Page 12 - SAM CLUB DAY 2016 all pages.cdr

SAM CLUB DAY ‘16

Best of SAM

The Subtle Difference
(Reprinted from SAM Club Day '76)

- S.S. Kochak '36

The birth of Gymkhana raised a controversy, which is by now just as old, and we would soon be, if I may say so,
th
celebra ng the golden jubilee of this controversy on 14 Feb 1977. Before coming to all this all-important
controversy I would like to repeat a joke I read during the last world war. An American soldier on the Burma
front wrote to his girlfriend in the states that he had found a nice girl in Burma. Promptly came a le er to his
friend in the States asking what she has got that I haven't got. The soldier replied politely and said, except she
has got it here! Well, the difference was very subtle but very important.

Now coming to the controversy I am actually referring to the lot of steam that has been let off about what is so
special about this special class of men on the railways of which they are so proud and what is wrong with the
rest of the crowd who have had spent a lot of their father's money to equip themselves for working in the
railways. I personally don't think there is anything very much right with the special class of people or anything
very much wrong with the rest of the crowd. It may look a bit prejudicial to the reader in the first instance but I
would like to clarify this subtle difference by that one is born in the family of a goldsmith and picks up the trade
and the other has come through some I.T.I. trade training of a goldsmith for the same job.

Let us now look at the other side of the story. What is the essence of railway working and what makes it work
well and efficiently. Those who have played games and have listened to the running commentary on the
recent victory of India over Pakistan in the third world cup hockey would have realized that it is a teamwork
and mind you, it is the teamwork of not only the players but the rest of them involved like the manager, coach,
trainer etc. to prove my point, I would remind readers of the last minute change that was made by bringing in
Aslam Sher in place of Kindo in the dying minutes of our semi-final match against Malaysia in this very
tournament and Aslam Sher shot a goal off a penalty corner and saved the day for us, when in extra me we
got the winner. Team spirit is thus the most aspect of any such organiza ons as the Railways for efficient
working.

Now what is the spirit behind the team spirit? I would like to call it an emo onal involvement or in other words
something going into your very life blood. It is a very common thing that when a child stands near a railway
track and sees a fast train running off, he gets a special thrill. Of a er long years of service in the Railways and
even a er long years of re rement, you happen to be standing near a railway track in your old age and see a
fast train running off and you s ll get that thrill, you've got what it takes to be a part of the team of the
Railways. In fact the Railway has gone into your very blood stream and you are emo onally involved with the
Railways.

This emo onal involvement with the Railways is so deep rooted that nothing can shake it off. Whatever good
or bad may happen to you in your service on the Railways and whatever may be the type of people. You
develop an affinity for them in spite of their bad quali es and you start over-looking their weaknesses and
making use of their good quali es for the good of the Railways.

10