Young and innocent

The Draft
I joined my first unit in Nagrota (J&K) immediately after completing the Young Officer’s course at Pune. I was full of energy as a youngster in the Army is at that age and was eager to exercise the potential I had attained in the training by putting in my best to make a mark by ensuring that whatever task is given to me is done well before time and be praiseworthy so that the senior officer tasking me is well impressed.
Once , the Adjutant who incidentally was a senior officer called me in his office and said,
“What are you doing now?
I replied,"Sir I am going to the workshop to inquire about the status of Jeep which has been given for repairs since it has been off road for quiet a long time”
“OK then before you go there get me the draft which I had given yesterday” he said .
I did not think it necessary to ask him further details as I thought I understood the task and replied coming out of his office,
“Yes sir”
I took the Jeep and started off towards the workshop. While on the way I thought that since this is the first time he has given me a task and that also his personal work so I should not annoy him in any case. I told the driver to first go to the bank so that I finish off with the draft work which he must have given to the bank manager , collect it and then go to the workshop to avoid missing out its collection on the return journey for if I get late the bank may close. I thus went straight to the bank .
Since I was in uniform so like an officer I straightaway entered the cabin of the bank Manager and shook hands with him introducing myself. He also reciprocated with a warm smile. Initially I had very sweet introductory talks with him and then came to the point asking him for the draft which my Adjutant, Maj Vohra had asked for.
“Which draft ?” the manager asked me curiously
“The draft Maj Vohra had given you. I hope it must be ready by now,” I said to him with a hope of getting a positive reply from him.
“No he did not give me any draft”, he replied astonishingly.
“No! no ! You please ask your staff you may not be remembering it” I said trying to help remind him.
“What are you talking? I already told you. Please come later on as I have others waiting for me for their work. Anyhow I will still check up for your satisfaction” he replied trying to avoid me.
I felt bad as it was my first task which had not progressed a bit leave apart its completion as I could not even locate head or tail of the draft by now.I came out of his cabin and was lost in the thoughts what to do.
After waiting for some time outside his cabin I started to become restless and inquired from the other staff concerned about it asking them to locate the draft but still could not trace it out. I then started to lose patience and went inside the Manager’s cabin again and had a heated argument with him blaming that his staff does not want to work and hence is not applying adequate efforts to search the draft. I also made it clear to him that I would not budge from there till the time they locate and hand over the draft to me even if I have to stay there for the rest of the day.
The bank manager then stopped his work and gave orders to search for the draft to his staff and everyone was looking for the draft inside their files, over the almirahs,inside the drawers, under the heaps of files and in their trays . After a thorough search for good about half an hour was over and they still could not trace the draft he finally gave up and said,
“ I am sorry there is no such draft but please give me time till tomorrow I will get you a duplicate one issued if I am unable to find tghe same but you have to get this form signed again from Maj Vohra” saying this he handed over an empty form to me.
I was very disheartened but could not do anything as the manager had tried his level best and I was convinced that the draft would have really been misplaced by them.
With a long face I got into the jeep and asked the driver to go to the workshop. After finishing the work at the workshop I returned back to the unit in off mood. I went to my office and quietly sat on my chair thinking what to reply to the Adjutant for the work he had given to me thinking about the forthcoming conversation in my mind.
Should I tell him,
“Sir I tried my level best but could do nothing as your draft got lost” for which he would say,
“Why did you not get lost yourself.”
‘No! he would understand my problem and would not say any such thing.' My mind said to me.
Such thoughts kept rebounding in my mind time and again.
I finally concluded that whatever he may say but the kudo for the punch of good work done is lost now . Hence to convince myself I only thought that he would only say
“ Well tried, doesn’t matter".My heart was not ready to accept this as I expected nothing less than Well done! from him.
As I was thinking all this my clerk came to me and discussed the various letters on which I had given him some work to do and just before leaving my office said happily,
“Sir while you were away to workshop , Maj Vohra had asked me for the draft over the telephone and I had handed over the same to him since was ready. He was happy as there was no mistake in it”
“Which draft? But that has been misplaced by the bank authorities how have you got it here?” I asked him curiously.
“No, not the bank draft but this draft of letter which has to be finalised?” My clerk said smilingly.
“You call that rough letter a draft?” I asked my clerk inquisitively.
“Yes sir! and there are three more lying in your ‘in tray’ waiting for being vetted by you” he said pointing to the three letters lying in the' in tray'.

On that day I came to know what a draft is apart from the bank draft which was the only draft known to me till then.

“Ok I’ll see those also,” I said in a normal tone of voice trying to hide my innocence and rung the bell to ask for a glass of water from the runner on duty.

Oh my God !What a day it has been . I kept mum and laughed inside me . What all I have been doing in the bank all this time?”
When I told Maj Vohra about this incident and he had a hearty laugh but was very impressed with my sincerity to the job. Thereafter whenever he met me after that day he would always smile at me and asked me if I got the draft from the bank. I never saw a frown on his face whenever he talked to me even if he would be angry with others for which others envied and wondered the reason.
I never went to the bank for about a month after that. When I went to collect cash for the pay collection duties the bank manager asked me ,”I hope you found the draft finally?” to which I replied
“Oh yes! Sorry for the inconvenience caused to you” and immediately switched over to the other topic to divert his attention asking him to provide small currency notes as would be easier for distribution to the men.