Looking Back - Episode - 5

It was on 6^th February 1959 that BGR commenced his first day in the job at Canara Bank. He reported at the Administrative Office to Shri M V Bhat, Accountant, exactly at 9.45 am with all the enthusiasm and high spirits of an 18-year young man. At 10 am Bhat took him to the typing section and introduced him to the 3-member typist team headed by Somnath Narayan. Somnath straightaway assigned him a Halda typewriter to work on. He also introduced him to the other two typists – K P Puttaram and K R Vasu.

Somnath came to know that BGR had no previous experience and was totally new to the office work. He told BGR not to worry and to concentrate on picking up the work fast. He assured him full support from his side. His friendly attitude helped BGR to develop confidence in learning the work. Somnath gave him a brief on the nature of letters he was expected to type out. He also told him that the establishment department was directly under the DGM Bhandary assisted by the DM U K Kini and five superintendents. The matters dealt with included staff, premises, provident fund and public relations.

To begin with BGR was given six letters to type out. He was given printed forms and it was a matter of filling up blank columns by typing out the matter. He began typing at 10.20 am. He had some problems in reading the handwritings and Somnath helped him out. Once he completed the typing, Somnath went through them and pointed out certain mistakes. He was also asked retype some letters. This exercise developed confidence in BGR. He exhibited the same in the next lot of letters given to him by typing them without mistakes.

At 1.00 pm Somnath asked BGR to go for lunch. Now that he had started the office work satisfactorily, BGR wanted to get introduced to some of his colleagues. He did it with two of the colleagues – I S Bhat and P Vasu. Both of them were from Udupi. They appeared quite friendly and BGR took the opportunity to ask them to help him in getting accommodation. The two were staying in Modern Hotel near the bank and were paying Rs30 per month for a room and two meals. They assured him that they would take him to the hotel in the evening.

In the afternoon BGR was quite comfortable with his Halda typewriter and completed the typing of some more letters given by Somnath. There was big tray wherein the peons would drop the draft letters for typing. Somnath would distribute the letters according to the priority of the matter. BGR also observed that a big bunch of letters were dropped in the tray at about 4.15 pm. He thought he may have to sit late to finish all those letters. But Somnath told him not to worry. He told him that he could leave at 5 pm and the remaining letters could be typed on the next day. Exactly at 5 pm Somnath stopped the work, closed his typewriter with a cover and told BGR to follow suit and leave. As BGR was coming out of the office, a thought came to his mind that he had earned a salary of Rs2.50 for the day’s work. He felt quite happy.

BGR found the pair of IS Bhat and P Vasu waiting outside to take him to the hotel. They took him to the hotel which was about 200 yards from the bank. He was shown a vacant room with a cot. The toilet and bathroom facilities were common.  BGR also saw the rooms the two were occupying already. The two asked him whether he was interested. BGR had been advised by his mother and Pema that he should look for an accommodation immediately after appointment. It was necessary for him to leave the Mama’s house at the earliest. He gave his consent to the hotel accommodation and paid an advance of Rs10 he had carried in his purse. He was happy that he was getting the company of two of his colleagues at the hotel.

BGR’s Mama and Mami were quite pleased to hear his first day experience in the bank. He also told them about the hotel accommodation and that he would shift his belongings in the next day morning. He went out for a long walk around Basavanagudi. He was feeling on top of the world having landed in a bank job and completing the first day at work successfully. He finished his dinner and went to bed fully relieved of the pressure he had faced all these days. He felt he could learn the job well under the able guidance of Somnath Narayan. Was he really lucky to get a mentor like Somnath in the beginning of his career? Indeed he was! But the guidance was not to last long as BGR came to learn shortly!

------- (To be continued)

A V Krishnamurthy

8th April 2012

I Don’t Know, Son! – 44

Tendulkar Retires!

Son: Readers of Times of India in Bangalore were surprised to find a headline “Sachin Tendulkar Retires Hurt”, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: The headline was on the top corner and some of the readers concluded that Sachin had retired from cricket hurt by the comments made by the media, dad!

Father: Go on, son.

Son: But they were disappointed to find the detailed report in the sports page, dad!

Father: Go on, son.

Son: It said that Sachin was hurt while playing in the first IPL match of the season and retired from the game, dad!

Father: I don’t know, son!

Bankruptcy at the right time!

