IOU

On a day when you find yourself working in office when no one else is, you will find it pretty much meets your description of survival camp! The flush tank is empty; there is no drinking water. You cannot have your daily dose of coffee/tea because the vending machine is switched off. There are no paper napkins, plates, spoons, forks in sight for you to have a decent lunch. Despite all of this, you want to stay back and finish work. It’s a choice you have made, and you cannot complain to admin because you have brought this upon yourself!

I have been in this situation a couple of times, and I thought I was prepared this time! I had packed a flask of tea, some snacks and lunch. My colleague had decided she’ll go out and pack food when it was time for lunch. (This was the day of Bharat was bandh, and a restaurant with the ‘open’ sign was difficult to come by. After she found one, she had to deal with a manager who was absolutely not prepared for the crowds of people who had come to eat!) After a lot of waiting, she managed to get her food parcel.

We headed to the cafeteria and looked around for plates and spoons. There were none is sight and the cabinets were locked. So we ate from the food containers. Once we were done, we realized there was not water in the tap. I found a bottle of water mercifully left behind by someone. We didn’t want to dirty the bottle so we helped each other wash hands, cleaned up the place a bit, and thought we had seen the worst of it.

But no! What were we going to do about our daily dose of afternoon tea? There was none left in the flask because we had enthusiastically finished it all in the morning. We were in a dilemma because we’d ABSOLUTELY NEED that essential afternoon cup of tea!

Shifting uncomfortably in your chair?! J You know it’s not a big deal if you have to go through a day without the man-made frills we have become so used to. What was discomforting on this occasion, however, was the revelation that we are dependent on so many people without knowing it. We think we are ‘independent’, working professionals. But are we really?

Somebody must be doing something so that we have running water in the loos and our two cups of tea every single day of the week. What would we have to go through every day if we didn’t have hot food waiting for us at 12.30 every afternoon, not a minute sooner or later! What would we do if somebody didn’t wake up at an early hour every morning to deliver newspapers and bags of milk!

We have known all our adult lives that symbiotic connections make the world go around. But how often do we appreciate it? I don’t, at least not as often as I should! I wouldn’t get through half a day without all the people in the back ground. So, here’s a HUGE thanks to the guys who keep the wheels turning. You do, quite literally, make my day!