[P.S.: I am basically an Essay writer, so pardon me for the length of this one. I am indeed making a conscious effort to shorten the next write-ups :P. Thank you for the patience!!! ]
As long as I remember, I have always been an Agnostic, and nobody ever forced me to go to temples, and follow the procedures. Though it was an initial shock to my parents, but they accepted it pretty soon. And it wasn’t that I shunned anybody who had a faith of their own, or would be lurching in the corners to criticize them. Indeed at all times I accepted the offerings, and went about to ever place where God is said to reside for relatives/parents happiness. It was always a matter of personal choices. The only issue that ever pegged me was of the thought when I’d get married, and my in-laws wouldn’t accept; and I would be forced to follow the rituals a Hindu household married woman did, ‘pooja paat’. That’s how a ‘susheel ghar ki bahu’ is described as a woman with high morale and ethics in life. Largely the concerns weren’t nagging, coz I started coming across several people who called themselves ‘Agnostic’.
At the organization I work with, there is a common practice of some 50 employees assembling every morning around 8:30 when the siren goes off, to offer prayers to the Almighty, before beginning an important day with Production. Of the first month, initial 15 days were spent arriving at the workplace 10 mins prior the siren going off. So by the time I’d sit in my seat, in my dept. there would still be 2 minutes more before the siren ringing. And then in the next 15 days, when I realized the 13 km could be comfortably covered in 20 mins, out of my laziness and the Garfield spirit entering into my body; everyday late risings by 10 minutes [yeah the 5 mins more kept pounding my alarm clock after persistent alarms every 5 minutes and being snoozed!!!]. This meant at some days I scurried along such that I missed by 8:20 A.M. entry slot, and walked hurriedly at 8:28 A.M. when some employees and staff gathered for the prayers!! It would almost certainly look like am competing for an Olympic event, and I’d be awarded with a Gold [Ok that’s too much of an exaggeration, a Bronze would do]!
So people did manage to notice my speed and the event I participated in, and I got accolades for it after 2 weeks, when the larger part of Garfield took almost every cell of my soul!! The first response came from my boss, who asked ‘You don’t attend prayers?’ I smiled and thought maybe I could surpass it. The next day I received more laurels for my feat, when the security head who belongs to the HR dept. said ‘Madam, you don’t attend the prayers’. One of my colleagues said, it’s not important to do so, majority don’t, it depends on your wish. I felt a bit comforted hearing this response. But by that time another colleague of another dept. echoed ‘Madam, since you’re of HR Dept., you might as well come to the prayers’! Another HR colleague again bailed me out saying; she’s among the first comers into the office. Though I was coming second these days!
Nevertheless with an anxious night gone by in turmoil and nervousness, I decided to attend the prayers for a day and then try coming to office by 8:20 A.M. So the next morning I stood there among the 30 odd workers of shop floor, and 10 odd staff/officers. It began with some gyan, which a worker has earned reputation for [though people say he rote reads and comes, and he himself doesn’t follow the preaching’s!!] and then after 5 minutes of gyaan from Ramayana – to – some mythological saying – to – Mahabharat – to – Tulsidas/Kalidas – to – self developed; starts the prayers. Now my organization is a devout follower of ‘Shivji’, so everything ranging from Calendars, to temple in the complex, to aarti in the morning in offices, to photo frames are of ‘Shivji-Parwai-Ganesh’. The prayers ask the Almighty to keep showering its blessings on the organization and make it rise high in its profits, achieve a name in country and globally, thus serving the country and making India a proud nation. Fair Enough!!!
Here stands a classic clash between my personal and professional life and decisions. It’s been two decades and I haven’t thought of chanting ‘Shivji’s’ praises [Despite being a Monday born, like my mom loves to quip about with my affinity towards snakes ‘cobras’, and the Monday fasts she keeps for me, ever since I was born]; so forget about praying for anything. And here since I belong to the HR Dept., and we are the one’s who bind the relationship between employees and employers; we need to set examples ourselves. Plus the ‘susheel ladki’ factor! I was a worried lot for almost a week and a half. This is something I just cannot do, I cannot have fake shraddha [Ok I cannot remember an English word for shraddha!] for something; and do things half heartedly coz people expect me to do it. Things started pulling me off, my conscience tearing me apart, my pledge of not going to the Almighty and asking for good times alone was on the rocks.
