Life, Lilies and Surf

Chapter 7

Man's love is a man's life a thing apart,

'Tis woman's whole existence.                                         Byron, Don Juan III

The fountains mingle with the river and the rivers with the ocean;

The winds of heaven mix forever with a sweet emotion;

Nothing in the world is single; all things by a law divine,

In one another's being mingle -

Why not I with thine ?                                                         Shelly, Love's Philosophy

Latha handed over her charge in Madras.  As usual, there was a farewell party.  All those who worked in the sections that were under her charge hosted a farewell tea party.   This was the custom as she was going on promotion to another station.  Speeches were delivered by section heads praising her even temperament and kindness to staff and officers.  It  brought back to her mind the party that was given when she left as a clerk from the same office to join the service.  She felt a fleeting thought of sadness when she remembered that Krishna who helped her and Bhama, could not succeed in the competitive examination and was still working in the same position in that office.  She felt thankful to God for her success. Luck or Grace of God as you may view is required to come out meritorious in the competitive examination and secure a good service, as many brilliant students and university gold medalists have found the passage to Service perilous.  She replied to the speeches by thanking everyone who gave unstinting cooperation to her and treated her with respect and worked hard to enable her to discharge her duties. 

The very next day she left Madras by train to join her post in Bombay.  She was received in the station by the logistic persons of the office she was to join.  They had reserved a room for her in the guest house near the office.  She joined her new post and immediately applied for government quarters.  As there was a special pool for lady officers, she got a nice flat, not very far from her office, allotted to her within a month.  She made a short trip to Madras and sent her household things of furniture, vessels, boxes, etc by goods train to Bombay.  She journeyed back to Bombay with her mother.  Her father could not come as he had committed to complete certain religious ceremonies for people who were his regular clients.  He joined her after three weeks.  By that time the allotted flat was ready and her things arrived by train. She and her mother put them in proper places and made the flat look good and was decently furnished.  As there were two bed rooms, she could enjoy the comfort and privacy of a room to herself. 

The office work was not taxing.  Of the four colleagues of the service, one of them was a young man who was older to her only by two years.  He was also from Madras and was in the same level of post as she was holding.  The first meeting with him was pleasant.  He introduced himself and said he bore the same name as his grandfather. 

"I am Bhaskar and I am from two batches before yours.  I bear the same name as my grand father as is the custom in Madras."

He was of medium height with a complexion not so fair but on the brownish side.  His black hair was partitioned at the left side and there was a good crop.  He was wearing all white attire.  Trousers, full sleeve shirt and even handkerchief were white, as if it was an uniform he had prescribed for himself.  Even the buttons strung by a white thread for the shirt were white.  There used to be only button holes for shirts in those days.  So you have to get removable buttons and string them with a thread and use them to make both the holes in the shirt come together and hold fast.  The shirt would have to be pulled on to the torso through the opening at the top sliding  over the head like a Punjabi kurta of  now a days.  He was using only white plastic buttons.  Some people used to sport gold buttons or even diamond studded gold buttons to declare their affluence, hoping to get greater respect from on lookers.  The trousers were folded at the bottom for one inch as was the fashion those days.  Even the belt was white and mercifully the shoes were black.   Latha thought that if the shoes were also white then he would look like a character in high school Shakespearean play.