An account closes: Allahabad Bank looks back with nostalgia before merger

The merger marks the end of a bank in which two states with contrasting identities - Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal - took equal pride

In Satyajit Ray’s detective fiction Joi Baba Felunath, a hotel manager makes the protagonist, Feluda, familiar with the crème de la crème of Kashi.
 

Among the important people of the town, the first reference is to an agent of Allahabad Bank, employees were known as agents then, followed by prominent academics and businesspersons. That's the kind of prestige the mid-sized public sector establishment commanded till about a few decades ago.
 

With Allahabad Bank set to be amalgamated with Indian Bank, the legacy of the oldest existing joint stock bank in India is set to fade. It also marks the end