A Picture is Worth …….

Anji Reddy named his son after his father who had passed away when Anji Reddy was about ten years old. He had loved his father dearly and his untimely death was one of the major shocks of his life, which he hardly overcame from. Soon after his son Venkat was born, Anji Reddy’s wife had to undergo a hysterectomy due to some complications and hence Venkat turned out to be their only son.

Venkat was the apple of his parents’ eyes and naturally he got whatever he wanted, many a time even without having to ask for it. Though Anji Reddy realized the need for some restraint, the kind of gentleman that he was, he could never get around to it. So, Venkat grew up having his way in everything. 

Fortunately, Venkat turned out to be good at studies. However, after completing his graduation, Venkat was not keen on doing any job. Neither was he interested in taking care of their agricultural lands. Anji Reddy goaded his son into writing some competitive exams for Banks. Venkat liked to write those exams, as they challenged him intellectually and boosted his ego when he cleared them.

When Venkat managed to clear an exam for an officer post in a private bank, Anji Reddy’s happiness knew no bounds. Though he was told that Venkat would have to undergo one year’s residential training before he joined the Bank, Anji Reddy was not deterred by the news. 

Anji Reddy personally accompanied Venkat to the Training Institute of the Bank and left him there. As soon as Venkat came to learn about the rigid curriculum and the need for doing a sales job at the end of it, he ran away from the hostel twice during the initial fortnight. Both the times, Anji Reddy managed to get Venkat back to the Institute by bribing him with gifts.

The Institute believed in rigid dress code and all the trainees were expected to wear a formal attire. The grooming standards were quite high as the trainees were ultimately going to serve the customers in a very competitive environment at the Bank. Though the trainees hated the rigid regimen of the Institute, they willy-nilly fell in line given the fact that not many jobs were around for their taking. However, some people left the premises during the very first week never to come back.

All the trainees were required to get their photographs clicked by an in-house professional photographer for the purpose of their Identity Card to be issued by the Institute.

In the navy blue blazer, light blue shirt, matching pin-striped tie and navy blue trousers of their trainee uniform, coupled with the overall well grooming, Venkat looked very smart. He asked for a few extra copies of the photograph by paying for those and he posted one of them to his father over a sudden impulse. 

As the rules of the Institute prohibited Venkat from keeping his mobile phone on during the classroom hours, Venkat was oblivious to the storm his photograph had whipped up back at home.

When he casually turned it on in the evening, he started receiving calls one by one. Almost all his relatives, friends and even his friends’ parents started to call him. Across all these calls the narrative was the same. They were all congratulating him for having become an officer of a reputed Bank.

Venkat got very upset with his father. He knew he had to complete the one year training program and clear all the exams to qualify for the job of the Officer in the Bank. His father, who hardly stepped out of his village ever, and was ignorant of all such matters, had misinformed everyone. 

In fact, Venkat was not at all interested in continuing with the training. He had been busy thinking what excuse he should come up with for permanently leaving the Institute once for all. He felt his father had jeopardized all his plans, as it would be extremely embarrassing to admit to everyone that he wasn’t going to be an officer.

He called his father to vent his frustration. Just as he was about to yell at his father, he heard many voices in the background.

“Where are you? What is all that noise about?” Venkat asked.

“We are having a party at home.”

“Why? What are you celebrating?”

“Your becoming an officer, of course.”

“Daddy. I have not yet become an officer. That was a photograph we all had to take for our ID cards. Only after one year, I would become an officer and that too if I clear all the exams.”

After a few moments of silence, Anji Reddy said “Never mind. We will have another party when you complete the Program.” In a voice choking with emotion Anji Reddy continued “Son. You don’t know how happy I am today. Do you know in our entire khandaan, there has never been an Officer. Leave being an officer. Nobody ever wore a tie or a suit like an officer. I will talk to you later. I have to attend to my guests now.” With those words Anji Reddy hung up the phone.

Venkat was stunned into silence. He wondered if his father was so happy on seeing him look like an Officer, how happy he would be when he really became one. 

That’s when he vowed to himself that he would complete the training and become an Officer.

A picture was not only worth a thousand words, but it also seemed to goad the unsure Venkat towards ‘visualising’ a bright future for himself.

This story is built over a true incident.