UD Kamat
The Goa College of Engineering Complex at Farmagudi was commissioned on December 30, 1971 at the hands of Dr Gopal Swaroop Pathak, the then Vice President of India. A fortnight before the event, Mr KN Srivastava, the Chief Secretary, decided to carry out the recee of Farmagudi plateau accompanied by Chief Engineer of PWD and his team. While identifying a suitable location for the inaugural function, the Chief Secretary was overwhelmed by the picturesque landscape beneath dotted with a number of temples. Immediately, a brilliant idea struck upon him. Why not extend the VVIP a traditional welcome befitting the temple surroundings? After discussions with the PWD Engineers it was decided that the VVIP should be welcomed by playing the “conch” or “shankh”. An enthusiastic engineer then volunteered to rope in the pujari of Nagueshi temple who was expert at playing the “Conch” or “Shankh” during the Navratri festival when the deity is gorgeously dressed and decked in “Makhar”.
Daily dress rehearsals of the inaugural function commenced in right earnest a week in advance. The Chief Secretary would go all the way to Farmagudi as the dummy for the Vice President. On arrival, he would be received by the Chief Engineer of PWD as the dummy for the CM and escorted to the site where they would be further welcomed by the Executive Engineer of PWD as the dummy for the Education Minister. The pujari would be stationed behind the location where the VVIP would inaugurate the complex. The moment the Asstt. Engineer placed behind the pujari did the “finger pushing” from behind, the pujari would kick start the conch or shankh. This daily exercise went flawless during the rehearsal week.
However, on the appointed day, when the Vice President of India accompanied by the Lt. Governor arrived at the venue, the novel experiment planned for the traditional reception completely flopped as the pujari failed in his repeated attempts to play the conch or shankh at the crucial time, to the amusement of the invitees present. The episode did indeed cause enough embarrassment to the then CM, Bhausaheb Bandodkar, who obviously was not taken into confidence. As often happens in the bureaucracy, the Chief Secretary passed on the dressing down to the PWD engineers and the blame game finally landed at the door step of the pujari.
After the function, the CS sent SOS to the Chief Engineer, PWD for a “post mortem” at the Secretariat at which the pujari was also brought. The only explanation poor pujari gave was that an altogether different environment on the inaugural day left him completely nervous.
Such is the comedy of errors often associated with a government function.
