My working days with Kurien saaar!

G Rajan

One of the old timers of NDDB who worked directly managing the Office(s) of Secretary / MD NDDB of NDDB; AK RayChaudhury, GM Jhala, RP Aneja and Amrita Patel.

NDDB 1969-1996

G Rajan recalls the day when he was “almost”

“ready” to “directly” work as PA to Dr V. Kurien

Looking back to my days at NDDB (1969-1996), I feel I was lucky to have worked for Dr. V. Kurien, the legend, at some point of time.

Those days Dr.Kurien used to hold two positions; General Manager, Kheda District Milk Producers Union Limited ( AMUL) ` and Chairman,NDDB.

Morning hours he would spend time at AMUL and in the afternoons at NDDB.

I was then working as PA to Secretary of the Board (Late Shri GM Jhala ) and Secretary NDDB office in the newly built campus was just across the office of Chairman NDDB, Dr.Kurien. NDDB office had shifted from Amul Administration building to the newly built Campus.

Whenever, Dr. Kurien came to his NDDB office I had to take care of his office as well as his long dictations.

This arrangement continued for some time.

I was overloaded with the work of the Secretary of the Board as well as work related to the office of Dr.Kurien.

With this dual role, sometimes I was unable to meet the deadline and then Dr.Kurien will become furious. I pleaded my helplessness. One day he called me along with my boss Shri Jhala .

Dr.Kurien: -Do you have any objection, if I transfer you to my office. I need one more PA, on full time basis..

I said : -“No objections Sir.!

After this brief meeting, I came out of his office, little nervous as I knew that I will have to work late hours and also forgo all my holidays.

Being a workaholic, Dr.Kurien was fond of sitting late and also working on holidays too!!

Next morning I took courage to tell my boss Shri Jhala that I did not want to work with Dr. Kurien on a full time basis, and if he could help me get out of the situation I had put myself in.

He felt embarrassed and was shaky as to how to convey my revised decision to Dr. Kurien,. But somehow he managed.

That afternoon the peon came and called for me. “Saab bhula raha hai` (the Boss is calling you) . I went in…stood straight, with hands folded behind my back as in”stand at ease`

Dr.Kurien:- Bhai, what is your problem now?

Me: – Nothing Sir, sir I am unable to sit late hours. Sir, your English is very strong which I do not follow sometimes while taking down your dictations.!!!!!

Dr.Kurien: – Then you should have told me so on the first day itself when I asked you to join me. This is the problems with you chaps. Anyway get lost. I will look for someone else.

That was the end of my directly working with Dr. Kurien saar as his PA !

I, however, continued to coordinate lot of other activities related to his office till I left NDDB in 1996.

Contributed by G Rajan NDDB 1969-1996