THE MISCHIEF OF AN ARISTOCRAT.

This happened in 1989 two years after my joining as a physiotherapist in a government hospital for my second innings.

Opportunities for our profession was in abundance in middle east and USA and so many of my friends took leave and availed foreign assignment. A temptation compelled me too for an attempt to try my luck in an interview for Kuwait, in Hotel Asoka in Bangalore. I, along with one young colleague, who was ten years younger than me, started to Bangalore in a KSRTC bus. We had Aristocrat suitcases of the same size and color. I kept a name tag with my suitcase, but he did not. The journey was comfortable and we reached Bangalore bus station. The bus station was not modern as that of today. We waited for some passengers to get down, and then we also got down taking our two Aristocrats. My young colleague was not familiar with Bangalore and so was following me always like a baby. We reached Shivaji Nagar and the familiar mixed fragrance of flowers from the Russel market reminded me of Hotel Empire, where I stayed for three days in 1970 for recruitment in Airforce.

We took a room in Hotel Empire and tried to open our Aristocrats for refreshing before our interview at 10 AM in Hotel Asoka near Vidhan Sabha. My Aristocrat opened and his one was not opening with his key. Since I knew one staff of the Empire, l sought his help and he opened the box with some tools. We were shocked to see inside! There was a bundle of research papers and some inner garments only inside. The papers revealed that it belonged to one Ram Bahadur Chetri, from Trivandrum Engg. College. My colleague had all his professional degree certificates, experience certificates, and many other documents along with his personal belongings in his suitcase. It was revealed that the Aristocrat of the same size and color was changed. We immediately rushed to the bus station and enquired about the changed suitcase. The staff were very busy and did not bother with our anxiety. We kept on asking one by one. Luckily one conductor told us that one boy came with a suitcase and was searching for his Aristocrat suitcase for some time and left telling me that he was staying with his uncle, Major Chetri, in Ulsoor. Neither address nor phone number was given. The phone was not popular at that time.

We hired an autorickshaw and started searching for major Chetri in Ulsoor, Agram, Indira Nagar, Domlur, Kodihalli, and even Marathahalli, where tens of thousands of military officers were staying. At last, we reached major Chetri's quarters at 5 pm and recovered the lost Aristocrat.

We rushed to Hotel Asoka for the interview. The interview started at 10 AM and was continuing. We came to understand that the physiotherapist's interview was postponed from 10 AM to 6 PM. It was a fortune or a tryst with destiny or a blessing in disguise. We attended the interview and got selected.

God's plan was not our plans. Both of us were not granted leave and a "No objection certificate" from our department. It was an irony of fate, hence gave up the ambition. This did not disappoint us as we could get back the precious certificates and we were already safe at a government post. The travel around 300 KMs in an autorickshaw, searching the lost Aristocrat, reminds me of an old Tamil film, ANCHALPETTY...520, by famous Shivaji Ganesan, whom I had the fortune to meet in connection with my physiotherapy to his nephew after a life-saving procedure in our hospital Sree Chitra medical center, Trivandrum, in 1993.

Thank you.