The Day I Really Saw Grameen Bank

Sometimes I find myself in an internal argument: is the REAL picture of Grameen Bank in the villages, listening to the branch managers speak with devotion to their borrowers, or is it in the head office, where each of the 200 employees have at one time been a center manager and have stayed true with the organization for nearly 20 years out of a dedication to abolishing poverty in Bangladesh.

Today was another victory on the side of the head office.

Now, as many of you surely know—and perhaps more than I because my news sources are limited—the  charming and charismatic founder and Managing Director of the Grameen Bank has been under bloated fire by a trifle claim from the disrespected Bangladesh government. Despite over thirty years of hard work and concentration to alleviate the social issues in his native country, the government has officially removed Professor Yunus from his post as Managing Director, claiming that at 70 years of age he has violated his terms and wrongly surpassed the retirement age of 60. It’s disturbingly ironic that a government, that has done far too little for its own people, should chastise the first Nobel Laureate of Bangladesh for spending an extra ten years of his life formally working for betterment of the poorest of the poor. In any mindset, how could that possibly be an issue?

After following the backlash of the Bangladeshi government over Dr. Yunus’ brief sparking of a new political party , the personality and spite of politics here in this little country have been exposed to be no more mature than the drift I left on the playground in third grade. Now, politics is not my genre of choice, nor is the history of Bangladesh, so I will leave you in the hands of Wikipedia and Google to fill in the timeline and characters of its government; however, I can say, with full support from my colleagues at Grameen, and my Bangladeshi friends, that this move was made purely out of a vendetta against Professor Yunus for the seeming threat he poses to the government.  The Grameen Bank has been subjected to a full scale audit in the past month, after false allegations from a Norwegian documentary claimed that funds meant for the bank were given to one of its sister companies . These allegations were cleared on all accounts, and the government’s audit of the bank came back sparkling and without reason for further meddling—minus the age of the Managing Director.

The local newspapers here in Bangladesh, the Daily Star and the Daily Sun, can be accessed over the internet, so if you would like a more concrete description of the legal processing and timeline of what has been happening here at Grameen Bank, I encourage you to Google them and read the accounts yourself. The front pages of these papers has been following the affair quite densely since Dr. Yunus received the letter this past Wednesday relieving him from his duties. I think that these different sources, in addition and comparison to western media, will be better reads than my own reinterpretation. Amidst these articles, I simply want to capture the environment at the office these past few days.

Nearly immediately after Professor Yunus received the letter a board meeting was held and their lawyers promptly called in. Kelly, Annunciata, Cecile and I had a pre-arranged meeting with Professor that Thursday afternoon—which was both a cause of excitement and worry at wondering what on Earth we would speak with him about, merely a day after the headlines began blasting his removal. We spent the day pouring over newspapers, discussing amongst ourselves, when after 4 hours of waiting called our supervisor to confirm our strong suspicions that it was not a day for tea with the Banker to the poor. Our supervisor calmly said that Dr. Yunus was  “very busy” that day and that the meeting would be rearranged. The next morning, brash graphics of the government ousting Yunus were smeared all over the morning’s front page, in addition to photos of Professor calmly smiling while being surrounded by a cloud of lawyers and media on his way out of the courthouse the previous day. I think we can easily reconcile that he was, in fact, quite busy that day. Still though, if his post as MD is officially over, it would have been cool to be one of the last groups of people to meet him under that title. However, I keep joking with Kelly to smooth her qualms about the meeting that he will ALWAYS remain to be the founder of Grameen Bank, and a brilliant, energetic man in general.

Some of the news articles here have actually been surprisingly open and critical about the government’s move—far more than I would have anticipated. There is always at least 4 different articles on the front page about it, some of which side with the government and critique the pioneering microfinance institution itself, some which criticize the government for not handling the nation’s Nobel Laureate as deserved, and many which discuss the possible implications for relationships with the US. As Muhammad Yunus is getting much older it is understandable that he has been advised in the past to step down, and yet I think many overlook the fact that he has outwardly stated in the media many times that he has been looking for an appropriate successor, and that he hopes to make the transition as smooth as possible. Despite the childishness in escalating a retirement age, a full 10 years after it should have happened if the government was truly concerned about the legality of it, I think the most regrettable aspect of the affair is the lack of respect and appreciation shown to a man who has done uncountable things for the nation, and for the world.

