to you this morning. I am sending some cash. Please help to deposit it in my
account.
Yours Sincerely

What a courtesy! It was in the official letter head of the VIP. I took the letter home
and kept it as a memento in my personal file!

VIP VISITS: It was very common for the VIPs to come to the Bank driving their cars
themselves. Once a very popular minister came driving his own car. He parked it in
our parking lot and came to me. He wanted to draw some cash. He sat before me. I
asked a sepoy to get the cash for him. Many local staff came to greet him. He told
them. Do you know why I deal with Bank of India? This is one Bank where things
are kept confidential. I love this Indian bank. I will never move my account from this
Bank. I felt proud!

MR. MWANGI MATHAI: Mr. Mathai was the Chairman of Kirloskar Kenya Ltd. He
was very fond of India. His wife Wangari Mathai won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.
Mathai was once a Minister, but very unassuming and simple. He once invited me to
his farm. I went with him. There was an old man doing some digging in the farm. He
came near the car. Mr Mathai introduced the old man as his father, Kenyans
normally win Marathons and excel in athletics.

MR. SIMON NYCHAI: Mr. Nychai was the Cabinet Secretary during my time. A
powerful personality. Right hand man of the President Mr. Moi. I had occasions to
meet Mr Nychai. A perfect gentleman. Later on in the late 90s he visited India. At
that time he had Presidential ambitions. I received an invitation to meet him at Taj for
lunch. I think it was sponsored by Bank of Baroda. I attended the lunch. It was
heartening to find that he still remembered me.

PERSONAL LOANS TO KENYANS: This was one area where we did not have any
default. The main reason was the employee had to give an irrevocable letter to his
employer for deducting and remitting the instalments to the Bank. Even if he resigns,
the employer would not settle his dues unless they get a confirmation form the Bank
that the loan was cleared. The employer would write to the Bank, to get the
clearance, to settle.

RECONDITIONED CARS! Around 1983 or so many started importing reconditioned

cars from Japan. In fact they were old cars completely reconditioned and looked like
new cars. There was a good demand. Many Indian expatriates who were working as
teachers saw this as a good opportunity to make money. We gave loans to many for
the import of cars which they later sold and repaid our Loans. I had a satisfaction
that I could help many expatriates to get some extra income. They were not that well
paid as teachers.

TAIL PIECE: Once I was having tooth ache. Mr. Saigal suggested that I should go
and see Dr. Short, an Englishman who was quite famous. I went to him. He
examined me and said I had to undergo Root Canal Treatment. That was the first
time I heard about Root Canal Treatment. I think it was not that well known in India. I
asked him what exactly he was going to do. He said Do not worry! I am just going to
cut a nerve. You will be alright. Without giving me any opportunity to think about it,
he told me to relax and started the treatment right away! He did an excellent job. I
had three/ four sittings with him and a cap was fixed. Then he sent a big bill! I almost
fainted! Anyway I sent the bill to our Head Office. Prompt came the query as to
whether I had any gold filling done! I answered in the negative and the Bill was then
passed to my great relief!

(to be continued)
(18) 08 Jul 2016.

KENYAN SAFARI, CHAPTER 17

MY VISIT TO CENTRAL BANK OF KENYA: (CBK) Our Chief Cashier Peter used to
tell me about the security checks at the Central bank of Kenya. Once I told him I
would accompany him while drawing cash from the CBK. A day before my visit, the
names of staff who would be going to collect the cash as well as the vehicle number
was given. We gave the numbers of the Security Van as well as the Car in which I
would be going. The exact time also needed to be mentioned. When we reached the
CBK we were stopped at the first checkpoint. They verified the vehicle numbers with
the list they had. We moved on to the second checkpoint. Same procedure. Then we
were allowed to park the vehicle. We walked to the Office of the Currency in Charge.
He was in fact our customer. He used to come to our Bank almost every other day
and used to sit before my table and chit chat. But that day he just said hello and
demanded my id card- (knowing very well that I was the Manager of Bank of India). I
produced the id and he verified it properly and noted the particulars. Then only he
smiled at me and started chit chatting! What a professional approach. Everything
else went smoothly.

