The Mother of ALL Farewell Parties !!

Farewell parties are a part and parcel of our working life and the memories we share with our peers, colleagues and subordinates are always treasured by us. Till the end of my 'fourth innings' the thought never occurred to me to rate all the farewell parties I have attended during my service with various organizations. After leaving Saud Bahwan Group, I have no hesitation to declare that the series of farewell parties I attended during my last week in Muscat surely take the cake on this score. The week was dedicated to farewell parties organized for me by various departments/sections/individuals etc. In fact the schedule was so hectic that I would be awake till odd hours packing my stuff which had to be shipped to India. Every day there was a different farewell party and I could not accept invitations to lunch/dinner which my friends wanted to host owing to these commitments, much to their displeasure. Sorry guys !

Another notable feature was the wholehearted participation of some gentlemen who had joined the department just a few months prior to my departure from SBG. Mr Rakesh Dahiya, the HOD Commercial and Mr Sahim Mohd. Kannu the guy I handed over charge to were the illustrious duo who hardly knew me. In fact they were a driving force behind some of the activities which took place during the course of that momentous last week.

Some live wire characters were working overtime during the entire week to ensure that all the activities were conducted without any glitch. The entire department pitched in with their mite and support. The guys who ran around the most were Jana, Bharat, Pawar, Abdullah, Pinto, Sijo, Rafi and Anup. These guys deserve a medal each.

Following are some pics clicked  during various gatherings as mentioned above:

 Farewell organized by Logistics department (one helluva pleasant surprise !) on 02 December 2018. Thanks Manish, Ashish and the entire L&D team.

Farewell party organized by the Security Checking Team at the Control Room on 03 December 2018.

Stalwarts of  Security Control Room - L to R - Saif Al Lamki, Khalid Washdil, your's truly and Mahfoodh Al Hinai. Thanks to the entire team of the Control Room.

Transport section party on 03 December 2018. L to R - Quadri, Fareed Al Balushi, Mr Dahiya (the new HOD Commercial), Abdullah Al Sinani, Mahfoodh Al Hinai, Nashib Al Ghadani and self.

The entire Transport team and select invitees from Security. Thanks a lot for a gala time guys.

Dinner at 'Woodlands ' hosted by Srini, Swamy and Ashish on 05 Dec - friends from HR department.

                            Commercial department farewell party on 06 Dec 2018 at 1600 hrs.

Pic clicked after the Commercial dept party in my office. L to R - Sahim, Deepak, Abdullah, Janarthanan and Mr Dahiya.

Last pic clicked outside the office on 06 Dec - L to R - Madhu, Sijo, Vijay, Abdullah, Rafi, Deepak, Mr Dahiya, Sahim and Anup the 'Coordinator Control Room'.

                Security party at Copper Chimney Restaurant on 06 December at 2000 hrs.

                                             Picking Jana's brains during the Security party.

A motley gang arrived at Al Sahwa Towers on 07 December 2018 at 1000 hrs to ensure that I leave for the airport on time ! L to R - Ashish, Bharat, Jana, Pawar, Rafi, Anup, Shinaj, Michael, Smijith and Abby.

These guys even accompanied me to the departure lounge of Muscat International Airport thereafter. A surprise addition was Nashib who came to the airport to see me off as he could not attend the Security party held the previous evening.

"Don't look a Gift Horse in the Mouth" they say. I say " Look all you want - and count the teeth too"

       Gifts Galore !! Some of the more innovative ones which I will cherish for a long time.

Back to the Pavillion after Fourth Innings

After working in Muscat, Oman with the Saud Bahwan Group for 10 years, I returned to India on 07 December 2018. 6th December was the last working day of my extended tenure at SBG. This was the fourth innings of my career which began on 18 March 1978 when I was commissioned into the 6th Battalion of 8 Gorkha Rifles. This was my fourth job after my service in the Army, Walchandnagar Industries Ltd and Reserve Bank of India. Whew ! Doesn't seem like I have been working for nearly 41 years. 

After landing at Delhi on the 7th and reaching home at Noida in the evening, I promptly fell ill with viral fever, cough and cold (blame it on the cold, pollution, change of weather, breakdown after a hectic last week, etc, etc...), hence the delayed post.

Haven't decided on what to do next. For the time being, I have my hands full with completion of snags post renovation of my flat at Noida. Meanwhile, it is damn cold out here. Brrrrr….the weather at Muscat was heavenly compared to this.

                                                   Last Day at Work - 06 December 2018

                         Pic in front of Flat No. 223 Al Sahwa Towers - 07 December 2018

40 and Counting !

Today I have reached a milestone of sorts - having completed 40 years of service. I started my career on 18 March 1978 when I passed out as a commissioned officer from the Officers Training School, Madras (OTS as it was then known) as part of the 25th Short Service Commission course (shorty silver course).  I was posted as a 2/Lt in the 6th Battalion the 8 Gorkha Rifles (6/8 GR). Yeah, those days Gentlemen Cadets used to pass out as second lieutenants with Rs 750/- basic pay which was more than enough.

Having served in the Army for more than 10 years, the next 20 plus years were spent at Walchandnagar Industries Ltd and the Reserve Bank of India (the latter is where I served for nearly 19 years). This is my 10th year at Saud Bahwan Group, Muscat, which I joined in December 2008. The going is good and I am still at it with God's grace and good wishes of friends and family.

I think celebrations are in order for having reached this milestone and the needful will be done to have a bash tomorrow. Cheers !