musings 303

I was conscientious( I do not know what that word would mean exactly) central government official of the old school.. When I was working in Pollachi as Income Tax Officer, I was commuting 60 kms either side from Palakkad..

On some nights, I have stayed back in office all alone.. partly to save the tedium of travel, and partly to decimate the daunting workload.

.I would be doing assessments and prima facie adjustments of the returns of income working . continuously for thirteen or fourteen hours..

It was a single officer establishment at that time (I think we have two officers there now), and only one watchman (usually drunk) would be available somewhere outside ( I believed so) ..

and my cabin was the place where one man ( the then owner of the house) had hanged himself..

(In fact the department was keeping that building for almost the last thirty years ago, as the rent was very nominal, because the owners had deserted it after that sad incident.. We were keeping that building till our own building was in place a couple of years ago )

I have not felt any difference..

Later on even as an Additonal commissioner at Palakkad, my own native place, just a couple of years ago and until a few months ago, I would reach office by 8 AM and most others would be making their appearance around 10 AM.. I would haunt the office in solitude on some saturdays and sundays too many time in utter solitude..

(THIS WAS WRITTEN 14 YEARS AGO)

So my experience is that for a Government official, that too a taxman, keeping one's own company would hardly do any damage for his pshyche..

I have a strong feeling that a taxman is already a crackpot, ghost and spirit(may not the liquid called spirit, but might contain the liquid too) all put together, and the usual ogres, demons, demigods and ordinary people too would bolt off giving him ample opportunity to have a lot of time in solitude..