Kabir retired from the army in 2008 as a sergeant. He then joined the security department of a big group of industries. He was a proud soldier throughout his career who finished his tour of duty with dignity and honour. He retired quite young as is the rule in the army.
Hence, he was in need to pursue some means of earning to let his sons finish their education. Kabir was quite hesitant to join his second career because he had to put on a uniform of a different kind, an olive green with the company’s logo on his arm. His army friends discouraged him; Kabir, however, had no regrets that he chose to join, as it helped him continue the decent lifestyle he got used to by being in the army.
The kind of job he was entrusted with suited him well, imparting training to batches of young men from the villages, teaching them the pros and cons of watchkeeping and reporting, the logging of visitors and vehicles, traffic control, escorting of convoys, fire detection, firefighting, and so on. His experience in the army made him quite at home with all those mundane duties.
Things have changed since his first joining. He and other colleagues now have to use their smartphones a lot these days. They have to take snapshots of incidents such as a guard dozing off while on duty, accidents, cases of petty theft, smoking at unauthorized locations, drivers speeding inside the factory premises, and so on. He has to keep his eyes and ears open and report things in the form of WhatsApp messages. He coordinates and supervises a good number of factories located in different sites.
He has keenly witnessed the transformation of this very industry in the last decade, and also the neighbourhood. The lifestyle of people around has undergone much visible change. The area is well-connected now with arterial roads connecting the main highway, all constructed by the company he serves.
There are several multi-storey buildings belonging to locals being offered on rent for the officials working in various factories, and low-cost shared housing for factory workers. There are shops and markets of every kind. Schools and colleges have come up. Job opportunities have been created for thousands of workers at different skill levels.
The owner of this big venture being a very adventurous person, the conglomerate is still expanding, making fresh investment into unchartered areas. The business here is multifarious, starting from shipbuilding, steel fabrication, beverage, bakery, cement, power generation, consumer items, chemicals, CNG -- the list goes on.
Kabir wonders how an individual could perceive, plan, and implement all these multi-disciplinary ventures within such a short period of time and with such precision and success in creating jobs for so many thousands.
With the advent of the coronavirus, things started getting worse as lockdowns were imposed. Uncertainty, panic, and anxiety prevailed. They had to learn the art of distancing, using PPE, disinfecting vehicles and persons, using digital thermometers, and imposing health safety on everybody getting in the factory premises.
Kabir saw the exodus of people rushing out to the villages along the highway. There were a lot of apprehensions in his workplace as well. But surprisingly for him and his co-workers, nothing bad happened. No worker sacked, no pay deducted, not even bonuses or festival allowances were withheld. Rather, his department kept recruiting people.
Kabir was clueless to fathom the intricacies of the business, and yet, could make out that this group survived due to their vision and multidisciplinary business. There definitely had been losses in some ventures due to blockade and the sudden fall in demand, but most others were still running.
Kabir also noted that a lot of consumer items were being sent as relief to far-flung areas of the country on a daily basis. He recalls that the long queues of trucks and covered vans did not thin out even during the acute crisis.
The boss used to visit once every week as a matter of routine. At a Friday congregation, the cleric delivered a very moving sermon on corona and its devastating effect, praying for the benevolent owner’s good health. The cleric called out, “Our Lord don’t let us lose our jobs in this dire situation, all our families will simply starve. Let this company survive and thrive.”
Kabir’s eyes got moist as tears of gratitude rolled down his cheeks. He thought to himself: “The country needs more such genuine, benevolent, able, and successful entrepreneurs to keep us afloat and help us thrive.”
Brig Gen Qazi Abidus Samad, ndc, psc (Retd) is a freelance contributor.
