CESA-MUMBAI

By Sunil Achutan, Consulting Editor

I will never be an old man. To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am – Bernard Baruch

Vasudeo Sakharam Bhadgaonkar was born in the sleepy village of Gadhinglaj in Kolhapur district on 4 th October, 1919. In the company of six brothers and one sister, Vasudeo cleared his higher matric and started searching for a job. His elder brother was a doctor in the Land Customs department on the border between Goa and India. Goa was then a Portuguese colony till it was annexed by India in the year 1961. His vacation used to be spent with this elder brother and here he started doing odd jobs as an apprentice in the Land Customs department. This was in the year 1938. Seeing his sincerity and dedication for doing Customs work, the Collector who was an Englishman called him one day and asked whether he would like to work as a clerk in the department at a salary of Rs.35/- per month. Vasudeo was overjoyed and accepted the offer. He had to assist the Inspector, Customs in checking the consignment of coconuts which used to be imported from Goa. Those days an Inspector received a princely salary of Rs.60/- per month. His hard work was rewarded with a promotion on 27.08.1942. Vasudeo now became an Inspector and was transferred to the State of Mysore and posted to the Tobacco section of the Central Excise department at Belgaum. This was somewhere in the year 1942. Tobacco plantations, those days, was under physical control and the Inspector had to walk through the tobacco farms and count the tobacco plants for deciding the excise duty amount. There was a L-2 licence for storing Tobacco leaf right up to the year 1988. Riding on a horse or a Bicycle was essential for undertaking this arduous task. The bicycle stuff remains and even today a new recruit for the post of the Inspector has to pass the cycling test. Vasudeo did all this and much more – he was respected amongst his colleagues and the farmers for he had excellent knowledge about Tobacco plants. In fact, he was so devoted to his job that he used to patrol these tobacco fields containing as many as 3000 tobacco plants in the night so as to ensure that no thefts take place. After all, tobacco was a great source of revenue to the exchequer and always will! The villagers used to ask him about Gandhiji and whether he had met him.

The Central Excise Act came into being and a few years later India got independence. Vasudeo continued with his job. A few more postings at the minor ports in the state and thereafter Vasudeo got married. That was in the year 1948, 18 th May, to be precise.

His wife was also a government employee – she was posted in the Treasury department at Bombay.

Vasudeo wanted a transfer to be with his newly wedded wife. The administration transferred him – not to Bombay but to Ahmedabad – which incidentally those days was also a part of Maharashtra – until the creation of the Gujarat State in the year 1960.

Longing to be with his wife Vasudeo met the Collector who assured that he would do something for him and in the meantime, Vasudeo used to come to Bombay on weekends. The assurance bore fruit after nearly two more years. In the year 1950 Vasudeo finally came to Bombay on transfer. His joy knew no bounds. He was finally with his wife. Posted to the flourishing textile mills in Bombay, Vasudeo was excited that he had something new to learn – warp, weft, deniers and those jargons now filled his vocabulary rather than the tobacco leaf, stem, stalks& cut tobacco.

Fatherly duties now occupied his life for he was now a proud father. Years went by and so were the postings – it was textile mills or oil installations like BPCL & HPCL. Heavy engineering companies and Chemical factories were on the Central line and Vasudeo would have none of those postings. He stayed near Sitladevi temple at Mahim, Bombay and his Collectorate was Bombay-I. In those days postings were not an issue of concern. You like a particular commodity and have good knowledge of the same, rest assured that you would be given a transfer on request. The Collector knew each and every officer under him and would personally enquire about their wellbeing. Mr. Maclaine, Mr. C.S.Neil and Mr. Rose were the Collectors who were posted to Bombay Collectorate during the period. Learned and righteous men who lead their subordinates by example. What Vasudeo liked was their in-depth knowledge and their eagerness to learn more even if it is an Inspector from whom they were acquiring it. He idolised them. Vasudeo's expertise in Tobacco was in high demand when cigarette companies initiated their operations in Bombay. Manufacture of textile fabrics in Bombay was at its peak those days and exports were booming. Once, a manufacturer wanted to export consignments on January, 26 th . Vasudeo put his foot down saying that no exports could be made on that day – the reason there is a Trade Notice which said that government offices would remain closed on January 26 th and on 2 nd October, public holidays. No amount of Overtime fees can substitute this order, he said. He passed on this directive to all the mini ports and asked the officers there not to allow exports on these two days. The Assistant Collector called Vasudeo and blasted him but he had to retract after Vasudeo showed the carefully preserved Trade notice. Vasudeo remembers the days when he used to travel by the BEST buses to office in uniform. The conductor was proud to have an officer on board and he used to get a seat vacated for ‘saheb'. No ticket for saheb and the bus would stop bang in front of the Collectorate office at Churchgate – all for saheb.

