A Day 2 Remember.

Its 8.30 in the morning, the traffic signal is waiting to go green with the reverse count of the digits and you are geared up to go and beat the clock, at least today and save one more day from becoming ‘Shaheed’ in ESS (marked red).You run crazily after it, punch the card to find that the clock of the punching machine still stands undefeated as it is already past 8:45.And you reply with, no ways buddy ,I will definitely beat you in the evening by leaving on exact time.(After all, there is something called as Punctuality).

In your thrust to beat the clock, you realize that you have ignored several natures calls (or missed calls) and to answer them, you enter into the ‘Officers’ washroom (Be specific). It is one of the very few places which shows you negative aspects of having  more than average height as you find it tough to mind your own business. Besides that I have never understood what different activities Staff and Officers do in the washroom that they need separate ones.

You reach your desk which is already waiting with a breakfast, a tea (with a unique test, you can’t buy outside even after paying 1000 bucks) along with several hurdles. Absenteeism being the daily evil to deal with while doing the job distribution and with specific work areas allocated to individuals, you find that nobody is ready to officially encroach into others areas in their absence, especially if the nature of work order don’t serve as catalyst. (Had our national boundaries been so rigidly defined like our work area boundaries, we would have not lost considerable part of our country to China).After successfully matchmaking the contract labours with outdoor staff (Even here choice comes into picture); you come to know that the meter which was to be downloaded urgently is simply refusing to communicate with MRI. (Now days, even machines are becoming moody).

After dealing with internal customers, time comes to face the external ones. When sound pollution (originated from high electricity bill) becomes unbearable CCC transfers it to your desk as his meter was replaced in the recent past. With all the energy and enthusiasm, he let you know, what you all are and what you all are not. His each sentence reminds you, why you are paid higher than average industry standards. You don’t lose your cool and says”Are you done with, can I speak now?” This cools him considerably(even without AC) and then you do the herculean task of explaining that the air conditioners do not work on air only, it needs electricity and in fact a hell lot of it. (All the utilities should promote the sales of AC’s and refrigerators, after all it will multiply their business).Then, the customer leaves with somewhat satisfaction or dissatisfaction (God knows).But this incidence makes you sure that no matter however irritating your life partner becomes in the future, you can keep your cool.

Now your stomach starts calling, there is enough of ‘Gaalis’, let’s eat something. While standing in the queue in canteen, you make a promise that at least today I will not leave any food in the plate and takes less food than yesterday. As you start, the quality of food ensures that it is the promise to be fulfilled some other day. But thinking, how much you can ask in one and half Rs. and there are millions in this world who don’t even get to see the food, you manage to engulf most of the food. And the best part is that the best dish (water) is unlimited, so drink it as much as you can. Still your empty stomach made you realize, it is the time to have someone who will cook food for you or at least create the circumstances that will teach you, how to cook, wash dishes and many more things you are yet to do.

After lunch, it is the time to go on site. In software industry you get one onsite opportunity after three years of hard work whereas we can go ‘onsite’ thrice a day that too at places you never dream of, to mention a few,Makranipada,Premnagar, Mograpada. (Thank god ,I have my passport).The visit to these places, teaches you a lesson that life not only exists but also blossoms even in such places and even after having everything you are crying for something else and not making full out of life . Then you visit the posh society chairman regarding old meter replacement and learn that these highly educated people make full use of abuses without even sounding offensive (Education teaches you almost everything).Another valuable learning experience, even the best of sales job can’t facilitate such ‘pleasant’ interaction with the customer. You move back to attend the meeting.

 While you are waiting outside the cabin, few professionals come out with a smiling face not leaving a trace of what may have happened behind that closed door. Now it’s your turn to face the music. All the meetings since inception starts with the same question as it is critical to organization, “What about developed reading?”(With all the developed countries relying totally on developed readings, we work against developed reading as we are still developing country).This question triggers the blame game (a universal phenomenon) between meter reading and meter management departments.

At the blink of the eye, a smart brain from meter reading department gets hold of the pitch and starts hitting the ball all over the fences. “We are throwing all the BIW reports (almost BIW itself) at them but nothing is getting done”. While being at non striker end, you can sense the unsaid words, “As it is teamwork, we will be always there to grab the credit but if it’s not done for whatever reason, they should reciprocate the generosity by accepting the blame”. After realizing the actual definition of teamwork, you think about going to another end of the pitch and find that it is already hijacked by another creative mind who is detecting the electricity theft with the help of helicopters flying so high in the sky that even if you try looking at them, you will end up with a pain in the neck. And once again you choose to keep quiet.

You think that meeting is over and the sense of successful survival grabs you, when suddenly a bouncer directed at you shakes your head asking, “What is the status of zero consumption projects?”(I always feel that we should promote zero consumption as a corollary to our energy conservation efforts).You somehow tackles it by saying that you are awaiting the current month data from SAP.(This time delay always ensured that work done on zero consumption project is almost zero) and you survive getting the benefit of doubt. Learning from the meeting, ’If you don’t want to talk, make sure that your performance does all the talking’.  

Back to the desk, you realize it is the time to manage, Mr. Manager. As the TAT is ticking and the daily orders are still pending. With the experience being the best teacher, you learn everything and you manage it (Don’t ask how).Then, you get the download of the meter which was not downloadable yesterday (may be because of his family problems) and you asks for the load (connected) and comes the reply ‘download’ is with you, ignore the ‘down’, whole ‘load’ is yours. At the end of the day, you open the Lotus notes and something brings the smile on your tired face which reads as I&C Scorecard.

Suddenly you recall that you were supposed to beat the clock by leaving on exact time and you run and punch the card. Like every other day that clock still stands undefeated, as it is already 6:30 PM.

Before leaving the office, you enter the officer’s washroom for being on safer side as you never know with the peak Mumbai traffic when things will escalate to unavoidable circumstances.

(If punching machines are placed on washroom doors, the option ‘Forgot to punch’ from ESS will vanish on its own).

Next morning, traffic signal waiting to go green and the recent chartbuster song starts playing at the back of your mind,“Bhag Bhag.....Bhag Bhag.........you know the rest of it”.

While being there I always thought that I am not learning much, but somehow, unknowingly I learnt many valuable things (besides multilingual abuses) which created a sense of belonging which always say,

” Dear, always try to fly high as much as you can, but never forget the place where it all started”.

Cheers!!!!

Mahesh Godse.