I made another visit to CBK later when I was GM International during 1997. That
time I met the Governor. Surprisingly, he was not a Banker and was a former Chief
Executive of Levers in Kenya. Again excellent verification system. He did not make
me wait even for a minute. Came out of his cabin and received me and the Chief
Executive and discussed with us about Indian Economy and Banking. Coffee was
served in style.

When I visited Fed Reserve in U.S no coffee was offered. Bank of England would
first serve coffee and biscuits. Then only they would start discussions
In Japan automatically Japanes Tea would be served in small cups. It would be just
like Hot Water! Hong Kong also would offer proper Coffee or Tea. Somehow I had
not visited the Regulator in Singapore.

Once I was with the Dy. Governor of Central bank of Nigeria. His secretary came
and told him that a Minister was on line. The Dy Governor told him that he would call
him later. The Secretary went away but came back within two minutes and told the
D.G. that the minister would like to talk to him immediately. The D.G got flared up.
He told his Secretary Tell the Minister that I am in a meeting with a Senior Banker
and cannot be disturbed. I would call him later! I was impressed with the
professional approach.

All the above incidents were lessons for me!

VISITS OF EXECUTIVES:

I had already mentioned about the visit of Mr. Vaghul the then Chairman. I do not
think any other Chairman visited Kenya during my tenure. Nairobi was a stop over
for the executives visiting Lagos. Otherwise no executive planned a separate visit to
Kenya.
Mr. D.N. Shukla visited Nairobi a couple of times. He was the Executive Director of
the Bank. He had spent over 10 years in East Africa- mainly in Kenya. Nairobi has
an internationally famous Golf Course. Mr. Shukla learned playing Golf in East Africa
and became a very good player. Even during his short visits he would find time to go
and play Golf. He knew all the Customers. He was a very popular Executive fondly
remembered by the customers. Mr. Mohinder Singh Vohra used to tell us that Mr.
Shukla was like a father to them. He told us that they were once facing financial
crunch. Mr. Shukla was the Chief Executive at that time. The market thought the
Vohras were going to fail. At that time Mr. Shukla made it known to the Business
Community that any amount of Bills accepted by the Vohras would be discounted by
the Bank and the Bank would guarantee the payment. This one statement cheered
the market and restored their confidence in Vohras. They easily came out of their
problems and then became a powerful Business Group in Kenya owning Hotels and
other Businesses. They never left Bank of India. It was like a great partnership. I am
sure they are still with us.

Once Mr. Shukla and Mr A.D. Rege (G.M. International) visited us. According to me
that visit proved to be a turning point in my career path. We had one Group dealing
with us almost from the beginning. From retailing they had switched over to
manufacturing and were facing a lot of liquidity problems. They used to approach us
very frequently for over limit business and it brought tremendous pressure on us. I
told Mr. Thakar that I would prepare a restructuring programme for this Group and
that we would discuss this with Mr. Shukla and Mr Rege when they visited us. Mr.
Thakar agreed. Though I had worked very closely with Mr. Shukla in Chennai, Mr,
Rege was totally new to me. I had only made a courtesy call on Mr. Rege before
coming to Kenya. I made a presentation to them. Mr. Shukla knew the background of
the customers very well. Both he and Mr Rege raised various points during the
discussion. Mr. Thakar had given me a free hand and was practically a silent
observer to the discussions. Mr. Shukla suggested a couple of alternatives which I
pointed out, would be difficult to implement. After about an hour Mr. Shukla told Mr.
Rege . I think we will go with what Ramakrishnan has proposed He then told me to
send the proposal and assured me that he would get it cleared. (The proposal was
sanctioned as proposed by us without any queries.) I think this discussion impressed
Mr. Rege, who later proposed my name for posting as Executive Director of Allied
bank of Nigeria. I thanked Mr Thakar for giving me an opportunity to discuss directly
with the top brass.

Mr. R.P. Vaidya also visited us a couple of times. He would come with a neatly
written shopping list. He would give it to Mr. Benegal and would request him to get
those items. Then he would also reimburse the amount spent by him.

