I was not feeling well in the morning and decided to take a day off work to rest. As I was sitting with a cup of coffee on my bed, I thought I would write some notes on the upcoming pilot project. Surprisingly, when I started writing, I could not think of work; all I could think about was the sense of peace and pride one feels about working for Secure. I was deeply immersed in my thoughts and got carried away. Then I shared an incident with my wife, who was sitting next to me.
I remember suffering from a similar cold in 1990–91, also because of the rains. The clock showed 8:30 am, time to leave for work; it started raining as I was leaving. I thought I should wait for some time before leaving home. After a long wait, around 30 minutes, the weather changed its mood slightly, and the rain stopped. I rushed out of my house and took my scooter to work. In those days, we had a small setup in the Madri Industrial Area (MIA). On my way to the office, it started pouring again, but I didn’t stop this time because I was already late. I continued my scooter ride in the rain and was enjoying it, unaware that Babel Saab was following me.
He saw me from a distance; he could see that a boy in a red shirt was thoroughly drenched and still riding his scooter on the same route he, Babel Saab, was taking. He assumed that the boy also worked at Secure, and he was concerned about him going to work without a raincoat, as it could cause illness. When I reached the office, I quickly changed my shirt in the washroom, but when I came out, I saw Babel Saab enquiring about that boy in the red shirt. Unable to trace that boy, he left a message for him – that he should take care of his health and use a raincoat when required.
I was listening from a distance but did not reveal my identity, maybe because I was afraid to do so. I salute the kind of leader we had, one who was so concerned about his whole team that he followed up on the boy in the red shirt just to let him know that he ought to use a raincoat and be careful about his health. This touched me, and since then, whenever it rains, I always use a raincoat. But yesterday afternoon, there was no sign of rain, yet the weather changed suddenly, and it rained, making me ill that day.
These small things are the essence of the Secure culture, which wins employees’ hearts. Because of this, Secure is like a family, even today, as the number of employees continues to grow. Before I could narrate a few more incidents, my wife interrupted and said:
“I understand your feelings and sense of belonging towards Secure and cherish the same, but now I think you should take some rest and get well soon, so you can be with your family tomorrow.”
-Altaf Hussain Bhalam