Dattaram

"Good afternoon, fellow Toastmasters... My name is Dattaram and this is my story", he ended with pin-drop silence around the room. The first-ever Toastmasters speech at the Fairmont Jaipur and he had everyone shook. Me, probably more so than anyone else present in the room. Weird name, huh? A person in the 21st Century being called Dattaram? For all us judgmental beings, it's the easiest way to satisfy an ego... Akash Mishal, his original name but the games life played with him enforced the man to take up the name Dattaram. A memory of his dear father which will go with him to his grave.

 

Mr. Dattaram Mishal, another blessing bestowed upon me by Fairmont Jaipur along with Kanika Ma'am. If she was the fun and frolic in the department, Dattaram Sir was the calm head on broad shoulders. Really broad shoulders! He was famously known as the John Abraham of the hotel. Hunky built, always groomed to the T with his typical hairstyle and a soft smile on the face. Despite or rather due to the stark differences in my Assistant Front Office Manager (AFOM) Kanika Ma'am and Front Office Manager (FOM) Dattaram Sir, the Front Office department had the right balance. They were like salt and sugar... no matter how good the dish, without the proper seasoning it's just not right to go out into the world and that is exactly what he did. He maintained a balance, a certain discipline, foresight, process-based operations. It's like he always has a bird's eye view about things. Is it the vast experience he carries? Or is it just how life has made the man?

Mr. Mishal of Sawantwadi, began his hospitality career as a waiter in a restaurant in Mumbai. Being from a Marathi medium school, the inability to speak fluent English hampered his progress. Dedication, tenacity, hard work and the will to stand up strong on his two feet is something which got him through low pay scales, long working hours, high-pressure situations and short-staffed organizations. These traits were impossible not to be recognized and with the help of his bosses, Dattaram Sir climbed up the ladder of hierarchy. I'm sure the days must have been tough but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and it evidently did! The switch from Food and Beverages to Front Office happened eventually and he didn't look back ever since until life happened. The struggle was constant and tragedy struck, his main source of inspiration passed away due to a fatal accident. Sleepless nights in the hospital, bills piling, wife, mother and daughter to take care of... For a lesser man, it would have meant the end of the world but not this one. Not this man who was made by certain principles and laws of the land. Life must go on and go on it did. Fairmont Jaipur came calling and I'm glad it did.

I do not really remember our initial interactions. Probably because they were few and far in between... Now in the land of the Marwadis, finding a fellow Maharashtrian was like finding a diamond in a haystack! Due to his quiet demeanour, it was really tough to figure out what exactly was going on in his head. (The quiet ones are the most dangerous, I have learnt from personal experience) Eventually, he became a real father figure for me in the hotel. "Bokya! Kasa aahes?" or "Raaje, alaat tumhi?" became frequent greetings. For me, it was really touching personally to have someone call me such things so far away from home. I guess we were all trying to find little pieces of home at our workplace and I definitely found one in Dattaram Sir. Just like my real father, even he spoke in metaphors and quoted sayings frequently... One saying I distinctly remember is, 'For a clay pot to be hardened, it has to be near the fire' Through all the tough times and busy days at the hotel when I seemed to be running around like a headless chicken, it's such words that calmed me down. Another situation I clearly recollect is when there was a massive issue regarding the check-ins and guests were screaming and shouting down me, the gladiator had to be called. Another important lesson learnt that day..."Bokya, you should call me when you realize that the house is catching fire... not when it's ablaze." He calmly went on to talk to the guests and pacify the situation eventually.

I also had a Maharashtrian colleague who joined the same program as me at the same time and there was a silent battle between Kanika Ma'am and Dattaram Sir as to who would put out the better candidate forward. (Kalyani, if you are reading this.. there is clearly only one winner!) But there were many things which I learnt from Dattaram Sir which I will take with me and ensure that my children know. I have never seen him be angry at any situation or any person, rather he'd take them aside and explain it in such a way that all worries are forgotten and the person was reformed. After Kanika Ma'am left, Sir became my fall back option. Being the person he is, he ensured that there was no moment where I had to fall back upon him and even if I did, I knew it was okay. Again, there was evident partiality but then, I believe I'm fortunate enough to have people who value me as a person and professional so much. The last three months really bonded me more and more with Sir. "Raaje, jevaayla yetaay ka? Thaambloy tumchya saathi" or "Bokya, chaar vaajlet... Chaha pyaayla ye office madhye" became frequent calls between us. Not to mention, the random Marathi expletives in busy situations which made me laugh harder primarily because they were in Marathi and secondly because they were coming from my boss. The mutton and rum/beer meals I was treated to felt like heaven! One thing, I have started to miss the most here was home-cooked food and Dattaram Sir, being in the same boat took care of that too. Scooter rides, trying to get me to the gym, (!) I really, never imagined professional life to be so family-like but thanks to two wonderful seniors, it has been an experience to cherish. Dattaram Sir left the hotel two weeks back and with him, a part of home in Jaipur went away back home. It was really heartening to see when my mother met him on his second last day and invited him to our place someday he replied saying, "Even if you don't call me, I'll come". It is this level of comfort which I'm glad we have managed to create.

There are a lot of people we meet in our lives who we fail to appreciate and acknowledge... mostly due to the feeling of being shy or having an ego or I really don't know. People like Dattaram Sir have played a huge role in my life in just two years of working together. Not all lessons have to be spoken, there is more one can learn just by being observant and through this lovely quality I have learnt a lot. Keeping your emotions in check, being practical... let others have the credit but be the brain behind it. At twenty-four life has barely begun for me but I have been lucky enough to have seen people who have faced tragedies and gotten over them. People who have not let tragedies make them bitter but rather softer. One doesn't have to be great for everyone around them but rather for the ones who matter and I can proudly say that Dattaram Mishal is a great man. A responsible husband, loving father and a trustworthy boss. 

Thank you, Sir. You too have had a big impact on this little soul.