So long, farewell

This photo was taken in 1971. The occasion was the farewell party given to S Viswanath, after he resigned as the purchase superintendent of Bharat Fritz Werner (P) Ltd.  

I was born in Mysore and did my SSLC and diploma in commerce there. I came to Bangalore seeking a job in 1961 and was employed in MICO for  two years. Then I joined Bharat Fritz Werner in the purchase department and worked there till May 1976.

Out of the places of service, I remember very vividly my stay with BFW as we had a very entertaining and harmonious group of officials in the department.

Our boss was S Keshava, who was a kind-hearted and supportive person. He was not only very helpful but also generous and approachable. Sadly, S Keshava passed away last year.

There was a lot of laughter and joyfulness, even during the production meetings, which were generally tense affairs.

S Keshava used to receive a lot of flak in such meetings but he ensured to never pass it on to us. This motivated all of us to rise to the occasion when needed, thus endorsing our solidarity and support to S Keshava.

We used to go for short tours during holidays to Nandi Hills and Meke Dhatu. Thimmaiah was close to us and was always happy to meet up.

Prasanna, Viswanath and I used to go to Mysore every year for the Dasara festival.  Prasanna later left BFW and joined Central Bank of India and retired as the regional manager.

Viswanath left BFW to join Kamani Metals & Alloys Ltd as purchase manager. Later he joined Nagarjuna Steels and retired as purchase manager. Ramaraj Urs started a small scale industry. I am still in touch with Viswanath and Prasanna.

Back then, I lived in Malleswaram for many years and then in Sriramapuram for some time. During those days, the roads then were safe and congestion-free and it was easy to enjoy a ride on a two-wheeler.  

There wasn't much traffic in Margosa Road, where we lived earlier. We used to walk on the roads without anxiety and the fear of unruly driving by ruthless drivers.

Both Margosa and Sampige roads had plenty of trees on both sides of the road. Even in hot summers, walking on these roads was pleasant  and comfortable.

Eateries were only a few and we used to get homely food in Malleswaram in these restaurants. Plenty of cultural programmes used to be held in Malleswaram, which was a cultural paradise in those days.

However today, it has become unlivable, especially for senior citizens.

I am blessed with a son and two daughters - all of them are engineering graduates. My son is currently working as an associate  professor at the University of Illinois, USA and my second daughter is working with BMW as an executive in Colombo, USA.

My first daughter resigned her job to take care of her children. She lives in Rajajinagar and takes care of me and my needs.  Even after all these years, I still love my locality (Malleswaram), my city Bengaluru and my country even though things have changed in many respects.  

R Subramanyam(The author can be contacted at [e-mail])