Being a part of organizing a mega event like our GJC was a very tasking job. Thankfully, as I see it, the celebrations have been concluded very well. And many of us have sighed in relief. This was exemplified by a phone call to me the day after the gathering from Niranjan. “It is all over. Sir”, which was followed by a ‘whooosh’ sound, it was his long exhaling of breadth. His sigh of relief.
Anyway, this event of this size and importance will not come anywhere in the near future. But it would be a good idea for all the organizing committee to sit down once and contemplate if this could have been organized better. Please don’t mistake me that I am denying the credit to those who have worked hard to make it happen. But as a professional group, it would be better to discuss and put on record, what could have been done better. This would help the future generations in better planning and execution of such events much later. As of now, I do not want to start making comments or suggestions, because it would be taken negatively. It can only be done when it is decided to officially mull over the whole thing.
But I would take this opportunity to reflect on my personal experiences of being in various committees. I loved the job; it was very gratifying and more of a learning process.
Somehow, people mistook me to be more important than what I actually am. It maybe because I was a little outspoken and candid in my mails. Little did they realize that I was just a small cam and played a small part in the whole show? Looks like I had even given a wrong impression of myself. A Saikorian, who met me at School, said “You are Ravi- 813?. I expected you to be a huge six-footer and much better looking.”
How can I help it? I am what I am. I was very sorry to disappoint him. It was as if he thought that to criticize such important people holding high offices in our organization, I had to be a six-footer and with huge build, lest they will just trample me to dust. Nothing of that sort had happened, luckily.
I was initially put in ‘Events committee’ and ‘Invitation committee’. Then I was removed from Events-committee, thankfully after I organized many events. But again later I was put in Catering committee and Marathon committee.
I was in catering committee, because my chairman, Mr.Sekhar had some revenge to take, he even started wearing hob-nailed shoes since then to squash my head under them. Once, when I was away on work at some distant place, he rang me up and said
“Report to me at Vizag in two days, or else, I will have to contemplate on your sex life”
“Sex life? How is that?”
“I’ll crush your ba***” he said as coolly as Gabbar Singh.
I was with him at Vizag the next day, my b**** intact.
But ‘catering’ was a misnomer; it actually meant to look after the food and drinks arrangements at the venue. But most people mistook it to be catering to all things, including many mundane things and use us as a concierge service. We had always tried to help fellow Saikorians where we could but there is always a limit to the services we could provide. Just read on to see what some of our Saikorians wanted from us. You might think that I just made them up, but believe me these are very, very true.
- · “Ravi, you know I and my wife are used to western commodes, but I believe, the ladies are being put up in the houses where there are no western commodes, can you do something about that?”
- · “Sir, I am driving down from Srikakulam with my family, we are reaching on 7th for the Marathon. Can you please arrange for a driver to bring my car with my family from Vizianagaram to School, because I will be taking part in the Marathon?”
- · “7th January is Shani Trayodashi, can you change the date to some other auspicious date?”
- · “I am coming from the US just for the GJC, for 2 days. My wife wants to visit her parents near Tuni on the 7th and she will be back by evening. Can you arrange for a taxi, I will pay for it?”
- · “Can you please arrange a pair of jogging shoes for the Marathon? My size is 10”
- · “8th being a Sunday, are there any arrangements for people like us to attend mass in the nearby church?”
- · “Is there net connectivity at school, for my children to keep in touch with their friends in Face-book and Twitter?”
- · “Sir, 4 of us have accommodation at Vizianagaram and we are taking part in the marathon, is there any transport from school, back to VZM for a quick bath and change?”
- · “My children are excited about rifle shooting; can you arrange shooting practice for children on the 7th?”
- · “I have not donated to the GJ fund, but can I attend the celebrations with some guests, 3 of my best friends with their families are very keen to attend the function?
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