mr hariharan... i wonder where he is now...

he was my pillar of support for five years in a row... 1993-1997... for the annual exercise called Annual Report which is a mega exercise in any company, more so where the business is finance and it is diversifying...
mr hariharan was the head of a department called MIS... i did not, when i just joined the company, know what it stood for... he himself explained to me looking at the ignorant expression on my face..."It is Management Information Systems," he said and blinked affectionately...
for me, he was the source of all data, of all departments, including a section which came as an appendix, but had great relevance for everybody within the company since it spelt out people's salaries... i discovered that even if HR went wrong on that crucial data, mr hariharan would not...thus, i discovered, i had to cling on to him... and discovered this pretty early in my new job...
he not only cross-checked data that the 101 departments gave, he also told me what to do when i got stuck which i routinely did...
he also told me how to get my work done with the various tough nuts that chaired the departments who derived some vicarious pleasure if a new incumbent went for the facts and figures...
so, in various stages, i have landed up with mr hariharan with my frustrations... how mean that X department head was, how much following up was needed with each department so that they gave their proof on time so that we could meet the statutory deadlines laid down by the SEBI... the list was endless at the cooking stage...
then came the proof stage and again my guide offered to read the draft and correct it wherever needed...
at the last stage, he would glance thorough the proof and made me sign only after he was satisfied...
almost like a father on my job, he is the only one who said on my last working day before i went on my maternity leave, "Come back with a healthy baby girl."
there was a glisten in his eyes as he said this...