METAMORPHOSIS

At first people refuse to believe that any note-worthy / perceptible / discernible change can take place in them. After all what kind of and how much change can come in a person who is liked by all and who does just the right things?

But then un-thinkable happens all the time – there is always scope for more in every situation. 

Incidentally I am posted at SBLC, Dehradun presently. It was a Saturday and I was going to Delhi, by train that week-end, where my family resides. It was there that my cell phone crackled and a disembodied voice tried to say something to me. But it was either because of the static or week signal that the voice was not much clear. In normal course I would have forgotten about the call completely, as we all do. Aren’t we inundated with unsolicited calls which try to sell us everything right from right brand of biscuit to insurance and air-plane? But there was something in the voice that compelled me to take notice. For a change, I realized that the owner of the voice was ecstatic. He sounded very happy and contented. So when I reached home, I made a mental note to call back. Next day, on Sunday, I called the number and discovered that the call was made by one Sh. Kirpal Singh, Branch Manager, Ekeshwar branch (He is still there).  

Now, as he was not expecting me to call back, he was surprised. And then he also revealed the reason to call. He had called me to say THANKS!

Thanks for my being the facilitator of the group for program Citizen-SBI wherein he too participated. Thanks for having got an opportunity to attend Citizen-SBI. Thanks for changing his whole life! In fact he wanted to thank State Bank for all this. I was just an ambassador of the Bank. 

Now about Kirpal Singh - He is posted at Ekeshwar branch as Branch Manager. He is an ex-service man. He had never expected to become an officer in Bank on account of age factor. But as the luck would have it, the policy changed and so did his destiny. Diligent as he is, he cleared his exam easily and soon he was heading a branch.  

So, I was wondering as to what is it that he wants to share with me. He told me that although he was regarded as a nice person by all his acquaintances, deep down he felt nothing spectacular about himself, or others. Life was just going on.  

That is, till he attended program Citizen-SBI! 

It was during this program that he vouched to be a better person. He had wished to be someone like ‘Anthony’. He learned about the concepts of ‘positive contribution’, ‘Evolving Citizen’, ‘Being Level’ and ‘Transformative Contribution’. This left him engrossed in serious introspection. Now, this process was an internal one. So no one was privy to this. But the program did transform his philosophy of life. At feeling level some transformation was beginning to ferment. 

He has a widowed mother-in-law, aging & ailing. Kirpal used to keep track of her well-being. But one day, after the Citizen-SBI, he went to Mother-in-law, with her favorite flowers for ‘pooja’. It cost him all of ten Rupees. But Kirpal’s gesture made her eyes water with rush of emotions. She hugged him tightly which she had never done before. Kirpal was astonished! 

The magic did not stop there. He has some ailing, elderly customers in his area of operation i.e. in the proximity of his branch. After Citizen-SBI he started visiting those elderly people almost as a routine. The customers and their respective families were so moved that they have vowed to remain with SBI forever.  

The elder brother of Kirpal is a farmer. In earlier days he would have never found time to assist/guide/help him in his agricultural pursuits. But not so now! He has made it a routine to involve in his problems and provide solace/help/solutions. 

The life has taken 180 degree turn. Somehow, this brought a smile to me as well. I imagined him working in a field with plough and bulls/tractor! And I remembered the slogan – ‘Jai Jawaan! Jai kisaan!’  Kirpal had phoned me to share all these experiences. 

Now I know how metamorphosis takes place! 

 Contributed by SUSHIL BALA SINGH, Chief Manager(Training), State Bank Learning Centre, DEHRADUN                                                                   

कमी नहीं है कद्र्ता की ...

प्रत्येक व्यक्ति के जीवन के उद्देश्य और उसके प्रति दृष्टिकोण में भिन्नता होती है। एक व्यक्ति के जीवन का उद्देश्य धनार्जन के लिए संघर्ष करना है वहीं दूसरे व्यक्ति का उद्देश्य यश और प्रतिष्ठा को प्राप्त करना है। लाखों व्यक्ति ऐसे है जो अपने संपूर्ण जीवन की दो तिहाई उम्र दोनों समय का भरपेट भोजन जुटा पाने के लिए संघर्ष करते हुए व्यतीत कर देते है। ऐसे व्यक्तियों के जीवन का उद्देश्य अपना और अपने परिवार का अस्तित्व बनाए रखने के लिए भोजन प्राप्त करना होता है। ऐसे व्यक्तियों के मन, शरीर और आत्मा की अपारशक्ति और विवेक अंत में अर्थहीन जीवन के साथ समाप्त हो जाता है ,