Fortunately, every fiber within the bank headquarters itself today emanated this respect to such a level that it made the government’s issuing obsolete—if just for a moment. Today was one of the best days in my life to decide to stick around the office past 5 to brush up on some work, as if I had decided to leave 5 minutes earlier I would have absentmindedly missed one of the greatest feelings in my life, and if I had left 5 minutes later I would have found unresponsive elevator buttons and an empty hallway. Today Professor Yunus spent his day in court, waiting to hear the final verdict deciding his place within his own company—excuse me, the borrowers’ company. Many of the top staff in our own division were noticeably absent today, as they decided to travel to the courthouse with Dr. Yunus and await the final decision. All day the hallways and elevators were lacking the normal buzz of employees rushing floor to floor, and our usual schedule of successive meetings was nearly wiped blank. The verdict was supposed to be announced at 2pm, so without a word on the decision after hours of silence, leaving the office around 5 seemed casual and routine.  Immediately upon reaching the ground floor a wave of emotion and nervousness whipped into the elevator, as the opening doors displayed the entire atrium lined with the nearly 200 employees of Grameen’s head office. There was hardly any room to move, as the men had formed two distinctive lines on either side of the row of elevators we had just exited, with the line on the opposite side of us expanding backwards in a thick of men all the way into the middle of the reception hall. Timing and physical luck were on our side, as we had just left the elevators that were now being held open by staff to make sure that all elevators remained on the ground floor level, for a quick escape for Dr. Yunus. This meant that we were on the side with a slimmer width of people than the one across from us, and were able to secure a spot close to the front line and human pathway. It honestly felt like the second coming of Jesus was approaching. You could see in all of the faces of Grameen’s top management an eager and powerful expression, as they had formed a physical circle of comfort for Dr. Yunus’ return from the verdict. I had no idea if this was organized so that upon arrival he could relay the events at the courthouse, as the antsy, and yet calm chatter flowing in every direction across the hall was in Bangla. It was really amusing to have just descended from complete normalcy, into this organized mob of Grameen Bank’s upper management. As the interns who had joined me from our floor, and myself were the only foreigners present, it felt like uninvited we had stepped into something untouchable—a demonstration of the staff’s innate respect and love for their champion. A notable few glances were tossed in our direction with smiles, acknowledging the ambiguous reasons why we were present, and then soft eyes and smiles at our own excitement that probably emanated from across the hall. Faces were scouring the circular drive in front of the bank’s entrance, peering into the many cars that unloaded Dr. Yunus’ closest companions who must have escorted him from the courthouse. Each car that pulled up, necks craned, and we were constantly fooled by the iconic blue Punjabi Yunus often wears, on the backs of strange faces.  Finally, the crowds near the doorway 10 feet away started to convulse, and I saw the bubbly cheeks and embracing smile that graces every wall within the bank. He slowly moved through the crowd, looking calmly into the faces of his associates, stopping firmly in front of many to shake their hands and welcome the support of his peers. It was one of those moments where I have truly seen how dedicated and genuine those working at Grameen really are, and how much this man, whom many see daily, has impacted the lives of his co-workers and supporters. Their faces looked like children meeting Santa Claus, with subtle expressions of excitement on faces that were subdued out of respect and quiet admiration. It didn’t feel like they had gathered ceremoniously to celebrate a positive verdict, or give their nods to a negative one. It felt like a portrayal of the staff’s love and support for Muhammad Yunus, as a man and an inspiration, and seemed objective to any prior-reached verdict. He moved slowly up through the lane that had been cleared for him, flanked by his closest confidants—a few faces of which I recognized from conversations in the elevator. As Professor moved up towards the elevator he caught the eyes of me and my new German friend Sven, sticking humorously out in the crowd. He lingered on our faces for a moment and smiled, with the subtle presence of question in his eyes, as we waved like kids at a float passing by during a parade.  When he reached the elevator doors, merely 5 feet from us, he turned to look out at his company, which erupted in thunderous, supportive applause that flooded the entire room. The other interns and I were simply beaming and clapping alongside everyone, feeling as usual, part of the wonderful Grameen family that this man has started. The applause lingered passionately for about a full minute or two, until he ducked into the elevator and ascended to his office on the 4^th floor. It was one of the coolest, most amazing things I have ever been a part of…mainly because it didn’t feel like it was about anything in the newspapers, the government or the future of Grameen. It was more about the past, and the accomplishments and legacy that decorate this man. We couldn’t understand anything those around us were saying, but they held the same expressions that we did, those of appreciation and gratitude. For with him, a whole movement has been launched. I think publications on social business and microfinance rightly capture the immense possibilities of truly having an impact on the world and those of the poor, but one thing is often under-acknowledged. Through his work, teachings and inspiration, thousands of people across the world have found a career path that can truly lead them to happiness, knowing that there are options and means through which they can achieve their dream of helping the world. Muhammad Yunus believes in human nature’s desire to help people, rather than maximize personal gain, and being inside that room with those that have fought beside him for decades was a reminder of how true that really is—an image and a sound that will echo in my head for years.