Short story Corner

THE OFFICE PEON


The day when Dialu Jena received the office-order of his deputation from the block office to the head office, he was once again sure of some good qualities with him, which distinguishes him from his colleague. Otherwise why should, he only be selected to serve in the District office?

In rural areas, people are very ostensive. They often speak too much without understanding .If they do not find any major fault in a person, they try to demoralize him in the name of caste. Caste is a very common topic; one can easily humiliate people by raising the nature of one’s lowly birth. None but only a goldsmith can realize the real value of a precious stone. As Dialu was very efficient and obedient, unhesitatingly he carried out the orders of the head clerk, ungrudgingly worked day and night. He never reacted even when he had to work beyond the usual office hours. That’s why; he was the favorite of the head clerk and the Block Development Officer.

At last his hard work yielded results; he got the reward in the form of this deputation to the head office. The fellow peons are grumbling. They are jealous of him and passing comments “bloody untouchable, wrested the bounties”

“Let you Idiots say whatever you like! Do you try to know any thing else of a person other than his caste to talk about? All the time you are engaged in backbiting against the officer, talking ill of others, sitting on the veranda you smoke bidis and bunk duties. All the while you are engaged in ill thoughts like, which contractor to be trapped for a cup of tea or how to ask for tiffin from the villagers who come requesting for allocation of Indira Awas or how to hide fifty paisa or a rupee from the sarpanch who sends you to buy cigarettes. If you are engaged in such worthless activities, who will be impressed by your deed?

“Does not the officer distinguish the good from the bad? It is because cheating is always caught at the right moment. He has been selected to the head office for his honesty. Otherwise who is he? Let you all smolder in jealousy.”

Dialu was overjoyed at the prospect of this deputation. Perhaps he would not have been so happy, had he been promoted. He might have got a few more rupees in promotion but now he will be in the head office with the big boss. Now he would be near the boss to whom people couldn’t meet without prior appointment. He would dust the chair in his own hands, to have a glimpse of which, people waited for days, slips in hand.

Dialu thought, ‘Big boss, big office, big matters. Accordingly he too also has to be very careful. He was used to talk aloud earlier but now he must have to change his manners, he has to be polite and soft-spoken. As he would be with the officer always, he has to wear leather chhapals instead of a plastic slipper. He should come to office everyday neat and clean. Bidi-smoking leaves bad smell in the mouth, so he will completely give up his occasional bidi-smoking

If he will not stick to all these, every thing may become topsy turvy because the officer will meet him first on his arrival in the office. Soon after the arrival of the Boss, he will open the gate slowly and if at all his body and mouth emit bad odour at that time Boss’s mood may go sour, who will then be able to control his mood?

He has to be so careful of him that while entering, officer will throw a smile at him and ask “Dailu! How are you? What have you eaten today? ”

Can an office function without the movements of the limbs of the office peon?

If the files are not moved from one table to the other by the office peon then the officer can do nothing. If the officer is the engine of the office, office peon is the wheel’

Dialu became happy with his new assignment. He fancied his position in the office to be like that of Basua bull in Shiva temples: no one can enter the officer’s chamber without his knowledge. He would let someone in only if he desired, otherwise he would say, “Give me your slip. I’ll call you later; Boss is very busy” or he might even say, “Come tomorrow, now Sir is about to leave on a tour” etc.

It might so happen that the head clerk who was his masters once in the block office, will bend before him along with his files and approach humbly, “Dialu ! Is Boss in?”

Dialu had dreamt a lot more when he was deputed to the District office but when he joined the District office everything was topsy turvyed In spite of being a human being, he had to live like a dog.

Thing is that: the Boss had a very beautiful dog. It was of Alsatians breed and was of the size of a tiger. Human being may not obey so promptly but the dog was responding to the orders of officer almost, instantaneously, when you say “Sit” it would sit, when you say ‘Go’ it would go away and when you say ‘No’ it would sit silently. An English-educated dog!

