Dear
Son,
I
know I expressed my disappointment over your decision to not take up a
government job like the one I was in. I always wished for you to grow up and
occupy a seat of great honor behind a desk with two large drawers, somewhere on
the top floor of a building, the foundation and stairway of which would be adorned
with the betel-crimson that marks service of the Indian government. But, you
have finally decided to take up a job at an MNC. I may not think of it as the
best decision of your life, but as a father, it is my duty to wish you the best.
I would, in addition, like to give you all the life lessons that I have learnt
as a respectable government official in the past thirty years of my service to
the nation. You will probably not get the opportunity to learn these lessons at
your new office, as your experience will be very different from mine. I shall,
however, try to sum all of it in this short letter to you.
There
was a time when the government could not afford to give all of its employees
the access to computers. We would do all our work with our own hands in my
first five years at the office. Right from the shuffling of a deck of cards to
distributing them fairly among my four colleagues, nothing was computerized as
it is today. All of us would sit together and work together. We learned so much
about team work. We learned how to place trust in the person who would take
responsibility of collecting the money betted on during a game of Flash. We
learned how no job is big or small. Even the guy who sits on everyone’s
chappals while you are engrossed in your daily ritual of Rummy at the local
park has a great role to play in the big scheme of things. Always respect your
position, respect your team.
Things
changed a bit when these Windows machines occupied spaces on our desks and left
little room for Champak, Greh-Shobha and Loat-Poat. We could then see how all
of us had to work alone, but instead of being disappointed, we accepted change
gracefully.
I
promised myself everyday to outperform my previous day’s performance. I would
get so engrossed in my job that making a new high score in Tetris everyday
became nothing less than a habit. It had a lot to teach me. It made me realize how
everyone starts with a clean slate in life. Your longevity and sustenance, all
depend on your ability to position all the surprise gifts that the heavens
throw towards you in the best possible way. You have to make space for
everything that comes your way. By taking the right steps and turning the
shapes around, you can convert any disaster into an opportunity that falls
perfectly into your scheme of things. The speed with which your life advances
again depends on your own efforts. You realize that as you let others become a
part of your team and give them positions best suited to their nature, your
worries and sorrows vanish away like a row complete with blocks.
Pinball
had a lot to offer in terms of workplace lessons, too. Put all the effort that
you can at the beginning of your career. This is the time which defines how well
you perform later. The harder you hit the ball, the more chances it has of going
higher in the playfield and getting points all the way along to the top. You will
find yourself being hit over hard circumstances and being cornered sometimes,
but remember how every hit changes your course for the better. For as long as
you stick around in the playfield, being constantly thrashed over hard metal,
you make more and more points along the way. You’ll also learn that it’s always
not just hitting hard that matters. Waiting for the ball to reach the perfect point
on the edge of the flipping bat, and then giving it just a little push may help
you hit the jackpot. Eventually, smart work pays considerably more than just hard
work. The game also taught me how there are always going to be some gaps that
you may not be able to fill, but even if it all falls down, you should have
enough balls to start over again.
For
the last few years at my work, I learnt a lot from my experience with Solitaire.
It taught me how a lot of times, it may seem like everyone does not start at a
level field. You may find others lucky to have got cards better positioned to
begin with, but patience and alertness will someday lead you to also build not
just one, but four complete houses. You will notice that no matter how much you
want to place your heart on a diamond, there will always have to be a “club” or
a “spade” between them. You will have to “fight” or “work” if you want to reach
your heart’s destination. The process may be tough, but in the end, only he is
a winner who balances his hearts, clubs, spades and diamonds at an equal
pedestal right at the top of his screen.
I
wish you could live all these experiences not just through the means of this
letter. I don’t know how much your Excel, Access, C++, Tally or Java has to
offer, but I will offer you my best wishes for a successful journey ahead.
Also,
please give up on your coffee and start having the good old chai. There is a reason why they call it “chai-paani” at our offices. Haven’t
you heard: “Rishwat banaaye baagh-bakri
chai”?
Yours
sincerely,
K.
P. Ghooswale
Inspector
of Income Tax
Ward
42(0)
Income
Tax Department
Image Source: funnypictures.me
Awesome! :D
ReplyDeleteInterning at a government organization, I had numerous reasons for feeling frustrated and angry over how those work. I decided to join the MNC horde too, mostly because I couldn't envision myself doing things "aram se". But hey, this post challenged my thinking! I love it, especially how you've brought about life lessons from games! :)
Thanks, Ashna :D
DeleteYour comment made me really happy. I think most people will find this post really boring, as the humor is so subtle, it's almost non-existent. However, I must share that I loved writing it. It left me with such a happy feeling on completion.
"You will notice that no matter how much you want to place your heart on a diamond, there will always have to be a “club” or a “spade” between them."
ReplyDeleteHow do you come up with all this brilliant stuff!
Call it "sangati ka asar"? :D
DeleteThank you :)
Read an excellent article after very long time..👍
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kapil :)
DeleteThanks, that was a really cool read! Sarkari Result
ReplyDelete