“MAIL” to the Speaker on his foreign tour

During his foreign tours to attend the Common Wealth Parliamentary Association, Hon’ble Speaker asked my immediate boss, Mr. N. N. Dhar, Private Secretary to speaker to send, all his Dak addressed to him, by mail. We used to send the “mail” to the Speaker as usual through U.P.C.”, means under postal certificate. Accordingly I used to go to the post office and as per the procedure the written address on a separate paper as well as the postal stamps are fixed on it. The envelope along with the UPC paper is handed over to the dealing clerk in post office. After putting the date stamp he used to return the paper containing the address.
One day the Speaker telephoned to Mr. Dhar that the Mail envelope had not reached him. Mr. Dhar asked me about that mail. I told him that as usual that envelope was mailed under postal certificate. So I do not know why it did not reach. Mr. Dhar told the Speaker on phone that the envelope was mailed on such and such date/address. But the Speaker again told that he had not received the same.

Mr. Dhar doubted me and was under wrong impression that I did not post the envelope. Whenever he talked to me about it I used to show him the same paper containing the stamp and P.C. of the post office. One day he became angry with me and said that he knows that I had not posted the Mail and the U.P.C. is a fraud one. I told him politely with folded hands that Sir, believe me I had posted the mail and it was not fraud at all.

He did not trust me and made up his mind to hand over the matter to the police for investigation after lodging a F.I.R. (First Information Report) in the police. This increased my worry and forced me thinking that I had not done wrong thing, why I am being harassed unnecessarily. In those days when I go home in the evening my wife used to suspect that I am not happy as before and why remain upset. I tried not to disclose it to her. When she pressed me again and again, I told her the whole story. She said that you should not worry at all. If your boss had made up his mind to do this crime what can we do? We remained under tension for about two weeks. One day my boss decided to give the case to the police but on the same day a telephone call came from the Speaker that the Mail (Envelop) in question had been reached him. I felt great relief after hearing that good news.
Later on I was told by my friend that my boss mis-understood me. However, after that he remained very kind to me.

This matter was simple but bosses should not go to such extent to harass their honest subordinates without knowing the factual position.
In 1964 Punjab Government issued instructions for the welfare and development of the down trodden and poor, socially and educationally backward people in general and for the scheduled castes in particular and introduced reservation for these categories in promotion in services as per the Constitution of India, and as per their proportion in the population.

In those days I was working as clerk. My colleagues told me that since I fulfilled the criteria you should apply for promotion as an Assistant, which I did. And I was promoted as an Assistant.

From that position up to the promotion to the post of Joint Secretary of Punjab Vidhan Sabha I tried to do my duties, to the full satisfaction of my superiors.

I enjoyed my entire service in Punjab Vidhan Sabha happily because my superiors as well as my subordinates were very helpful, co-operative and kind persons.

I may tell about one of my most important events when I was appointed as Secretary, Punjab State Sri Guru Ravidas 600th Birth Anniversary Committee, Chandigarh in 1978-79 on deputation basis for one year as the committee was constituted for one year for the celebration of 600th Birthday of Guru Ravidas Ji Maharaj as was done in the cases of communities for other Gurus.

Hon’ble Giani Zail Singh, the then Chief Minister of Punjab and later on Hon’ble Sardar Parkash Singh Badal as Chief Minister of Punjab were the chairmen of the committee as the government changed from congress party to Shiromani Akali Dal Party. Shri Gurmail Singh the then minister of Punjab and later on S. Kartar Singh Vaid the then M.L.A. (Punjab) were the working chairmen respectively. Sh. Sada Nand I.A.S. was the Administrative Secretary from Punjab government. The members of the committee were from all walks of life i.e. Religious persons. Educated persons, social persons and Political persons etc.