I have always had a keen interest in banking. I am one of the lucky ones who loved their profession till the end. Banking can be used by bankers as a means to make changes in society and an individual’s life. I have a very unique story to share.

I was posted as a branch manager of a remote branch located in a tribal area. No trains, no cabs, intermittent electricity, only one government hospital, one MBBS doctor and so on and so forth. But a lot of politics and a lot of superstitions.

One day, one young lady, Sangita, entered my cabin. She was visibly disturbed. She needed a housing loan of Rs. 4 lakh to buy her own house. She was working as a temporary teacher but was also taking private tuition for English. I was curious about English tuition in the tribal area, so just checked her mark sheet from SSC. To my surprise, she had scored 99/100 marks in English. My decision got crystallised and I sanctioned her the loan.

In due course, when her house was ready, she again came to see me. She asked to close the doors of my cabin. Once the doors were closed, she started crying. I tried to comfort her but was confused as I was unable to understand the reason behind such an outburst. Sangita was otherwise a very composed lady.

After a while, she narrated the history behind her outburst and the reason she was desperately in need to buy her own house. Before Sangita came to me to ask for the loan, she was shunned by her community for some of her behaviour that was not acceptable to the community. This resulted in her not getting shelter in the village. She went from pillar to post in search of some relief.

At that time, she heard about me and approached me for a housing loan. Other banks, being local cooperative banks, were reluctant to help her. The small amount of the loan gave her own shelter and restored her self-esteem. It gave her status in society. This made the community restrictions ineffective. For my bank, it was a small amount of Rs. 4 lakh, but for Sangita, it was a lifesaver.

At present, she is vice-principal of a school. Her tuition classes are in demand. She has raised one more floor above her house. Sangita is now leading her life confidently. Even after 15 years, she is still in touch with me.

A person and their family’s lives changed for better.

It is one of the very satisfying memories of my banking career.