A darling of all for his knowledge and collection of notifications and tariff advices and trade notices, Vasudeo soon got a transfer on promotion as Superintendent to the Division situated in Bhandup, Bombay. This Division covered almost all the big heavy engineering manufacturing industry of the likes of GKW, Rallis, Blue Star & Voltas. Food in the canteens of these companies was what he relished. His Inspectors were in awe of him for his knowledge and his likes. He had issued strict instructions to his inspectors. No taking of money from assessees. However, they could enjoy to their hearts content the food and hospitality showered by the assessees, be it a visit to the nearby bar to enjoy a few pegs and watch the cabaret! Those days the assessees used to pay ten rupees along with each RT-12 return and five rupees for a D-3 declaration – an export consignment fetched the highest – rupees fifty! But Vasudeo would have none of these.

Giving answers to Star Questions was his forte and he was very prompt with the statistics – no guess work and no fake revenue figures. It so happened that one of the Divisions sent a wrong answer to a Star Question and there was a furore in the Parliament. J.Datta was the Collector those days and he charge sheeted the officers who sent the report. A very strict man and who would not spare any complacency on the part of his officers. But, Vasudeo was in his good books. Come 31 st October, 1977 and Vasudeo retired as a Superintendent, Central Excise, Bombay.

For more than a decade he worked as a Consultant ably assisting his senior A.K.Abu and in the year 1990 settled in Pune with his children. Fifteen years thereafter, he returned to Mumbai and is now living a peaceful, healthy and happy life with his second son and daughter in-law, both of whom are retired and in their sixties. His wife left for her journey to the other world some years ago. Grandsons/Grand-daughters are well settled and staying in other parts of the globe.

Pension is what Vasudeo is happy about – nearly thirty thousand rupees thanks to the Sixth Pay Commission. At this ripe old age of 94 with no ailments or for that matter, a walking stick, spectacles or hearing aid, Vasudeo looks forward for the Seventh Pay Commission . All his life his motto was – simple living & high thinking.

His advise to the officers in the Department – Be honest and loyal to your job – peace and money would follow. Do not speak ill of others and be content with what you have – pearls of wisdom to be ingrained by us all. I have always lived a peaceful, joyful and contended life and, therefore, the Almighty has given me such a long life, he added.

Tears rolled down his eyes when we bid good bye to him.

The grand old man was all the more happy when he was told that we would be carrying this interview on the Central Excise day. He has conveyed his sincere greetings to all the officers, past and present, on the occasion . WE wished him many more years of healthy and happy life. After promising him that we would be in touch and would love to hear more about his journey in life, we sought his blessings. He had one small request – that I should keep him in the loop if I hear something about the Seventh Pay Commission.

Unfortunately, I did not have any news on the subject matter for nowadays the only thing in the news is the Draconian Board Circular 967 , the elusive GST and the postponement of GAAR.

One more thing – I had prepared a detailed questionnaire that I was supposed to ask him, what was it like when the Central Excise Act was born, when the country achieved Independence and when we became a Republic, but he never gave me an opportunity. He was busy in his own peaceful world narrating his experiences, as if he had decided before hand, and I did not feel like troubling him. Although I felt that my interview would not be complete had I not asked him about these events, it was more than two hours that I had spent with him and my conscience did not permit me to prod him further.

I have a firm belief that I would meet him again and on that occasion ask him the questions which I could not on this visit – after all he had many more miles to go!

With Pandit Bhimsen Joshi's devotional music in the background for company it was only Vasudeo talking and for once I had to sit MUM and smile.

[VASUDEO   Sakharam Bhadgaonkar is 94 years old. He retired after putting in 35 years of service and has been receiving pension since the last 36 years. He is fit and healthy, goes for his daily morning and evening walks and waits for the 7 th Pay Commission. May he live to be a hundred - and more!]

[Taxindiaonline thanks Vivek and his wife Rita for their hospitality. Taxindiaonline also thanksShri A.K.Sasmal, the General Secretary of Central

 

Source: TIOL