It was taking one liters of milk twice a day; two eggs, along with bread and rice. Shouldn’t it be as ferocious as a tiger! Do you think, it was a stray dog that thrives on rotten flesh or defecations!
The Boss, his wife and his daughter, all loved the dog very much. The Boss’s mother happened to be staying with him in the same house but whenever he returned from the tour he did not go to his mother first but used to play with the dog. His love for the dog was intense. It might be because of that, the officer had issued strict orders that there shouldn’t be any negligence in its care.

Dialu had to come early in the morning, take the dog out to the road for run and for potty, clean the dish where the dog ate, wash with soap the quilt, on which it slept. If ever it urinated or defecated there in side the room he used to throw it out, bathed the dog using shampoo, and than groom it with a brush. When the dog took rest, he could take a nap sitting nearby it. At about 4 o’clock in the afternoons he used to take the dog and a ball to the fields to make the dog play by throwing the ball here and there.

Now a days, Dialu very often gets irritated. Even scolds his fate He had imagined that he would be the office peon instead he was assigned duties in the Residence office that too, to serve a dog! Now he is playing ball with the dog, if ever someone plays ball it must be with man but Dialu has to play ball with a dog.

‘Look at Ugrasen Supakar. He too is a peon no doubt but now much privilege he enjoys! He cooks there in the kitchen; works with the Madam-boss. But look at me; I have become a dog with the dog. Leave it ? After all, I too am a Govt. servant .Whether you do, either take care of the dog or the dining, it is all the same, does one get any less in return!’

Things were going on well but when people started calling him “dog-peon” on the road, he felt hurt, humbled. He even once thought of poisoning the dog to get rid of the stigma. It is better to eliminate the root cause. Then he will be free from this duty of attending the dog and the way to his being shifted to the District office will be opened.

But his conscience didn’t allow him to commit such a sin.. He thought, what is the fault of this innocent, dumb creature? It has neither caused any harm nor has harassed me, rather plays with me, obey my orders word by word. Rather, the officer is responsible for all this humiliation. He consoled himself I this way and remained silent.

Al last, the long awaited day arrived for Dialu. The present officer has been transferred. Tomorrow, a new officer will join. At least he will be relieved of the duty of attending a dog.

Early in the morning he took a bath, put on a clean dress, looked at his reflection in the mirror, smiled at himself and felt reinvigorated as if he was getting ready to work for himself.

He opened the office chamber in the residence, swept it clean. He felt a bit lonely. The new Boss’s young child was crying. There was commotion outside yet a feeling of loneliness engulfed him. Had it been like the other day, the dog must have run towards him lifting his legs and expressed its love by trying to scratch his body, whining all the while. He felt entranced by a strong feeling of kinship. He went to the place where the dog was being tied and softly touched the wall. The very next moment he became conscious and asked himself, why he was feeling so sad when he used to get irritated only because of the dog. And now ……. Fie! Fie!

To-day he is the office peon in the real sense of the term. He will open the gate; carry the files and rest of the time he will just wait for the calling bell to ring.

The new officer has called for the Head clerk as soon as he reached. The head clerk along with file was there inside the chamber with the officer. The officer might press the bell at any moment, so he alerted his ears for ready response.

‘Yes! How many peons are there is the office?” the new officer asked

The Head clerk replied, “Three Sir, One of them cooks, another waits in the office and the rest one was taking care of the dog of the previous officer. The one who was looking after the dog is on deputation from the block office”
The officer then queried, “Why? Do we have any shortage of peons here in the office that someone from the block office was to be deputed?”

The Head clerk, tried to explain the matter and replied, “Sir, it is true that there are required number of peons in the office here but none of them are from low caste. As no one from the high caste would ever like to do the works related to the defecations of a dog, Dialu being a untouchable one was brought on deputation to clean attend the dog of the Ex-officer. He is a very good worker Sir”.
The officer said, “But I don’t have any pet dog. Again Madam is very conservative. She will not like to allow him for any domestic work as he is an untouchable. Better cancel his deputation and send him to his previous place of posting”.

Dialu overheard everything as he was standing there with his ears pressing to the door. He felt the stool underneath was giving way. Blood curdling in his veins Had the previous officer been there in front of him, he would have thrown the stool at his head and would said, “Bloody, bastard! You brought me on deputation not because of my efficiency but because of my untouchable caste, to clean the defecations of your dog!”

*********