Confessions of a Probationary Officer
My Boozy Boot Camp
Ah, DANICS. Those were the halcyon days, young grasshopper. Fresh out of college, I landed a plum job in the state service, a world away from the regimented life of the railways (thank the heavens for small mercies!). Little did I know, my stint of training in the Excise & Entertainment department would be a crash course in…well, let’s just say “alternative extracurricular activities.”
Excise department, you see, dealt with the finer things in life – wine shops and cinema halls. Now, normally, these were the stomping grounds of EOs, officers promoted from the ranks. These seasoned veterans knew the ropes – and by ropes, I mean the ones holding a crate of the finest single malt.
As wide-eyed probationers, we were ushered into the EO’s office, not for a lecture on liquor licenses, but for a “complimentary visit” to the cinema. The movie itself? A blur. The real perk? Free entertainment, courtesy of the state excise department!
But the real fun began a few days later. Our stern-faced EO, with a hint of nervous energy, approached us with a proposition that would make a teetotaler raise an eyebrow. “Would you gentlemen,” he inquired, “care to try something…?”
Fresh out of college, my experience with spirits went as far as the occasional lukewarm beer. But beside me stood my Bengali comrade, a connoisseur of rum with a nose that could sniff out a good batch from a mile away.
And so began our descent into delightful (and slightly illicit) territory. The EO, bless his soul, used his “sample collection” – whiskey, rum, beer, you name it – to keep us well-lubricated during our training. Let’s just say our meager salaries of under 800 rupees weren’t exactly fueling a lavish lifestyle.
With every colleague accepting these “gifts” (movies and all!), the guilt lessened. After all, free booze and entertainment? Who could resist? Our hostel, conveniently located near the EO’s office, became a frequent destination for “complementary cinema” and, ahem, “further exploration” of the EO’s “samples.”
Back then, my friend, those were the dark ages before mobile phones. The wonders of instant messaging and movie recommendations were but a futuristic dream. To secure our “complimentary” entertainment, a proper visit to the EO’s office was a necessity. We’d trudge over, a mix of nervous anticipation and (let’s be honest) excitement bubbling in our bellies. Little did we know, those visits would become a hilarious ritual, a pilgrimage to the temple of free movies and, ahem, “educational samples.”
This delightful arrangement continued for a glorious year and a half – until the cruel hand of fate ( my selection for a job in the railways) whisked me away to Mussoorie. Alas, my days of boozy boot camp came to an end.
The memories, however, remain etched in my mind – a testament to the unexpected perks of a government job in the (slightly) less than conventional departments