Agriculture & Forestry

How to Inculcate the Habit of Observance of Punctuality in My Compatriots?

HOW TO INCULCATE THE HABIT OF OBSERVANCE OF PUNCTUALITY IN MY COMPATRIOTS?

I was Senior Farm Management Assistant of a large mechanized farm under Kurnool—Cuddapah ( re-christened as Kadapa) Canal (K.C. Canal) in Andhra Pradesh in early sixties. Our Farm Manager was a stickler for rules, regulations and adherent in punctuality. It is needless to mention that either rain or shine, important farm operations like detasseling of seed parent in Hybrid Maize/Corn (Zea mays) seed production plots, and removal of pollen shedders in male sterile female parents of Hybrid Jowar (Sorghum vulgare) and Bajra/Pearl Millet (Pennisetum typhoides) seed production, rouging of offt-types in both male (pollinator) and female parents based on their morphological characteristic features can’t be suspended or postponed under any circumstances and have to be carried out on a daily basis throughout the flowering period of the crops concerned for avoiding contamination from foreign pollen and for maintaining absolute genetic purity. This highly technical nature of work is required to be done under my close supervision and can’t be assigned to lower functionaries and therefore my presence in the Farm was of utmost importance. The farm staff used to assemble near a culvert in Nandikotkur which is a taluk head quarters at 5.00 A.M. to travel a distance of about 15 km by a Massey Ferguson—65 H.P. Tractor provided under USAID hitched to a two wheel hydraulic trolley for reaching the farm located in Thangadencha Village which was not connected by a proper road, undulated and with full of potholes. As there were no residential quarters at the Farm site at that time, we used to stay in Nandikotkur which was the nearest dwelling place for the staff.. One chilly winter morning my Farm Manager was found very furious when I reached the pick-up point. He was visibly annoyed and sought my explanation for late coming. I had told him in an apologetic tone that my “Bifora” wrist watch showed 5.00 A.M. only. It is an accepted fact that two watches usually do not agree with each other. My boss shaking with anger told me to throw my watch in the gutter and stated that his “Rolex” Swiss made watch showed 5-03 A.M. and declared that I was late by 03 mts. He has given me a thorough dressing down and instructed the Tractor Driver not to wait for the late comers and leave the place on the dot and whosoever comes late, should make their own arrangements to reach the Farm in time. I had learnt a lesson in a hard way and thereafter I was more cautious in maintaining punctuality for both official chores and even for the private engagements.

However, observance of punctuality is a casualty in India everywhere and in every walk of life. The departure and arrival of trains and air services are always delayed indefinitely and only on rare occasions they maintain time creating untold hardship to the traveling public. Public meetings, Functions, Seminars, Workshops, Symposia are never commenced at the announced time. Late attendance is a usual practice for the Govt. employees both at the state and centre and they leave early. Most of the working hours are spent in gossiping in the canteen over hot cups of Tea and women employees engaged in knitting sweaters is a common sight in Delhi resulting in low output. There are many instances where small school children are forced to take part in rallies to commemorate either a birth or a death anniversary of some political leader or some other major event for which some VIP is invited. Perhaps to impress upon the general public their importance, the power and fiefdom they enjoy, the Ministers and political leaders and also due to their packed programmes on the way reach the venue several hours behind schedule unmindful of the long wait forced by them on the beleaguered people . All the while, the children are forced to stand in stadia in the scorching Sun and there were countless instances in recent times where the children got dehydrated and swooned and rushed to hospitals in an unconscious condition necessitating intra-venous drip. During the election rallies, the politicians never turn up in time testing the patience of the voters and the huge gathering would be found craning their necks towards the sky to spot the approaching chopper to land on the helipad specially built for them at public exchequer. The power drunken, uncivilized and rustic Ministers never tender an apology to the waiting crowds for the inexcusable delay in their arrival.

People invited for social functions also come very late despite specifying the time for Lunch or Dinner and put-forth lame excuses for the delay as traffic jam/bumper to bumper traffic instead of planning their departure judiciously and giving sufficient cushion for the traffic snarls. Therefore, it is no wonder that these ‘delays’ sarcastically and derisively termed as Indian Standard Time (I.S.T.) I have sad experiences aplenty on several occasions of my guests turning up very late and even did not have the elementary courtesy of expressing regret for the late arrival. It is a well established Indian custom not to eat until the invited guest joins to take the meal and if the host happens to be a diabetic, one can imagine his miserable plight.

However, there are few people in India who follow strict punctuality. I was a witness to an incident in Union Agriculture Ministry when a Director of Indian Administrative Service (I.A.S.) reprimanded the Chief of RD & QC of a PSU when he arrived late for the meeting chaired by the former. When the latter arrived at the venue, the first two agenda items have already been covered. The Director was infuriated and has asked the PSU Member who arrived late to leave the Meeting Hall and ordered the caretaker to shut the door.

In this context, let me recall as to how strict punctuality is observed by the Australians and their time sense. At every important inter-section of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland State, a large electronic clock displaying the correct time can be noticed. The Director of Primary Industries, Queensland has invited me and my room mate hailing from Ghana to his residence for dinner and asked us to be present at 6.00 P.M. at a specific intersection to be picked-up. We have reached the landmark half-an-hour in advance and the time was ticking away and the host could not be sighted even when the clock was one minute short of 6.00 P.M. We thought that our host might have either forgotten about the invitation extended to us or would be coming late. However, we heaved a sigh of relief when his car screeched to a halt and when he emerged out at the stroke of 6.00 P.M. When we told our host about the doubts entertained by us about his arrival, he enlightened us, at length, about the way of life in Australia where the guests never come early as the hosts may not be ready to receive them that might cause embarrassment to both the hosts as well as to the guests and at the same time they never come late also and observe strict punctuality. Can my compatriots take a cue from Kangaroos in observing punctuality in their daily life?

S. Srinivasa Rao, M.Sc.(Ag.)

E-mail: samsrirao@gmail.com

About the Author

Samrajyam Srinivasa Rao, M.Sc.(Ag.)

Seed Technologist (Retd.)

Delhi, India.

E-mail: samsrirao@gmail.com

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