28 April 2008

WITH FRIENDS


Sanjoy with his friends Dr.Subash Patra and Dr. H.C.Panda few years before their retirement.

A Flatter To Deceive

That was few years before my superannuation when my close friend, an executive director(ED) of an integrated steel plant called me for a dinner at his bungalow. It was a typical summer at the steel city of Orissa, where the mercury touches 48 degree Celsius at times. There was no rain for more than eight weeks which made the weather intolerable in the afternoon and evening hours. The time was fixed at 8pm.
When I reached the bungalow the security guard after a routine checkup allowed my car in side.
After few minutes another close friend of mine a general manager (GM) greeted me and we waited for the ED to arrive. After a quick bath our host entered the hall and set beside me. The sweet smell of Brute and the white kurta was befitting to the occasion.
“Should we go out and enjoy our drink in the lawn?”
We agreed. The waiter took those kabab and salad plates and we occupied our seats in those nice old time cousey cane chairs. After a short while, it drizzled which made us to go back to the verandah. Our ED friend was sipping whisky and me the black label lager beer and our GM who would have loved to take whisky but for his heart problem and doctors advice was sipping a soft drink. Due to the drizzle the humidity was unbearable so we decided it would be better if we move in to an AC room .But to our bad luck the power went off and our ED went to his bed room to bring the emergency light.

We had discussion on varied topics and were feeling hungry when the cook asked about the timing of our dinner. Our ED friend was staying alone as his wife had gone to England to help her daughter, as she was pregnant.
The power supply was playing hide and seek for the whole of evening which was unusual in a VIP house. Our friend went to his bed room once again as he has left his cord less phone when the electricity was gone. He had not taken the light with him. When I switched the emergency light to wards the bed room I could see a black object trying to enter the bed room of our VIP friend. I shouted with top of my voice and asked him not to come out. On the white marble this speckled band krait was finding it difficult to crawl. When I asked the security guard to bring a stick, he brought a ten feet long bamboo which was not the gadget to kill a snake. As I have spent many of my younger days in the remote villages of Mayurbhanj , I was familiar with snakes. Any how the proper size stick arrived and I could kill the dangerous snake in spite of two bottles of beer. GM friend jokingly told “ it’s the beer which helped me to kill the deadly snake as the fear was gone due to alcoholic effect.”
My friend thanked me profusely and told me, but for me any thing could have happened at night. I asked him a favor, “my promotion is over due please help me if you can”.
I was assured that there will be good coverage in news papers and my promotion is one the cards.
After the dinner I went home happily waiting for the next morning. Days and months passed bye there was no news coverage about this incident. Later on I came to know that if this being the state of affair in ED bungalow how the union people would have reacted to it? So this news was hushed up.

The next year our friend informed me about the good news of his promotion to the post of managing director. I was waiting breathlessly for the next good news which never came and our good friend now serves the people of a foreign land without the fear of a snake.

Sanjoy Kumar Satpathy
House no 4, plot:401/2362,Atpost:Patia,BHUBANESWAR-31,Orissa, India

24 April 2008

sanjoy in office


Sanjoy in office with his doctor friends Prof BSDash, Dr.Sanjib Mohanty and Dr.S.K.Mishra few days before his retirement.(Photo by Dr.Sadasiv Swain)

president Indian medical association


This was the 48th annual conference of Rourkela in the year 2007. Dr sanjoy satpathy the president is seated on the extreme right.On his right is Prof.SCDash,next to him is Director Dr.DNMohapatra and DrSSPati the Secretary is on the extreme left.

New experience

My experience at Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa
**********************************************

After spending a reasonably decent life in the steel city Rourkela for three decades, I have just settled down at Bhubaneswar the capital of Orissa. And very frankly, my choice of Bhubaneswar to settle down fllowing my superannuation from SAIL, Rourkela Steel Plant is more out compelling family necessities rather than for any real love of the fastest growing city of Eastern India.
Let me describe my experience in Bhubaneswar during my stay in the last three months.
Electricity: Without this, life will come to a stand still in a modern society. There is so called surplus electricity in Orissa but be careful about your gadgets which run on electric supply in Bhubaneswar. The other day I was talking to a young man using a Xerox Machine when suddenly the voltage dropped. I asked him “do you get low voltage?”
“Sir, do you have similar problem?”
“Yes, we do get as low as 150 volts.”
”You are lucky sir; ours will be 90 at times!”
One of my relative had a burnt DVD and TV near Lewis road due to high voltage. Do you know India holds the world record of using the maximum number of voltage stabilizer in the world, go and get it now!

Traffic: Chaotic is the word I can use without blinking an eyelid. If you follow the traffic rule you are in problem if not there will be disaster and you have to bribe the police to get out of the harassment which awaits you at the police station. The roads are peculiar, so also the traffic police. The traffic police or the home guards stand at such places that you may not notice them at all. At some places the digital traffic signal may confuse you with the digits. The best way is you follow another larger vehicle in front of you and follow it to escape accidents and fines. Every one is in a hurry to overtake you. Never venture to go out during office or school hours or the evening hours. Better you wear helmets inside your four wheelers. It’s better to travel by auto rickshaw than going out with your own car. If you are going out by two wheelers it’s better to insure yourself and your vehicle. Always avoid the road in front of the Orissa Assembly Hall (Mahatma Gandhi road)
Banking: Take a day off or go to bank towards the end of the month. Never go to the main branch (SBI) unless you have no other alternatives.
Medical: Too many doctors but people prefer to go out side the state. Investigations are done from head to toe for any reason. Sometimes, one can notice more number of doctors than patients in medical colleges. You must carry plenty of money if you want to go to a private hospital or nursing homes. People do not carry a good impression about the medical expertise in the capital, even though brilliant doctors are there in the city.
Literary activities: Unless you have three letter qualifications at the end of your name try not to venture into this field or else you may have to plunge fast into depression. Unless there is a dinner or lunch after the meeting, no one except the organizer will turn up at literary functions.
ATM: Always keep patience in the queue and never advise anyone on manners or rules. It may so happen that you may have to return home with a black eye and empty pocket.
Govt.office: Always manage your entry through a broker or middle man. Otherwise you may have to purchase a new pair of slippers.
Attitude: "I am alright so who bothers". Me first is the norm here. “Pahele Aap” is a part of history.
Vegetables: Carry plenty of money or you may starve. Local vegetables are cheap and plenty. One can affprd to become a total vegetarian here.But you've to forget about capsicum, carrots and beans. These are very costly as it's brought from Bangalore (in summer months)
Fish: All types and very tasty too. From Rs: 60 to Rs: 600, you get all types of fish.
Fruits: Banana is available round the year and is of very high quality. Summer months are mango eaters’ delight.. You will enjoy them.
Friends and relatives: Send them a vehicle or you may not get any one in your house. They may talk to you (over phone) or give a missed call at times. Keep a good relationship with your neighbor for emergencies.
Public: Never ask for any advice or you may regret.
All said and done Bhubaneswar is the capital of Orissa and is fast developing to become a city of big bazaars and a heaven for criminals.
This is a satire, and its not to be taken seriously. There may be some error of judgment by the writer on this topic. However. if you agree on some points, do write in the following address.
sanjoysatpathy@rediffmail.com

10 April 2008

Utkal Divasa


Sanjoy on Utkal Dibasa.Every year on 1st of April Utkal Dibasa is celebrated amongst Oriyas.Here Sanjoy bows down before the great people of Odisha in creating a separate state called Odisha for the Odias.