Yesterday, As I walked into the canteen in my office to get me my cup of hot brew, I noticed a plump, sweet, doll like little girl quietly sitting in one corner on a chair, with a colourful book in her hand.
I was quite surprised to see her there as in our corporate office, I have always noticed either boring serious and mundane looking people or snobbish” the world is a dustbin” attitude people. That little girl looked like a welcome change in our office like a wiff of fresh air.
She was wearing a frock which was nice but slightly oversized. Her hair was neatly done in two ponytails by the side of her ears and she quietly sat there looking here and there with eyes full of wonder.

On enquiring about her to the peons, I found out that she was the daughter of Ghosh babu, the middle aged clerk who worked in our office.
Ghosh babu was a middle aged person working for many years in our office. He earns very humble and works really hard to make both ends meet. Ghosh babu lived in a small village called Haridaspur, in the outskirts of Kolkata.
Every day he took the 5.30 am local train and then a bus to reach office sharp at 9am. I was very fond of Ghosh babu as he was sincere in his work and extremely soft spoken.

” Madam, My daughter.”, said, Ghosh babu with a proud smile in his face. He had come to the canteen then to see if his daughter was behaving properly or not. He had given her a colour book with a strict instruction that she should sit quietly there without moving anywhere.

” She is very sweet. what’s her name? How come you got her in office today Ghosh Babu?“, I asked.

” Her name is Mou.”, Ghosh babu said this with a proud fatherly smile, Mou quietly walked up to us and stood behind her father, hiding herself behind her fathers’ back and glancing at me quietly from there with an astonished look.

” Madam, what could I have done without getting her here. For the last one year she’s been eating up my ears that she wants to see my office. She wants to see where I spend so many hours, the people I work with. We live in a small village so it’s her desire to see the city and the people here in this office. I had told her that if she studies properly then someday I will take her to my office. This time she’s come first in her school in second standard and eversince then she was adamant that I must keep my promise now. Since the puja is arriving and work is little low these days, I got her here today.”, Ghosh babu said and looked at me, while Mou constantly kept glancing at me.

I sat down with my cup of coffee beside Mou and kept chatting with her while Ghosh babu went back to his desk. Mou told me that it was her first visit to Kolkata and on the way she saw tall buildings and many cars. She proudly told me that the dress that she was wearing was her best dress which her father had got for her from Kolkata during last year durga Puja. She was very excited and said she always wanted to see where her father works.

But all this while she never removed her glance at me. Her eyes had a look of surprise while she was talking to me and once she became easy with me by talking this and that she asked,

” Didi, why do you wear dress like my father?”

Mou was referring to my western formal attire in office with black shoes. I didnt know what to answer and fell off laughing.

I took her by her hand, with me showing her places in the office. It was all so new and different in her little eyes. Quietly she walked by my side watching and observing even the little things like Alice in Wonderland.

“ Baba WORKS IN A COMPUTER? WOW!!!! I always knew he is a very big man. Hence he is my Hero!!!”, Mou told me excitedly.

“You know didi, in our village, Baba is one of the most respected man. Even old people come to our house to seek his advise. During Durga Puja, Baba organizes everything. You know why? Because Baba does a very big job in Kolkata. None of my friends’ father works in such a big office in Kolkata, sitting infront of a computer. “, Mou went on in her enthusiasm. To her, everything was new and exciting. Her eyes went big and bright as she was speaking to me about her Hero, her father.

I knew Ghosh babu was just a third grade clerk in our office and extremely humble in means, yet I loved the admiration that he had in the eyes of his little daughter Mou.

I took Mou upstairs where I sat, beside the Branch manager and the Regional Manager’s cabin.
Soumen Sengupta, The Branch Manager, sloppily sat looking at his laptop with the usual stern expression in his face which we are now sure in office that ‘ he’s born with it’. I brought Mou and made her sit in a chair beside my desk. Soumen Sengupta quickly passed a nasty glance at me and at Mou, possibly because he thought bringing Mou to my desk was irresponsible and Mou he must have found very low in his taste because of her humble dress and get up.

Mou was feeling very consious by then and she was looking here and there trying to decipher a way to adjust into this unknown world. To make her comfortable, I gave her candies from the candy bowl kept in my desk.

“ Who is the uncle sitting in that open door glass cabin? He also works with Baba?”, Mou asked pointing at Sengupta.

“hmmmm”, I replied.

“Look didi Baba is entering his glass cabin. Now my Baba will give him some work and he will have to do it because My Baba is a very big man in this office, right na?“, as Mou said this, I saw Ghosh babu slightly tensed walking into Sengupta’s cabin.

We were sitting just beside the cabin so could hear everything.

” Ghosh Babu, YOU ARE REALLY A GOOD FOR NOTHING FELLOW!!! What the nonsense have you drafted in this file. Its all wrong. The figures you have quoted for May and june are mismatches. I mean, you think everything is very easy, eh? With this quality of work do you think You even justify your salary? The bank is ready to give VRS to people like you. Old bones… its better you sit at home and work in some paddy field. Now will you stop standing infront of me with your sorry looking face and go to your seat and correct the data?”, Sengupta just finished shouting at Ghosh babu with his harsh loud voice.

I noticed Ghosh babu looking helplessly once at Sengupta and once at me as he walked out of the cabin and went downstairs. I looked at Mou. She had her head bend low. Like a house of cards, the image of her hero which she built with love and affection had just collapsed infront of her eyes and she suddenly caught a glimpse of a brutal reality which even the little one didn’t fail to understand. I knew she was feeling miserable and tried giving her sweets and telling her stories to cheer her up, but the little girl went mute as if gone into a shell.

As Mou was leaving for the day, I went to her to say a good bye and she asked me with a heavy voice…” Didi, The uncle who sits in the glass cabin… what has he studied to be so big?”

” Mou, He is an MBA from a school called IIM in Ahmedabad.”, I tried to sound simple yet accurate while answering her query.

Ghosh Babu had come by then to take his daughter home.

” Baba, I really liked your office. It so nice and didi showed me all around the place. I met so many people. Now I will go home and tell all this to everyone. People like you so much at your office. Didi told me that she respects you a lot. I am so happy Baba. THANKYOU”, as she said this she hugged Ghosh babu and I noticed the twinkle in his eyes to get such appreciation and admiration from his little daughter.

” Baba, I want one more thing from you. Thereafter I will never ask anything ever. Promise.”, said Mou to Ghosh babu.

” You had told me you want to see my office, I kept that promise. Now what else?”, said Ghosh babu fearing that his daughter might have spotted something in the office which she would now throw tantrum for him to buy her on the way back.

” Baba, when I grow up, I want to be a big manager…. so BIG that you don’t have to work so hard anymore. I will study very hard for that from today. I want to be an MBA from a school called IIM in Ahmedabad. Promise me Baba, you will fulfill this wish of mine?”, said Mou as she gave me a quick glance and Ghosh Babu took her in his arms.

Popularity: 3% [?]