Nevertheless examining the content of the prayer, it wasn’t alarming to me; since wishing that your organization does well in turn to make your country proud and make the country achieve good GDP [fine no GDP mentioned, but that’s how I interpreted it ;), a little bit of the MBA effects and the 2 semester Economics learning should be portrayed someplace :P] doesn’t prick anybody’s conscience. So that’s how I have started landing up in the morning prayers every morning since past 4 weeks [though some may like to argue that my interests lie primarily in satisfying the Garfield thingy].
But soon the litmus test came my way. Every morning the ‘Gyan’ is given by only one individual, but the prayers are read out by different people; such that he says a few words and the rest follow in a chorus. So one fine morning the ‘Gyan-fellow’ looked at me and said ‘Madamji aaj aap boliye’. I wasn’t expecting this so soon, I recoiled and refused to initiate the prayers. One of my HR colleagues, prayer regulars, said nevermind and he continued to read it. Only to be later told by the same colleague, ‘Madam thoda Hindi mein padhna bhi aana chahiye’. I was speechless, it was like oh man! They think I can’t read Hindi so I refused!!! Shucks!!! [As a repercussion to his belief of me not knowing to read Hindi text, one fine day before Holi, when a notice came regarding announcement of the next day to Holi being a holiday; he asked me to read it. I read and gave it back, only to be asked ‘Hindi padh lete hain?’ I was like why yes, offcourse I can read and write Hindi equally well as I read and write in English. Then he was like ‘Koi baat nahin agli baar prayers bolne ko bolenge, to bol dijiye ga!!’]
Now the funny part is I cannot go around telling people I am an Agnostic. They are all old horses out here, and maybe I already sounded blasphemous the day I refused to read the prayers. I may further end up offending loads many people. So the next time I am asked to read I have to comply with it; or kick the Garfield out of my vicinity for good! Let me see how long I can maintain a perfect balance between my personal and professional life and decisions.
The real test to understand what it means to Work Life Balance; and keeping things in your interest as well as organizations!!!
As long as I remember, I have always been an Agnostic, and nobody ever forced me to go to temples, and follow the procedures. Though it was an initial shock to my parents, but they accepted it pretty soon. And it wasn’t that I shunned anybody who had a faith of their own, or would be lurching in the corners to criticize them. Indeed at all times I accepted the offerings, and went about to ever place where God is said to reside for relatives/parents happiness. It was always a matter of personal choices. The only issue that ever pegged me was of the thought when I’d get married, and my in-laws wouldn’t accept; and I would be forced to follow the rituals a Hindu household married woman did, ‘pooja paat’. That’s how a ‘susheel ghar ki bahu’ is described as a woman with high morale and ethics in life. Largely the concerns weren’t nagging, coz I started coming across several people who called themselves ‘Agnostic’.
At the organization I work with, there is a common practice of some 50 employees assembling every morning around 8:30 when the siren goes off, to offer prayers to the Almighty, before beginning an important day with Production. Of the first month, initial 15 days were spent arriving at the workplace 10 mins prior the siren going off. So by the time I’d sit in my seat, in my dept. there would still be 2 minutes more before the siren ringing. And then in the next 15 days, when I realized the 13 km could be comfortably covered in 20 mins, out of my laziness and the Garfield spirit entering into my body; everyday late risings by 10 minutes [yeah the 5 mins more kept pounding my alarm clock after persistent alarms every 5 minutes and being snoozed!!!]. This meant at some days I scurried along such that I missed by 8:20 A.M. entry slot, and walked hurriedly at 8:28 A.M. when some employees and staff gathered for the prayers!! It would almost certainly look like am competing for an Olympic event, and I’d be awarded with a Gold [Ok that’s too much of an exaggeration, a Bronze would do]!