Son: A London court has declared Lalit Modi, the IPL founder, bankrupt, dad.

Father: Go on, Son.

Son: Modi had failed to pay the 65,000-pound sterling bill raised by the Page Group for the security services provided to him, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: Modi has also since lost a libel case to former New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: The London High Court has ordered Modi to pay 90,000 pounds in damages to Cairns, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: Since Modi has already been declared bankrupt by the London court, Cairns may not be able to enforce the damages on Modi, dad!

Father: Go on, son.

Son: It is not for nothing that Modi is called a financial wizard, dad! He almost single handedly created a cash cow called IPL for the BCCI, dad!

Father: Go on, son.

Son: That he was shunted out unceremoniously by the BCCI is a different matter altogether, dad!

Father: I don’t know, son!

Singh is Singh!

Son: The smiling face of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on ambulances that provide emergency services has piqued the opposition congress leaders in the state, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: They have pointed out that the ambulance service was part of a scheme funded by the central government and the photo should have been that of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, dad!

Father: Go on, son.

Son: But Raman Singh has told them it doesn’t matter as the person in a critical condition is unlikely to notice whether it is Raman Singh or Manmohan Singh, dad!

Father: Go on, son.

Son: According to him “Singh is Singh” and whether it is Manmohan or Raman did not make any difference to the patient in the ambulance, dad!

Father: I don’t know, son!

Not the Time to Smile!

Son: Incidentally it is also true that it may be difficult to take a picture of smiling Manmohan Singh in the current situation, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: With the discovery of new scams every other day, the Prime Minister is finding the going tough, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: It appears that the smiling days are a thing of the past for the UPA Government led by Manmohan Singh, dad!

Father: I don’t know, son!

President crosses the Target!

Son: President Pratibha Patil’s foreign trips have cost the exchequer Rs205 crore so far, dad!  

Father: True. Go on, son.

Son: She had assumed the office as the first woman president of the country in July 2007, dad!

Father: Go on, son.

Son: It appears that the President had a set a minimum target to spend Rs200 crore and she has already crossed it successfully, dad!

Father: Go on, son.

Son: As she has another four months in her 5-year tenure, she is expected to cross the target with a substantial margin, dad!

Father: Go on, son.

Son: Sonia Gandhi is said to be fully satisfied with her performance and is expected to offer her a grand send off ceremony, dad!

Father: I don’t know, son!

A V Krishnamurthy

5t^h April 2012

I Don’t Know, Son! - 43

I Don’t Know, Son! - 43

The Missing Thing!

Son: The owner of the beleaguered Kingfisher Airline, Vijay Mallya, is said to be doing everything to normalize the services, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: But the bankers, who have lost heavily in converting a portion of their debt to equity in the company, say that Mallya is just not doing one thing that is required to revive the company, dad.

Father: Like what? Go on, son.

Son: He is not prepared to raise a single rupee from his own sources and is simply asking the banks to put in more money into the sinking ship, dad!

Father: I don’t know, son!

The Road Map (to go home)!

Son: Mallya had promised the airports authority of India that he would present a Road Map for setting the things right, dad

Father: Go on, son.

Son: The hapless employees of the company who have not been paid their salary for months expected Mallya to offer some relief in his Road Map, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: But the Road Map turned out to be a damp squib, dad. Mallya has now asked the employees to stay at home, dad!

Father: How come? Go on, son.

Son: He thinks that they will not pressurize him to pay their salary arrears if they remain at home, dad!

Father: I don’t know, son!

Watch the IPL Tamasha!

Son: As far as Mallya’s other pet venture Royal Challengers of Bangalore is concerned, the things appear to be quite normal, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: Now that the employees of the Kingfisher Airlines have been asked to stay back at home, Mallya expects them to watch the IPL matches leisurely and support his team whole heartedly, dad!

Father: Go on, son.

Son: But the employees say that with such a big hole in their purses, their whole heart lies somewhere else, dad!

Father: I don’t know, son!

Tax Deduction at source - a cash outflow or inflow?

Son: The Kingfisher Airlines appears to have re-written the principles of financial accounting, dad.

Father: How come? Go on, son.

Son:  In the normal course the tax deducted at source from payments and the service tax collected from the passengers is a cash outflow, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: The money is to be remitted to the exchequer within prescribed time limits, dad.

Father: True. Go on, Son.

