Remember?

Today’s Obituary Columnin the TOI informed me that a much loved colleague had passed away.

Chhoti (a nickname that connotes ‘small’) was a tall, broad shouldered, no nonsense, Parsi lady. ‘Statuesque’ is the adjective that comes to mind. I met Chhoti for the first time in very unusual circumstances. Unusual for the corporate world, that is!

I was a few months into my first job and the monsoons were unleashing their fury. An overnight downpour had flooded a lower floor in the office building thanks to an open window. The water stood shin deep and had nowhere to go. Staff were thin on the ground as public transport had come to a standstill, and there were just a handful of us who had signed in. We received the call, ‘all hands on deck and bring your wastepaper basket with you’ - WPBs in our office, in those days, were made of heavy duty plastic akin to buckets. Mystified, we wended our way to the floor in question, WPB in hand. There, Chhoti made us line up, shoulder to shoulder, scoop up the water and pass the ‘bucket’ on till the last man, stationed in the toilet, received it and emptied it. More than several buckets later, we were a tired but satisfied bunch – job accomplished! That’s when Chhoti discovered thin, puny, mini-skirted, red-gumbooted, little me. After her initial, surprised, ‘Where did you come from?’ we soon sorted out the introductions and went on from there. We never forgot our first encounter over the bucket brigade!

Chhoti ruled the Filing Department with a rod of iron and a formidable memory. She was also responsible for doling out the stationery. Woe betide the hapless staff member who misplaced a stapler or a punch or for that matter used up a steno pad well before its appointed time! But she was a loyal friend and a very helpful colleague. She also had a wry sense of humour. Everyone – temporary or permanent – who passed through the portals, encountered Chhoti at one time or another. And everyone who did would definitely remember her. Unforgettable – that was Chhoti!