Jack of All Trades Master of None

Every human being is ambitious. Every human being is enthusiastic. Of course; all are not equally ambitious or enthusiastic. Enthusiasm and ambition vary from a person to person. All cannot become masters too. Only a few can become master. Thus, popular idiom "Jack of all trades, master of none" has come into vogue. It applies to many of us even to- day. Sometimes, it is one’s proud claim or a self boasting too. Sometimes, it is an admission or a submission of fact that they are not masters in every field and there is much for them to achieve in every field. Many people in this world try to master as many trades as possible. Their view may be that it is impossible to master everything let me be at least jack of all. It is natural for most of us to have too high an opinion of ourselves. Whether, it is overconfidence or, superiority complex, it is hard to make out. A few among us are only complacent. Majority among us are unsatisfied with what has been recognized and awarded to us. In other words we are discontented. We feel we are not adequately compensated. We feel that we deserve more than what we are blessed with. This fact holds good whether one is in business, profession, or career. In fact, many among us are really good for nothing. Many of us recollect our past and pat on our back ourselves. A few among us only think that we are useless. These facts are related to human nature.

Countless men come and go in this universe. Even though they are born equal and they die equal, their lives are not alike. Everybody’s life is unique and is different in one way or other to life of other. There is no doubt in the fact that one has to learn something or other from someone else in this world. This is evident from various autobiographies that we come across. There is no end to learning. Sky is the limit. We can study an autobiography word by word. Autobiography is nothing but memoirs of one's life written by one's self. It is certainly easy to write others story but it is not at all easy to write an autobiography. Life is full of experiences. One shares rarely all their experiences with others. One shares only experiences which they think as important with others in their autobiography. Sometimes one's autobiography influences us and sometimes it does not influence us. It all depends on what type of a person we are and what type of a person who has written autobiography is. Reading volumes is always laborious and time consuming also. It requires a lot of patience too. Therefore, majority of people prefer to go through gist only. Brevity is style and brevity is always appreciated. As such it is better autobiographies are epitomized. It is the need of the hour. Only if important points or views, which are essential, are incorporated in it, it is enough. Only a few among us are fortunate and have time to write an autobiography or go through autobiographies of others. Most of the autobiographies are got written like history that was got written by kings and emperors. They do not have originality. There is definitely a lot of difference between what one would have written and what one would get written. In majority of autobiographies we do not come across darker side of a personality. It is only one side of a coin presented. Only a few autobiographies are truthful like autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi. As a consequence, only autobiographies of great people receive attention. Other autobiographies may only draw attention of descendants of autobiographers. In an autobiography one can write whatever they feel or whatever they experience. Of course, autobiographies should contain facts only. Pen gives one all the freedom to write. It is their pen. None can question them why they have written this or why they have not written that one. It is their book and it is their life only. Reading and writing are great habits and one should cultivate them to achieve greatness.

We find maturity only among a few children that we meet. Majority of the children that we come across in our life are immature. They are not serious. The reason for this may be genetic inheritance or their upbringing. Further, majority of children do not know either value of money or value of time. Children are not aware how much their parents have to toil to earn money. Whatever the child sees in other child’s hand it would like to have it. How difficult for the parents to have it, how costly it is, whether parents can afford it etc child will have no idea at all. Parents always take pleasure in satisfying small wishes of their kids. In fact, they feel unhappy if they fail to fulfill the wishes of their children. It is a pity; even when with great difficulty parents’ fulfill their indents, children do not exercise due care and preserve them safely or make optimum use of it instead they spoil it. On the contrary they come out with one more demand. They do not have any responsibility. They are careless. I belonged to this category of children. I was brought up more affectionately and tenderly by my parents. I was naughty. Either I or my mother knew value of education. My mother was an illiterate lady. Besides, my father was very busy at office and he could not devote any time to our family matters. So at the age of seven only I was admitted to first standard along with my elder sister who was elder to me by 11 months only. Of course, father arranged private tuitions to me through Sri M.S. Adigal and Sri Krishnaiah (Sri P.K. Karanth) who subsequently were absorbed into the services of Corporation Bank. We were eleven children. So, individual attention to every child was very difficult at home. I was not concentrating much on studies. My studies were mostly confined to examination period just to get promoted to next class. Rest of the days, I used to wile away my time. Kannada was medium of instruction to me up to Secondary Level Certificate Examination.