कुछ व्यक्ति धनी बनने की स्पर्धा में अपना समय और क्षमता नष्ट कर देते है। उनके पास जलपान और भोजन के लिए भी समय नहीं बचता। उनमें से कुछ तो ऐसे व्यक्ति भी होते है जो घर से जाते और आते समय बच्चों को सोता ही पाते है। लोग धन तो बहुत अíजत कर लेते है, किंतु उसका पूरा उपभोग किए बिना ही संसार से विदा हो जाते है। यद्यपि उनका जीवन प्रशंसनीय होता है। प्रत्येक व्यक्ति के चिंतन का प्रभाव उसकी जीवन-शैली को निर्धारित करता है। यदि भोग ही जीवन का उद्देश्य है तो फिर इतने कष्ट क्यों? इतनी प्राकृतिक विपदाएं और विविध रोग क्यों? भारतभूमि वह भूमि है, जहां धन से अधिक धर्म का और भोग से अधिक योग का महत्व है। भारतीय धारणा के अनुसार जीवन का अर्थ निरंतर संघर्ष ही है। यह संघर्ष व्यक्ति केवल अपने लिए नहीं करता, वरन् दूसरों के सुख की भी चिंता करता है। यदि व्यक्ति नदी तैरकर जा सकता है तो वह पुल बनाने की आवश्यकता अनुभव नहीं करेगा, लेकिन वह पुल बनाने की कला का प्रदर्शन करते हुए दूसरों को लाभ पहुंचाना चाहता है।

ईश्वर का सृष्टि की रचना के पीछे मानव-कल्याण के महान उद्देश्य की पूर्ती  करना है। प्रत्येक व्यक्ति और मानवता के अस्तित्व का उद्देश्य किसी-न-किसी महान लक्ष्य को प्राप्त करना है। भारतीय दर्शन के अनुसार मनुष्य की शारीरिक और मानसिक उन्नति उसकी आध्यात्मिक प्रगति पर ही आधारित है। यही उसके जीवन के शाश्वत सत्य का पथ है, एवं यही सिटिजन एस बी आई का परम सत्य है ।

-जय प्रकाश पाण्डेय

डायरेक्टर ,

ग्रामीण स्वरोजगार ट्रेनिंग संस्थान

उमरिया

Moments of Inner Fullness

From Bhubaneswar Circle

SHRI BISHNU CHARAN MOHAPATRA, CHANDI CHHAK BRANCH, CUTTACK:

One Mr. Saroj Kumar Das was posted to our branch as Spl.Asst. Since he is a football player of SBI, most of the staff of the branch including Branch Manager opposed his posting, but finally he joined the branch with apprehension of not knowing anything about CBS system and non-cooperation from the staff members and possible humiliation from customers. Inspite of non-cooperation of majority staff, two persons of our branch including myself counseled him not to get panicked and gave him hand holding support to learn various practical operations in CBS. Within 1-2 months he became proficient working in CBS. Now all his fear psychosis has gone .He has become stronger in conviction and popular in customer service. The staff members, customers including Branch Manager who were critical about him have started praising him. Mr.Das is never forgetting to express his gratitude to us which is generating satisfaction and joy within us.

SHRI B.K.PATI, R.B.O. CUTTACK:

When I was Manager PBD of Jagatsingpur ADB, one day a widow lady along with herdaughter approached me for opening one S.B. a/c which was necessary for receiving her husband’s retirement benefits. While requesting me she started crying as she was being harassed for last 2 months by a number of banks, due to insufficient KYCdocuments. They have produced their ration card, death certificate and legal heircertificates by which I was satisfied, and opened the a/c on the ground of acceptable to Branch Manager. The lady has busted with tears and was about to touch my feet. She kept all the deposits with the branch and drawn pension from us. The moment was unforgettable even after several years have passed.

SHRI CHANDRABHANU SATPATHY,RUCAMPUS, CUTTACK:

On the day of my taking over as Field Officer of Kutra Branch which was in mining belt, my predecessor had hinted me not to finance in a particular village, because that was thickly populated by Muslims and most of the households were defaulters to the Bank. People were calling it as a mini PAKISTAN. But from my very day of joining; I made a plan to visit the particular village every month and did so. On my visit to that village I conducted meetings with the help of some influential persons of that village and able to give them my desired message of mutual help and subsequently managed to finance 12 SRTO loans to the tune of Rs1.92 Crore as there was potentiality due to mining activities. Later on, I have made the new SRTO borrowers as the ambassador of my branch and could able to recover Rs5.22 lacs in write off accounts and brought back the defaulting borrowers to our Bank’s fold again. That was a moment of satisfaction to rejoice upon.

