Period of My Unemployment

by K Jambulingam

After graduation, I applied for a white collar job in private companies and Government Departments. Promptly they called me for a personal interview. But no where was I successful.I am happy about it. If I were successful in my first interview, I would not have had the opportunity of visiting so many cities of India. Whenever I was called for an interview, I used to contemplate whether to attend it or not as if it was invitation for a friend's wedding. But i never failed to attend any interview where ever it was a result, I had been to Bombay,Delhi,Calcutta, Madras and Pndicheerry.I made it a point to see all the tourist places of the city when I went for interview. When I went to Delhi, I went to Agra to see the Taj Mahal one of the wonders of the world.

I had spent more money in typing application forms and attending interviews at far off places than I actually spent for my education.Therefore my debt to my uncle increased considerably as he was my financier.

Since I was unemployed( it is a curse to be unemployed in my part of the world) my grandmother asked me me to help her maintain the farm and the cattle shed.I agreed. I was supervising the cleaning of the cattle shed and farm work.

One day the Agriculture Assistant came to the farm to advise grandmother about the crop rotation and the use of proper manure for the crops. I was introduced to him. We became friends.Knowing that I was a graduate of English literature, he advised me. He said, "Since we can not get what we like, we must like what we get".He helped me to get a bank loan to establish a Poultry in the farm.The poultry attracted snakes. Small birds became the easy pray for the rattle snakes. We avoided the entry of the snakes by digging snake pit around the poultry shed. But after a few days, the birds suffered from a strange disease.Since the agricultural assistant had gone on annual leave, I did not know what to do.The number of causalities increased day by per my grandmother's advice, I decided to sell the remaining birds in the weekly market of the village. There I casually noticed that the tomatoes were sold at the rate of 2o/= rupees a kilo.I decided to cultivate tomatoes. When my friend came back from his long leave, I briefed him and also expressed my desire to cultivate tomatoes. He welcomed the idea.The place where I had poultry was selected for tomato cultivation. He helped me to get high breed seeds and nonoraganic manure. The tomato plants grew with at most care and nourishment. I was a able to harvest nearly a hundred kilo of tomatoes. I was calculating my profit. Sine I had spent just two hundred rupees and the harvest would fetch about two thousand rupees. I was happy that I made a good harvest. I went to the market. To my horror the tomatoes were sold at Rupees two per kilo. You can calculate my profits.

I lost all my hope but the agricultural assisstant did not: because he is in the trade.He arranged a kitchen garden competition. My garden was adjudged the best.The Minister for agriculture who was on his election campaign in the area,gave away the award. The agricuture assistant arranged a meeting with the minister. I met him. I told him that I was unemployed graduate. He asked me to help him in his election campagin. The agriculture assistant told me that I would get some post in the agricuture department after the election.Since I did not have any experience in Public spaeking, I was asked to preside over all the election meetings. I had to speak a few words and requested the people to vote for the minister. I didmy my job wonderfully well.Unfortunately the minister and his party failed miserably in the elction. My dream of entering the agriculture department never came true.

Meanwhile the result of the interview I attended for the Governemnt job came as a bolt from the blue. I was employed in a defence school.


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