When the Governor went fishing

I have been residing at the Senior Citizen Home, Sector 43-A, Chandigarh, for the past two years. Its inauguration plaque caught my attention the day I shifted there in April 2023. It mentioned that the home was inaugurated by Lt Gen JFR Jacob (retd), then Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator, in June 2000. Going down memory lane, I recalled my meeting with Lt Gen Jacob.

I was posted as Superintending Engineer at the Pong Power House, Talwara, from April to June 2001. One day, in the last week of June, I received a call from Maj Gen Ravi Oberoi (retd), Chairman, Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), informing me that the Punjab Governor was scheduled to visit Talwara for fishing in the Pong Dam lake. I was requested to supervise the arrangements as the Chief Engineer of the dam was on leave.

Located in Himachal Pradesh near Talwara (Punjab), this storage dam is the main source of water to the desert areas of Rajasthan; 396 MW of electricity is generated in its power houses.

Governor Jacob and the BBMB Chairman arrived at the dam at 5 am. The Governor had chosen early morning hours as that is the time when fish tend to swim closer to the banks of the lake. Upon arrival, he promptly began fishing.

While the Governor was busy, the Chairman engaged me in conversation. He asked me whether I was happy with my posting at Talwara.

I responded honestly, saying that I had no professional issues. However, I mentioned that my daughter, who had completed her MBBS from Government Medical College, Patiala, was doing a house job at Government Hospital, Sector 16, Chandigarh. Both she and my wife were staying in our allotted BBMB flat in Chandigarh, which I was allowed to retain only for three months after my transfer to Talwara.

Maj Gen Oberoi listened to me attentively but did not respond at the time. Around 10 am, the Governor and the Chairman departed for Chandigarh by helicopter. To my surprise, that same afternoon, I received a call from my Chief Engineer (Generation), BBMB, Nangal, informing me that I had been transferred back to Chandigarh as Superintending Engineer, Headquarters, under the Chief Engineer, System Operations.

It was, without a doubt, the most unexpected and thoughtful gesture, a gift that seemed to have emerged from that quiet morning by the lake when the Governor went fishing.

Musings