I took over the Sales Area of Coimbatore South in 1989, as a 25 year old in Hindustan Petroleum Corporation.The Sales Area was neglected for a long time. In a couple of years,I earned the reputation for being innovative, tough and a no nonsense go getter who took lot of risks 1/n

Being a MBA Graduate,I decided to clean up the mess and started a crusade against Adulteration and poor Service. This made me lots of enemies. At the same time, I made it a point to paint, clean up all my Retail Outlets. We had enough Budget for sprucing up the Outlets. 2/n

We also had Consumer Outlets dedicated only to a particular consumer,either a Govt. Dept. or an Industrial Customer or a Road Transport Undertaking. In most of these places, our facility comprising of an Underground Tank and 3/n

Dispensing Unit was inside the Customers premises, and not visible to the public.

There was once exception in my area. It was a tiny village in the Western Ghats, and the facility was for the Tamil Nadu PWD officials who were there to maintain the Dam 4/n

but it was on the main road, as would any normal petrol pump. PWD consumed only 4000 litres every year, but we maintained the facility for the sake of good relationship with the Government. It didn't make economical sense for us to have it,let alone maintain 5/n

And other than the PWD guys and their Contractors, no one ever visited this location
 
As Sales Officers we were given budget for repair and maintenance. I had a budget for Consumer Outlets. One year I had a bit of surplus, 6/n

and remembered this Facility and I sent my Contractor to this hilly terrain to paint the sign board, dispensing unit and the building.

He did so promptly, and was happy to go there as the Government officials treated him royally, including giving him some choice meat.7/n

He came back pleased as punch, collected his payment and we all forgot about it.

He told me that the Sign Board and Dispensing unit had rusted, and the whole place looked forlorn before they painted. 8/n

It appeared that none from HPCL had visited this place for years and no one even knew such a facility existed or how it looked like, least of all my Regional Office guys in Cochin. 9/n

About 2 months later, my entire Regional Office and Terminal Guys from Cochin planned a weekend trip to this place. Normally whenever they travel the local Petrol Pump owner will be on standby to assist them. We had none here. I booked them in the PWD Guest House 10/n

They started from Cochin in the evening, and as is the normal practice started drinking heavily. I was invited but begged off as I hated these orgies. They landed at the destination close to midnight fully drunk. It was biting cold outside in this hilly hamlet. 11/n

Exhausted they dropped off to sleep, but my Sales Manager and couple of my Sales Officer colleagues from Kerala got up by 4 am, decided to clear their head by taking a stroll and in search of a tea shop.12/n

They were still groggy from the previous evenings orgy, and were bemoaning the absence of a HP Petrol Station in the area, as then the dealer would have ensured they got tea and food on time. It was misty, hazy and bitterly cold outside. One SO was talking about Ghosts 13/n

which added to the eerie atmosphere.

Abruptly one of the Sales Officers shouted

'Sir, there is a HP Pump here!'.
 
The Sales Manager who was taking a leak, said ' Are you crazy? This is my area and I know there is no Petrol Station here. Did you mix drinks yesterday?' 14/n

'Then what the hell is this? my Colleague asked.
 
As the Manager turned, his jaws literally dropped.

There it stood in front of him, partially visible through the mist, a freshly painted HP Sign Board, a Dispensing Unit and a painted Office Room in all its glory, 15/n

better maintained than the best Outlet in his Area.

He asked his colleagues to pinch him to ensure what he was seeing was not an apparition.

Still disbelieving, they inspected the facility which was locked, ofcourse. 16/n

Manager's initial reaction was "Bloody Hell! I know Rajan takes risks, but even he wont dare to open a Retail outlet without permissions. If it had been some of you, I would have suspected you of selling a HP outlet for money. But not Rajan!"

17/n

He couldn't understand what was going on and how there was a HP facility in this god forsaken place, which as the Manager in charge he was not aware of.

Mystery deepened when they finally found a local who said "It was there since the last 25 years?" 18/n

Being in an era when mobile telephones didnt exist, Manager had to wait till 9 am to find a Telephone Booth and call me to seek a clarification.

"Consumer Outlet sir. PWD"

"Dey. It looks brand new"

"Oh! I sent Devraj and Contractor Rajan to paint 2 months ago" 19/n

"Dey! Loose! Itheyellam yaaruda paint pannuva? Bayamuruthiyuttaye!"

He asked and laughed for a full minute over telephone.

He told me later that all of them took a while to get over seeing 'what they thought was a ghost' in the early hours. 20/n
 .

This story was later retold in GMs Sales Review Meetings to highlight how a Sales Officer took the pains to keep ALL his Outlets well painted and maintained. I got a WE COMMENT letter from Chairman 21/n

We had moved on in life. I quit HPCL a couple of  years after that, became an Entrepreneur and later moved to Gulf.!He retired from HPCL.

5 years ago when I met him at a wedding, he recalled the incident to his wife, me and a few guests & told about

22/n

his and his colleagues horror on seeing a Ghost like well painted HP outlet, partially visible through the mist,at 4 am in a quiet uninhabited hilly hamlet in Western Ghats all those years ago. n/n