The Institute celebrates its foundation day religiously every year. One part of the celebrations is to award best xxxx awards. There are best doctors, best residents, best office workers, best servants, and dome more. Some of them get the award more than once, I heard. The process is that the head of that section makes a recommendation. Then different committees presumably deliberate over the nominations and choose one each. Selection of committee members is by an unknown process. Selection criteria are best known to the committee members, I presume. The best xxxx people fill half the auditorium.
I was forced to attend one such function once, because a donor was to give an endoscopy camera to my department, and he wanted to give it in front of all people and immortalize the even with photographs. While I was waiting, I happened to see a servant sitting in the group of award winners. I was stunned.
"See that fellow" I said to my Assistant Professor, who was keeping me company. "he was in our department. He would be drunk on duty."
"He seems to be drunk even now. His eyes are red."
"He would disappear from the department every now and then. He would take people to different outpatient clinics, claim they were his relatives and get them preferential treatment. They would then take him to the canteen, or perhaps please him some other way. We got him transferred elsewhere because they would not terminate him and we wanted someone who actually worked. he pleaded with us, but we did not take him back. He managed to come back after a couple of years when someone retired from a light job and there was a vacancy. After some time we got him sent elsewhere again, because he had not changed his ways.. He pleaded again, with similar results as the last time. Now he is here to receive the best servant's award."
"How?"
"His section chief must have recommended his name, or his section chief must head the selection committee or be on the committee" I said.
"Perhaps he is just sitting there, and does not get an award."
That was just wishful thinking. His name was called and he got the award.
"This is how they do these things?"
"This is how they do these things" I said.
After we returned to the department, a laboratory technician who got an award came to see me. His name was recommended because he was to retire soon after and he had not done anything wrong while he served.
Sir, look at my certificate" he said.
I looked at it. It was a printed certificate, with blanks filled in.
"They have not even cancelled Mrs from the 'Mr/Mrs/Ms' part!" I said. "They could not do even that?"
'Yes" he said sadly and went away.
I was forced to attend one such function once, because a donor was to give an endoscopy camera to my department, and he wanted to give it in front of all people and immortalize the even with photographs. While I was waiting, I happened to see a servant sitting in the group of award winners. I was stunned.
"See that fellow" I said to my Assistant Professor, who was keeping me company. "he was in our department. He would be drunk on duty."
"He seems to be drunk even now. His eyes are red."
"He would disappear from the department every now and then. He would take people to different outpatient clinics, claim they were his relatives and get them preferential treatment. They would then take him to the canteen, or perhaps please him some other way. We got him transferred elsewhere because they would not terminate him and we wanted someone who actually worked. he pleaded with us, but we did not take him back. He managed to come back after a couple of years when someone retired from a light job and there was a vacancy. After some time we got him sent elsewhere again, because he had not changed his ways.. He pleaded again, with similar results as the last time. Now he is here to receive the best servant's award."
"How?"
"His section chief must have recommended his name, or his section chief must head the selection committee or be on the committee" I said.
"Perhaps he is just sitting there, and does not get an award."
That was just wishful thinking. His name was called and he got the award.
"This is how they do these things?"
"This is how they do these things" I said.
After we returned to the department, a laboratory technician who got an award came to see me. His name was recommended because he was to retire soon after and he had not done anything wrong while he served.
Sir, look at my certificate" he said.
I looked at it. It was a printed certificate, with blanks filled in.
"They have not even cancelled Mrs from the 'Mr/Mrs/Ms' part!" I said. "They could not do even that?"
'Yes" he said sadly and went away.
