Chapter IV

Promotion in the service of the company: Trust and faith were earned through long toil and tears. The General Manager placed trust on me. He invited me to his Bungalow and asked me to participate in a test and good result would propel my promotion. Steel Bros & Co. was a renowned importer of yarn, which had a robust and brisk market. The imported yarns were stored in the big go-down on the bank of Shitalakha River, Narayangonj, which was a large market for yarn. The weavers of various area purchased yarn from Narayangaonj at a wholesale rate from our stock. The market rate was sky high and much higher than our selling rate. A complaint was lodged that yarn was sold at a higher rate than the company rate. London office advised General Manager to hold a test and the author of the best report would man the post of Manager in Narayangonj. Fifteen days time was given to submit the report. This landed me in deep anxiety, as I had to compete with the degree holders. I took ten days leave. I stayed as a paying guest of Halim Miah and told him about my journey to Dhaka. I visited all the areas where weaver weaved the cloths, ascertained the price, use, dye, count and demand of the yarn of different places in country and with my camera took the photo of the looms and the weaver. At the last leg of the journey I stayed at government rest house, Dinajpur where a businessman Umeshbabu invited me to dinner. I went to his house a two-storied building with garden of fancy flowers in the front and which testified that the gentleman was endowed with rich and fashionable taste. He banqueted me with big fishes and curry (Kai, Luchi, Magur etc.). He also served mutton of un-castrated goat, which had bad smell, which irritated my stomach. I returned to the rest house and reeled with severe pain in the
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teeth. The Deputy Commissioner of Khulna middle-aged person staying in the next room heard my cries and gave me a drop of medicine in hot water to gurgle, which gave me immediate relief. I prepared a report with detailed data and photo portraying the requirements, price and demand of each count of yarn of each market of the country and submitted in time to the office and the General Manager sent the same to London Head Office. The London office considered my report to be perfect and the best and Chittagong ofice transmitted the copy of the same to the different branches of the company. The board of directors appointed me the Manager of the Narayangonj office and awarded me a certificate and IRs. 5000.00, which kindled hope and joy. At the age of 24 in January 1954 I became the Manager of a British company. Blessings of the parents, toil and honesty in work could propel a man towards a prosperous future.

I joined the Narayangonj office as Manager: I came back to Dhaka but I remembered Halim Miah for encouraging and sheltering me under his umbrella during my dark days. In Narayangonj there was a Bungalow with kitchen near our go-down and a room of the Bungalow was my office. I started office with devotion and dedication with fourteen staff including an accountant, a junior officer, a stenographer, four go-down keepers for the delivery of the yarn and also four guards who aided me in my work. I took prior approval of the general manager before execution. To maintain the stability of demand I made quota system, which arrested the volatility of the market and increased the profit margin of the weavers. Now I obtained a monthly salary Rs.1,500 in addition to medical and conveyance and other allowances which amounted to Rs. 2,500 and also two bonuses in a year. After keeping pocket expenses I handed over the

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remainder to my mother who spent for maintaining the family. I purchased the house in 1954 in the name of mother by paying Rs.15,000 out of my income. I woke up early in the morning at 5 a.m. and took bath in river Buriganga and started for office at Narayangonj at 6 a.m. and took lunch at office and after whole day work I returned to residence at night. I arranged connection of the water pipeline from the municipality for my house. We had one female attendant who was pre-occupied with work and swept the house by broomstick. My mother woke up early in the morning and served breakfast. She suffered from blood pressure. I told her not to take the trouble but she still did the work.

My marriage proposal : My house was the sanctuary of guests and the anchor of my cousin sisters and the daughters of my eldest maternal aunt. My home boomed and beamed with flush of rollicking joy. My second maternal aunt a lively woman visited my mother and two sisters spun anecdotes and chewed betel leaves. My mother visited many houses to select bride for me and mother did not like my participation in discussion regarding my marriage. All left the village Bikrampur and settled at Narayangonj and Dhaka for the prosecution of the studies of the children and rendered mutual help. My maternal aunts and uncle and grandma visited our house. Grandma prepared snacks, which I liked. My cousin brother Nehal was a Deputy Magistrate and cousin sister Kamalas husband was a renowned economist of the Dhaka University. She was graceful and her complexion sparkled in rosy hue. My uncle Habibur Raham Sinha purchased a house at Narayangonj and settled there after returning from Calcutta. He had four wives who lived together in the same house. Uncle