Son: The airline is holding back the money with it for months by defaulting in payments to the government, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: In effect, the airline has treated the tax money as a cash inflow by using it for its revenue expenditure, dad!

Father: I don’t know, son!

A V Krishnamurthy

2nd April 2012

Looking Back - Episode - 4

The next morning BGR left Mama’s house at 9 am fully prepared for the interview. Mama gave him a briefing on current affairs based on the morning edition of the Indian Express. He reached the Shoukath building by 9.40 am. He was directed to go to 3^rd floor. There he met a 50-year old person called Koraga Shetty who asked him to sit on a bench and wait for the test. On coming to know that BGR was from South Kanara, Shetty started speaking to him in Tulu.

Soon a senior officer (M V Bhat) collected all the documents from BGR and asked him to get prepared for a typewriting test. After some time, he was taken to a place where he found one Remington Rand and three Halda typewriters and three typists on the job. One of them by name Somnath Narayan asked BGR to practice for some time on a Halda typewriter. As BGR had already worked on a Halda typewriter he found it easy to work on. After some time Somnath came back and gave him one full page of matter. He was asked to type carefully avoiding mistakes. He was also asked to get back in case of any difficulty.

The cool and gentlemanly approach of Somnath Narayan made BGR feel quite comfortable even though he was totally new to the office set up. He could complete the typing within about 25 minutes. Somnath went through his work and expressed his satisfaction by telling him “well done”. He was asked to go back to the bench and wait for the interview call. Indeed it turned out to be a long wait!

While sitting on the bench BGR could closely observe how a large office worked in those days. Not far away from his seat he found a small low partition. Seated there were two senior officials well dressed and wearing ties. He came to know later that they were the two deputy general managers (DGMs) – B V Bhandary and A G Pai. Between the two DGMs there was only one telephone kept for the common use! There was no special cabin even for the DGMs in those days! Occasionally other officers would come to them for discussion. All the employees were speaking politely in a low audible voice. Most of the conversation was either in Konkani or English.

About 50% of the employees were wearing mundus and shirts, while the others were wearing pants and shirts. Only a few of them were wearing ties. There was not even a single lady staff. Both Bhandary and A G Pai used to receive frequent phone calls. While A G Pai was speaking in a mellowed tone, Bhandary was found speaking very loudly particularly for trunk calls. Later BGR came to know that he had a hearing problem.

There was another small partition behind the bench where BGR was sitting. At about 12.30 pm, the door opened suddenly and a well dressed short man, aged over 50 years, came out and walked away briskly. Koraga Shetty told BGR that he was Sarvothama Nayak, the General Manager (GM). Shetty also told BGR proudly that he was GM’s personal peon. At 1 pm it was lunch time and BGR was asked to go out and have lunch and get back to the bench!

BGR had a plate meal at a nearby hotel costing 6 anas. He came back and started his endless waiting for the interview. Koraga Shetty told him that he will be first interviewed by U K Kini, the divisional manager and then by the DGM Bhandary. But both of them were quite busy. BGR waited anxiously for his interview till evening. But the call never came. Finally M V Bhat told him to come back on the next day morning at 10 am. BGR’s eagerness to complete his first interview and come out of the anxiety remained unfulfilled. He had to wait till the next day.

------o----- --o--- -----o------o-------0-----0------0------0-------0------0-------0-----

The next morning BGR did not have to wait for long. M V Bhat told him at 10 am that U K Kini, the DM would interview him soon. At about 11.30 am he was taken to the seat of U K Kini and was asked to sit in front of him. Kini was a fair, grey haired 5’ 6’’-gentleman who meant business. He started shooting questions at BGR straightaway. The questions covered from personal details to typing, mathematics, general knowledge and the ability to express in the English language. His speciality was – he would look at the face of BGR while putting the questions and would go on signing the papers while BGR was giving his answers. That away he was hiding his reactions and virtually gave nothing away! BGR got a feeling that he had answered around 80 percent of the questions satisfactorily. He was then asked to wait for the final interview from Bhandary, the DGM.

It was a long wait again and BGR got impatient. He almost thought that the things may be postponed to next day once again. But at 4.15 pm he was ushered to the table of the DGM. Bhandary had an imposing personality. He was tall, fair and well built. BGR was a little bit nervous to sit in front of him. Bhandary put him some personal questions and asked him whether he would work hard and sincerely for the bank. BGR simply replied him in the affirmative. The DGM then told him that he had been selected for the job and asked him to go back to his seat.

