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ATTITUDE DETERMINES ALTITUDE

This is a story of two friends who were born and lived in a remote village. For convenience of understanding by the reader, they are named Sudhanshu and Sidharth.

Sundhashu and Sidharth were born in a village as neighbors. They played together and grew up. The parents of both the boys were dear friends. They thought to send them to village school at the right age. As thought by parents, Sudhanshu and Sidharth were sent to the village school. After elementary education, both joined the middle school at a distance of about 5 km from school. Going and coming from school was tedious for the young but they enjoyed as every day they devised new methods to reach home.

Sometimes, lift from horse cart, sometimes walking on foot, sometimes riding cycles while the cyclist pedaled it. The simple villagers believed and enjoyed the stories of traveling from village to school and school to village by the young boys.

Even mothers and other elders in the family enjoyed feeding and cajoling the young children when they returned from school. Children too loved it and felt pampered. They loved to add many things from their own fantasy to the real happening everyday.

They grew up and cleared the middle and high school. Brilliant as they were, senior secondary class was also passed without much efforts.

The day of their going to the college was celebrated by the villagers as a great celebration. They were garlanded. The village chief felt honored while sitting with the educated children. The boys joined the college.

First day at college was really pleasurable. Sundashu asked Sidarth: School was a jail. Here in the college, there is no attendance, no late coming. Choice of attending or not attending the class is with us. And even the elders of the village will not check or interrupt with their strong words.

Sidarth gleefully said: hmm.

Both passed graduation. After graduation they started thinking about their career. One day they came across an advertisement by a bank requiring Probationary Officers. Both discussed between themselves and started preparing for the competition. They cleared the competition and joined the bank.

First salary: Parents and elders celebrated with drinks and feast. Dance and music was played. In the whole village, these two boys became Probationary Officers and the word also spread in other villages like wiled fire. Parents, generally peasants, started asking their wards to get education and join the bank.

Everyday in the bank was a new day for learning. Both were serious in learning the procedures. Their family members felt proud when they heard the long stories of appreciation of their kids.

Time went by. Responsibilities of the work increased.

One day, a letter from Circle Office came that said that Sudanshu and Sidarth would go on training.

With the letters in hand, both the boys were happy as well as worried and stressed because questions were crossing in the mind: What will be the training? Who will conduct the training? Why is training need? Again the mind answered: You don't know much about the procedures of bank and hence you need training. Training is to make you more intelligent and capable to handle the working procedures of the banking industry.

Right from that day till the day the training was to start, minds of both the boys went on discussing the different aspects of the training. The day came. Both packed their luggage. Some young lads of the village carried the luggage on their shoulders and started while the boys paid respects to their elders. Elders blessed them and instructed them to keep in touch while on training.

This was a first visit to a big city by the boys born and brought up in a remote village.

Both reached in the big city and took a taxi to reach the hotel. Taxi left them at the hotel where training was to be conducted next day. Both took bath and dinner. Then both enjoyed the sleep. But the subject of training was not leaving their mind. Many questions, many answers were popping up. Palpitation went up and down.

Right at 9, the training started. Both were listening to the speakers very attentively. Morning tea, lunch and evening high tea was served and enjoyed by them. A course of soup was also served during the training. At 5 pm, the training was over.

With handouts, reading material and pamphlets, both Sudanshu and Sidarth went to their room. They shared the room which was attached with bath. Both took bath, had dinner and relaxed for a while.

Sidarth after some relaxation, got up from the bed and sat on the table with lights on. On this, Sudanshu shouted: We are here on training and not for preparing for exams. Switch off the lights and sleep.

But Sidarth, switched off the lights for a while and when he found that Sudanshu is snoring, he got up from the bed and started writing report of whatever was learnt during the day.

He made a report suggesting how the training has helped him. For 3 days, he kept on preparing the reports of the learning from training.

The 3-day training was over. Both returned. Bank welcomed them. Villagers welcomed them. Sidarth submitted the report of the training to his Branch Manager while Sudanshu just dismissed this act of Sudarth as sheer wastage of time and papers.

Time went by. Many training were attended by Sudanshu and Sidarth. Sudanshu never submitted the reports while Sidarth never missed to submit the reports.

Sundanshu on the basis of time scale retired as DGM but Sidarth was promoted as GM and CGM. When Sidarth retired, bank offered him the post of a director which he gladly accepted.

Now Sudanshu is retired as DGM and idle. Villagers are asking him, taunting him, cajoling him and he was unable to answer these questions of illiterate and ignorant villagers. Sudanshu went on burning inside.

One day he met a person, who suggested that he should contact some lawyer as bank has done injustice to him.

Retired and idle as he was, he met the advocate. The lawyer told him that injustice has been done to him and he should file a suit in a court of law.

The idea struck to the mind of Sudanshu and he filed a suit in a court of law claiming injustice by the bank violating the natural rule: equality before the law.

It took about 3 years and the court dismissed his claim. He filed the first appeal and it also took about 3-4 years and the appeal was dismissed. Second appeal was filed. Idle brain is devil's workshop. It also failed. Next appeal was filed in the Apex Court of the land.

The day of hearing was fixed. Bank was asked to give the grounds on which Sidarth was promoted as GM, CGM and then made the director. Bank came to attend the hearing armed with all the reports and documents submitted by Sidarth. Bank also prepared data of expenditure on the training of Sudanshu and Sidarth. The benefits to bank from the training of Sudanshu was NIL while that from Sidarth was exponential.

The lawyer of the bank pleaded: Me Lord, Bank spent lot of money and resources to train Sudanshu and Sidarth. Bank gave equal opportunities to Sudanshu and Sidarth. But Sudanshu never submitted any report and whatever reports were submitted were not up to the mark. Casual approach was adopted by Sudanshu.

On the other hand, the reports submitted by Sidarth were worthy of application in Banking industry. Reports of Sidarth were zeroxed and sent to the various branches. Many new rules and procedures that have increased profitability of the bank. Due to this sincerity and attitude, Sidarth was promoted as GM, CGM and then was found eligible to be a director of the bank.

Honorable judge of the Apex Court enquired, €Can you show me the report?€
Lawyers responded respectfully, €Yes, of course, Me Lord. Three trucks of reports submitted by Sidarth are parked outside.€

Honorable judge waved to the lawyer in affirmation and ordered:

€Both - plaintiff and t


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