OUR VALUABLE CUSTOMERS:

This is always a difficult subject. I have to be careful. I should not cross the
Lakshman Rekha. They form part of the history of the Bank. Let me try.

Our Customers consisted of ethnic businessmen, Indian Joint Ventures and local
Kenyans. All the Multinationals were dealing with Barclays and other British banks.
Even ethnic business was not restricted with Bank of India and Bank of Baroda.
Some were dealing with British banks.
Sarabhais had a trading arm in Kenya. They also set up a joint Venture called Africa
Synthetic Fibres Ltd at Tika near Nairobi. It was a huge plant. Unfortunately, the Unit
ran into a lot of problems. My memory is, it was ultimately sold off. The name
Sarabhai brings to my mind a gentleman called Srinivasan who was a Marketing
Executive at their Baroda Head Office. He used to visit Kenya every six months for
business development. Very friendly character. He knew almost all the Tamilians in
Nairobi. He would always call on me. Once I invited him home for dinner. He saw my
son who was doing his 10th standard. Then he suggested that my son should try to
go to IIT. He recommended that we should make him join postal classes of
Agarwals. He even sent me the brochures from India. Until then we did not have
much idea about IIT. Srinivasan created awareness and gave a proper guidance. We
followed his advice. My son could get into IIT after 12th. I am mentioning this
because, in life, we get advices from unexpected quarters. I always consider such
things as divine interventions.

LIC also had an office in Nairobi. New India had a joint Venture called Ken India
Insurance co Ltd. I remember one Mr. Rajput, a senior executive of Ken India. Once
when I went to his house for dinner I found that he had a hobby of collecting
miniature bottles of Hot Drinks! He had a collection of almost 1000 bottles! All neatly
and artistically displayed.

Chandaria Group was another multinational with interest in many countries. One of
the senior members of the family Manubhai Chandaria was based in Nairobi. They
were mainly in manufacturing in Steel, Aluminium etc in many African countries.
They used to recruit top professionals from India. They were well respected. I dealt
with this group in a big way in Nigeria.

I had mentioned about Mr. N.D. Shah earlier. He was mainly doing trading in Second
Hand Clothings in a big way. It appears, in one of the community dinners someone
made fun of him as a trader. Shah felt hurt and took it as a challenge and started
manufacturing activity in Steel, Aluminium etc. I am mentioning this to show that how
a chance remark had changed ones business line.

TAILPIECE: There was a young entrepreneur who was looking for finance in a small
town There were twelve Banks in the town. He approached the Banks one by one.
No one was willing to finance him. He was quite upset. Finally he went to the 12th
bank. The Manager told him that he would ask him only one question. If the answer
was correct, he would finance him. Left with no option, the young man agreed to the
condition. The Manager asked him One of my eyes is real and another one is
artificial(glass). Can you tell me which one is the artificial eye. The young man
looked at the Manager and replied Your left eye is the artificial eye. The Manager
was surprised that the young man had guessed correctly. He agreed to finance.
Then the Manager asked him Now tell me. How did you find out? The young man
said. Sir! I could see some sympathy in your left eye! (This story was told by late
Mr. Karunanandan, who was our Executive director)
(To be continued)
(19) 15 Jul 2016.

KENYAN SAFARI- CHAPTER 18

PICNICS GALORE: As I have been repeatedly writing, Kenya is a beautiful small

country. Well connected by excellent roads. We decided to explore the country and
visit as many places as possible. My wife and I used to drive ourselves by turn and
driving on those roads was a real pleasure!

