My superior was a qualified person but he did not even talk to me. I had no conversation with him ever since I had joined the mills. My father's superior also a Gold Medalist and Textile Graduate spoke to me as a student. The pocket calculator that he gave me was always in my pocket along with a slide rule which I took from my brother. I was also keeping a screw spanner and a pocket screw driver and tester for any needs if I had to work. Spinning calculations needed calculator and also to find square roots. It needed no note book or pencil even though I carried everything in my chest pocket and Hip pockets. However no one was doing any calculations nor asking me to do. Being from another state was perhaps a handicap but I did not know it, people were nice when I talked. I was feeling lonely in the mill but otherwise I was fine.
We friends, all working in textile mills would meet every week and one of them working in a local reputed mill told us that they had a problem with New Local Weaving Machines and a Xman from Bombay had come and solved all the problems and the weaving efficiency of the machines was continuously much higher than imported weaving machines which are looked after by another Yman also from Bombay trained in the imported weaving machine manufactures but could not get the imported weaving machines give higher efficiency or even the same weaving machines efficiency's. When the Management asked more efficiency in local made weaving machines that Xman challenged the management if the imported machines gave more than his machines, he would pack all the machines and take back their machines and pay back money paid with compensation. I shouted what is the name of that person. When he said I had a shock he was my cousin. I again shouted where is he staying, again it was a shock. The Hotel was next to our MD's House.
He (my cousin)was my father's sisters son and brother of my sisters husband. I went to his hotel in the evening and saw him in his room where he kept the door open and saw him reading a news paper he did not see me, I shouted his name he saw me, dropped his paper and came and hugged me in Bombay style. I told him how I came to know he was in Coimbatore and what he had done he was just laughing. I told him that I would like to work under him. He said if you work under me you will have to shed not tears but blood you are a spinner and I am a weaver you know that in Bombay spinners are considered as good administrators, work hard you will come up. If you want to work here you will not learn anything come to Bombay if you want to work he said. I said I will come to Bombay. He said come and said lets go and have food. The food in that hotel was very costly for me so I tasted my meal with my long tongue and enjoyed. I said see you soon and came to my lodge. That nigh I slept very late. I met my cousin several times and finally he told the management that his presence in the mills would be costing if they are not complaining about the looms and if he is being working in the mill. This was to inform them to give in writing if they have any complaints. And his management informed the mills soon, that if they do not write to them any complaints why they have to keep their Chief Erection Engineer, when all and every loom is working with 96% efficiency.
I think the management of the mills thanked them so he soon left.
I continued working forgetting my few IRKS when a Guajarati friend of mine wrote to me that he has closed his weaving shed and looking for a job. I wrote to him to come to Coimbatore as there is a Gujarati Owned Mill with a Gujarati Manager and he will get a Job he visited and got a job. He left to his home town Bangalore (also mine) and wrote to me that it was a small weaving section where there would not be any scope for work and he would find it hard to spend his career so early and would be going to Bombay to find a Job.
The reason he gave me made me think what my cousin had told that I would learn nothing in Coimbatore. why am I wasting my time kept ringing in my ears.
Soon I was to confront the MD of my mill when he visited the Carding Department when every one of the machines was manually stripped of the main parts of the machine from cotton dust embedded in the main parts. I was watching and he the MD was standing and saw every where nothing but cotton fluff and dust he asked me what I was doing when there was so much dirt and fluff. I told him I was just watching the stripping and doing nothing.If you say you are doing nothing come to office and settle your accounts, he said and left the department. I reported to Sr. Spinning Master what had happened. He listened, and told me why did you say anything he knows what happens during stripping, any way see what happens go and meet the Accounts Manager and tell him what happened. What will happen I asked the spinning master. Nothing may happen why can't you meet him it is MD's instructions to settle your accounts. Will he settle my accounts I asked, if MD has told he will, but he will ask you to resign and you have to take my signature and give it to him. He will send it or take it to MD and if MD signs his acceptance he will settle your accounts. I wrote to MD thanking him for giving me an opportunity to work in his mills and accept my resignation due to personal reasons and relive me from duties at earliest ( this was dictated by Spinning Master when I asked him how I should write the resignation ).I went to Accounts Manager and gave him my resignation letter after telling him what had happened he did not say a word but took my resignation letter to MD and came back and told me that he will let me know whether MD has accepted my resignation letter in the morning and I must come at 11:00 AM and meet him. Next day my accounts were settled and I came out of the Mills.
I returned to my lodge and thought of Going to Bombay. I rushed to Post Office and sent a Telegram to my friend that I had resigned and will be coming to Bombay with him. WE both landed in Bombay at 10:00 PM and stayed with his Brother in Law at THANE a small village where the Suburban Railway Station was the only attraction.
