#WorkplaceFriendships

It was just another December morning. Sitting inside my chamber, I was engrossed in my usual official work. I’m a Group-A gazetted officer working in the department of Finance (Revenue), Government of West Bengal. I have to deal with lot of general public on a daily basis due to my job profile. At the most basic level, my job requires me to go through deeds of immovable properties and register the same and collecting the government revenue. On that day, I found a line in a particular deed due to which an increased duty would be levied. I pointed out the line to the concerned lawyer who had drafted the deed. She was a junior lawyer working under the guidance of her senior who I’ll refer to as Mr. D for anonymity. She stated that she would strike through the particular line to avoid the increased stamp duty. Within a few moments, Mr. D came inside my office, huffing and puffing. Being a presumptuous man, his ego was hurt in front of his client as he had drafted the deed himself. He said that he would neither strike through the line nor pay the increased stamp duty. Clearly, he was the all-knowing, learned lawyer and a mere mortal, that too a female government officer, couldn’t point out his errors. He started shouting inside the office, in front of all the public. I accosted him and told him to immediately leave the office premises and stated for his kind information that a government office couldn’t be the venue for his theatrical performance. Red hot fury coursed through his veins as his caricature came to an abrupt halt. He swore that he would return soon to take his revenge.

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