Railways is probably the only government department, where the boss, a Principal Head of Department, a Board Member, or even an Additional Member, a General Manager, or a Divisional Railway Manager, are so inaccessible to their subordinate officers, even those at the very next level. Each such big boss has two entries to his office room, one through the room of his secretary, and the other one a direct entry or the main door. Whereas the Bada Sahib’s peon can use the main door, even senior officers are required to use the one through the secretary’s room. Let’s call that the minion’s door to differentiate it from the main door.
Entry through the main door was the privilege only accorded to colleagues of equal rank and Trade Union leaders. The latter thought that they were of a higher rank. I have always entered the rooms of my bosses through the minion’s door and felt rather small every time.
So, when I reached such a position, I let it be known that all officers would enter my office room through the main door. There was neither a need to seek the secretary’s nod nor of checking on the mood of the boss. I was soon visited by a trade union official and was told, almost as an order, that the union honcho will use the main door for entering my office whenever he would honour me with his visit. Wasn’t he too big to use the minion’s door?
I told him that everybody entered my room through the main door. The union guy was aghast, “But Sir, how can you allow everyone through this door?” The status of his own boss had just been lowered to that of “everyone” in my office and there was no claim to privilege remaining.
(In other ministries, even if there is a need to check with the secretary to see if the boss is free to see one, the entry is always through the main door. There is no minion’s door.)
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