At a typical end of day, I met him. For quite some time now, David is wearing a concerned look and I admit it suits him. The wrinkles are perfect, probably due to a consistent frown, he has now mastered.
Unable to control anymore, courtesy of cultivated impatience of excessive WhatsApp use, I poked him. Out came his feelings with a mix of physics and sickness, all delivered in Gibran's mould.
"The world is evolving at lightning speed but we are still groping for the torch. Successive short term plans can't be cloaked into a long term. Glancing a poster in the corridor, he said, Nehru is right, we are more given to talking about things than to doing."
We are many and surely someone would do IT, right?
"Lots of brilliant minds but producing dark fringes, for being out of phase. Bells are procured at every opportunity but whose neck to adorn if we are blind by choice, to all the cats?"
What about the initiatives? There is Hope, isn’t it?, I countered.
"We need a PMO circular to prod us to delete the obsolete, an agitation to revise those small mercies and an order from the top to formulate SOPs. I fear Hope might outrun Impatience. Hope tricks us by extending the comfort period and dampens the fire; not desirable when the intention is to march ahead.”
It’s a wide world, where to begin then?, I asked, by now convinced by David’s measured monotone.
"Countless papers, fans, tubes and air conditioners, all are left to Law of Inertia - the moving shall continue to move. We are conscious of rules and umpires of a cricket match but are blissfully ignorant that Life too is a game under an umpire's watch."
Too philosophical David, please save some political correctness. You are confusing me.
"We are rich in humanity amongst us, but let’s extend the favour to the Organization that we collectively inherited. Let’s begin with by calling it, Ours."
David appeared relieved but I, heavy in the head muttered to myself - the moving shall continue to move.
Meanwhile, in some unheard installation and at some remote rig, countless davids are recruited – fresh and impatient and retired for turning 60.
PS: Caution exercised to uphold brand David – our collective conscience!
written for ONGC Reports, an internal portal for ONGCians
