DEV JAISAA "BOSS" PHIR KAHAN ?

I have seen Dev Anand in all his avtaars and I claim that I still don't know enough of him, Dev Sahab was many men to many , but very few people know that he was a very loving , caring and a compassionate " boss " working for his company , Navketan Films - Ali Peter John

Like he had a knack of discovering talent in different fields of filmmaking, he also had the art of finding people to work in his office in Bombay and Delhi , besides other smaller cities.

I had the good fortune of seeing him interact with his staff most of whom worked with him till they voluntarily opted out because of old age or some ailment or accident.

Most of those who worked for him were men and women who had joined him during the formation of Navketan Films.

He had his office in Khira Nagar in Santacruz in a building which looked like a train and had his cabin at the far end of it , with his close staff working in different cubicles in the same "compartment " on the first floor.

And among them was a young man called Amit Khanna who Dev Sahab had spotted in his distribution office in Delhi and had promoted to the post of corruption controller.

There were his senior staffers like Mr Pisharpti who was his accounts manager ever since he had started Navketan Films and had not only worked with him but haf never taken leave of any kind. There were his juniors and other regular staff .

But the one person Dev Sahab never let go from his office was his office receptionist and secretary, Mrs Fernandes.

This staff followed Dev Sahab when he shifted his office to "Anand " where he his pent house and his dubbing and recording studio which was managed by another Dev bhakt called V K Sood.

The entire office was situated close to Dev Sahab's pent house so that he could be in constant touch with any member of the staff.

I once asked the entire staff why they were not willing to leave Dev Sahab for better pros prospects and message Fernandes speaking on behalf of all them said," How can we think of leaving a boss who has always paid us in time and according to the work we do and who loves us all so much that he is like the head of our families at all times".

Dev Sahab had a driver who refused to leave him even when he had grown very old and Dev Sahab made it a point to send his salary to his family for years .

This driver was replaced by Prem who found a glorious opportunity of finding a job in Dubai where he had all the comforts of life .

Dev Sahab, the free spirit let prem go as he believed at no one who wants to leave must be stopped.

Three months later , Prem came back to Bombay and asked Dev Sahab to take him as his driver again.

They were more like friends that the boss and the driver. Sometimes when Dev Sahab used to work till very late in the night he made Prem drive till he reached his home in a slum and then drove home himself.

Life was never the same for Prem after Dev Sahab died and the shock of living without Dev Sahab had such a severe impact on him that he turned an alcoholic and was found walking drunk on the same roads where he was known as Dev Sahab's driver and three months later , I was informed that he had died with his last words being "Dev Sahab, Dev Sahab".

Towards the end Dev Sahab had some bad experiences with a man who promised Dev Sahab that he would take care of his dubbing and recording studio that man not only cheated Dev Sahab of money , but had his own recording studio in the suburbs of Andheri.

When I brought this to the notice of Dev Sahab, he just said ," theek hain, theek hai, woh paise hi le gaya, meri takdeer ko thode hi le gayaa" a few months after Dev Sahab died, that had to shut down his new recording studio.

KYAA WOH DEV SAHAB KE SAATH HERA PHERI KARNE KI SAJAA THI ?