Last Day in Satyabadi

 

(In the office)

I wanted a transfer from Satyabadi (or Sakhigopal); I was there for more than four years, but it pained me when I left the place.

I had rented a house on the road side, around hundred metres from the temple. Satyabadi did not have piped water supply; we drew water from a well for use, to bathe or cook and drink.  The water did not suit us; it got contaminated in the rainy season. We had bouts of diarrhoea, fever, dysentery. Once, my wife, son and daughter all had typhoid at the same time. It was a horrible time.

Satyabadi was rather a village with some government offices like police station, Block or a dispensary. Satyabadi is important for the Sakhigopinath temple, and for its history; Utkalmani Gopabndhu had set up an ideal school, later called, Bana Bidyalaya (Forest School) and started the newspaper Samaj from here. There were a few shops, but people depended on Bhubaneswar for shopping. The officers posted in Satyabadi either commuted daily from Bhubaneswar or from Puri. 

During my stint in Satyabadi treasury I had befriended many, mostly the pensioners, those above 58 (the retirement age at that time was 58). I used to joke, to be my friend one should have qualifying age of 58. Many pensioners often came to me just for chatting and I enjoyed listening to their experiences, stories about their childhood or service life. Whenever there was a marriage or sacred thread ceremony (the dominant caste in Satyabadi region is Brahmin, they celebrate sacred thread ceremony of their sons) I got special invitation and I attended. Satyabadi, being a small town or a big village, with few offices, the treasury officer was a VIP. I attended sometimes as chief guest in the annual or sports functions of schools or clubs.

            (Family picnic with friends in Nandankanan; standing Bijay, Natabar, Me and Somesh)

The treasury did not have much work; it had only twelve drawing officers, those who drew salary or other claims from the treasury, and nearly three hundred pensioners. After first week, I had on an average fifteen minutes’ work a day. The place, in fact, did not justify a treasury. Puri had the district treasury and Pipli had one treasury also; both the places are twenty kilometres from each side of Satyabadi.

At the time of setting up the treasury, the government made a principle a place having a tehsil office would have a treasury. Satyabadi did not have a tehsil. But then, Gangadhar Mohapatra was the Minister, Finance and Madhusudan Misra (popularly known as Madhu Misra in the region) was the Director, Treasuries; and both belonged to Satyabadi. They took an exception and set up the treasury at Satyabdi on the ground of historical importance of the place. Madhu Misra sometimes came to sell their coconuts to the RMC (Regional Market Committee) and dropped in the treasury for chitchatting over a cup of tea. He told me the behind story of the treasury.

I had enough time for reading and writing. I would start a novel of two hundred to two hundred fifty pages in the morning and finish by the time I went to sleep. The stories compiled in my first two books I had written during my stay in Satyabadi.

And then my transfer order came.

My wife desired to have a darshan of Lord Jagannath before we left Satyabadi. I also wanted to have a curtsey call to the district treasury officer. After darshan of the Lord, I went to the district treasury office. I chanced upon L.N.Misra, the sub collector in the treasury office. L.N.Misra belonged to a village near Satyabadi; he was daily commuting to Puri. He said me, “You are here! The pensioners are organizing a farewell feast for you in Satyabadi.”

I said, “I shall reach in time, they are organizing lunch.”

L.N.Misra said, “In the morning I saw my father was plucking flowers. I asked, what will you with so many flowers?  He replied the treasury officer is leaving us today on transfer. I shall string a garland for him.”

His father was taking pension from our treasury.

The pensioners were unhappy with my transfer. Some of them told me they would approach the MLA and demand for cancellation of my transfer. I dissuaded them. I told I had already completed four years. How long should I stay in one place? I wanted the transfer. They desisted from meeting the MLA.

They had arranged mahaprasad of Lord Jagannath for the lunch. We had a group photograph, on their insistence I put on the garland round my neck in the photograph. They had also invited a few reporters. After we had the lunch I took leave of them.

(The photograph with a few pensioners and staff of the treasury. Srichandan Misra who took over charge from me sitting at my left. I am sitting in the middle.)

A few newspapers had published the news of my transfer under the caption; “Transfer of Satyabadi Treasury Officer.” There was some praise for me in the news. After I joined intelligence wing, one/two officers said, “We had curiosity to see you, that treasury officer, whose transfer becomes news in the newspapers.”

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