Ancient Systems Die Hard

"I have passed my B.com in first class sir." Handing over his certificate file a young man was standing with his folded hands in front of the finance head of the organisation (the interviewer) for a job interview."

"what is your math mark in SSLC?"

"98% sir."

"Where did the two marks go?"

"Sir.... a silly mistake sir."

"If you had done the mental sums the two marks would be yours.

" Sorry sir"

By the way where did you study?"

He mentioned the name of his school.

"Oh, is it? Then who was your math teacher?"

As the boy mentioned the teacher's name, the interviewer’s ever-serious countenance blossomed like an early morning lotus! He knew that with the man around one can be assured of a strong foundation in the subject! 

"Now you go to the corner table and write the first paragraph from any one of the books on the shelf. Use the one side paper stacked in a folder. Do you follow me?"

" Yes sir, very much sir" the boy replied and rushed to the corner.

 When he handed over the paper the man had a seemingly satisfied look and asked him to sit. The legibility test though not up to his mark was plausible

Then a session on his mathematical prowess started solemnly!

"You have to strengthen your math man"

"Yes sir, sure sir" the job seeker said earnestly.

"Do you know that the long additions, subtractions, multiplications and divisions  would  be considerable in the finance department and a difference by a digit can cause a big loss to the company?"

"I will be extremely careful sir, will always double check, sir."

" That is not enough, Critical accounts should be referred to me always."

" Will definitely do it sir"

" And now how is your speed with the type writer?"

"Fifty to seventy words per minute, sir "

"Zero error?"

"Sometimes I commit mistake, sir."

"You have to increase your speed and wasting paper is a sin."

"I understand sir."

"I will have a word with the MD regarding your appointment but continuous improvement should be your motto."

"I will try my best, sir."

You might be wondering what sort of funny interview is this?

Just as we need to know the etymology of the subjects we research; this dialogue is the founding stone for our modern-day financial practices! Today we will delve deep into it!

On the very first day the finance head slapped his forehead when the boy showed him the long unruled note book with lines drawn. "Is it an account note book or the zigzag Darjeeling railway line?" The boy was shivering in his pants at this thunderous voice! He knew that the lines he drew were not perfect.

"Have you ever observed your mother drawing kolam every morning making perfect squares and circles rectangles and umpteen number of equal curves without any ruler or compass? Here you have the rulers and rollers and yet such an immature job."

The boy could not make a proper catch of the book thrown at him.

"Use the scale and make a pencil mark at the top and bottom of each column before you draw the line. First draw the lines with the pencil and make sure the lines are perfect and then use the red pen. Now listen carefully as I give you the measurements for various columns:

For serial number 1/2 " Date 1 3/4" Description 3"and divide the rest of the space into three equal columns for the amount received spent and balance sum. Can you space it rightly?"

"Yes sir.... I am sorry sir for my shoddy work"

Just a grunt turned out to be his reply!

And for his part the man wore many hats with élan! Even his hand drawn lines were perfect. He took pride in remembering hundreds of phone numbers by heart and could get connected at the drop of the hat while his minions rummaged around the alphabetical phone diaries presented annually! His type writer a Remington was a thing of beauty which he treasured! And his gentle handling of the machine the speed and the impeccable work was the talk of the town. Any paper used on one side is used for rough work.  "Waste not and want not" was the golden rule in his arena!

 A full-page addition to the naya paisa was flawlessly done in a jiffy. The everyday closing of petty cash was a meticulous. He knew by heart the sundry creditors and the amount they owe to the organisation! The monthly balance sheet counter balanced to the last paisa might seem to be a minor victory to lesser men but never ever to this enigma.

Like the saying goes "Charity begins at home" his financial expertise had its beginning right from his home front! His monthly salary was earnestly partitioned into various thick envelopes with the type of expense written in bold letters. The top partition of his wooden shelf consisted of umpteen number of pigeon holes with lockers and in went these various envelopes beginning with children's education and ending with the one for exigencies which might on some years turn out to be his savings to take the family out on an annual trip!

It was indeed a strenuous job for the boy to work under this perfectionist! But he knew that with him at the top he was assured of a bright future! But there were many who took flight unable to tolerate this autocracy!

Too many changes crept into the department slowly yet steadily. For one, the account notebooks, long and short with appropriate columns became available in the shops!