VICTORIA LAKE: Miwani Sugar Mills was one of our big customers. Their plant was
situate near to Lake Victoria, the second biggest lake in the world. It occupies about
68000 sq kilometers. It has a shoreline of more than 4000kms and touches three
countries. Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. We were quite eager to see this huge lake.
So when I had to go for an inspection of Miwani sugar Mills, I decided to take my
family. On a pleasant Saturday morning, a beautiful BMW car landed at my door
step. The driver was in spotless uniform with a cap. When I greeted him, he also
greeted me in Swahili. After we got into the car, I tried to pick up some conversation,
I realised that the driver did not know a single word of English! It was a bit strange.
He knew only Swahili. Anyway we moved on. We would have covered one third of
the distance. The car stopped suddenly. The driver went around the car, opened the
bonnet, tried to do something but the car would not start. I asked him about the
problem. I could not understand what he said. Then with various signs and swahili
words he almost did a Bharata Natyanm Dance. Finally we understood what he said.
The Car has a major problem. He cannot fix it. He would have to go by Public
Transport to Nairobi and get a mechanic. It would take a long time. We should get a
lift and go back to Nairobi. Saying this he got into some truck and left for Nairobi.
We were stranded on the Road with our suitcase! We stood on the roadside and
tried to ask for a lift. Many cars did not stop. Finally one big car stopped which had
only one passenger, a rich Arab. He gave us a lift and dropped us home!

After another two weeks, we again made another attempt. This time, there was no
problem. We reached Miwani Sugar Mills comfortably. In the evening we went to the
lake. It was an unforgettable sight. A huge lake which looked like an Ocean. You
could not see the other side. The only difference was that there were gentle waves. It
was worth all the trouble. Surprisingly there was no big crowd to see the lake! It was
not developed as a Tourist Attraction. I do not know the position now.

MOUNT KENYA SAFARI CLUB: This is one of the most luxurious Resorts in the
world. One of the founders of this club was the movie star William Holden. Winston
Churchill was also a member of this club. It had more than 100 luxury rooms.
Though it was an expensive place we decided to go for one night stay.

We reached the Club around noon. Had a panoramic view of Mount Kenya. There
was a lush and green Golf Course, It was also close to Mount Kenya National Park
and Aberdare National Park. The rooms were of superior quality. We felt as if we
were entering the Colonial Era. The club had some strict rules. Kids should finish
their dinner by 7.30.pm Adults should come after 8 pm. You were not allowed to sit
as one family. That was a disappointment. However we were allowed to sit with our
children when they had dinner. They had fresh thick Tomato Soup. Vegetable
Cutlets etc. They were happy to taste the homemade Ice Cream! After dropping the
children in the room, my wife and I had our dinner. Gentlemen must come in full suit.
Quality of food was very good. I felt, people who play Golf, drink and take Non Veg
would have enjoyed the stay better than us! Anyway it was a different experience.

LAKE NAKURU: One of the beauties in Africa is the famous Rift Valley. Within an
hours drive from Nairobi, you can reach the Rift valley. Lake Nakuru is located in the
Rift valley. We went for a picnic to Lake Nakuru. No picnic would be complete
without my friend Maniar. Lake Nakuru is famous for thousands of Flamingoes which
adorn the lake. It was a beautiful sight. To bring life into the Picnic, Maniar would say
every fifteen minutes, in a cheerful tone, Maja Aavi gayi! Then like school children,
we would all say in chorus Bahut maja aavi gayi. Each family would bring one item
(Potluck) and we enjoyed the scenery with mainly lovely Gujarati dishes.

HOT WATER SPRINGS Once someone told me about the Hot Water springs. I think
it was Lake Bogoria. We decided to go and see the rare natural phenomena. We
went alone. We followed the directions. But we found the road to be very rough and
full of stones. My wife was driving the car. I felt we had lost the way. No other car
was visible either before or behind us, Then all of a sudden we saw the lake. What a
relief! There were a few cars. By sheer coincidence, we also saw our neighbours
daughter with her friends.

As suggested by my friend, we had carried some potatoes with us. On the shore line
of the lake there were small springs from which hot water was gushing out. We put
the potatoes in a small cooking vessel and dipped it in the hot water spring. Within a
few minutes they were boiled. We had salt and pepper and had the Potatoes for
lunch!

EQUATOR: Once we were driving out of Nairobi. Suddenly we saw a board with
something written in bold letters. We stopped the car. The Board said You are
standing on the Equator. I knew that the equator passed through Kenya. Never
imagined we could stand on the equator (Of course it is an imaginary line).

14 FALLS: This was one of our favourite picnic spots. We had visited this many
number of times. It was near Thika, just an hours drive. Excellent road. It was a
pleasure to drive on this route. On the way we could buy from the roadside, fresh
Oranges, Pineapple etc at cheap rates. In fact it was one Waterfall divided by rocks
and falls as 14 different waterfalls. We could sit on small rocks and watch the
waterfalls and have our food. Good natural scenery.

