what do you do, by the way?
Two weird things happened today.
one.
While walking back home, on the way there was a band baja barat going in celebration of Navratri. The bandwallahs had just started the ruckus and people were crowding around at the crossroads where the band was playing.
There was a clear difference between people who were clearly excited and stopped there, and the ones who walked away while glancing back from time to time. The one's who were walking away either had construction helmets or were wearing formal clothes with tucked in shirts. Both kinds were migrant laborers. While the first kind were busy building their lives through houses for others in this alien city, the latter were building theirs by sitting at one place for most of the day in air conditioned rooms.
People who called this lovely city as their home, waited in excitement of celebrations to follow. Migrants like me walked away eagerly to go home to wash away the day in a nice cold shower.
Its weird, this feeling of being a migrant laborer.
___
Two.
Was reading the new Tehelka issue. They have this feature called 'personal histories'. The author for this issue's article was a teacher. Besides her name, her age was written. 26.
All of a sudden i found myself being in awe. I caught myself thinking..'Here she is.. 26 and already a teacher.. and look at me'. and then it struck me.. 'oh wait.. i have a job too. and i earn too, quite a lot actually, if i may be a tad boastful..'. But I couldn't shake-off this feeling of awe for people who affect change to other people's lives through their work.
Well clearly, no matter what I tell myself, my heart believes that being a teacher and shaping people's lives is perhaps more important than what I do. well, do i hear you asking me, 'what do you do btw?'. Well, conversationally its quite tough to tell you exactly what I do. A term like 'consultant', or a 'planner', has not evolved in our languages to lend itself to a crisp and clear image or conception of work.
Hmm... I better use what i am good at to affect some change through what I do. may be then my professional identity, will start demanding instant dignity among common folks too.
one.
While walking back home, on the way there was a band baja barat going in celebration of Navratri. The bandwallahs had just started the ruckus and people were crowding around at the crossroads where the band was playing.
There was a clear difference between people who were clearly excited and stopped there, and the ones who walked away while glancing back from time to time. The one's who were walking away either had construction helmets or were wearing formal clothes with tucked in shirts. Both kinds were migrant laborers. While the first kind were busy building their lives through houses for others in this alien city, the latter were building theirs by sitting at one place for most of the day in air conditioned rooms.
People who called this lovely city as their home, waited in excitement of celebrations to follow. Migrants like me walked away eagerly to go home to wash away the day in a nice cold shower.
Its weird, this feeling of being a migrant laborer.
___
Two.
Was reading the new Tehelka issue. They have this feature called 'personal histories'. The author for this issue's article was a teacher. Besides her name, her age was written. 26.
All of a sudden i found myself being in awe. I caught myself thinking..'Here she is.. 26 and already a teacher.. and look at me'. and then it struck me.. 'oh wait.. i have a job too. and i earn too, quite a lot actually, if i may be a tad boastful..'. But I couldn't shake-off this feeling of awe for people who affect change to other people's lives through their work.
Well clearly, no matter what I tell myself, my heart believes that being a teacher and shaping people's lives is perhaps more important than what I do. well, do i hear you asking me, 'what do you do btw?'. Well, conversationally its quite tough to tell you exactly what I do. A term like 'consultant', or a 'planner', has not evolved in our languages to lend itself to a crisp and clear image or conception of work.
Hmm... I better use what i am good at to affect some change through what I do. may be then my professional identity, will start demanding instant dignity among common folks too.
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