It was in December of 1975 that I boarded the Kalka Mail from Allahabad to face my destiny with my first job as an Assistant Manager with Jardine Henderson Limited, in their Tea Estates Division. I was headed to Calcutta for my orientation program for a week. I was a little worried as to how I would manage a new situation at work, how I would run my house, and all the thoughts that comes to one’s mind when one embarks on a new adventure. But, as I had taken the plunge, I had to make the best of it.
I had been advised that a company car would meet me at the Howrah Railway station on arrival.I had been told that the car would be parked near the platform on which my train arrived and that I had to look for the driver who would be carrying a placard with my name written on it. I got off the train and headed towards the car parking on the opposite side of the platform. I did not have to find the driver, in fact he found me and asked me if I had come to join Jardine Henderson Limited. I was quite surprised that he found me in the rush and showed me the placard that he was carrying. He got hold of my bags and escorted me to where the car was parked.
I was really elated at a chauffeur driven car meeting me on arrival when I came to join a company on my first job. On the way to my hotel I asked him his name which he told me and then said that he had been working for the tea company for the last 20 years. He drove me to Lytton Hotel on Sudder Street where I had been booked to stay. On arrival at the hotel he handed me a welcome letter which instructed me what I was to do for my stay at Calcutta. He told me that he would wait for me and would take me to the Head Office when I was ready.
On my arrival at the Head Office, I was taken to the chambers of Mr. Anil Lumba, who was looking after administration in the Tea Estates Division. A pleasant person, who in his mid thirties, took charge of me as he was responsible for my orientation program at the company. I was first given a copy of Jardine’s Standing Administrative Instruction to read and get acquainted with the policies of the company. This, I was told, is the tea planter’s bible as precise instructions and standing operating procedures had been laid down to the minutest detail. He told me about the company’s formation and background. I was told about each of the tea estates and what to expect while living and working there. I thought he was exaggerating about life on the tea estate. In fact, he was softening the blow that I would receive once I would reach my new home. Later I found out that he had worked on the tea estate where I was posted and knew firsthand about what life there would bring my way.
Being the Christmas-New Year week and being the very end of the season the atmosphere at the Head Office was relaxed. I met other officers from different divisions as well as the tea division. Each one would sit with me in the lunch room by turns and talk to me. We had a real ornate lunch room and lunch was served to all officers. I was told that I missed a fabulous lunch on Christmas which was the talk of the town, as Jardine’s was famous for their elaborate Christmas lunch. My Orientation week passed off in no time. It was that part of the year when the streets of Calcutta were at its best with people celebrating Christmas and the New Year. Besides the revelry, I had gained some knowledge on procedures to be followed and what I was to expect once I landed at the tea estate.