MOMBASA BEACH RESORT: We drove to Mombasa and stayed for about two or
three nights at White Sands, a beach resort. I could see how the beach resort was
developed with tourists (mainly Europeans) in mind. From the resort you could just
walk to the sea- sort of a private beach. Water was shallow. We could walk even 100
metres in the water. Practically no waves. Saw a lot of Star Fish.

Let us get back from Picnic to realities of Life:

SERVANT PROBLEM: I had mentioned earlier that we were quite happy with the
servant. Then one day she did not turn up. No prior information. We managed for the
day. Next day also she did not come. Then for almost a week there was no sign of
her. So we recruited a new servant with the help of our neighbour. The day on which
the new servant reported and finished her job, the old one turned up. She asked us
how we could engage a new one, when she was working for us. We told her that she
did not inform us about her absence and how long could we wait? I offered her
money for the period she had worked. She would not accept and said she would not
go. She sat on the staircase for about an hour and then went away. The next Sunday
she turned up with a gentleman, who claimed that he was an office bearer of the
Union for the Domestic Servants. We had never known about such an institution. He
was very polite. He sat before us and asked us as to why we terminated the services
of the old servant. We explained. Then he asked her Did you inform the boss that
you would be on leave? She said No. Then he asked her Why did you absent
yourselves for a week? She replied that she was not well. Then he asked her
whether she had a medical certificate from the doctor. She replied in the negative.
Then he told us Sir! It is her fault. However she is a poor woman. Pl give her 15
days extra wages and settle the matter. We agreed and the matter was over. I liked
the way the Union Man dealt with the matter.

When we moved into the Managers residence, Mr. Panachand Dedia recommended
his Servants son for us. He was a young boy. His father was with Dedia for over 25
years. But the boy, after sometime started behaving funnily and threw veiled threats
of damaging the car. I told Dedia. He advised me to go to the Police Station and
report the matter. Then to come back and inform the servant that I had informed the
Police and if anything happened to my car, he would be held by the Police. I did
exactly that. Thereafter this boy took extra care to ensure that nothing happened to
my car!

TAIL PIECE: One day morning officer Malkan came to me and told me that he was
sending a messenger to the Post Office to get some tickets. He asked me whether I
needed any tickets. I was confused. I told him that Post offices do not sell tickets.
Then he clarified that the tickets were to be pasted on envelopes. i realised that in
Gujarat stamps are called tickets!
(To be continued)
(20) 22 Jul 2016.

KENYAN SAFARI-CHAPTER 19.

FLATS FOR EXPATRIATES: Knowingly or unknowingly, the Bank Management in

Kenya had taken flats for the officers in different buildings in Parklands and
Westlands. No two officers were in the same building. At the same time, one can
reach another officer within 10 minutes by car. I considered this as the best
arrangement. This had resulted in good family relationship between officers. No
unnecessary gossips, fights between children etc. On the contrary Bank of Baroda
had put all its officers except the top two in the same building. We had heard stories
of family fights, kids quarrels etc.

The Chief Executive had a big bungalow in sprawling grounds. He had a beautiful
lawn in the front and a lot of vacant space behind the Bungalow. The land was on a
long lease. (If my memory is right all the land in Nairobi belonged to the Government
and was given on long leases -even for 100 years).

Mr. Shroff once mooted an idea to build flats for officers behind his house. We did
not support the idea. We told him that the present system was the best one. I told
him that he would lose his privacy. The officers would be watching who were his
visitors, who was carrying gifts etc!. All this may result in avoidable gossip. Seeing
our united opposition, he did not pursue his plan.