"I am freed from the shackles of perfect lines and ensuing humiliation" the young man rejoiced!!

"Making people lazy." the perfectionist mumbled

Then one fine day another change hit him like the bolt from the blue when his MD entered the room with a small machine which he said was going to ease his job a lot!! Thus, a machine called calculator entered the department to the joy of all and sundry except our financial head! It was indeed an ego clash!! He couldn't believe that a hand held thing can do such an enormous work in no time! Like the doubting Thomas of the Bible, he manually calculated and verified the answers pelted out by the machine!! His expertise which consumed minutes was a second's job for this dumb machine.

  "The future generation's mental ability would lose its sheen with this useless machine around!" he grumbled. He was sure that it would turn them to useless zombies!

In due course the account note books and the calculators multiplied in numbers becoming accepted members of the department.

It was in the year 1987 a computer entered into our MD's room in all its regalia! Forgetting any protocol, the whole office peeped in just to have a look at the marvel machine!!

We were sitting open mouthed when the computer specialist, who addressed us, pelted out its unbelievable capabilities.

When he told that with this wonder machine around, we Indians no longer need to worry about our spellings and grammar with its auto correction system. We locals who were afraid of this 'phoren' language and bore the brunt of caustic remarks from the higher-ups gave out a sigh of relief.

When he mentioned that it was capable of zipping in hundreds and hundreds of files, the steno jumped with joy. Sorting out the papers into assorted files consumed plenty of her time before she closed shop for the day.

When he declared that quotations, vouchers, invoices etc.  once created need not be typed again for a mistake, but with a bit of deletions and additions it can be recreated 'n' number of times, the finance, the commercial and the HR assistances joined the steno in jumping with joy, except for our finance head!

There was plenty of bonus specially for the finance department

Gone would be the days the time wasted for drawing perfect lines.

The erasers, assortment of rulers and pens would become museum pieces.

Calculations with the help of calculators would become thing of the past.

The machine generously allowed a selection of all the rainbow VIBGYOR and its combo colours which was at their disposal at the click of a button! 

As the man continued stuttering out the magical might of the machine, the head of finance laughed sarcastically and when he vouched that one day their office would become a paperless one, he was willing to label him a big bluffer.

The organisation had indeed metamorphosed more than the computer specialist prophesied.

Things were indeed moving very fast! Every one watched in wonderment when the gargantuan sized computers in the department became individualistic to occupy each cubicle and further mutated to sit in the laps.

Our man sitting in his chair was contemplative. His memories wound back to his childhood days in the village when a spread of well sieved sand was the normal writing pad at his school. Slates and slate pencils were beyond the reach of many.  For these school children the greatest amazement was watching his dad sitting in the verandah of his house which was adjacent to the school and writing in a paper with a thing called pen! They watched in wonderment as his dad sat at his low desk dipping the wooden pen in and out and in and out of the ink bottle! They even used to bet how long a single dip of ink could go!!

When he got his first fountain pen our man proudly exhibited the same to the excited villagers including his dad!

Days went by and that particular day was very special to him when he placed his first salary envelope at the feet of his parents along with a fountain pen, an unique gift to his dad.

The delighted dad gave the envelope to his mother and as he held the pen in hand he said " What I have is more than enough and I could very well manage my little bit of writings with my ink bottle and nib pen. More over fountain pens are expensive and there are many students who cannot afford it and you can gift it to one of the deserving village boy"

Till the end his low desk with the ink bottle and nib pen adorned a reverent corner in the verandah.

As the man woke up from his reverie, he was flummoxed with all these new set up and realised that his system had indeed become obsolete, even though, he was sure that the organisation would very well grow and flourish without him.

He decided to making way to the future generation.

As his grandpa retired, the grandson decided to present him a deserving gift, a worthy gift to this intellect and brought in a computer to the house. He thought that granddad could maintain his personal and the house hold accounts with ease but which was categorically refused by the man.

"My dear boy, computers are indeed expensive and there are many deserving persons who could not afford it. Can you please gift it to one of them" he said?

History was repeating itself. He was doubly happy to buy a unruled long note book draw the lines and present the monthly account s to his son, reckoned and reconciled to a single paisa.

 This dear person was my husband's dad who after retiring from his government post gave his might when our venture was started in a small way.

Till his end we enjoyed his artistic accounting system in the long note book at the home front.