EEE( E shop Engineers Entertainment Fund)

 In 1995, when I first came to Chennai, I didn’t know a word of Tamil. During my initial 18-month training, there were about 35 of us from Andhra Pradesh. Naturally, we formed a close-knit group, sticking together most of the time. Whether it was sitting in the training hall, going for meals, watching films, shopping, or just spending free time—we did everything together. We enjoyed our training days thoroughly, but we hardly mingled with the local Tamil trainees.

In June 1996, I was posted to Shop 16 (the Machine Shop) along with other machinist general candidates. Unfortunately, none of my Telugu friends were assigned there. Suddenly, I found myself in a new environment where I had to interact mainly with Tamil-speaking workmen. The language barrier became a real challenge, especially when coordinating work.

At that time, Mr. Nazeer Eqbal was my General SSE, and there was also one Telugu SSE in the shop. Over time, I began adjusting to the environment and building rapport despite the language gap.

In April 2002, a group of us started the EEE Fund (E-Shop Engineers’ Entertainment Fund) with a monthly contribution of ₹200 per member. The purpose was simple—promoting camaraderie, entertainment, and togetherness among our families. Over the years, the monthly contribution increased to ₹1,000, and today our fund has grown to nearly ₹40 lakhs.

We are about 22 members in this fund, and it also serves as a small financial support system—offering loans up to ₹2,00,000 at just 1% interest to members when needed.

More importantly, beyond the money, this fund has created a family-like bond among us. Even though nearly 75% of our members are now retired, we continue to maintain close communication. We share in each other’s joys and sorrows, attending family events—both happy and sad—and standing by one another.

As a group, we have traveled together with our families to places like Jammu & Kashmir, Vaishno Devi, New Delhi, Kolkata, Gangtok, Wayanad, Kochi, Yercaud, and Hogenakkal. There were also two foreign tours organized, but I couldn’t join due to food concerns.

Looking back, what started with a struggle to adapt in a new place has transformed into lifelong friendships and a strong support network—a family I found away from home.

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