So that was it! Just before 5 pm, BGR got his appointment orders as apprentice in Canara Bank at a monthly stipend of Rs75. The order was handed over to him by M V Bhat who told him to report for duty on the next day. The 18-year old young man from Udupi had landed his first job at the prestigious Canara Bank – that too at the Administrative Office of the bank in Bangalore itself. Was he proud of himself?

That evening in Udupi Pema and his friend M R Pai were having their usual round of discussions when a messenger from the Telegraph Department delivered a telegram to Pema. It read, “Secured appointment as apprentice in Canara Bank Administrative Office” - BGR. The duo had successfully launched the career of a young man in the bank that was to last till the very end of the twentieth century!

------- (To be continued)

A V Krishnamurthy

2nd April 2012

I Don’t Know, Son! – 42

Afridi’s Brotherly Boom Boom!

Son: The dashing Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi is of late more in the news for wrong reasons, dad.

Father: True. Go on, son.

Son: The cricketer was returning to Pakistan after winning the Asia Cup in Dacca, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: There was a huge crowd of fans at the Karachi Airport who encircled Afridi and it is reported that Afridi’s three-year old daughter was hurt in the melee, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: The hot blooded cricketer, who of late is not among runs, suddenly lost his temper and started hitting his fans, dad!

Father: Go on, son.

Son: Gul Rehaman, who bore the brunt of the attack, told the press that he still loves Afridi and he is like his brother, dad!

Father: I don’t know, son!

Saif Ali Khan and the Library!

Son: Saif Ali Khan was recently in news for his brawl with a South African businessman during his dinner at Wasabi restaurant in Mumbai, dad.

Father: True. Go on, son.

Son: Iqbal Sharma, the South African businessman, had objected to the noise levels raised by Saif and his group of friends including Kareena Kapoor, dad.

Father: Go on, Son.

Son: The argument ended in a scuffle. But Saif says that he only asked Iqbal to go to a library if he was particular about a peaceful atmosphere, dad!

Father: Go on, son.

Son: When asked how the idea of suggesting a library came, Saif admitted that he had never visited a library, dad!

Father: Go on, son.

Son: He also said that his father legendary Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi used to advise him to go to library, whenever he was creating nuisance at home. But he never bothered, dad!

Father: Amusing. Go on, son.

Son: He says he had only a vague idea that a library is supposed to be a peaceful place, dad!

Father: I don’t know, son!

Nothing to do with Cricket!

Son: India has voted against Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Commission Council, dad.

Father: True. Go on, son.

Son: A spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry was quick to deny the charge that the decision to vote against the neighbouring country had something to do with cricket, dad!

Father: Interesting. Go on, son.

Son: It may be noted that Sri Lankan Team was instrumental in denying the entry of Indian team into the finals of both the Triangular series in Australia and then in the recent Asia Cup in Bangladesh, dad.

Father: True. Go on, son.

Son: The Indian cricket enthusiasts expected the Lankan team to lose against Australia and to win against Bangladesh, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: They did exactly the opposite, dad! They defeated the Australian team and lost against the Bangladesh team in the crucial matches, dad!

Father: I don’t know, son!

The Costly (Governor’s) Recall!

Son: Advocate Asok Pande learnt a very costly lesson in the Supreme Court recently, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: He had earlier filed a PIL with the Gujarat High Court for recall of Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal, dad!

Father: How come? Go on, son.

Son: The court dismissed his PIL and imposed a fine of Rs25,000 on him for wasting its time, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: Like the legendary Vikramadithya, he pursued the matter with the Supreme Court by filing a review petition, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: He argued his case for over one hour despite warnings from the SC bench, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: Fed up with his frivolous case and his endless arguments, the bench enhanced the penalty to Rs1 lakh, dad! But it did not end there, dad.

Father: Interesting. Go on, son.

Son: He continued his arguments unabated, dad! The bench then asked the security men to throw him out from the courtroom, dad!

Father: I don’t know, son!