So people did manage to notice my speed and the event I participated in, and I got accolades for it after 2 weeks, when the larger part of Garfield took almost every cell of my soul!! The first response came from my boss, who asked ‘You don’t attend prayers?’ I smiled and thought maybe I could surpass it. The next day I received more laurels for my feat, when the security head who belongs to the HR dept. said ‘Madam, you don’t attend the prayers’. One of my colleagues said, it’s not important to do so, majority don’t, it depends on your wish. I felt a bit comforted hearing this response. But by that time another colleague of another dept. echoed ‘Madam, since you’re of HR Dept., you might as well come to the prayers’! Another HR colleague again bailed me out saying; she’s among the first comers into the office. Though I was coming second these days!
Nevertheless with an anxious night gone by in turmoil and nervousness, I decided to attend the prayers for a day and then try coming to office by 8:20 A.M. So the next morning I stood there among the 30 odd workers of shop floor, and 10 odd staff/officers. It began with some gyan, which a worker has earned reputation for [though people say he rote reads and comes, and he himself doesn’t follow the preaching’s!!] and then after 5 minutes of gyaan from Ramayana – to – some mythological saying – to – Mahabharat – to – Tulsidas/Kalidas – to – self developed; starts the prayers. Now my organization is a devout follower of ‘Shivji’, so everything ranging from Calendars, to temple in the complex, to aarti in the morning in offices, to photo frames are of ‘Shivji-Parwai-Ganesh’. The prayers ask the Almighty to keep showering its blessings on the organization and make it rise high in its profits, achieve a name in country and globally, thus serving the country and making India a proud nation. Fair Enough!!!
Here stands a classic clash between my personal and professional life and decisions. It’s been two decades and I haven’t thought of chanting ‘Shivji’s’ praises [Despite being a Monday born, like my mom loves to quip about with my affinity towards snakes ‘cobras’, and the Monday fasts she keeps for me, ever since I was born]; so forget about praying for anything. And here since I belong to the HR Dept., and we are the one’s who bind the relationship between employees and employers; we need to set examples ourselves. Plus the ‘susheel ladki’ factor! I was a worried lot for almost a week and a half. This is something I just cannot do, I cannot have fake shraddha [Ok I cannot remember an English word for shraddha!] for something; and do things half heartedly coz people expect me to do it. Things started pulling me off, my conscience tearing me apart, my pledge of not going to the Almighty and asking for good times alone was on the rocks.
Nevertheless examining the content of the prayer, it wasn’t alarming to me; since wishing that your organization does well in turn to make your country proud and make the country achieve good GDP [fine no GDP mentioned, but that’s how I interpreted it ;), a little bit of the MBA effects and the 2 semester Economics learning should be portrayed someplace :P] doesn’t prick anybody’s conscience. So that’s how I have started landing up in the morning prayers every morning since past 4 weeks [though some may like to argue that my interests lie primarily in satisfying the Garfield thingy].
But soon the litmus test came my way. Every morning the ‘Gyan’ is given by only one individual, but the prayers are read out by different people; such that he says a few words and the rest follow in a chorus. So one fine morning the ‘Gyan-fellow’ looked at me and said ‘Madamji aaj aap boliye’. I wasn’t expecting this so soon, I recoiled and refused to initiate the prayers. One of my HR colleagues, prayer regulars, said nevermind and he continued to read it. Only to be later told by the same colleague, ‘Madam thoda Hindi mein padhna bhi aana chahiye’. I was speechless, it was like oh man! They think I can’t read Hindi so I refused!!! Shucks!!! [As a repercussion to his belief of me not knowing to read Hindi text, one fine day before Holi, when a notice came regarding announcement of the next day to Holi being a holiday; he asked me to read it. I read and gave it back, only to be asked ‘Hindi padh lete hain?’ I was like why yes, offcourse I can read and write Hindi equally well as I read and write in English. Then he was like ‘Koi baat nahin agli baar prayers bolne ko bolenge, to bol dijiye ga!!’]
Now the funny part is I cannot go around telling people I am an Agnostic. They are all old horses out here, and maybe I already sounded blasphemous the day I refused to read the prayers. I may further end up offending loads many people. So the next time I am asked to read I have to comply with it; or kick the Garfield out of my vicinity for good! Let me see how long I can maintain a perfect balance between my personal and professional life and decisions.
The real test to understand what it means to Work Life Balance; and keeping things in your interest as well as organizations!!!
