4. AB and switch to SBI (1971)

4.1 In August 1970, The Andhra Bank Ltd., (Andhra Bank - Wikipedia in Private Sector then, and since merged into Union Bank of India in 2020) which had its Central Office in Hyderabad was to modernise and expand all over India, under the Chairmanship of Sri Kalluri Gopala Rao and General Manager Sri MV Subba Rao.  Andhra Bank advertised for a large-scale recruitment of staff.  While sitting idle at home, I asked my father his permission to apply.  I also got encouraging advice from our neighbour Ms S Naina, working in the Staff Dept.  I was asked to attend a typical written test in English and Mathematics, which I cleared easily.  The Bank took a decision to further screening and administer a second special test for all qualified 450 candidates to be conducted by NIBM, Pune (NIBM_PUNE (nibmindia.org) set up in 1969).  It was a Test first of its kind in Indian banking industry, comprising English Language / Numerical abilities, Logical Reasoning, etc.  No clear information or coaching or guidance of any sort was available in the market or with the Bank staff.  To my pleasant surprise, I could successfully qualify with ease and highest score among the 450 participants. I then faced my first ever Personal Interview for a job in January 1971 before a Selection Board headed by Chairman himself.  I was selected in April 1971 and joined Andhra Bank at a young age of eighteen years and six months.

4.2 My friends, family and relatives were very happy that I got a bank job against stiff competition at all India level.  I had no choice but to accept the offer quitting my unfinished B.Sc. studies, after getting consent from my father, with a promise to pursue my academic studies in part-time. The starting salary was a handsome Rs. 330/-, which was supposed to be high and decent.  I was posted in Staff Department, HO, Hyderabad after due formalities and training.  I enrolled as Member of Indian Institute of Bankers (IIB), Bombay immediately. It was a memorable experience to have worked with stalwarts like Sri A Balakrishna Murthy, AGM, Sri Simhachalam, Personnel Manager, Sri Sripada Narasimham, Staff Superintendent, Sri Papa Raju and Sri Venkatadri.  

4.3 I also remember some of our bright colleagues like Ashwini, Kulkarni, Ashok Kumar, Mohan, Kashyapa, J Patanjali Sastry, P Prabhakara Rao, and others. I vividly remember our carefree days as young staff of a Private Bank and the first and best movie we saw in a group, the Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan starrer, ANAND directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and music by Salil Chowdary with a theme of FRIENDSHIP.  One more job offer from SBI made me quit the first job in Nov. 1971 by paying penalty of one month's pay.  With me to quit were three colleagues, ie., Kashyapa, JP Sastry and Joseph Mathew.  Click to know all about SBI: State Bank of India - Wikipedia

4.4 Thus began my second employment in India's giant public sector bank, SBI on November 5, 1971, when I joined the Main Branch in Bank Street, Hyderabad.  I started my baby steps of banking under guidance of Sri AV Rajarathnam, C Ramaswamy, KP Subrahmanyam (all of IBI) and I Veerabhadra Rao.  My colleagues were Mr SV Sudarsan and Mr JN Pawan, at Sub-Offices Cell. Hyderabad branch was overseeing seven Sub-Offices (or Pay Offices) at ECIL, Padmaraonagar, Bible House, Red Hills, Gowliguda, Shamsheergunj and Choutuppal. I was just 19 years old then, and an under-Graduate. But on the advice of elders, I started appearing for Part-I of CAIIB and cleared in 2 attempts by October 1972.  

4.5 I decided to forego my unfinished B.Sc., three years study and join B.Com (3 YDC) at VV Evening College, Hyderabad.  Thanks to two of our Dy Managers, Sri G Upendra Sarma and T Venkateswarlu, I balanced my time between work and studies in learning banking work and studying for B.Com / CAIIB Part II.  It was very difficult for me to sit for three more years in a graduation course classes, when I had already passed the two language papers during B,Sc., and important subjects like Accountancy, Banking, Economics, Business Law, etc through self-study.  I was fortunate to have got into a very affectionate group of colleagues at work in SBI in V Venkateswarlu, RL Nageswara Rao, N Hanumantha Rao, B Radhakrishna, SP Narasinga Rao, U D Kumta, BSR Prasad, PP Krishna Rao, Tangirala Srinivasa Rao, Sarma, Sastry besides many other seniors and juniors, male and female, Officers and staff members. 

