Rs 500, Rs 1,000 note swap: Retired bankers help out in short-staffed bank branch

Guwahati: They may have retired from their bank jobs but their urge to serve customers remains resolute as was evident from the exemplary response by two former employees of United Bank of India (UBI) to the stupendous rush at a bank branch in Guwahati on Thursday. Former employees Pronay Bhuyan and Namita Lahkar had gone to the bank’s Narengi Tiniali branch to deposit their old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes and withdraw money. But the huge rush and shortage of staff brought out the banker in them and they readily volunteeered to help for the day. [caption id=“attachment_3099710” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image.[/caption] “When we entered the bank we were really shocked to see that there were only three staff members - the manager, cashier and the peon to cater to the hundreds of customers who had queued up outside,” Bhuyan, a former manager of the branch, said. Lahkar, who retired after 35 years of service, said they realised it would be next to impossible for the three employees to serve so many people and soon there would have been chaos at the branch. “Bhuyan and I did not hesitate to offer our services and the present manager very gratefully accepted our help,” she said. “We have always believed that needs of the customer are supreme and cannot be compromised on at any cost. I have retired from the bank but today I felt privileged to be of help again after five years,” she added. Bhuyan said he and Lahkar were very happy to serve the customers and soothe their fears regarding the ongoing changes. “We are short of staff no doubt and are very grateful to both Bhuyan Sir and Madam. We cannot thank them enough for helping us out during this transition phase,” the bank branch manager Bapukan Baishya said. Hemanta Kalita, a customer, said none realised that the two elders were no longer in the service of the bank but were helping out. “They attended to all our queries, took in the deposits and issued the cash with such patience and efficiency that it did not occur to us for a moment that they were retired employees.”