SHRI BIPIN BIHARI PARIDA,PITHAPUR BRANCH, CUTTACK:

Twenty five years back when I have joined a rural branch in Cuttack District, that area was cut off from the rest of the world being surrounded by two rivers. The only means of communication was boat. During the rainy season, the condition was unthinkable due to frequent floods and sufferings of the people. Since my joining that branch, started awareness among the villagers of the area by conducting evening meetings. Gradually, it has taken the shape of a movement and I was made the convener of the Luna River Bridge Construction Committee. In this connection, we met political leaders, Bureaucrats, Journalists, influential persons of the locality including the constitutional heads at times. We adopted a new method by sending

25000 post card messages to appropriate authorities by the school children for constructing bridge. The strength of the movement was so strong due to the will-power of the people due to my initiative, finally the bridge was constructed and on the year of completion I was transferred to Cuttack. There is no death due to lack of communication and no more boat accident during rainy season. It gives me immense

satisfaction and inspiration when I think of it.

Courtesy: Shri B K Dash, AGM and IL-1

GOODNESS

For beautiful eyes,

look for the good in others;

for beautiful lips,

speak only words of kindness;

for beautiful ears,

heard only the goodness of others,

for beautiful hearts,

preserve things of goodness

for beautiful mind,

nurture natural offspring of goodness and love.

Spirituality is natural goodness,

Love is the ancestor of all spiritual goodness,

Say little, and love much.
Give all.
sprinkle to all that is pure and good,

always be good to people who are good,
also good to people who are even not good,
Because Virtue is goodness.

On the day of Judgments,

our standard of life,

measure of giving,

and simple goodness will be judged,

Nature will punish those who fail to be beings,

as the law of human beings is wisdom and goodness,

Let there be no limit to your goodness,

as there is no limit to ‘His’ goodness.

SHRABANA KUMAR NIAL

CHIEF MANAGER (Training)

SBLC, BHUBANESWAR

A Lift In Time

This happened last year when my daughter had to write her entrance test at a college near Chrompet in Chennai. She was in her 12^th standard and was writing her entrance test to gat a seat into VIT University.She being the eldest of our two children and as such her being the first such entrance test, my wife and myself accompanied her to the venue. We went to the venue by our Car a Maruti 800.

The test was to be over by 1.30 pm. I was waiting in the car and my wife was having a chat with some of the parents waiting for their wards  to come out after the test. It was around 1.15 pm one of the girls came out of the hall and she directly went to her mother. She sat with her mother and I could see something was amiss. There was some uncomfortable ness the girl was in. I called my wife and asked to talk to her mother.

It transpired that they were coming from Ambattur area which is some 6 k m away from the place where we were staying. The girl was having intense pain in the stomach. The mother told my wife to watch the girl so that she could get an auto rickshaw for their travel back home. I knew that they would not be able to get an auto as there was huge crowd there and it would take at least 30 minutes for them to get the auto.

By this time my daughter had also finished her test and had come out of the hall. I put forward one suggestion that we would give a lift to the mother and girl till our house and my wife and daughter readily agreed.

So , we gave a lift to them till where we were staying and where her father a doctor by profession was waiting with their car. Her father was not able to accompany them because of his pre-occupation. The girl was still in pain.

They went home as  we also went to our home immensely satisfied that we had helped at least one person who was in need of help. When the result came , we understood that the girl was successful in getting a seat in the VIT university, even though she did not join that. This we understood by the phone call we received from them.

The incident gave my family and me a great deal of inner fullness. We were able to help them even when they did not ask for it. It was voluntary, which gave us immense satisfaction and immense joy. Even now we get calls from the family expressing their gratefulness for the timely help rendered by us.

P Balachandra Bhat

State Bank of  India

Chennai LHO

DID YOU SHARE YOURSELF TODAY?

An article which lucidly talks about the joy of giving and helping others


By Indrani Rajkhowa Banerjee


In a country where millions struggle for bare necessities, scores of obscure Indians try their best to meet the gap between the rich and poor

ARE you one of those whose heart is full of compassion but the pockets don’t quite match up? Don’t worry. In a country where millions struggle for basic necessities, money isn’t the only way to reach out. Keep aside your cheque book and explore more meaningful ways to make a difference in this world. Yes, this story is not about the huge sums of money that mighty corporates or the rich donate. We are also not talking about how we ‘gift’ clothes that we’ve outgrown or offerings made out of religious compulsions on auspicious days.

