When you are in service, you will always see a Boss ‘above’ you. You may rise up to the Top most position of the company and still see a Boss above you in the form of a Director, Promoter, Minister etc. But in the rarest of the circumstances you will see a Boss who is ‘with’ you. Such was the persona of Shri Subhash Mane (DGM, IDBI Bank) who happened to be my Boss in CMS, Nariman Point.
I was pleasantly surprised to know such a youthful, compassionate and understanding Boss. With due respect to all my present and past bosses, I have no hitch in labelling him as my Best Boss till date. Mane Sir was is a perfect man but he had a problem that most of us face, the English language!!! But he made sure that he always talked in English and sometimes it would transliterate to funny/ double meanings. He would say “I have to fast walk from the seat as somebody is outstanding for him” !!! When we asked “Sir where do you go after the lunch”, he would say..”I walk round the clock” (he meant round the campus of the building). Till the day he was relieved from CMS, he would give approvals as “appruved“ . He said anything that came to his mind and we inferred. He was always cracking jokes in the office but when it came to work he was very professional. He would not let go of a single deal. During his 1 year tenure as Regional Head, CMS-West, we bagged the largest Dividend Deal of the industry ‘Reliance Industries Limited’ beating HDFC Bank and many other Banks in the race. Later, we also got the mandate from Central Railways for Mumbai and Pune Region and many other large Corporates. Was he lucky? May be he was, but I think more than lucky, he was a very positive person, he always perceived everything as an opportunity. I have never done sales in my career so far but I do understand what it takes to convince a company (not individual) to do business with us. Most of the clients were mesmerised by his simplicity. Also, his positivity and hilarious nature brought cheers to every member of the CMS team. Unfortunately, he received a transfer order to Satara suddenly. The roller coaster ended, the thrill was gone. Each one of the team members was emotional during his farewell, I had tears in my eyes and one of my colleagues Mr Manoj Nayak actually cried. He is travelling to Pune tomorrow to see Mane Sir.
I distinctly recall, one day when I gave the reason for my absence as sickness, he instantly said “Munish, I am in 50 and I have not 1 sick leave all my career, you must good healthcare at this age”. Sadly, he had to consume all the balance of his sick leaves in one go. The person who was once so full of life is these days struggling with cancer at Ruby Hospital, Pune. He and those who have known him would never have imagined that a minor cramp in his feet would develop to cancer someday. He is on ventilator in ICU, not able to speak or recognise anyone. I spoke to his wife today. She said “Beta, we need your prayers to bring him back to life”. I choked.
….Guys, people like him are rare. We need him with us. Heaven can wait. Request you all to pray for him even if you don’t know him. No donations, contributions required. Just your honest prayers.
By Meatlof...
May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.
May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
And may your song always be sung
May you stay forever young
Yours Truly,
Munish.
