Punctuality and Mr Leo Charles Abridged Ezhilarasan

Punctuality and Mr  Leo Charles
A Flash back to 1998
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I happen to work as a computer software developer for a big civil contractor (Pre-qualified Contractor), Mr.Leo Charles. He was the Managing Director of M/s. BrickSteel Enterprises, Salem. He was a crorepati and a very sincere Christian. A person with good manners and a kind heart.

TAMIL AND ENGLISH -Mr Leo Charles 

I can’t forget the VIP treatment he gave me in the inauguration function of his new house. Since, I was a physically challenged person, I had difficulty in sitting down on the floor like others and eat. However, he made me sit in a separate room and made his people serve exclusively for me like a VIP. It was a great honour for me and could not forget the experience. Very few rich people show such extremely good manners.

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Punctuality

For almost four months I would go to our office at SBI Colony III near TPT exactly at 9:30am. Mr.Charles will generally be 15 days in Salem and 15 days touring all over Tamilnadu visiting his civil project sites. Almost four or five days in a month exactly at 9:30am when my TVS-50 stand makes a screeching parking noise at my office, I would immediately hear a bang! It would be Mr.Charles’ car door slamming shut (or his house door slamming shut). I know by my CASIO digital watch that I was very punctual at least 20 days in a month.  Though I could meet Mr.Charles only a few times in a month, I came to know he too was very punctual like me.

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ASKED WATER, BUT GOT TEA

Let me narrate an incident that happened here. On the first week of my working, I could not find any drinking water in the office. It seems a maid servant who was in-charge of his house-hold work was also attending to it. In spite of my repeated reminders to the manager and the maid, I could not get the drinking water. So, I started to carry my own drinking water for a day or two. But suddenly carrying the weight for 2 floors, made me wonder whether I should really continue working in such a company.

Hence, the next day I met my boss, Mr.Charles and reported the problem. He immediately called the manager and gave some money and asked him to get a new drum to store water. And also asked him to ensure water is available in the office henceforth. Next he called his wife and enquired whether she is supplying the scheduled tea to the office at 11 am and 4 pm. She said “No” and gave some excuses.

He immediately ordered her that from the next day onwards tea should be provided to the office at the two scheduled timings.
I was wonder-struck at the professionalism of Mr.Charles.

I asked for water, but from the next day we all got tea. Great man I thought !

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Though I worked with him for a few years the software project was not assigned to me. Hence, I got bored up and had to leave the company when I had a better opening. However, working with Mr.Charles, M/s.BrickSteel Enterprises, Salem was a very great and enjoyable and unforgettable experience. It was unfortunate that I had to leave him.

If my students / learners were regularly late to my Spoken English classes I would  narrate the above and make them realize punctuality is characteristic they should learn to come up in life.   


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Above is a part of a big article written by me.

For full article click here 
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Ezhilarasan Venkatachalam

English training through Tamil
Salem, South India.