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Hamidur Rahman Sinha lived in a big Bungalow at Chasara and established a laboratory to manufacture medicine. My uncles had affection for me. Steel Bros & Co. imported sanitary fittings, Burma teak and other products in addition to yarn by foreign steamers berthing at Chittagong Port from where these products were carried by barge to Narayangonj and were stored in the go-down. The company gave me a power attorney by which I could draw the money from the Bank and the cash rupees two lac (approx) received from the sale of yarn every day was kept in the iron safe and the accountant deposited the same with the Bank on the following day. For good transaction I was rewarded with Certificate and Cash money by the London office. Buoyant yarn price could lure me to seize the golden opportunity of making money by taking commission on the sale of each bale of yarn, which would make me billionaire in no time. I had no greed. I wanted to turn honest penny. Alok Banerjee tempted me with a packet of Rs. 5000, which I declined. This abashed the gentleman. The gentleman assured me to show my hand to a famous astrologer who could tell about the future. He took the print of my hand and bade good-bye. One day there was heavy storm with rain, which upset the barge, loaded with yarn kept under constant watch of the guard. The bales of yarn were all right and could not be unloaded from the barge, as that was the Sunday. I behaved friendly with my office staff that was faithful, experienced and devoted to duty. I was always strict disciplinarian and had perfect sense of time and never remained absent from the office even in the midst of storm and rain.

Conspiracy to assassinate me : I followed the rules of the office strictly and never allowed any staff to violate them. General Manager trusted me and praised my work and which sparked joy in my mind.

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Agha and Rizbis behavior became friendly. A yarn dealer of Deobogh, Narayangonj requested me to remove the quota system, which affected his business, and I did not comply. He invited me to dinner and office staff smelled sinister motive and accompanied me to the dinner, which was served after long dawdling. This gave rise to suspicion to kill me by mixing poison in food. The presence of the staff deterred him from this heinous exercise. Pal Babu of Dhaka a reputed yarn dealer was allotted yarn worth Tk.2 lac on credit. He did not visit us for a few days and went to Calcutta without payment, which put me in awkward position. I informed general manager of the situation and as per his instructions I visited Calcutta and Pal Babu apologized for his lapses. He accompanied me to Dhaka and made full payment and salvaged me from the hazard. Alok Banerjee returned from Calcutta and presented me tie & handkerchief and gave me forecast by astrologer with horoscope, which I kept in the Almirah. At 68 I explored that horoscope and found his forecast to be right. Mother was worried for Mintu studying in the Jagannath College for his dabbling in politics and she visited shrines and spiritual man for blessings so that Mintu left politics and devoted to study. In 1955 I attended office at Narayangonj from Dhaka. On holidays my father shopped many necessary items including big fishes. My mother cooked hotchpotch, pilau and spicy chicken. Family members of maternal and paternal uncle and aunt mustered in our house and enjoyed banquette. Sometime, I visited Calcutta and Anarkali grandma at Taltola also my favorite rendezvous coffee house and reminisced the sweet past. Chillabhai left Calcutta and settled at Azmir. Mother was in the grip of searching hysteria for bride for me.

Bride selection:

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My youngest maternal uncle knew Siddique Dewan whose daughter-in-law was beautiful and she had a younger sister. Father gathered information about the family and called at the house of Dewan and got the idea about the bride. Mother made a wild goose chase and failed to select a bride of her liking. She was an old fossil and could not trim her sails with the changing winds of time and captive of superstitions. Mother was averse to meeting the bride before marriage. I had to marry the bride selected by my mother. Father had to act on her words and I did not dare to flout my mothers opinions and acts. Parents along with other relatives visited Siddique Dewans house and liked his daughter-in-law and gave the proposal for marriage of her younger sister. Mr. Dewan went to Dulahazara to discuss the matter with brides father. Afterwards my parents along with my members of my maternal uncles family met the bride and gave me an indistinct photo of the bride. I went to Calcutta and shopped Sari, cosmetics and shoes for the bride who was tender in age and whom my younger sisters knew from their days in Gandaria Girls School. Parents fixed the (akd) marriage contract ceremony on 15th January 1955.

My marriage : Friends bantered me for marrying without seeing the bride. Marriage agreement (Akd) ceremony was performed and the contract was registered with dowry of Tk. 10,100 with the marriage registrar. One afternoon I visited house of brides second sister at Patuatuli she was an intelligent and astute lady and she allowed me to meet the bride her younger sister Runu.

First meeting with wife:

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I saw my wife dressed in light green sari purchased by me from Calcutta. Her face beamed in the golden glow of the evening. She looked at me with smiles sparkling her face. My wife chosen by my parents with the shower of their blessings looked stunning. I told her a few words, which would be reserved as precious jewels in the corner of our hearts. On the way I repeatedly remembered. My maiden meeting with my wife In the golden glow of the twilight Ignited my love and filled my life. She is my eternal companion, a consort Basking in the sunshine of blessings And with flame of passion She touched my heart. I was free of tension and anxiety and fear to marry without meeting effaced. The following day I went to meet her and took her to cinema and watched film in the evening and anchored her at her sisters house. I returned to my residence at the mill barrack. Before departure to Dulahazara my wife met my parents and took leave of them. She had a life of her own cradled in love and affection of the parents before marriage. I cherished a fervent desire to hear from her lips the impulsive saga of that life.

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