NJO REACH OUT NEWS LETTER
JUNE 2008 VOLUME 4.6

The fifth issue for the year 2008 and thirty-third from inception is in your hands. NJO REACH OUT wishes those NJO staff whose Birthdays and Wedding Anniversaries fall during June 2008.

GROUP CASH AWARD FOR IR FAMILY:
For the spectacular performance of the staff and officers of IR during the financial year 2007-08, Minister of Railways, Shri Lalu Prasad Yadav has announced group cash award of Rs 1 Crore for each zonal railway and Rs 20 Lakhs for each Production Unit.

SMT SOWMYA RAGHAVAN AS GM/C RLY:
Since the women’s decade announced by the UN, women continue to make strides in the so-called male bastions. To crown such efforts, Smt Sowmya Raghavan, an IRAS officer of 1971 batch has taken over as the GM Central Railway. Known as a tough seat for even male appointees, Smt Sowmya Raghavan is at ease probably because she worked in the Railway Board earlier.

VALEDICTORY FUNCTION OF CW/PER 150YEARS JUBILEE
Valedictory Function of CW/PER 150years jubilee was held on 22nd April 2008 Shri Rakesh Chopra, GM/S Rly was the chief guest. Shri V Carmelus CME/MAS and N L Madhusudan CWE/MAS were then distinguished guests for the occasion. To commemorate the valedictory function, an arch depicting the 150 years of Carriage & Wagon Workshops was inaugurated by GM/S Rly.

COMPUTER TRAINING:
A long pending grievance in the Workshop Accounts Office is that adequate computer training in higher level was not given. Shri K Ramasubramonia Pillai, former Dy FA &CAO/W, though his personal efforts obtained the approval of training proposal by AGM. About 18 staff, both supervisory and subordinate were trained at CMS (A TATA concern) through CRIS. The training was given in Oracle 9 I and Oracle Forms.
MOBILE STORAGE SYSTEM: In order to modernize the file storage compact mobile storage cupboards (four in numbers) were inaugurated by Shri C Hamza, FA&CAO/S&/W/PER on 10th April 2008. One number in Ground Floor for Expenditure Loco and Finance sections, two numbers for Pension and one number for PF sections in Second Floor are installed. This is a long felt demand in the Workshop Accounts Office due to space crunch. The credit goes to Shri K Ramasubramonia Pillai, former Dy FA & CAO/W.

TRANSFERS
Shri B Ilangovan an IRAS officer of 1990 batch has joined as Dy FA & CAO/W. Earlier he was SR DFM/MDU, DFM/MDU, and ADFM/MDU. He was known for his quick and fast decisions at the Madurai division. He is married and his spouse is an Indian Information Service officer presently employed in Madurai. Besides his official work, he is busy with lots of social service and action to the less privileged and marginalized.

Shri B Srinivasan is transferred to ITC (EPDC)/MAS as Sr EDPM. He has been here for nearly four years as Dy FA& CAO/.S Earlier, he had worked as SAO/S/PER. During his time, the remarkable event was the IVRS and web based queries on the online status of stock bills. A farewell party was held on 29th May at the Nilgiri Hall. Smt Reena Ranjan, FA & CAO / S & W /PER presided over the function. A memento was presented to him. Staff and officers paid rich felicitations to him for his marvelous work.

DATE WITH ANTIQUITY: Shri K Thiagarajan Sr ISA HQ retired on 30/04/1994 visited this office for post complimentary pass. He resides in 13 Velan Nagar, Kolathur, Chennai 99 and he teaches YOGA at PRANA YOGA KENDRA in Mylapore. He has two children one boy and one girl and both of them are well settled. His son Dr Ram Charan is a liver transplant surgeon in Manipal Hospital, Bangalore.

Second Death Anniversary: This June marks the second death anniversary of the passing away of Shri Jayakumar, Sr AFA/CN/MS IRAS 2000 batch, due to oral cancer. It is also remembered that the NJO/PER has met such tragic deaths due to various types of cancer. Wife of Hassan Koya, SR SO/CN/CLT, Jayanth Kumar, AFA/MTP, Sripathy, Sr SO, wife of Pugalenthiselvan, Dy CMM/ICF/ PER, wife of Madanakumar, SMM/ Signal /PER have met with this fatal disease. NJO REACH OUT suggests staff to undergo early voluntary testing for suspected malign tumors. It is better for readers go for cancer awareness program to keep it at a length.

V ULAVAN (21/05/1954-14/06/2007)
First Death Anniversary: It is one year since the passing away of our companion and a great supporter NJO REACHOUT/PER, a leading trade unionist and the ever-smiling V Ulavan. His smile was contagious and could win any one he met. One of his dreams was to have apolitical trade union with full control by the workers. Another dream was recognition for AIRMSA for which he worked so vigorously during his life time. That dream was achieved posthumously in November 2007 with the secret ballot on the trade union all over the Indian railways.

SHORT STORY: THE PURPOSE OF LIFE
Mohan after his school final year never worked to find a job for him. He was lazily spending his time. Chandren his father worked in a textile mills and used to leave home 7 o’clock in the morning and return at 5 o’clock in the evening. His mother Saraswathi was a home maker. Mohan had a sister who still was studying at the school. Some times his father got so wild with him for not seeking a job. Once day he was caught by his father for taking money from his mother. His father shouted at him and chased him out of the house to earn some money. Mohan returned home after some time. Taking pity on him, his mother gave him a few rupees and asked him to return in the evening after his father returned home. Mohan did exactly his mother had told him. When father asked him where the money he had for the day was he gave the rupees he got from his mother. His father was still angry with him and threw the rupees in the fire. Mohan did not react. His father said that after all the rupees were not earned by him and that was why he kept quiet when the rupees were thrown in to fire. The next day also his father told him to go out and earn some money. This time his mother had given him an idea. She had told to dirty the rupees she gave to him on the second day to make it appear as hard earned money. That day too, his father could not believe his story of working here and there and threw the rupees in to fire. Still Mohan did not feel like reacting. On the third day he told his mother that he was really going to do any work to earn some money. In the evening as usual his father was about to throw the rupees in to fire. Mohan could not control his feelings. He ran to prevent the rupees from falling in to fire. His father was satisfied and appreciated that until one earns his own money no one really knows the worth of money. Thereafter, Mohan regularly went to work and the whole family was pleased with his change of heart.