A V Krishnamurthy

25^th March 2012

Looking Back - Episode – 3

As BGR was coming out of the City Railway station, he was besieged by the Tongawalas just like the present day Auto Rickshaw drivers. He negotiated with one of them to take him to Benne Govindappa Street in Basavanagudi for Rs2. The Tonga moved on the Goods Shed road to enter Chamrajpet and then to Basavanagudi to reach the Benne Govindappa Street. The journey was very smooth with only a few cycles on the road. While the three-wheelers had not arrived in the city, there were very few four wheelers and negligible number of two wheelers (Motorcycles). Padmanabha Rao (Mama) was staying in a small outhouse in a large site. The owner was living in a big house in the same site.

BGR found Mama sitting on a chair with a typical pensioner’s uniform (dhothi, shirt, coat and a cap) and going through the Indian Express. He welcomed BGR and asked his wife to serve him a cup of coffee. After having the coffee BGR took his bath in a small bathroom. He felt fully refreshed after removing the dirt collected on his body during the stressful train journey. By that time breakfast was ready. Just then he saw the three sons of Mama entering the house to join the breakfast. The three Bs (Bhavani Shankar, Balakrishna and Balagangadhar) were staying on the upstairs of a nearby building for want of space in their rented house! While the first son was unqualified and unemployed, the other two were studying diploma courses.

BGR did have a problem with the breakfast. Brought up in South Kanara, he was used to preparations made with coconut oil. The uppittu made with groundnut oil was almost unpalatable to him! He also found the dark coffee with low milk content difficult to drink! He somehow managed to gulp down the Uppittu and the coffee. The three Bs left the house immediately after the breakfast. Mama had retired from the Defence Department and was following the military system in his private life also. BGR observed that his wife and children were simply obeying his orders like faithful soldiers! Mami was totally afraid of Mama and it showed on her face! It appeared as if Mami was always worried that Mama may initiate disciplinary proceedings (court-martial) against her!

Mama asked BGR to go around Basavanagudi and return by 12.30 pm. As he moved out, BGR found the weather very chill and enjoyable. It was quite unlike the perspiring weather of South Kanara! The roads were lined up with large green trees and there was very little traffic. He first arrived near the famous National College. He went round the college and ate two bananas at a cost of two anas. He then located the telegraphic office and sent a telegram to Pema in Udupi confirming his safe arrival. He found the Basavanagudi locality a calm and quiet place.

BGR returned home at 12.30 pm. Mama ordered lunch exactly at 1 pm. After the lunch Mama told him about his service in the Defence Department including his posting in the city of Karachi. He had come back to Bangalore only at the fag end of his career. It was a long story told over several cups of coffee and good number of beedies! Mama appeared to be a lover of both nicotine and caffeine! The story of the pre-independence British era was no doubt very interesting and absorbing. But the smoke emanating from beedies made the environment quite unfriendly! BGR felt relieved when he was again ordered to go round Basavanagudi in the evening!

BGR was soon near a large green beautiful park. He was told that it was called M N Krishna Rao Park. He went round and sat on a bench. He felt totally refreshed. As he was recollecting the events of the day, he could make out why Mami was preparing coffee with very low milk content. Mama’s military budget should have restricted the milk supply at home. She had to manage with the same quantity for several cups for his consumption. Even though the house was located in the Benne (butter) Govindappa Street, there was scarcity of milk at home! But Mami could never complain. Understandably Mama had his limitations – even after his retirement his sons were not employed and he had no house of his own. The  pension amount had to take care of the entire family needs including house rent.

As BGR was coming out of the park he saw a board of the Indian Institute of World Culture. He was soon back at home. Exactly at 8 pm Mama ordered Mami to serve the dinner. After dinner BGR was ordered to go to bed so that he could get up early in the morning to explore the nearest route to Canara Bank Administrative Office. The first day of BGR in the Garden City had come to an end.

------o----- --o--- -----o------o-------0-----0------0------0-------0------0-------0-

The next morning (3rd February 1959) BGR was supposed to take up a trial journey to Canara Bank Administrative Office (AO) as per the schedule drawn by Pema. He got up early and finished his breakfast. Mama was going through the Indian Express and gave him some tips on how to attend the interview. As per him it was important to remember the names of the Chief Minister and the Finance Minister. He also briefed BGR about the importance of Vidhana Soudha and how it was built by the earlier Chief Minister Kengal Hanumanthaiah.

