The Jammu & Kashmir Bank Ltd- Insignia.
Ravi Speaks:
My First S/B Account:
Was In Eighth Standard-When My Saving Account Was Opened:
I was studying in the eighth standard in Jammu and was hardly 14 years of age in the year-1975-when my grandfather took me to the nearest branch of Jammu & Kashmir Bank at Link Road Jammu and opened my first Saving Bank Account. My Grandfather was himself serving in the same Jammu & Kashmir Bank-City Chowk branch-which used to be the main branch of the bank in Jammu-city as the Head Cashier. He used to stress on one point that was the spending of money should be strongly regulated through the proper Saving Account and one must not keep the money here and there in the cash form-which invariably was spent on not so important things and the unnecessary spending could be avoided-if one was maintaining the proper Bank account-no matter whether he was a student still.
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| The Jammu & Kashmir Bank Ltd- Insignia. |
He took me to the Link Road Branch office and met the manager there who knew him very well and regarded him very much. The moment he was told that I had to open my savings bank account in that branch-the concerned manager with no further saying got some forms filled and the signatures from my grandfather’s side and even my signatures were also taken. It hardly took a few minutes for my account to be opened. Those days, there never used to be any computers or even any internet facilities. The account was manually opened, and I was given a passbook properly filled in by the clerk, concerned, and no checkbook. The manager told my grandfather that since I had just opened the account with them, the checkbook would be delivered at the postal address or we could collect the same ourselves, but after a certain amount was put into the account and the transactions started. I remember my grandfather had put in Rs.101/- as the opening amount into my savings account.
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| The Address Of My Bank At Jammu. |
The Same Account Is Still Active After 46 Years:
The beauty is that the same account is still continuing even after almost 46 years and there have been many changes occurring with the concerned branch. The same branch was first on the first floor of a Saree shop on the side of the Upper-Link Road and after a few years it was shifted to the “Purani-Mandi” main crossing but the name on the branch remained Link Road only. Then, after even a few more years, say, after around fifteen years, the branch was shifted to the busy crossing of Sabzi-Mandi and Parade Ground Matador-stop. Here the name was changed to Near Sabzi Mandi or even the older people were referring to the same branch as the old link road-branch -Jammu. In earlier times -I mean in ‘75-the total number of digits for the account was hardly four digits and we used to remember the same easily. After so many years, there had been a total changeover in the functioning as well as accounts which have been strictly made as per the internet requirements and even the four-digits had been changed to sixteen digits or around.
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| Bank Branch. |
This Account Came To My Great Help During My Marriage In 1989:
The main thing which made me jot down a small write up on this opening of account had been the biggest help it rendered during the year 1989-when I got married and the whole function was done in Jammu. Although I had been living in Ludhiana-Punjab till that time and was maintaining my accounts at the place of my working-still I had been putting some amount into this account always thinking that otherwise the account would get closed if there was no transaction is done in between and it wasn’t kept active. I remember I had a good amount as the balance after the time of my marriage in 89 here in this old account. At the final moment when in October my marriage had to take place- I had not to transfer the bigger amount into Jammu account-the reason for that was simple- timely transfers taking place earlier to that and that had accumulated to a substantial amount which was sufficient for all the functions to be solemnized.
I Could Purchase A Piece Of Land In Jammu Because Of This Account:
After all the functions were completed, I still had some amount left, and that helped me to go in for a deal after the marriage for the purchase of the land in Jammu. Which proved to be very helpful in the later transactions for the estate purchases in Delhi as well.
Looking at the importance of such an account in my hometown because of its usage at the odd hours or even at the point when some heavier transactions were to be made-this saving the account had become very important as well as very close to me. Always I tried to put in some small amount into this, with the feeling that this would accumulate to a bigger amount one day and prove to be even more useful for some important functions.
Having your own State Account is as good as having your State Subject Certificate:
Although now I have not been going that frequently to Jammu as I used to go earlier-still I have been controlling this account online and giving much more preference to this J&K Bank account is compared to my other accounts in Delhi. I have a strong feeling that just as One must have the State subject certificate of his hometown and the property at his home town -he should also have the Bank account at the hometown and that too preferably in the Jammu & Kashmir Bank-which would always provide ready financial help of need whenever he was in his hometown and needed the money.
My University Colleague Working In The Bank Was Very Helpful:
Recently I had gone to my J&K Bank Branch-Jammu-personally and luckily, I met my university classmate who was doing M. Sc. with me in Chemistry. She was there as the manager of the branch. I had some certificates and the account updating to be done. I simply told her about the same and she did the rest of the job quick without me even waiting for any more time. This was possible because I had spent my whole student’s life there and the acquaintances developed because of that naturally came forward to my help. Had I not been in touch with the account and with my hometown-may be, my interest in maintaining such connections and even maintaining the friendly bonds would not have been possible. Today because of this I could become a member of my university group of friends on WhatsApp and that way in constant touch with their developments and the development of my hometown.
This Account Has Always Been Active Despite My Being In Delhi For The Last 31 Years So far: –
I have now been to Delhi since October 1990, when I was transferred from Ludhiana. Exact thirty-one long years but the beauty is that my original first bank account has always been active and for keeping this active I had to go on doing some timely transactions from Delhi itself. I went to Jammu and Kashmir Bank Branch here in Malviya Nagar Delhi and got my Debit Card and all the formalities completed for my Jammu account here itself in Delhi.
In the recent past-on two major occasions, this account has really helped me very much. It was in 2019 in the beginning when I was with the whole of my family at Kheer Bhawani-Srinagar on the occasion of my son’s Yagneopavit Ceremony-this being the state bank, was very helpful for all the transactions to be easy and smooth. The second was the recent purchase of my second house in Gurugram-where I could transfer certain amounts safely that too immediately after my retirement and it helped me out immensely, being an additional transaction point other than my main banks of Delhi.
My Special Affinity With This Account Which Is Inexplicable:
No doubt a very special attachment with this account has made me more inclined towards this since many a time I put in it the spare amount, if at all it was possible that way. On the occasions when I am in Jammu with my family, this account really helps me a big deal since it is handy for me in case of certain unplanned expenditures being there out of Delhi.
Even today I still give more weightage to this account and prefer for all the transactions to be done online. The only thing is the special App which I have installed for this bank besides my other bank apps-which gives me some special sense of attachment-may be the name of my birthplace comes out very clear. I know for sure that all the banks are almost the same in their functioning and I don’t have any special advantage of this account, but still my fascination with this Bank account-I cannot explain.
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