The cable disrupter

Nestling in the Sivaliks next to a gushing Ganga, with a couple of national parks close by, the cantonment existed in harmony with its surro...

Nestling in the Sivaliks next to a gushing Ganga, with a couple of national parks close by, the cantonment existed in harmony with its surroundings. The abundant flora and fauna were never completely shut off from the inhabitants8217; lives. They played a part, as did a humble bird in my own case.

Elephant families taking a leisurely stroll down the bylanes of the cantonment, after a delicious drink of Ganja jal8217;, were a common sight. One had to keep a wary eye on the calves, which had a habit of taking parked bicycles in their stride. Then there were visits from Ramu, the monkey, who had a curious penchant for snatching bags and packets from pedestrian women alone.

Nobody ventured out at night without reliable torches. Nobody had forgotten the leopard that once lost its way and surprised the night sentries of one of the regiments.

Despite the sylvan surroundings, the cantonment was in step with the times. Proof: an extensive cable television network, the onus of maintaining and running which rested on theshoulders of this writer.

I had my first taste of the dynamics of customer relations in this stint as OIC Cable TV. Anybody who did not receive a clear channel was perfectly within his rights to drag me to the telephone any time of the day or night. Weather, extended distances and a thin staff notwithstanding, we strove to keep the network going.

When the network tripped one evening, I received the inevitable complaints with equanimity, and despatched my technicians to locate the fault, fully expecting renewal of services in a short time. But, hard as my blokes tried, they could not trace the fault.

The next day, however, the cable services were back on track on their own. I asked my men what could be wrong, and they had no guesses. We only knew that services had been miraculously restored. I kept the conundrum a secret, and calmly accepted compliments for a good night8217;s work done.

Story continues below this ad

I had the first hint of a dull, panicky foreboding that evening, when the cable TV services were disrupted yet again. Thetechnicians8217; crew drew a blank once more. And, horror of horrors, services returned, of their own accord, the following day. I was at a total loss to explain the phenomenon. My mumbling about electronic circuitry contracting in the cold nights was taken with a pinch of salt. I was granted a reprieve.

Matters reached a flashpoint when television screens throughout the cantonment began to snow8217; for the third evening in succession. The consumers were getting restless, and I could sense it. I also knew that it would not be long now before the station commander lost his patience, whether the electronic circuitry contracted or not.

With my back to the wall, I decided to get to the bottom of things once and for all. I organised a round-the-clock vigil at the reception station along with a mobile crew of lines testers. And, I waited, trying in vain to keep calm as angry callers on the phone kept me awake for the better part of the night.

The next day, my vigilance team reported success. They had finally foundout what caused such an inexplicable disturbance.

Story continues below this ad

It was a blued-tailed robin, which had fancied the steel cupola in the satellite dish the low noise box8217; as an ideal night shelter. Whenever the robin entered its newfound quarters in the evenings, reception got disturbed. When the robin left for the wild in the mornings, things were back to normal.

So much for technology.

I will never forget the lesson the robin taught me. You never know where you will find a problem and where a solution.