It was just a beginning of my career in my professional life, we were 6 Gov't Trainees 3 (2 Spinning and 1 Weaving) of them my seniors and we (2 Spinning and 1 Weaving) 3 had just started taking training. The mill was managed by the biggest group of textile mills in India, spread over 2 states. The mill where I started my career was the main mother mill of all 18 mills which was known by the name of the deity in the heritage city of south India. Here was also the residence of the group chairman and head quarters office located. All the 18 mills was managed by the 2 sons of the Chairman who were Directors of their allotted mills unofficially. Under these Directors where the Mill Managers and 2 Spinning Superintendents ( one for 9 units exclusively to look after technical management ) Mill Managers for each mill who looked after each mills technically and all the administrative areas and control of their mill . All were qualified technically and mostly belonged to the same community which was also the community of the Directors and Chairman. This followed a trust in their duty and everything was working like a clock. We the trainees had full freedom to do what we wanted to under the rule set by the Gov't and any body crossing the line the mill discipline the mill had the right to report to Gov't in the ministry of scientific research and training who would terminate our training and mills would inform us and we would be stopped entering the mill and face action at our college through whom we were selected by merit to take the training had chosen the mill. That would be the end of our professional life in textile industry. There was no such incident in the mills on account of the motivation we had which would be a permanent job in any mill in the management cadre at floor level or higher as recommended by the Mill Manager.
The mills had also recruited 10 boys who were BSc first class students mostly of their community for training and after 3 years they would be sent to any mill where there was a vacancy. There was always a vacancy in some mills. All of them were trained under a Japan 'y textile doctorate, we had the Mill Managers (we were reporting to him and not any other mill official)instructions to attend the training every day after Lunch. Every body had to undertake a project after 6 months and the project would be as informed to us by the Japan 'y Dr. in Textiles. All mill trainees and us were given holiday on Sunday's. I was fond of visiting the shrine of the local goddess of the town but was unable to go in the mornings only on Friday's as going to temples or shrines on in the evenings or after food was not our community tradition for us boys. There was not enough supervision in weaving on Sunday's as all the 16 trainees were on weekly holiday. All the activities of the trainees was reported to Mill Manager by someone unofficially. All the Gov't trainees who had specialized in spinning had to be present in Spinning but I was present in weaving also as there was no bar on Gov't trainees to go to Weaving the other Gov't trainees would be present only in spinning or weaving. I would go to weaving dept and start any weaving machine which was stopped due to some fault. The fault was mostly a thread break. Some times I could not find any breakage and when I started the machine there would be some damage to the cloth. However this was though sometimes was rare. By my activities located in a section of the weaving department this section showed some improvement and this was known to Mill Manager.
One day Mill Manager called me to his office and asked me in his official tone that my Holiday's would be on Monday's and not Sunday's henceforth.
My negative thoughts started flashing in my mind, is this a punishment, why me and not others, what will I do alone on Sunday and Monday and how will I see my New English Movies on Sunday which disappeared on Thursday. If this is a punishment will it be reported, all this made my mind suddenly blurt out Why me, why not others.
Mill Manager said I know whom to tell you can go and need not come on Sunday's. He showed me his hands towards the door.
I came out of his office shivering and confused.
My mind told me that I have disobeyed my superior and if reported it would be end of my career.
I met my senior trainee in the evening at the hotel where we all trainees would take meal together and whom I found enter and sometimes come out of Mill Manager's Office and I told him what had happened that morning and what I should do. He said he will find out in the morning and if it's Ok he would inform him that I would like to apologize to him. Please do talk to him and tell him I am sorry for what I said and would like to apologize.
Next day he met me during lunch hour and told me that he wanted to give some work but I had refused and he said I need not apologize to him.
I met Mill Manager next day and told him I am sorry when he looked at me as I entered his office, he just showed me his hand towards the door and said it's alright you can go.
I was upset and applied for leave for 3 days, I had nothing in my credit. We were eligible for 1.50 days per year and I was about to complete one year. The leave was granted and I came home next day. It was a overnight journey.
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