To begin with they greet you with such sour, cranky looks that you wish that, that very instant the floor would open up and gulp you up. That is a quick-fix, beyond your reach. So you become more realistic, muster courage and open up. There is no response, only volumes of silence, much later, he acknowledges your existence, which rings a bell –‘God, you are one hell of a big blunder on my desk’. The attitude displayed constantly reminds you that it would be a grave mortal mistake to forget even for a nano second that they are in fact, public lords in guise of public servants, who are out there to oblige the damning aam admi. And mind it, throughout the interaction this fatal fact should not be forgotten under any circumstances, or else you may jolly well be, sooner than predicted experiencing dooms day.
Well, with the initial swearing in behind you, you are now made aware of the fact, that after all they have got the job or rather in order to report on duty they have had to pay heavy duty to their godfather. Dare you say a wrong word, or raise your voice, the good godfather will give you a reminder, of your real blood father, hence ‘mom’ is the word. And although you don’t intend to, you find to your surprise, carrying out tasks as silently as your predecessors did mutely. Predictably, like passive prisoners, you find yourself carrying ledgers from one desk to the other, filing, sweeping, swapping, I bet, you would not complain if you were asked to hold the toilet roll while they are at it.
And if all this would not suffice, you are made to wait for hours together as they gossip in glee about their aging neighbours hot daughter’s sizzling affair and carry an update on all and sundry’s holy and unholy associations. Then, they break for tea, while your poor back breaks into two. If you protest about the break, they go berserk they make you crawl on your knees ‘n’ number of times for the grave offence unintentionally committed.
Post break, they saunter in, still munching the last crumbs and burp in your haggard face. You sure can take pride in practicing non-violence in all its myriad avatars- verbal, physical, intellectual et al. In fact the Nobel peace award should come in your arms. But, all said and done, come to think of it, can the aam admai complain of these lot’s bloating appetite, after all they have to combat the inflation and reimburse the unofficial initial deposit for the post, or else with the type of qualification clubbed with the nasty habit of leaving their brains behind while reporting on the job I just can’t figure out how the job holder is matched to the job.
