ACR DINNER
A Naval Yarn
By
VIKRAM KARVE
ACR –
acronym for ANNUAL CONFIDENTIAL REPORT
This happened
sometime in the 1980s.
I happened to
walk into the office of one of my Pongo colleagues for some work.
I saw a total
of six Pongos, including my colleague, sitting around the table engaged in an animated
discussion, so I excused myself and told
my colleague that I would come later.
“No, No,
please come in,” my friend said, “in fact you can help us solve our problem.”
“Problem?” I
asked.
“Yes, its
about the ACR dinner,” he said.
“ACR Dinner?”
I asked perplexed.
“You don’t
have this in the Navy?” they all asked.
“Well, at
least I have not heard of it,” I said.
“Our ACRs are
due to be written in a month,” my colleague said, “and all of us are expected to
invite our boss and his wife for dinner – and of course all the other officers
and lady wives are invited.”
“Are you
telling me that you will be appraised based on a dinner?” I asked, genuinely
baffled.
“Well, I
really don’t know, but then these things matter in peacetime soldiering,” my
friend, who was a battle-hardened soldier, said wistfully.
“Anyway, what
do you want me to do?” I asked.
“Pick lots,”
they all said.
“Pick lots?” I
asked, totally at a loss.
“Yes,” my
friend explained, “we have to decide the sequence of the ACR dinners. You know
about the halo effect, isn’t it? There is a big advantage in giving the dinner
last, just before the ACR date.”
“Or first –
the first dinner sets the standard, and is also remembered,” said another Pongo
sitting in the room.
So I picked
the chits and the ACR dinner dates were decided.
Of course, we,
my wife and I, were invited to all the ACR dinners.
VIKRAM KARVE
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2012
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Did you like this blog post?
I am sure you will like the stories in my recently published book COCKTAIL comprising twenty seven short stories about relationships. To order the book please click the links below:
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COCKTAIL ebook
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SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925
About Vikram Karve
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and he is currently working on his novel. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles in magazines and journals for many years before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for almost 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
I am sure you will like the stories in my recently published book COCKTAIL comprising twenty seven short stories about relationships. To order the book please click the links below:
http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-vikram-karve-short-stories-book-81910
http://www.indiaplaza.in/cocktail-vikram-karve/books/9788191091847.htm
http://www.apkpublishers.com/books/short-stories/cocktail-by-vikram-ka
COCKTAIL ebook
If you prefer reading ebooks on Kindle or your ebook reader, please order Cocktail E-book by clicking the link below:
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925
About Vikram Karve
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and he is currently working on his novel. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles in magazines and journals for many years before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for almost 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Hmm...that's interesting :).
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