Hello everybody! Enjoy the rainy season. The fourteenth video on ‘Spinning into Career’ takes you to Ruchi’s office.
In crowd, one has to bear the strong smell of sweat and scent. Matters become worse when the trains get cancelled. A person may trip and fall and people may walk over the person to board the train. Women quarrel at a very high pitch. Quarrels escalate into slapping, pulling each other’s hair, pushing, kicking and punching in the ladies’ compartment. One hears abuses in different languages since the crowd is cosmopolitan. There are two routes to reach Ruchi’s office on the left of Hilton Road. Ruchi takes a fast local from Bhimpoli, gets off at Shorine Lines and walks from Shorine Lines to Central Terminus to reach her office via Anand Wholesale Market. In another route she takes a train to Bhimpoli to Sander which has a stinking smell from the backwaters of the Sharnai sea. She boards a slow passenger train to Central Terminus. A peculiar smell indicates the arrival of Ghardala station and the arrival of Jismad station is indicated by a strong smell of spice. She gets down at Central Terminus and walks to Hilton Road to reach her office.
Once Ruchi boards a train from Sander to reach Central Terminus. While boarding, a woman with a high-heeled sandals trips on Ruchi’s feet. She falls on the platform. Fearing a brawl, Ruchi, without looking back, disappears into the crowded train. Her office is an old building. Anand market ends with a fish market and an abattoir. Meat and Beef are displayed in the open market. Retailers come to the market to buy meat and fish at a wholesale rate. Most of the office goers pass through the awful stink of fish and meat. A South Indian Brahmin is on his way to the office. Fish water falls on him. He feels disgusted. Crows and pigeons spill bits of meat or fish from their beaks as they hover around. The office windows are opened and the stink lingers in the air.
Ruchi’s duty is to register companies. She has to check the documents provided by various companies and prepare a file for each one to be put up for registration. She goes through the documents like Shops and Establishment Act, Memorandum of Articles of Association and balance sheets. Later she learns from her officer that companies have two sets of balance sheets; One of them is genuine, which they keep for themselves, and another a fabricated one, which they use for tax assessment and government purposes. The Dispatch section receives letters from companies or shops willing to register themselves. After registration, they become a government supplier for which they pay some amount as security deposit. They send their manuals, describing each of their products and its design, efficiency and material. Suppliers are categorized according to what they supply. If they supply chemicals, they must register themselves with the Chemical section. Iron and steel will be at the engineering wing, Scientific and Industrial equipment and so on.
Ruchi has a little spare time after four in the afternoon. She puts a notebook on her lap and reads English Literature notes. She puts the notebook aside when she sees an officer taking rounds. Her time in the train is spent reading the History of the West. A company is registered for a stipulated period after which it applies for renewal of registration. Renewal is done based on prompt supply of materials, satisfactory quality and prompt services. Orders for purchase of goods and services are placed by government bodies. The suppliers quote their rates and those who supply good quality materials at reasonable rates are allotted orders. Ruchi dispatches registration certificates of companies to various departments. She gets the office copies certified and puts them in the respective files of companies.
Thank you for listening. We shall know more about Ruchi’s office in the next video. Till then, goodbye!
Video can be viewed on You Tube by typing ‘Spinning into a Career’ by Usha Raman.