Mama also gave directions to BGR as to how he was to reach the Canara Bank AO. He had the option to catch a BTS bus route NO.11 or walk the entire distance which was only two kms. BGR opted to walk and started his journey at 9.30 am. He reached Minerva Circle via National High School Circle and  V V Puram Circle.  After Minerva Circle, while walking on JC Road, half-way he saw Bharath Talkies on the right side and after about 300 yards, Shivaji Talkies on the left side. (Presently SBI building is situated in place of Bharath Talkies and the statue of Shivaji alone is existing in the place of Shivaji Talkies). He was soon near the Town hall. At Town Hall he took a left turn and entered the Silver Jubilee Park Road after crossing Narasimharaja Road. He could now see the Shoukath Building built with dressed granite stone with a big hoarding of Murphy Radio. It was a ground+3 floor building with the Canara Bank AO occupying the 2^nd and 3^rd floors. The bank boards were displayed very prominently.

Having completed the four-km pilot journey, BGR was back at Mama’s house by the afternoon. Mama was pleased to know that BGR could locate the office independently. After the lunch BGR made some preparations for the interview by going through the notes he had prepared in Udupi. In the evening he again went out and walked up to Lalbhag West Gate. Before going to bed in the night after dinner he kept all the documents ready. He was totally prepared now for the first interview of his career.

------- (To be continued)

A V Krishnamurthy

23rd March 2012

I Don’t Know, Son! – 41

The Biggest Fish’s Smallest Claim!

Son: The Karnataka Lokayukta headed by Justice Santosh Hegde had conducted a search and seizure of the properties of the IPS Officer Hemanth Nimbalkar in 2009, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: At that time the Lokayukta had claimed that Nimbalkar was their biggest fish yet, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: It was even claimed that the IPS Officer had amassed assets in excess of Rs250 crore, dad!

Father: Go on, son.

Son: Recently the Lokayukta has filed a ‘B Report’ stating that it does not have any evidence against the former SP, dad!

Father: Go on, son.

Son: The apparently innocent IPS Officer has now filed a defamation case against Santosh Hegde, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: The supposed to be Biggest Fish has made the smallest claim, dad. He has sought a compensation of Re1 from Hegde, dad!

Shahid Kapoor’s School of Affairs!

Son: The popular and young Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor is a confused man nowadays, dad.

Father: How come? Go on, son.

Son: He had a long running affair with the young and popular actress Kareena Kapoor. But she deserted him and went with the divorced senior actor Saif Ali Khan, dad!

Father: Go on, son.

Son: Shahid then had a long-time affair with another young and popular actress Priyanka Chopra, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: But she has now deserted him. There are strong rumours that she is having an affair with the married and middle aged senior actor Shah Rukh Khan, dad.

Father: Amusing! Go on, Son.

Son: But Shahid is not amused, dad. He says he is getting a feeling that he is running a School of Affairs for the young actresses to run away with the senior stars, dad!

Father: I don’t know, son!

Income Fictitious - but Tax Real!

Son: Mahindra Satyam has managed to secure a stay order from the Andhra Pradesh High Court against the attachment order of Income Tax Department attaching land and buildings of the company, dad.

Father: True. Go on, son.

Son: The IT Department had raised a demand for Rs617-crore tax against the company for the years 2003-04 to 2008-09 when the company was run by the tainted Ramalinga Raju and his team, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: The current management of the company had pleaded with the IT dept. that the major portion of the income declared for the years was fictitious as has been investigated by the CBI team, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: But the IT Department is not relenting, dad. It insists that the income may be fictitious, but the tax is for real, dad!

Father: I don’t know, son!

The Number One University!

Son: The Visvesvaraya technological University (VTU) of Karnataka has performed exceedingly well, dad.

Father: In what field? Go on, son.

Son: I am not talking about the academic performance. I am referring to the financial performance, dad!

Father: How come? Go on, son.

Son: VTU’s excellent financial performance has attracted the IT Department, which has slapped a tax demand notice for Rs220 crore, dad!

Father: Go on, son.

Son: Although the University is exempted from IT as a non-profit organization, the department has found some provision in the IT Act to demand tax - in its target-oriented approach to tax collection, dad!

Father: Go on, son.

Son: But the vice-chancellor is not amused, dad. He has challenged the demand in the High Court, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: VTU will have the distinction as the First University in India to pay the income tax if ultimately it is made to pay the tax, dad!

Father: I don’t know, son!

A V Krishnamurthy

17^th March 2012