Picnic with SBI Hyderabad friends to Hampi, Karnataka

With Mr N Hanumantha Rao of SBI, Hyderabad

Farewell party to me and BSR Prasad on our promotion as Trainee Officers in 1977

4.6 Interestingly, I was also active in SBI Staff Union, Hyderabad during 1973-76 and was elected as Representative of A/cs Dept of SBI, Hyderabad. Shri PV Sastry and Shri P Lakshminarasaiah were President and Secretary at the State level. Mr Ganti Seshagiri Rao, Mr J Venkat Rao, Mr P Siva Sankara Reddy, Mr N Hanumantha Rao, Gopalakrishna, GMK Gandhi and others were some of the active union members then.  I worked with two bosses Shri Seshadri Rao and Shri K Raghunatha Rao, Managers.  By April 1975, the political disturbances in Telangana region subsided and Osmania University, Hyderabad appointed Justice Jaganmohan Reddy, Retired Supreme Court Judge as its Vice Chancellor.  He took control of the state of affairs to curb the malpractices in exams.  Coincidence was that at all-India level of politics, Central Govt imposed National Emergency in June 1975 The Emergency (India) - Wikipedia.  Exams were conducted with strict discipline.  My hard work and wait for four years to become a Graduate yielded result.  I passed B.Com. with 63% marks in First Division and obtained Fourth Rank in the University Merit Order.  What a big relief that I fulfilled my promise to my father!

4.7 All my well-wishers appreciated my achievements in academics and career.  I enrolled myself immediately for M.Com., in Evening Sessions of PG Centre (Nizam College), Hyderabad. I was offered Merit Scholarship by the GoI, which I didn't avail of.  Here I met a good number of intelligent friends like M Lakshman Kumar, Giridhar Gopal, Vijaya Simha Reddy, Suryanarayana, Ramesh et al as seniors and Niranjan, Krishna, Ramdas, Buddha Kumar, Kameswara Rao, Guru Linga Chary, Purnima, Rajalakshmi, Mythili, Bhaskar Rao, AA Qureshi, Ravi Prakash Singaravelu, CJ Singh, Srirama Murthy, Jagga Rao, Sekhar and others as classmates.  My Elective subjects were Cost Accounting, Personnel Management and Industrial Psychology.  In all curriculum standards, the degree was equivalent to MBA.

4.8 We all completed M.Com. in 4 Semesters by April 1977 and me with 65% and 6th rank in Osmania University.  Sadly, four of our batch (Ali Asim Qureshi, Ravi Prakash Singaravelu, Ramdas and Bhaskar) died prematurely in later years and most of the remaining are friends even on date through WA Group.  Sri Dakoju Nagabrahmam, a young faculty member taught us Labour Relations in our Ist Semester.  He quit his job to join the Fellow Program (equivalent to PhD) of IIM Ahmedabad and later worked as Associate Professor in IRMA Anand.  We bid a simple farewell to him in 1975.  I met him after a long gap in 1998 in Manipal when he was Director of TAPMI only to join as Associate Professor in May 1999. 

M.Com. 1975-77 batch of Hyd Evening College, Farewell in 1977

Re-union of M.Com batch in Secunderabad in October 2019

4.9 After a gap of 42 years, at least nine of us could meet for a dinner at Secunderabad Hotel in October 2019 and recalled our golden years of 1975-77.  Dr Gurulinga Chary (SSIM-Hyderabad), ST Krishna (Standard & Chartered Bank, Dubai), P Niranjan (SBI-Hyderabad), L Buddha Kumar (Consultant), Jagga Rao (PNB), Jayawant Singh (SBI-Hyderabad), M Srirama Murthy (Air India-Hyderabad), K Kameswara Rao (SBI Hyderabad) from USA and I (Bangalore) attended on that day.  Each one excelled in their respective professions / organisations in the past over four decades and happily retired. 

4.10 To my luck, SBI decided to reduce eligibility criteria for Trainee Officers selection in 1975. I started my preparations to appear for my first attempt in 1976, while simultaneously attending M.Com classes / exams.  God was kind enough that I cracked the TOs Test and faced the GD/PIs only to be selected in the then smallest batch of 23 Officers in Hyderabad Circle.  My other colleagues were TVLN Chary, ChBV Sarma, Y Bhaskara Rao, BSR Prasad from Hyderabad Branch and others like KS Prakasa Rao, MVR Sainatha Rao, BBRK Durga Prasad, S Krishnan and Nayani Sreedhar.  The 2 years Training cum Probation commenced from 1st of September 1977, which on completion bestowed us to become Grade I Officers in SBI.  I was less than 25 years of age then and the youngest in the batch!  I reported at Vizag for my 1st branch training.  I spent seven months and worked under Shri Nambiar and Shri YRK. 

4.11 Of the 23 batch of SBI Hyderabad Circle Trainee Officers of 1977 I belong to, BSR Prasad retired as General Manager, MVR Sainatha Rao as Dy General Manager, and remaining in different positions.  Nayani Sreedhar retired voluntarily as AGM and settled down in Toronto, Canada. I also retired voluntarily as Chief Manager of Sangareddy Branch, Medak Dt., Telangana on 30th April 1993 to take up private sector engagements and academic assignments in later years.  Three colleagues, TVLN Chary, G Avataram died due health reasons and SSSV Nageswara Rao met with a road accident and also had premature death.  Y Bhaskar Rao took philosophical route and vanished from active life while R Narayana Swamy died in April 2022 post retirement.  We all are meeting occasionally in Hyderabad and Online as also keep in regular touch on daily basis in our WhatsApp group. 

TOs 1977 of Hyderabad Circle on confirmation as OG I in August 1979

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