Based on real life incident, names and places
changed to protect privacy.

Long time before Munna Bhai series was
released, long before most of the ilanders were born and ages before the birth
of internet technology. There was a small Indian Air Force base located in a
sleepy town of undivided Uttar Pradesh.

This incident is of mid 1960’s when cycle was
the pride of urban Indians and buying this luxury was still out of reach for
many. To make the life of our airmen better in those days in Forces, big bosses
decided to provide interest free loan to buy the cycle. Once the loan was
sanctioned whole amount was paid to Cycle Company by defense government and
employee paid back its loan in easy installment of princely amount Rs.10 per
month. Nice n easy.

 But getting the loan sanctioned was a tedious
task. It means endless amount of paper work and rounds of accounts department
to know the fate of application. One young recruit named Mr.Sidhu applied for
loan four times. Every time he applied he was told to wait as either quota for
the month was over or budget wasn’t approved yet and so on. Mr Sidhu was
working in technical (read Engg) branch. He observed somewhere non-technical
branch people was favored, their applications were approved quickly where as
most of people from technical branch met nearly same fate.

 Next time when it was time to apply for another
loan application, he wrote to his senior officer to be granted permission to
keep a donkey to commute from his barracks to office and back. Reading this
unusual request of permission Mr.Rao seriously thought iss sardar ka dimag main jaroor koi problem hain.

 He called Mr.Sidhu in his office. “What is this
Sidhu”, asked Mr. Rao. This is application sir replied Sidhu.

 I know that, but what it is about. How can you
ask for permission for a donkey said Mr.Rao. 

 Wahi to bata raho hoon sir, it is difficult to commute sir,
kuch to chageye na. Aur phir wo office ke ass pass ka ghass kha ke peet bhar le
ga aur mera bhee kam chal jaye ga. Mali ka 
karcha bhe bach jayegaa.

 
(That is what I am trying to say, it is
difficult to commute sir, I need something to commute. And he will eat the
grass and I will have something to commute. Other benefit will be we don’t need
to pay for gardener. Mr Sidhu was in habit of saying sir with every word and
try reading Mr.Sidhu’s Hindi in Punjabi accent).

 But why don’t you buy the cycle asked Mr. Rao,
who was losing his patience with Sidhu now.

 Whai to bata rahan hoon sir, I am a poor person sir, I have
six sister an I am only son sir, old parents sir, very poor sir (everything he
said was a lie; he was only son of a landlord family). How can I buy a
cycle..sob..sob…..

 But why don’t you take the loan said Mr.Rao
trying to calm him down

 Wahi to bata rahan hoon sir, our poor government is getting
bank corrupt. Where is the money sir. I have to think about country as well
sir. We should find the ways to save money sir.

 Listen Sidhu, stop this nonsense and apply for
your cycle loan, right now. Write your application and I will sign it for
approval said Rao, who was by now thinking kya yeh sardar fit bhee hain forces
ke liye. 

 Whai to bata rahan hoon sir there is no budget
sir. I have applied so many times, said Sidhu.

 And this lead to through investigation of what
is happening with Mr.Sidhu’s loan application. As a result Mr.Rao passed the
orders till he is posted there all technical staff loan applications will be dealt
with paramount. Non-technical staff application for cycle loan will sanctioned
only after approval of all technical staff application. 

Needless to say Mr.Sidhu was the first to get
the beautiful, shinny, black bicycle. Though his application for donkey was
never approved.