Kaam to Karte Rehna Chahiye

 The day was especially bad, one of those interludes of life when it appears as though Time is squeezing out all the bad floating around and pouring it in a steady stream into your life. Fractured wrist, absentee cook, incessant rain, dreary day, mould on the walls, truant pets....the list was endless. And to add garnish to my already ghastly day was a Corona infested work environment where no one was ready to listen to my professional advice. After a particularly infuriating session which mainly consisted of me banging my head against a non-reactive wall of preconceived and totally unscientific notions, I was at the very bottom of my mood. I convinced myself that I didn't care a naya paisa and that from this day onwards I would simply stop working. I reported to work next day pointedly late, called imperiously for tea AND biscuits at 0930 am and immersed myself in Souad Mekhennet's "I was told to come alone". There was an important SOP to be formulated but I did not even glance at the thick bundle of letters sitting smack in the middle of my desk, references for the policy I was to formulate. The dak kept piling up and the telephone rang incessantly but I ignored it all, resolute in my role of SCNI (SuperCeded Not Interested) 😂At exactly three minutes past one pm I packed my bag and sauntered out of the office leaving the staff wondering what it was that was eating Madam today.

Later in the evening we visited the plot where my house is being built. It was around four o clock in the afternoon and I found one of the labourers sweeping the raw floor of my half built house, gathering the rubble that is generated everyday as a consequence of all the construction activity: bits of broken bricks, fine cement dust, plaster, burnt beedi ends, packets of guthka and chips consumed by the labourers throughout the day. The house is only about 40% complete and no one lives there. I was intrigued as to why the labourer was even bothering to do this extra, seemingly unnecessary job. These labourers are hired by our contractor on a daily wage contract, something they refer to as Dehaari here. They work from 9 am in the morning to 5 pm in the evening with a lunch break in between. Most of them are semi-skilled and quite poor. Unable to control my curiosity, I asked him, "Bhaiya, aap yahaan safaai kyun kar rahen hain?"

The man answered simply: "Hamara kaam khatam ho gaya hai. Par abhi paanch baje nahin hai. Isliye thoda safai kar de rahen hain. Phaltu bhaithna theek nahin hai...Kaam to karte rehna chahiye...."

I looked at the man with surprise and with new respect and humility. He smiled at us, a large open hearted smile that filled his  dark, ugly sweat dribbled face with something very beautiful, very endearing, very inspiring.

That was yesterday.

Today I'm sitting in office, the SOP draft criss-crossed with corrections, deletions and additions. I think we will be able to despatch it by 2 pm today. Definitely.