When I visited Nairobi in the late 90s as General Manager, I found an interesting
development. Apart from the C.E. and the Manager, all the other officers were
housed in the same building. I was having a meeting with the officers. I asked them
as to how this had happened. They said they had voluntarily opted to stay in the
same building. The advantage was that one of them would leave the car at home
and the ladies would go for shopping together. They said they had no issues in
staying together. Then I thought they could as well stay in Banks own building. I told
Mr. P.R. Kalyanasundaram, (Kalyan) who was the Chief Executive to look into the
possibility of building flats for the officers behind his Bungalow. His own Bungalow
had also become quite old. Perhaps he could also build a new one. Kalyan took this
project very seriously and submitted a Plan. We at H.O approved it fast. Luckily, our
lease was also extended for a long period. That was how, if I remember right, two big
flats in front for C.E and the Manager and some flats for officers behind these flats
came up. It was a major achievement / contribution of Kalyan. (A fine officer who
rose to become a General Manager.) I am sure the officers are happy.

I had also accepted the changed attitude of the officers and did not hesitate to
reverse my stand. I feel executives should be ready to change their views based on
the environment.

I think Nairobi is the only foreign centre, where all the officers stay in Banks own
flats.

A GAME (Nasty) PLAYED BY A CUSTOMER.:

Ramakant (name changed) was a very well respected customer by both local as well
as expatriates. Maintained good relationship with everyone. Even he had called me
home for lunch with other officers.

I had moved out of Kenya and was in Lagos. A couple of months after I reported at
Lagos, I got a call from Mr. Thakar, who was continuing as C.E at Nairobi. He told
me that Mr. Ramakant had been to Mumbai and had returned to Nairobi. While at
Mumbai, Ramakant had called on Mr. R.P. Vaidya, General Manager. (Ramakant
was a good friend of Mr Vaidya) Ramakant informed Thakar that Mr. Vaidya had told
him. Quote Ramakrishnan told me that Thakar is slow in decision making and drags
things! Unquote. Thakar told me that he could not believe what Ramakant told. him.
I was also shocked. I told Thakar that I did meet Mr. Vaidya, but we never discussed
about him. Mr. Vaidya was talking to me about the challenges in Nigeria. I thanked
Thakar for clarifying with me.

I was restless. I telephoned Mr. Vaidya and told him about Ramakants allegation.
Mr. Vaidya told me that it was Mr. Ramakant who made adverse comments about
Thakar. Now I knew what happened. Ramakant wanted to convey to Thakar his real
opinion about him. He knew that I was out of Kenya. It was safe to involve my name.
Ramakant did not imagine that Thakar would talk to me. I called back Thakar and
gave him the correct position.

Now that was a lesson I learnt. Whenever, someone tells you similar stories, please
do not believe them. Best thing is to confront the person concerned and get the
clarification.

AN OFFICER AND HIS ATTITUDE: It is not enough if you are brilliant in your work.
Inter Personal relationship also counts a lot! Though I have a little pain narrating the
following incidents, I thought I should do it mainly for the sake of young officers of
BOI, who can draw their own lessons.

Ramkumar (name changed) was a hard working, brilliant officer. He had firm and
sometimes rigid views. A staunch disciplinarian. He was somehow not happy with
the level of discipline in the Office. He used to tell me often that , if only he had the
Power, he could reform the entire branch. It was difficult to advise him .In those days
an officer was posted first for two years. At the end of two years Head Office would
renew the term for another two years. It was more or less a formality. When
Ramkumar was about to complete his term of two years, I was also about to
complete four years. I was the Manager of the Branch. It was August 1983. My son
was to complete his 10th Standard in December 83, but he was to appear for
London O level in March. I knew it would be difficult to get admission in India with
Kenyan O level. British O Level was recognised by the good schools in India. So I
wrote to Head Office for an extension of my term till March 84 and I promised I would
leave Nairobi on the day after my sons examination was over. (and I did that though
it was a big strain) Ramkumar wrote a letter to Head Office that he would like to
continue for a second term, only if he was made as the Manager of the Branch.
Head Office did not accede to his request and transferred him back to India. At the
same time, I was granted an extension. (I had already mentioned that despite the
extension, H.O relieved me in January 84 and I was forced to spend my home leave
in Kenya itself). Now Ramkumar thought that H.O favoured me and was unfair to
him.