Here we are talking about people like Nandan Pandya, who hit the headlines for distributing footwear among the barefoot poor at traffic signals in Mumbai or the 70-year-old man who attends every wedding in his locality in Navi Mumbai to collect leftover food and feed the hungry kids in his neighbourhood. We are talking about the nameless and faceless Indian who reaches out to the needy on his way to work, in unusual ways.

You don’t need much to be an everyday philanthropist. As Ajit Singh Narulla from Delhi’s Rajouri Garden realised. A real estate builder, Narulla and his friends set out on mini trucks every evening with potable water tanks to distribute drinking water in the shanties of west Delhi. Narulla says, “These shanties have no water supply and it can be terrible in Delhi’s punishing heat. We thought that we could help by getting a little proactive.” They take turns and bear the expense themselves. “The remaining water is used to fill huge earthen pots that we’ve installed in strategic points in Rajouri,” he adds.

Meet Ratan Chheda from a posh Mumbai locality. A Parsi from Kutch, Mrs Chheda unflinchingly delivers five litres of buttermilk everyday for the three summer months at a nearby milk booth to be distributed amongst the thirsty vendors, watchmen and taxi drivers. “Chaach or buttermilk is like nectar for a Parsi family, the most vital drink for the day. It gives me immense joy to share a nutritious glass with the thirsty traveller or labourer,” says Chheda. Astrologer Sunita Chhabra says, “Giving should not be a selfish act. Astrology says ‘concentrate

on karma and not on the

fruits of karma’. Give because you wish to give, not because you think you have to.”

“Give something that you enjoy yourself,” says Mumbai-based grooming expert Chhaya Momaya, who takes a bunch of urchins every Friday to a Chinese joint or buys them fluffy pastry, bags of potato chips and Pepsi. “Kids will always remain kids. They long to taste the goodies that they see us buying, and there’s no happiness like sharing a meal you love with those who truly relish it,” she says. R Kumar, a Delhi-based journalist, never leaves home without packets of glucose biscuits in his car. He hands them to poor kids and cops stationed at traffic lights. Kumar feels, “It’s better than giving them money. As for the cops, they are just grateful that someone even stopped by to think of them!”

There are scores of others who go about their daily business without even letting their families know. Surprisingly, most of them didn’t want to be named but at the same time agreed that “sharing their experiences would encourage more people to come forward to reach out to the needy”. Says Anant Nadkarni of Tata Council for Community Initiatives, “Giving should not be under pressures of fear, desires or some form of deprivation or guilt wherein the whole ‘act of giving’ could be some kind of a compensatory behaviour. What is important is to understand that giving is about the receiver.”

Always wanted to help but couldn’t figure out the right way? Take a cue from Rohan Solomon, lead vocalist of rock band Cyanide. Little girls at Khushi Home in Delhi call him ‘guitar wale bhaiyya’. He drops in during his free time and shares some music with the kids. He also gets them Tom and Jerry DVDs. “What most people don’t realise is that these kids have the right to have fun as much as they have the right to food, clothing, shelter and education.”

“Engineering student Pradip Ugra from Pune, who spends his birthdays with the elderly in an old age home, agrees. “It’s heartening to see the smiles on their faces. Sometimes altruism can be nothing but giving your time to make someone smile.”

Delhi-based businessman Nitin Gupta’s family doesn’t make offerings to priests on shraadh ceremonies. The entire family shares food and spends the day playing antakshri with blind kids from an orphanage in Vikaspuri, Delhi on such occasions. “There is so much hunger around that food never gets wasted here,” says a known lady restaurateur from Delhi, letting out a trade secret. “The leftover food in every restaurant is eaten by the waiters and their families.” Five-star hotels like the Taj Palace Delhi gives away surplus food to Father Agnel Bal Bhavan, a hostel for lepers. The Le Meridien gives excess food to Asian Food Bank and other leftovers to People for Animals. Meridien regularly gives wilted flowers to an NGO for women and children where natural colour is turned into dye. The remaining food from the Times of India Mumbai’s director and executive canteens goes to Pavement Club, a project for street and underprivileged children.

If you’ve wondered about the authenticity of those mute donation boxes in malls, we would say it’s safe to dip into your wallet. Pradyuman of CRY, Delhi, says, “Though the percentage of these collections is less than donations from corporates and individuals, it definitely helps our cause.”

Prasad Dhume, a former engineer, gave up his job to dedicate full time to the cause of those who have their upper knee amputated, by providing them low-cost artificial limb accessories. He says, “Giving is our culture. But give what they want rather than give what you have!” So, the next time you see that girl next door feeding biscuits to her canine friends don’t think how deep your pockets are. It’s your feelings that matter!