Of course, English was one of the subjects taught to me through out my school days. I was scoring always first class marks in English language and I used to stand either first or second in my class in that subject. As a result I could follow my lessons with ease during my college days. I was never serious and paid due attention to my studies even at that stage. Sometimes I quarreled with my sister and mother and wasted valuable time of my life. I was not aware of my capabilities. I did not know that I should score more marks in my optional subjects namely Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics to secure a seat in an engineering college. I availed tuitions on English language which I would have passed easily. By then, I was nineteen years old; still I was unaware what is important for life what is not important. Neither I had decided what I should be in my life nor I was striving to achieve that goal. I was immature. I was not serious and not studying hard. I had excellent memory power, and general knowledge. I was not lacking in intelligence too. I was grasping everything. My friends and lecturers used to appreciate my intelligence and knowledge They expected a first class from me. Mere intelligence is of no use. My father passed away soon after my passing Intermediate with second-class marks. I could not fulfill his dream of my becoming an engineer. With great difficulty, I completed my graduation in science from M.G. M College Udupi in the year 1960.

In 1960, I was recruited as an operator of machines at Uranium Metal Plant, Chemical Engineering Division, Atomic Energy Establishment Trombay. (Bhabha Atomic Research Center) I served them up to February 1962. I did not like that job. Thanks to Sri Purushotham Vaman Kini, at Mumbai I learnt for a few months Accountancy, Shorthand and typewriting at an institute at Bandra because of his help only. In April1962, I joined Corporation Bank at Shimoga. My struggle for existence began. My real battle started. This is dealt in detail in my write up “ The battle ” Whatever I learnt during my college days namely various branches of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics comprising subjects like Astronomy, calculus, dynamics static’s, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, modern physics etc slowly and steadily evaporated from my memory. Instead everyday situation went on worsening and worsening. My mental as well as physical health deteriorated. I was feeling tensed and nervous. Anxiety used to cause tremors in my hand. I was attending to my duties with great difficulty. Writing with a pen with speed and accuracy was the need of hour then but I was feeling going very tough and it was with enormous strain only I was able to move a fountain pen. Work was not a pleasure but was painful to me. Instead of mingling with people, I was evading people. Yet, I had to carry on Banking as my career for livelihood. Happiness is said to be a state of mind. How one could be happy with such a state of mind. It is said; “Success goes to those who dare and act not to timid” As a result, future appeared to be very dark to me. There was not even a ray of hope that my dreams would become a reality.

Under such circumstances, I did not lose my heart. I worked hard sincerely and honestly. I appeared for Certified Associate of Indian Institute of Bankers, examination to come up in my career. It is an all India level examination for bank employees. I am a science graduate and I had to learn Accountancy, Banking Law and Practice, Commercial Law, Foreign Exchange, Economics, Monetary Theory, and Public Finance right from basics. Those subjects were entirely new to me. Besides, there were no coaching classes or any other assistance for me to face this competitive exam at all. My memory power, a little intelligence and hard work only helped me in this regard. I married in 1965. My heath still deteriorated. I was bed ridden for three months in 1966 with fever. I became father of a child too. My problems at home also increased. I had no peace of mind. Though I was head of my family, I was not commanding. I had to come out of family and set up a separate house. By 1967, I passed both the parts of C.A.I.I. B. examination amidst mental turmoil. I was only one among my colleagues at that time in Shimoga branch and Shimoga District to achieve that distinction. It was an achievement under adverse circumstances.

In 1969, my wife gave birth to a female child. I was promoted as an officer. Still problems did not recede, instead aggravated. I was finding it difficult even to affix my signature to various documents that I had to verify. Banking is dealing with others money shrewdly. Dealing with people of various natures both inside and outside the counter is very much essential in banking. It is an art and I was badly lacking it. Banking is a risk prone area where alertness is of paramount importance. Ultimately, I approached Dr Jayaraman, Psychiatrist at Bangalore Nursing Home, Gandhinagar Bangalore. He put me on electro convulsive treatment and prescribed some medicines. But I did not avail long leave and continue the treatment. I was afraid that it would have adverse affect on my career. I controlled my adverse feelings with tranquilizers, like calmpose, and Equibrom. In the initial stages, I was swallowing two to three tablets to cope up with a situation. Some tranquilizers are sedative. Once it so happened, I had swallowed three tablets of a particular drug and could not control sleep and had to leave office with permission. Other staffs at office always notice our movements. They reported the matter to manager adding pepper and salt. That branch manager was not humane, instead of discussing with me my health problems reported to head office that I was a drug addict. The branch manager was from a doctor’s family, he could have easily guided me properly. Thus confidence of higher authorities in me shattered, I was transferred to Mandipet Davangere Branch. At Davangere, I shared my health problems with the branch manager with a view to gain his sympathy. He too instead of being sympathetic and helpful gave adverse reports to head office. Thus instead of landing in Tumkur as a branch manager, I landed in Ranebennur. Corporation Bank was a small scheduled bank in those days. It had a net work of only 60-70 branches spread all over India at that time. By the time, I reached Ranebennur information about me that was needed and not needed had reached that place with pepper and salt added. Here too health and manager was stumbling block to my career. Wife of branch manager was hysteric at Ranebennur. Poor branch manager had to control both office and home.If all goes well, it's a happy married life otherwise it is a distressful life. Yet, he did not sympathize me. It is foolish to expect sympathy always from others too.