Ramkumar was to leave for India. I invited him and his family to my house for a
farewell dinner. He agreed. I fixed the date in consultation with him. Then I invited a
few friends and customers also. On the day of the dinner, Ramkumar came to my
table and said he would not be able to come to my house for dinner. I was taken
aback. I asked him what was the problem. As was his nature he gave a straight
forward answer. I would not feel comfortable at your house! A shocking response. I
did not argue. I told him that it was perfectly ok. But I did not cancel the dinner. I
gave some excuse for his absence. People were decent enough not to probe further.
Ramkumar's strict demeanour apparently did not go too well with the local staff,
although they never expressed the same during his tenure. On the day he was to be
relieved from the Branch, he shook hands of all the staff which they reciprocated
smilingly, but they did not partake Coca Cola which was to be served as per the
normal practice on such an occasion. It was their way of silently registering their
protest. To be a disciplinarian is fine, but one should also be ready to be flexible,
where one can.

A request ; if you had guessed the identity of the officer, please keep it to yourself. I
do not want to embarrass anyone.

TAIL PIECE : Akbar Esmail was our approved lawyer. Very smart person. Quite fast
in giving opinion. When I was new in Nairobi, one day his assistant, a young and
smart lady came to deliver some papers. I told her to convey a message to her boss.
She smiled and said she would do that. When she left, my assistant Mukiti came to
me and told me Sir! She is not Akbars assistant. She is his wife!

NEXT CHAPTER; Good Bye to Kenya!

(To be continued)
(21) 29 Jul 2016.

KENYAN SAFARI - CHAPTER 20.

It is time to say Good Bye to Kenyan Safari. Before I conclude let me add a few
titbits.

KALA SINGH! In those days even though house breaking was common, the local
thieves would never dare to break into a house of a Sardarji. They were scared of
Sardarjis whom they called Kala Singh! They knew Sardarjis would not be afraid to
fight and they would carefully avoid them.

GARBA DANCES: I always remember the first Navaratri, I spent in Nairobi. Garba
Dances were held in various venues. All with traditional music and steps. (No Lungi
dance type!) Young or old, male or female, all participated with a lot of enthusiasm.
Our friends took us from one venue to the other from 8 pm till midnight. I do not know
whether things have changed now.

I used to feel that the modern trend did not affect many of the Gujarati families.
There were elderly ladies of Jain community, who used to finish off their dinner
before Sunset.

BOHMAS OF KENYA: This was a cultural centre in Nairobi where one could see the
arts and crafts of Kenyan Tribes. They also used to have two or three shows of a
cultural programme where you could witness various tribal dances with music.

HARAMBEE! This Swahili word meant let us work together. Harambee meetings
were conducted by the President. The main aim was fund raising for a project. The
President may visit a town and hold a Harambee meeting. Then the audience would
respond to the call of the President for raising money. Each one would hand over
cash. The President would read or mention the names of the persons one by one.
Millions would be collected on the spot!

LOCAL OFFICERS I REMEMBER: I had mentioned a few names in the course of

my narration but I did not get an opportunity to mention about Martin. Martin was a
very honest and straightforward officer. A calm and quiet person. Thorough with the
routine work. He was the first officer to be sent to India for a training. But the food did
not suit him and he came back as a sick person. It took quite some time for him to
recover.

I had briefly mentioned about the local officer Trivedi. He knew each and every
Gujarati customer. He was like a fixed asset of the branch.

VISIT OF USHA UTHUP: Usha Uthup, the famous singer, visited Nairobi during our
stay. She was singing in a Night club. Unfortunately, someone tried to stab her when
she was coming out after the programme. It made big headlines. She escaped with
minor injuries.

MY SUCCESSOR: My successor arrived quite early. There were certain

assignments which had to be directly handled by the Manager. Whenever I tried to
explain to him about such work, I found that he was not much interested. He would
again and again ask only about the perks which the Manager was entitled to. He
would have asked this question at least once in a day! It was rumoured that he was
selected mainly because of his good accent of English!

MY DEPARTURE: I had already mentioned about the problems I faced like Home
Leave which I had to waste in Nairobi etc. in my Nigerian Experiences. So I am
skipping all that portion.