Courtesy: Times Life / 02.05.2010

Working with values

By Janina Golmes

Professional life flowers best in situations where collaboration and partnership with others is the norm and where there is mutual trust and understanding. However, when employees are driven to deliver results on the basis of unhealthy comparisons, there is trouble. When the Bhagavad Gita speaks of the need for action and remaining detached from the fruits of one’s action, it is saying what our elders often repeat to us: To work with detachment.

Sometimes, hierarchy can help smooth the flow of development. An atmosphere of mutual trust and give and take can ensure that participation is democratic. There are spiritual models of functioning based on hierarchy that do promote spiritual growth. There are, however, also holistic models that are more flexible and that ensure a two-way flow, where every aspect of our lives – physical, psychological, emotional and social – is integrated.

This model requires participants to have spiritual and emotional maturity. A head honcho would combine intellectual prowess with compassion and kindness and enforce discipline without stepping on toes. The strengths of each individual would be tapped and together a family of employees is created, anchored to eternal values.

A value-driven organisation has a different mindset. The open way of functioning ensures that each individual is valued for what he can contribute. No unfavourable comparisons are made. If at all, comparison is only meant to create a higher benchmark and so is aspirational.

Too much emphasis on academia and brilliance and on rewarding results has sometimes given rise to lopsided priorities. What often get rewarded is superficial success, and not long-term commitment and loyalty to the organisation or mission.

The business world is changing. Management practices are now increasingly including a spiritual perspective. There is so much more listening than talking. There is a greater sense of cooperation and collaboration in a spiritually empowered marketplace.

Although the younger generation is much more market savvy than the previous generation, they do require spiritual inputs to cater holistically to changing environments and values. The words love, acceptance and transformation are back in circulation in the workplace, thereby giving less room for authoritarianism.

New Age spiritual teachers are faced with the task of conveying in contemporary easy-tounderstand terms the priceless messages contained in sacred texts of yore that explain eternal values, so important for right thinking and living, whether at home or at the workplace. There is an effort to find what unites rather than divides. The quest for eternal values like love, peace, joy and fulfilment are being given fresh lease of life.

In the pursuit of holistic development of employer and employee, a professional worker is required to be not just excellent in his job but also display evolved qualities that make him less militant and more cooperative, less of a complainer and more of a doer. The more the employee is engaged in service of others, the less he tends to focus on selfish motivations and ends that might sometimes egg him to veer off the straight path. And service thus rendered with a positive and wholehearted approach can only add to common benefit.

Courtesy: "The Speaking Tree" TOI / 01.05.2010

A wonderful story of helping a colleague come out of his habit.

I am working in  Inspection department. This happened when  I was working in Hyderabad  Main Branch.

Hyderabad main branch used to have alcoholic addicted messengers. They used to take hand loans from the moneylenders at a large rate of interest. They used to give withdrawal slips to these moneylenders and the moneylenders used to present those in clearing or over the counter to get their installments.  To curtail this practice  the counter staff were advised not to accept the withdrawals. With the support of the AGM and the union members / office bearers we implemented the payment of salaries of these messengers in the presence of their family members.

One day   one of these alcoholic addicted messenger fell sick and swooned. He was admitted to a hospital as an inpatient , where the bank has reserved beds for the staff members. The hospital authorities after through examination conveyed that three bottles of blood are needed. Many of the staff member volunteers of blood donation refused for this as this person was a habitual alcoholic and donation of blood to him is of no use  and he was unworthy of this type of help.

The family who were illiterates were worried and were unable to purchase blood form the open markets as they were not financially sound enough to meet the expenses. As my persuasion initially failed, I decided to donate my blood. One of my colleague by name Sri Satyanarayana also came along with me for the donation. After a 10 days stay in the hospital he managed to survive and reported o the branch for duty.

Till that time he was in that group of alcoholics  who used to abuse me outside and used to interfere in my personal affairs and used to question why my family is not coming while paying my salary etc. He was a changed man now. A perceptible change was observed in him and he started doing his job with more care and there was a silent and indirect effect of this on other sub staffs who used to approach me for help / settle family problems / guidance on various matters etc.

Even now , when I visit the LHO premises , the substaff / the family pensioners whoo identify me as a guide / supoort person with a wish. It gives me further motivation to continue my support to affected parties / persons.

I personally feel that the help we do should not be remembered or discussed and need not be quoted as sometimes our ego level may be affected / dissatisfied , if the other person could not recognize us.

Sri N V Madhava Rao

I&MA, Hyderabad

Courtesy: Shri P Balachandra Bhat, IL-1, Chennai