Thus it paved way for my accepting the post of branch manager at a place called Moka in Bellary District in Karnataka. It is a God forsaken place about it, I have written in my write up “My Lottery” where I served the bank for 2 1’2 years. There after it was Sirsi, a semi urban place in Uttarakannada district. Here, I had to take reins from the person who was my manager at Ranebennur whose difficulties, I have mentioned here above. He stood as a stumbling block in my progress here because I had pointed a number of irregularities occurred during his tenure at the branch. I was not diplomatic. I did not handle matters tactfully. I got mixed up everything and I was transferred again to, a rural place called Thyavanige in Shimoga District. My experience at Sirsi, I have written in my write up “Black Magic ” Days do not remain stagnant. They rolled on. My children attended Government School at Thyavanige. I was made to bear Rs 25/- per month as water charges for over two years by then regional manager of Hubli region, which I cannot forget even today. After four years of service at that hardship area, I was transferred to Sholapur in Maharashtra where there was not even a good Kannada medium school was there and bank did not provide quarters to me, which they generally provide to a branch manager.

In 1985, I was promoted as Senior Manager and transferred to Internal Audit Division of bank. It was a blessing in disguise. I could avail services of Dr. V.R. Bhat, Head of Department of Psychiatry at KM.C, Mangalore who successfully treated me. I.A.D. provided me an opportunity to develop my writing skill. Audit is a thankless job. Some of my reports were not received, as they should have been. Even, Officers’ Organization wanted my transfer from I.A.D. It seems I was a little bit overenthusiastic. I could not show my mettle to full extent during my career in the bank . My colleagues, who were as qualified as I was or who were less qualified than me and who had put up less service than me, became my higher authorities. I retired as a senior manager only. However ,I have no regrets. I am blessed in some other way. God ultimately came to my rescue; my all the three children though they studied under adverse conditions passed Bachelor of Engineering degree in first class with distinction. Incidentally, my both sons were awarded Gold Medal for having secured highest marks in their respective examinations. I shall be failing in my duty if I do not mention that it was Corporation Bank, which granted my sons Ravishankar and Arun educational loans so that they could go abroad and study M. S. Degree in computer engineering and computer science from University of Florida, Gainesville and University of Illinois, Urbana Champagne respectively. However, bad one’s health might be, one would be still ambitious. They would not reconcile to the position that they had been able to secure, on the contrary would like to go up in the ladder further. This is human nature. I was no exception to it. Failure leads to frustration. Last days in Bank led to this feeling that I was treated as a deadwood. It was a bitter feeling. Much can be said on either side. But it is said that" Boss is always right". Personal Administrative division must be filled with people who are intelligent who are human who are patience personified who could bring out best out of every personnel serving an institution .They should develop human resources by motivation They should search talent, develop talent, encourage talent. It is man management. They should not create deadwood. It is worse than bad lending which leads to non-performing asset.

Out of my 35 years in the great institution, I served the bank as Senior Manager in Internal Audit Division of bank, and Regional Office, Cochin, for twelve long years and I retired at Cochin on 28-02-1997. I am now happily settled down at “Annapoorna’1423/ 6, B Block, Sahakaranagar Bangalore-560092. These days I frequently go abroad to be with my grandchildren. Writing is my hobby. Also singing devotional songs is my hobby too. When nobody is there to share our thoughts, when we are feeling monotonous, when we are agitated, restless, we can rid of the entire vacuum thinking, writing and singing. We need no company. This is my experience with life. I have no regrets to be jack of all trade and master of none. I was a salesman, assisted my brother in law at his chemists and druggist shop and made available my professional services to M/s Ray & Ray for nearly two years to audit Mercury Travels, SBI Home Finance, Union Bank of India, Beneras State Bank, Family Corporation of India, RRR group etc after retirement. I am busy and not at all idle at this age of 65 years. I never thought that I would survive this much. I am optimistic. I hope I would achieve that which I could not achieve so far at least in the remaining days of my life. I am aware what D.V.G. / Fitzgerald has written in Ummeranaosage. “Moving finger which never stops writes on forehead and moves forward and any amount of tears that we shed cannot wipe out even a single letter so written.” That is we cannot change our destiny at all. At the same time we should recollect what Lord Krishna has said in Bhagwad Geetha “Do your duty. Leave the fruit, which may be either good or bad to me”