I have to mention about the packing woes. Since I had received the posting orders to
Lagos, I had to pack my things into three categories. One set to go to Chennai,
another to go to Lagos and third luggage to be taken with us to Chennai. It was quite
an effort to convince Head Office, to pay the freight charges for two different
destinations. Things to be sent to Nigeria was to be kept with the transport people for
almost three months. Luckily, there was no damage.

At Chennai, when I got the notice that my goods had arrived, my wife and I went to
the Cargo Section. We reached at 10 am and it was 4 pm by the time we could get
out. We had to go through 22 stages before clearing the items. I got so much
annoyed that I wrote a letter to the Collector of Customs giving a graphic description
of my experience listing out the 22 stages. I also knew that the collector was the
younger brother of late Mr. M. Krishnan, Officer Bank of India. Though he did not
acknowledge, I later learnt that the procedures were simplified.

EPILOGUE: I always ask myself whether I had covered everything. The answer is
No. Being a banker one cannot reveal everything, in spite of the fact that so many
years had lapsed.

I could not write about the crisis faced by both the Indian Banks which they
overcame with a lot of determination, with reputation intact.

I had heard that when C.P. Shah was the Chairman he visited Nairobi and stayed
there for 15 days! It was a record. Mr. Shah came to our Bank from Bank of Baroda.
He had opened the branch of BOB in Nairobi and knew many businessmen. So he
decided to spend two weeks there. There was one Mr. Patel- I think N.J. Patel- who
was the Chief Executive. He had to arrange breakfast, lunch and dinner for the
Chairman all 15 days. Taking care of Chairman for two weeks led to a nervous
breakdown for the officer. (How far this was correct I do not know.)

Though the bank was always posting only Gujaratis as Managers, this practice was
given up for want of eligible officers as well as due to changes in selection
procedure.

In later years when one CMD visited Kenya and came back he told me that the
officers met him in two groups one from south and another non south. Each
complained about the other group. I was shocked to hear about such developments.
Perhaps this is the price you have to pay when you grow very fast. Anyway it was
only a passing phase. When I visited Kenya in the late 90s I found no such discard. I
was happy to see all working as a family.
When I left Nairobi, we had only two branches. One in Kisumu was closed even
before I landed in Nairobi. Now I understand there six branches including Kisumu. I
am happy this give opportunity to many officers to go abroad.

I had seen that when an officer is selected for overseas posting he always dreams of
going to New York, London, Tokyo etc. Never thinks of Africa. So when he is posted
to Africa he feels disheartened. He thinks he has got a second rate posting. I used to
advise the officers when I was in service (and even now) that they should be happy
about going to Africa. I give below the reasons-at least from first-hand knowledge of
Kenya, Nigeria and Zambia.

1. Compared to New York, London etc., there is less stress in working in Kenya. At
least during my tenure, we never sat late-except on very few occasions.

2. Quality of life is very good. In fact one should be happy about the servant help you
get in Africa. One servant does the job of a servant, dhobi, shoe polish boy, cook
and a housekeeper. This is a luxury you cannot get in any developed country. The
ladies get a lot of leisure time to go for shopping, social religious activities etc.

3. If I am right, in Kenya, every officer is provided with a car. Not in U.S or U.K.

4. With the appointment of a Government appointed Sub Committee the

remuneration has also become very attractive. I think, school fees and taxes are
reimbursed which was not there in our time.

5. Scope for sightseeing is much more in Africa. I know many officers in New York
used to go to only three places. Washington, Niagara Falls and Disneyworld in
Florida during a tenure of four years. I know our Rep at San Francisco, was not
allowed to officially visit New York even once during his four year term.

6. You should always go with your family. Then only you will enjoy your stay!

I was lucky to visit Kenya three times during my tenure as General Manager during
the tenures of S. Srinivasa Rao. P. Sanyal and P.A. Kalyanasundaram. Every time I
felt it was like home coming.

TAIL PIECE: when I was leaving Nairobi, many customers told me that I was leaving
at the right time as things had deteriorated! These were the same customers who
told me on my arrival that I had come at the wrong time as things were very bad!

I would summarise my Kenyan Stay in just one sentence. I enjoyed my stay

thoroughly!

(Concluded)

P.S. I will be back next week with a different topic!